RTHK: Russian troops fire on 'armed gang' in Kherson Russian security forces fired on an armed gang of criminals in the centre of the occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson late on Saturday and "neutralised" them, Tass news agency reported. Kherson, in the south of Ukraine, was occupied by Russian troops shortly after the February attack started and Kyiv is vowing to retake it. "A group of armed persons that had been identified put up resistance. Russian security forces quickly went to the site and neutralised the criminals," Tass cited a security source as saying. There were no civilian casualties, the source added. The clash took place on Ushakov Avenue, in the centre of Kherson, Tass said. RIA news agency earlier cited a security source as saying the gang involved had been a "sabotage and reconnaissance group" but gave no details. Video posted to Twitter showed what appeared to be Russian forces firing a heavy machine gun from an armoured car towards a target that could not be seen. Fire from a smaller calibre guns could also be heard. The person taking the video said the clash was taking place in the centre of Kherson. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the video was authentic. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-09-17. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Chinese scientists discover history of volcanic eruptions in Chang'e-5 landing region Xinhua) 09:31, September 18, 2022 BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A research team from China has discovered geological evidence of at least four layers of volcanic lava flows that flooded the landing region of the Chang'e-5 lunar exploration mission, according to a press release from the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. China's Chang'e-5 mission brought a total of 1,731 grams of lunar samples back to Earth at the end of 2020. The landing region of the mission on the northwest region of Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms, is considered to be one of the youngest basaltic units on the lunar surface. Scientists say the region is rich in heat-producing elements such as uranium, thorium and potassium, which are thought to be responsible for maintaining the long-standing volcanic activities on the Moon. "Therefore, the study of the thickness of basalt and its eruption rate in the landing area of Chang'e-5 will further improve the understanding of the lunar volcanic activity and internal thermal evolution history," said Du Jun, who led the research project. To address these questions, researchers from the NSSC and other institutes in China estimated the thickness of mare basalts in the Chang'e-5 landing region. Their results show that at least four magmatic eruptions took place in the landing region, with a median thickness of 230 meters, 70 meters, 4 meters and 36 meters, respectively. Furthermore, the study also shows that the eruption rate of mare basalts in the Chang'e-5 landing region increased significantly about 2 billion years ago. "These results are expected to provide new constraints for the numerical model that can explain the duration and scale of the volcanic activities on the Moon," said Du. The research findings were recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Saturday inaugurated Komaram Bheem Adivasi Bhavan and Sevalal Banjara Bhavan located in Banjara Hills Road No. 10. Banjara Bhavan has been constructed at a cost of Rs 24.43 crore while Adivasi Bhavan has come up at a cost Rs 24.68 crore. Rao had laid the foundation for the two buildings in 2016. Addressing the gathering, Rao called upon tribal leaders, officials and intellectuals to utilise the buildings for conducting brainstorming sessions, devise plans and programmes for the uplift of tribals in all spheres. "I know Adivasis and Banjaras are facing a lot of hardships. Mere inauguration of these buildings will not immediately transform the situation of what they went through. That is still a long way to go," he said. Recalling the days of Telangana statehood agitation, Rao said, "At that time, I used to always say that Banjara Hills did not have even a square yard for Banjaras. But today, we have built a 61,544 sq.ft Banjara Bhavan and a 82,009 sq.ft Adivasi Bhavan in Banjara Hills, thanks to our self-rule." After the inauguration, a huge rally was taken out from People's Plaza to NTR Stadium via Ambedkar statue at Tank Bund with over 10,000 tribals, including hundreds of artists who showcased about 30 tribal art forms. The cultural rally of tribals enthralled the people who gathered on the roofs of buildings to catch a glimpse of performances of various tribal art forms. Ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Satyavathi Rathod, TRS city MLAs and chief secretary Somesh Kumar participated in the rally. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The project is based on a 10ft (3m) wide and 24ft (7m) long trailer. The reason for the big size is that this is now her home, as she didn't find the idea of a stationary house all that appealing. The trailer offers her the freedom of moving wherever she wants, but also a feeling of uniqueness given it was made by her. She built the mobile home on a single floor, as she dislikes the idea of having to climb up through a narrow space to the loft every night just to go to sleep.Carina is a nature lover and has many plants in front of the house, all of which sit in repurposed objects in the most eco-friendly fashion. Stepping inside, we get into the living room where we find a closet that seems to only be enough for one person.For a nice view, perhaps while reading or just daydreaming, she also built a small couch next to a window. She wanted a small built-in sofa so she can have an open space to do her yoga routine and just have some time for herself.The living space also includes two tables, one for herself and one for her partner. The table Carina built for herself is low to the ground and is made of only two bricks and a tabletop, as she confesses she prefers sitting on the floor instead of a chair.As the flowerpots in front of the tiny home would hint, Carina really likes plants, and she works as a floral designer for a flower farm. Next to a little stove, she put a lot of flowers that got rejected by the farm and she thought of giving them a new life.The kitchen and bathroom are built back-to-back, separated by a sliding door. The bathroom seems rather spacious for a mobile home, but she deserves credit for this. Carina made great use of the space, designing a custom shelf next to the shower cabin, and not wasting any chance at gaining some extra storage.The choice of a comically tiny, toy-looking sink combined with a small washing machine means she managed to make the most out of the limited space available. However, she made sure she gave the sink a makeover, building a custom cabinet for it and using some tiles her mother brought from Mexico to decorate it. The environmentally conscious theme continues, as Carina decided to buy a composting toilet that does not use up any water. She admits it is a bit challenging to use, but its worth it to her.To build the kitchen, she used wood that she found around the land where the tiny house now lies. She cut it, sanded it, and oiled it to finish the masterpiece that those cabinets are. On the countertops, she added a small two-burner stove. Two little sliding doors hide the microwave, trash can, and other kitchen utensils inside the kitchen cabinets and provide easy access. We can also see a small fridge covered by a movable countertop, allowing for its replacement with a bigger unit, shall the need arise. For extra space, theres a long wooden plank beneath the window serving multiple purposes. It could be used as a bar area, dinner table, or even additional storage space, especially while cooking.Next up is the bedroom, with the bed itself being the focal point. And it is quite a clever contraption. The frame manages to not only be home to a few big drawers for extra storage but also hide the plumbing. This makes it accessible for repairs by just removing the mattress and lifting the plank beneath. The wall decorations are all meaningful for her. They are either concert tickets, pictures of places she visited, or various gifts.Carina says the project was something she thoroughly enjoyed and now plans to use the experience she gained to start building customized tiny homes for other people. There is one airplane out there though that doesnt fit that general description: the B-2 Spirit . The Northrop stealth bomber, now a solid member of the American Bomber Trifecta alongside the B-1B Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress, is not conventional in any way, down to the flying wing shape it adopted.Designed this way as a means for it to be able to better hide its radar signature (and, we suspect, a bit because its makers thought itd look very cool), the B-2 looks more like an alien spacecraft flying inside our atmosphere than a plane made by humans to kill other humans.If you think the plane looks alien when seen while in the sky, just take a look at the main picture of this piece, and youll become instantly convinced the same happens when its on the ground if not even more so.This particular bomber is deployed with the 509th Bomb Wing out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, while the land beneath its wheels belongs to the Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Australia.The plane as seen in this recently released pic shows the Spirit taxiing in preparation for a Bomber Task Force mission in the Indo-Pacific region back in July.Despite its alien look, the B-2 is as Earth-made as they get. Its powered by four General Electric engines good for 17,300 pounds each, can fly at high subsonic speeds, and can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, about 40,000 pounds (18,144 kg) of the stuff. However, it was not just the fans who were impressed with his performance but also a very influential team advisor in the paddock called Helmut Marko. You must understand that Nycks debut was not like any other. Usually, a driver has time to get familiar with the car he is going to drive. However, de Vries only had minutes to prepare before getting thrown into the Williams car in FP3 and delivering an amazing result in a high-pressure scenario.Even so, it is a difficult task to get the attention of the Red Bull team, but de Vries managed just that. Albeit that happened with some unintentional help from the FIA, which refused to give Colton Herta a super license exemption due to fear of backlash. With that happening, it was looking more and more unlikely that Alpha Tauri would let go of Pierre Gasly , who was rumored to be looking for a move to Alpine.But then came the bombshell that was the Italian GP. Although he says he still sees a career in Formula 1 as anything but certain, de Vries confirmed during the Dutch talk show Humberto op Zaterdag that he met with Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko. This had been speculated before but now we are starting to get a clearer picture.With the muddy situation at Alpha Tauri, it seems that Red Bull is ready to welcome another member into their family and let Gasly move away from the team. Whether they will manage to get hold of de Vries that is a different story. The Dutch driver is currently in talks with three different teams, and a seat in Alpha Tauri would most likely see him looking towards promotion as Max Verstappen s lieutenant.This situation led de Vries to say that things are largely out of his control. However, no matter where he ends up racing, if he even does, he managed to impress Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff , who stated that Niki Lauda would have taken his hat off for Nycks stellar performance in Monza. This means we might even see him replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in the coming years when the British 7-time World Champion decides to retire. HP EV Ram decided it waited enough. The companys ready to preview what itll do from 2024 onwards. The Ram Revolution concept will show everyone in November what the American manufacturer will start building in just two years. Ram CEO Mike Koval told Fox News that the Revolution will give us some hints regarding the shape of the 2024 Ram 1500 the all-new fully electric pickup truck which he already considers to be segment-redefining.His statement is in line with what Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said at the beginning of this year about the upcoming concept vehicle, who argued that Ram will bring "the best electric truck to the full-size segment."Koval also underlined the vehicle will be better than what competitors currently have on offer. It will be interesting to see if Rams upcoming pickup truck will be able to defeat the 831-(842-PS) Rivian R1T or the 580-HP (588-PS) Ford F-150 Lightning. We wouldve added the HummerPickup, but this vehicle is in a class of its own.Rams not going to completely electrify its portfolio just yet. Koval confirmed at the Detroit Auto Show that there will be many EVs in the automakers offering by 2025, but the switch to an EV-only policy will happen in 2030. This year, the company will also introduce new gas- and diesel-powered Heavy Duty pickup trucks in Texas.However, the CEO says electrification wont bring limitations. Ram might have an ace up its sleeve. After all, the TRX took almost everyone by surprise. They might do something similar with the 2024 Ram 1500.The automakers also planning on bringing a small pickup truck into the U.S., but only after it discusses the opportunity with its dealers. The Maverick and Santa Cruz success stories mightve left a mark.Ram invited interested parties back in February to submit their views about how they would like the next-gen pickup trucks to look. The company might have collected enough information from prospective buyers and is now ready to show everyone what theyll put up for sale. But there are two more months of waiting left until we see the concept and over a year to discover the production-ready model. FPS The two organizations operate together an orbital camera called HiRISE , which has been snapping pics of the place for years now. And it captured on film tens of thousands of small portions of the planet, which keep delighting our senses.This Sunday, were treated to a beautiful piece of alien art. Scientist call this feathery-looking apparition a slope streak, and it forms by the displacement of material, perhaps from a falling rock or bolder, that exposes the darker subsurface to the harsh Martian sunlight.This one is located on the rim of an unnamed small and ancient impact crater, itself located on the side of another, larger crater in the Arabia Terra region of the planet.For what its worth, we were lucky to capture this feature in such a pronounced state, as these things have a tendency to fade over time, as the winds blowing on the surface of the planet chew away at them until they disappear.Its unclear when this feature formed, but I personally like to imagine it being the logo of some Martian company, sculpted as a means to advertise its products on the side of a natural feature, back in the day when there were enough Martians around to buy stuff from one another.On the other hand, the shape of the streaks could remind one of existing company logos here on Earth, and I dare you to find the closest match possible. The best I could do was to pair the Martian feature (and its a stretch) with the symbol for Riot Games Valorant 5v5 character-based tactical kW ECU There are several reasons one might feel like letting go of combustion engines and adopting the new mobility trend. In terms of commuting , bikes (whatever type they might be) are far superior. Traffic is no longer a major problem; you won't have to waste time finding a parking space (or paying for it). They are cheaper, easier to maintain, and let's not forget about the X factor, the thrill of riding.Admittedly, it's not for everybody, but if you have it in you, all you need is one ride on an electric bike, and you're hooked. One downside might be the range as electric cars currently go further, but with the developing charging infrastructure, that aspect might become irrelevant. Folks, today I'm bringing you an electric motorcycle with which you won't have to worry about range or charging.Evoke Motorcycles was established in 2018 and operates in over 18 countries. Headquartered in Hong Kong, they design and manufacture environmentally friendly EVs focusing on smart mobility , smart charging, sustainability, and safety. They currently have two series on sale, the Urban Series and the 6061 Series. The Urban is a naked electric motorcycle that definitely caught my eye, but not as much as the one I'd like to talk about today, the 6061 XR.The 6061 is the cruiser series designed for longer distances. They have three models on sale, the CT, GT, and XR, and their main differences are the batteries, power output, and torque. We're choosing to look at the top-of-the-line model, the XR.The XR's classic design reminds me a bit of the Ducati Diavel. However, it's simpler, but not in the wrong way. It sticks to the classic cruiser design, with the huge battery taking up the space that the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) normally would. Its all-new aerospace-designed Twin Plate Frame offers the rigidity of a traditional tubular frame while offering enough room for the battery.Moreover, every single bike is hand-assembled by an international team of highly skilled technicians. It's available in four color schemes: Crimson Red, Obsidian, Sniper Green, and Denim Blue.Let's see what's hiding behind the twin plate frame. The bike comes with a 120permanent magnet multi-wound synchronous motor. Combined with a high-voltage power pack, it boasts an impressive 160 hp (119 kW) and 250 Nm (184 foot-pounds) of torque, maxing out at 8,000 RPM.The XR can reach a top speed of 143 mph (230 kph). The manufacturer claims it has an urban use range of 470 km (about 292 mi), so you can go about your business without worrying about charging it daily. Not that it would be a problem anyways, because here's the mind-blowing part - with Evoke's proprietary ultra-fast charging (UFC) system and high-voltage 300V battery pack, a full charge takes only 15 minutes (using a CCS-enabled 125 kW DC station). Still, it almost sounds too good to be true.The XR also features up-to-date electronics. Evoke'sv2.0 is the centerpiece of the motorcycle, offering a pure riding experience by constantly analyzing and optimizing the performance of all things electric. As expected, the ECU also has a diagnostic function, and users can input their preferences to perfect the overall riding experience. All this is connected to the rider through a next-gen HMI interface, where the user has access to vital parameters and can switch between riding modes, among other things.The Evoke XR is priced at $30,000 (30,098), much lower than other big-name brands out there. Still, it offers what any traditional cruiser motorcycle would, only it's electric, highly optimized, and technologically advanced. With a low center of gravity and a powerful motor, you can take this bad boy anywhere, whether you enjoy twists and turns or want to go fast in a straight line. It's fair to say that this electric muscle bike might evoke all kinds of feelings for its rider.We contacted Evoke Motorcycles and enquired about the XR. This is what they said, "The bike is available for pre-order and some of the earliest customer orders are being built now. Right now, the lead times are long. The interest has been overwhelming, to say the least, and we're doing our best to fill all orders as quickly as possible". ITANAGAR, Sep 18: Chief Minister Pema Khandu reiterated working towards a climate resilient forestry practice in consonant with the Pakke Declaration while chairing the 3rd meeting of the XXIII Arunachal Pradesh State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) on Saturday. Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EF&CC) Minister Mama Natung, Vice Chairman of the State Board for Wildlife, EF&CC principal Secretary Dr. Sharat Chauhan and newly joined PCCF Jitendra Kumar were also present. Government of India is taking the issue of climate change with utmost sincerity and seriousness. So, we all need to work collectively to maintain our forest cover and our forests will remain only if we conserve our wildlife. It should not be just the duty of the government but each and every individual sitting here today if resolved to do this and mobilize people in their own capacity, we can maintain the glory of our beautiful state, he said. He also emphasized on the concept of carbon credit and said that carbon trading is gaining popular globally. He said focus should be on to earn green revenue. Khandu suggested introduction of alternative livelihood options like ecotourism, incorporation of environment education in academic institutions and encourage clean energies like hydro power and solar thereby create a holistic balance between conservation and development. We need sustainable development in the state. Our developmental efforts need to be supplemented with a stable eco system, he insisted. I am also happy to inform that we have adopted a collaborative approach for sustainable development in the State and for this we are collaborating with various stakeholders in achieving our developmental vision. In the State Board for Wildlife also, multiple stakeholders have their representation. Our collective efforts will certainly yield the expected result of a carbon neutral state, he said. Meanwhile, several proposals all for forest clearance - were approved by the Board for submission to the central government for further perusal. Some of the major proposals approved by the Board today are forest clearance for establishment of a new Border Outpost (BOP) at Balua and Helipad, BOP at Bruni, BOP at Andrala, all in Dibang Valley district, forest clearance for widening and strengthening of Itanagar to Kote road of 20 kms in Papum Pare district, for construction of 135 M span permanent bridge at Pinjoli Nallah on BCT road in West Kameng, for construction of flood protection work near general ground at upstream of Decorai Irrigation Project at Seijosa in Pakke-Kessang, for construction of Mipi-Andrala road in Dibang Valley, for augmentation of water supply at Roing and forest clearance for widening of NH-415 (old NH-52A) from Papu-Nallah to Banderdewa. The State Board for Wildlife, constituted under Section 6 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, is the highest advisory body in the State to advise the State Government in wildlife preservation. Any proposal for developmental activity in Protected Areas (Wildlife Sanctuaries/National Parks), eco-sensitize zone or wildlife bearing forests is first placed in the Board and then is sent to the National Board for Wildlife for clearance. Chief Wildlife Warden N. Tam, members of the State Board for Wildlife and officers of the department attended the meeting. Kenter Joya Riba She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.comPhone: 0360-2212313 << Back to News List And then, there are the occasional bugs that show up out of nowhere and which, way too often, end up being ignored by Google. Users are more often than not left all alone in their attempts to find fixes, as the official patches take months or sometimes even years to be released publicly.But as far as these patches are concerned, there are bugs that not even Google seems to be interested in fixing. And one of them was signaled by one of our readers earlier this week.First of all, lets see precisely what this bug is all about.One of the main features of Android Auto is the support for handling calls, so drivers wouldnt have to reach for their phones to answer or make a call. Google Assistant is in charge of everything, though picking up a phone call with touch on the head unit is also possible, even while in motion.However, phone calls are occasionally broken on Android Auto, though the culprit isnt always the same. Google Assistant is very often the one to blame, while in some cases, a bad cable is the one that breaks down the feature.One of the most common glitches impacting phone calls on Android Auto causes the audio to be sent to the phone speaker instead of the cars stereo system. In other words, when youre getting a call and answering it from Android Auto (regardless of the used method), the calls audio is directed to the speaker of the mobile device. By default, Android Auto should send the audio to the cars speakers.Whats odd is that everything else appears to be working properly on Android Auto, with the sound from Spotify or other apps sent to the cars speaker.This uncanny Android Auto behavior has been around for a while, and at first glance, Google has a hard time fixing it. But is the search giant actually interested in dealing with the whole thing? It certainly doesnt seem like it is.Sending feedback related to the broken phone calls on Googles forums is no longer possible. Posts that report the glitch are automatically closed by Googles Community Specialists and marked as a duplicate.One such post was published this weekend, and while a member of the Android Auto team actually asked for more details, another moderator closed the discussion thread and marked it as duplicate. This means the original poster can no longer reply, and other users are not allowed to chime in and comment on the post.Oddly enough, the thread now links to another discussion on the Google forums where users are reporting the same problem, but once again, new posts are no longer allowed. In other words, Googles forum moderators are blocking reports on an issue because they are duplicates, but at the same time, they no longer allow users to reply in the original discussion thread either.As far as the bug itself is concerned, Google is yet to ship a fix. A member of the Android Auto Team and Community Specialist said back in May that developers werent able to reproduce the reported glitch, eventually asking for more feedback from users in order to continue the investigation.No further update on the work in this regard has been offered since then, so given users are no longer allowed to post new questions related to this bug, its easy to understand why the frustration is growing.We have reached out to Google for more information on the bug and will update the article when and if we hear back. Robert Price is an Emmy-winning reporter-commentator for KGET-TV. His column appears here Sundays; the views expressed are his own. Reach him at rprice661@gmail.com or via Twitter: @stubblebuzz. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. 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. First son Hunter Biden asked a court to adjustl his child support payment due to financial insolvency, and other money troubles. Hunter Biden Avoids Child Support President Joe Biden's son had a rumored relationship that led to the birth of his lovechild, whose mother has been asking for support. Based on a story published on DailyMail.com on Thursday, Hunter Biden's Texas-based lawyer, Brent Langdon, demanded a revision of his client's payouts in a motion forwarded Monday to the Independence County circuit court in Arkansas. Langdon said the first son's financial circumstances, not just but not restricted to his income, had suffered a sizable material change, reported Sputnik News. The 52-year-old has been providing child support payments for Lunden Roberts, a native of Arkansas, with child maintenance since he was named the dad of her four-year-old daughter, Navy Joan, in 2018. His child has never met her grandfather. An insider with ties to the website predicted that Hunter would receive harsh criticism for this. Lunden will reconsider his position before simply conceding financial insolvency to any assertion of dire circumstances, it should be added. Also, notwithstanding that Hunter lives in a fancy Malibu house in an affluent part of the US. Hunter Biden's Lovechild, Her Mother Around December 2017, when Hunter Biden was dating Hallie Biden, the former wife of his late brother Beau, Navy Joan was conceived. After the breakdown of his marriage to Kathleen Buhle, the mother of his son Beau, in that same year, he began a new relationship, citing Hot Fast News. Read Also: Gautam Adani Net worth 2022: Asia's Richest Billionaire Is Wealthier Than Mark Zuckerberg Biden, a recovering crack addict, claims he has "no recollection" of sleeping with Lunden Roberts, even though she worked for about a year at Rosemont Seneca as a pole dancer at a venue he frequented after a DNA test revealed he was the father. Due to his numerous rampages, during which he had multiple relationships with women, he claimed that he remembered nothing of that specific episode at the time. Additionally, having paid $12,000 a month to rent a property in Hollywood and driving a Porsche, he attempted to claim he was just too poor to pay the paternity suit's disclosed $2.5 million compromise. No one believes the claim of President Biden's son and is fairly taken aback by what he's doing to a proven claim that he sired a child with a stripper. Despite receiving over $17 million in the last four years after leaving office as vice president in 2017 and coming into office again as president in 2021, his father's wealth is estimated to be $8 million. From 2014, following the Euromaidan coup that was endorsed by the US administration wherein his father served as vice president, till 2019, he was a member of the board of the Ukrainian natural gas corporation Burisma. A member of the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma from 2014, following the Ukraine coup supported by the US administration in which his father was vice-president, until 2019. Paintings by Hunter that he claims he started to sell as a hobby to help him kick his crack addiction reportedly sold for $75,000 to $500,000 each. Hunter Biden does not want to pay child support payments after financial insolvency has dented personal finances; reportedly splurge. Related Article: FBI Agent Leaves Agency After Complicity in Hunter's Laptop Investigation Revealed @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Throughout His ministry, Jesus was known for His profound teachings and remarkable teaching style. Using direct sermons, analogies, parables, and even humor and hyperbole, Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom of God, challenged the legalism and hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day, and communicated spiritual truth to all who still had ears to hear. In fact, Jesus warned against the hypocritical, self-righteous judgment of others by comparing it to one who calls out the speck of sawdust in his brothers eye while ignoring the plank (or log) in his own eye (Matthew 7:1-5). As part of a larger teaching on spiritual blindness and the necessity of inward reform, this analogy challenged Christs listeners on the mountain as much as it does Christians today. But what did Jesus mean when He told His listeners to first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your own brothers eye? (Matthew 7:5) When Did Jesus Say Take the Plank Out of Your Eye, Remove the Speck from Your Brothers Eye Jesus teaching of the speck and the plank came near the end of what was arguably His most famous sermon: the Sermon on the Mount. Recorded in Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount was one of Jesus first sermons in His earthly ministry. Large crowds attendedmany came from Syria, Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, and even beyond the Jordan River (4:24-25). They came to witness (or experience) Jesus miracles and hear Him teach about Christians role in the world (5:13-16), how He had come to fulfill the law, not abolish it (5:17-20), and how we are to love our enemies (5:43-48), pray (6:5-15), and overcome anxiety and worry in our lives (6:25-24). Jesus may have delivered the Sermon on the Mount in segments over several days. By the end, Matthew writes that the crowds were amazed; for He (Jesus) was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes (7:28-29). The Pharisees, scribes, and teachers of the law had been charged with preserving, studying, and teaching Gods Word. Instead, these smug, self-righteous elites had become spiritually bankrupt legalistic hypocrites focused on preserving their political power over peoples spiritual health and wellbeing. Always quick to point out the sin in others but mindless of the sin that festered in their own hearts, the Pharisees had lost sight of their sacred calling and had become blind guides of the blind (Matthew 15:14). As Jeremiah wrote, for the shepherds have become stupid and have not sought the Lord; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered (Jeremiah 10:21). Seeing that His people had become like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36), Jesus came to be the good shepherd to His people (John 10:11-14), heal the sick (Luke 5:31), and open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:7). To do this, Jesus needed to diagnose the sickness of mans heart and expose how blind we can become when we wander from God and refuse to submit to His authority and commands. As Ezekiel wrote, son of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear (Ezekiel 12:1-2). Like the Pharisees, those who are blind to the sin in their own heart and often quick to point out the sin in others, which is why, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had asked, why do you look at the speck that is in your brothers eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, and look, the log is in your own eye? (Matthew 5:3-4) As Matthew Henry writes in his commentary, it is as strange that a man could be in a sinful, miserable condition, and not be aware of it, as that a man should have a beam in his eye, and not consider it; but the god of this world blinds their minds. This was the state of many in Israel as it is the condition of many in the church today, something Gods Word regularly exposes and confronts. Who Was Jesus Talking to When He Gave this Advice? According to Matthews gospel, many listeners had previously heard Him preach in the synagogues. Many attendees were also sick people longing for healing (Matthew 4:24-25). Many listeners were also hungry for the truth and desperate for forgiveness and the hope of salvation. But who was this advice specifically targeted to? An argument can be made that Jesus was calling out the Pharisees. He repeatedly reproved them for their hypocrisy and hardened hearts. However, while it is easy to point the finger at others (the Pharisees among them), perhaps the greater implication is that, in doing so, we may also be fulfilling the role of those with planks in our own eyes. In many ways, Jesus was speaking to all who are quick to judge others but unwilling to examine or allow Christ to reform their own hearts first. That, if we are being honest, includes us at times. Why Did Jesus Use Humor and Exaggeration? Jesus teachings were never boring or dull. He often uses analogies, hyperbole, and humor to highlight key points. Jesus didnt resort to rhetorical tricks, clever language, or trendy wisdom to cover up teaching that lacked truth or substance (1 Corinthians 2:1). Instead, He strategically used things like hyperbole and even humorous analogies to compliment His teaching and challenge His listeners to think about and apply deeper spiritual truths to their own lives. For example, Jesus was not speaking literally when He taught that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Luke 18:25). It would be absurd (and impossible) as it would be to try and fit a giant camel through the eye of a tiny needle. In the same way, no one can buy their way to salvation or earn their way to heaven on merit. Jesus made his point that much stronger with his humorous and somewhat ridiculous image. Jesus also taught that if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell (Matthew 5:27-30). Taken literally and the church would be filled with one-eyed teenage boys. However, as Christ was warning about the severity of sexual sin, adultery, and letting lust run rampant in ones life, He utilized a hyperbolic example to urge men to take the consequences of sexual sin seriously, lest they fall into ruin. These techniques spotlighted key lessons in Jesus teaching and helped His listeners remember important truths. Did Jesus Use Other Expressions to Make the Same Point? Jesus analogy of the speck and plank addresses humanitys sinful and often judgmental hearts as part of a much larger spiritual lesson. Left to our own standards, few of us would acknowledge that we are also sinful and in need of saving. In Lukes gospel, Jesus told a similar parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt. In it, two men had gone into the temple to pray. One, a Pharisee, bragged about how righteous he was and thanked God that he was not like the common sinners and tax collectors. The other, a tax collector, was unwilling even to raise his eyes to heaven, beating his chest and saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. (Luke 18:9-14). To this, Jesus concluded, this man went to his house justified rather than the other one; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:14). Few will ever see themselves as the sinner of the story. In our minds, that role is always reserved for someone else who we judge as worse. The apostle Paul reminds us, however, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Paul also wrote in his letter to Titus that we would be wise to remember that we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another (Titus 3:3-6). Forgetting the state of their own souls and their need for a savior, the Pharisees had become blind guides, which Jesus also said would strain out a gnat but swallow a camel (Matthew 23:24). In another analogy, He made the same point: they clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25). And what was Christs reproof? It was the same as on the Sermon on the Mount: First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean (Matthew 23:26, emphasis added). These analogies, therefore, do not prohibit or dismiss all forms of judgment. In fact, in Johns gospel, Jesus taught not to judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24). God establishes the standard by which humanitys thoughts and actions are judged in His Word. His Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12-13). Scripture reminds us that God alone is the judge. By His standard alone, we separate what is right from wrong. Jesus was not saying, therefore, that we should be silent in the matter of sin. A speck of sawdust or splinter in the eye of one we love can be both painful and dangerous to their health. The truth of sins effect cannot be withheld, nor can the joyous remedy of Christs grace and forgiveness be hidden. However, to aid those blinded by unrighteousness and the speck of sin in their own lives, whether big or small, Christ challenged His listeners to first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye (Matthew 7:5, emphasis added). The Pharisees had unfortunately lost all credibility because of their hypocrisy and self-righteous attitudes. Rather than look inward and allow God to reform the sin of their own hearts, they were content to leave the planks in their own eyes, casting unrighteous and unfair judgment on others. In doing so, they had become ineffective leaders and blind guides to the blind. Matthew Henry writes, that which charity teaches us to call only a splinter in our brothers eye, true repentance, and godly sorrow will teach us to call a beam in our own here is a good rule for reprovers; first reform thyself. Joel Ryan is a childrens book author, writing professor, and contributing writer for Crosswalk, Christianity.com, Stand Firm Mens Magazine, and others. He is passionate about telling great stories, defending biblical truth, and helping writers of all ages develop their craft. Joel discusses, analyzes, and appreciates the great writings of the past and present on his website, Perspectives off the Page. This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today. Listen to our Daily Bible Verse Podcast Now! At around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday Washigton State Police were called to the scene of a 2 vehicle incident on State Route 240, about 20 miles outside of Richland WA. An Eastbound Vehicle left it's lane and stuck a vehicle in the westbound lane. The driver of the Eastbound vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The 63 year old driver of the Westbound Vehicle, Andres Negrete-Gonzalez and 61 year old passenger, Irene Negrete both of Mattawa Washington were transported to a local hospital for their injuries. The January 6 committee investigated the Capitol incident indicated before the midterm elections and the report's release in September. This final report would include all the findings of the Democrat-led committee in its public hearings; that conservatives call a sham. January 6 Attack on the US Capitol As shown by Axios, the US House Select Committee to Start Investigating the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol intends to organize at least one more public hearing and reveal its interim report shortly before the November midterms. With that schedule, Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, acknowledged that October wouldn't be a bit of a lull, reported Sputnik News. Thompson, the head of the nine-member cross-party panel, striving to avoid any idea of partisan politics or political interference, insisted that their work had been mostly free of such reactions. During that time, the panel may also issue its interim report. Thompson told reporters on September 13 that, unlike with the Justice Department inquiry as well as the grand jury probe in Fulton County, Georgia, the commission's mission expires after the calendar year. Separate probes into former President Donald Trump's businesses and tax returns are also ongoing. Other panel members informed Axios that the mid-term elections played no role in their timetabling. Representative Jamie Raskin, the Dems from Maryland and a member of the January 6 committee, kept insisting that the panel had a good reputation among many Americans for not distorting the truth to discredit Trump. Read Also: Vladimir Putin Net Worth 2022: Does Anyone Know Russian President's Hidden Wealth? Representative Stephanie Murphy, a Democrat from Florida, added that it is unrelated to the timing of the election and is not political. Zoe Lofgren, a different California Democrat, mentioned that the committee is not in a rush and that the report will be released when it is completed. In the run-up to the 2022 midterm, where all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate seem to be up for grabs, the latest revelations might very well influence voters' viewpoints. Democratic politicians have been working to improve their chances of preserving the majority in at least one chamber of Congress, in which they currently possess limited democratic votes. According to the 2022 FiveThirtyEight mid-term election prediction, the Democrats' chances for the mid-terms have improved; they now have a 71 percent chance of keeping the Senate but a 29 percent statistical likelihood of controlling the House. Probe on the GOP, Its Supporters Republicans and former president Donald Trump have repeatedly repudiated the inquiry, also known as the January 6 Committee. The riot occurred during one joint session of Congress that had been counting electoral college votes to verify Biden's victory. Due to the events, five individuals were killed, along with a Capitol police officer, according to BBC. The 45th President has named the committee's independent inquiry a witch hunt, as his Republican peers have called it an illicit terrorist act against American citizens. Many perceive the January 6 committee as a means by the Democrats to undergo another witch hunt for Donald Trump, fearing his return via a GOP victory in the mid-term elections. Related Article: US Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Danger Getting of Exhausted as Biden Administration Struggles To Stop Runaway Gas Prices @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After South Australia announced it would be removing its mask mandate on public transport this week, NSW has revealed it will follow suit. From Wednesday, masks will no longer be needed on public transport and public transport waiting areas, as well as in taxis and rideshare vehicles. The decision was made after a meeting of the states COVID Economic Recovery Committee, formerly known as the crisis cabinet, today. Masks will remain mandatory in hospitals, health facilities and aged care facilities. In a statement, the states health minister, Brad Hazzard, said masks still played an important role in reducing transmission of COVID-19. Continuing to wear a mask in crowded areas will be particularly important for people who have underlying health conditions or who are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection for other reasons. Wearing a mask in these settings will not only protect those around you, but will also reduce your risk of infection, he said. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet described the decision as common sense, while Transport Minister David Elliott said he had no doubt the public would continue to use what they knew about the transmission of COVID-19. Commuters will be pleased to hear this news as they will now able to make a personal decision and have a choice about when they wear a mask particularly in outdoor public transport areas, Elliott said. United Nations: Russias invasion of Ukraine and a global food crisis aggravated by the war will be the focus of world leaders when they convene at the United Nations in New York this week, a gathering that is unlikely to yield any progress towards ending the conflict. It would be naive to think that we are close to the possibility of a peace deal, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the high-level meeting of the 193-member UN General Assembly, which starts on Tuesday. The chances of a peace deal are minimal, at the present moment. Volunteers collect food to send in support of people left homeless during the fighting near the Kyrgyz-Tajik border Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, September 17. Credit:AP Geopolitical divides, hardened by the seven-month-old war, are likely to be on full display as the United States and Western allies compete with Russia for diplomatic influence. US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said: other countries have expressed the concern that ... as we focus on Ukraine, we are not paying attention to what is happening in other crises around the world. The death on Friday of a 22-year-old woman in Iran after she was detained by the morality police has fanned new outrage over the governments stringent efforts to enforce its hijab law, which mandates covered hair and loose-fitting robes for women. Iranian woman Mahsa Amini died on Friday in detention in Iran. Credit:Twitter The woman, Mahsa Amini, who also went by the name Jina, was detained on the streets of Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday while visiting the capital with her family from the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan province, according to news reports. Irans mandatory hijab law, which went into effect in 1981 after the Islamic Revolution, has long been challenged by many women, and in recent years some have appeared in public without the required scarf and robe. But that can be risky: Morality police units arbitrarily enforce the rules, and their tactics range from verbal notices, to monetary fines, to violently dragging women into vans for detention. Police did not offer an explanation for why Amini was detained, other than that it involved the hijab rule. Her mother said in an interview with Iranian news media that her daughter was observing the rules and wearing a long, loose robe. She said that Amini was arrested as she exited the subway with her brother and that his pleas that they were visitors to the city were ignored. THE DIVIDER: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 Author: Peter Baker and Susan Glasser Publisher: Doubleday Pages: 752 Price: $32 His job wasnt to get things done but to stop certain things from happening, to prevent disaster. This line from Peter Baker and Susan Glassers detail-rich history of the Trump administration, The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, technically applies to his first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. But in truth it describes any of several dozen beleaguered helpmates to the former president, whose propensity for petulant rage kept Washington in a fit of indignation and the White House in a mode of perpetual damage control for the better part of four years. Comprehensively researched and briskly told, The Divider is a story of disasters averted as well as disasters realised. Squeezing the tumultuous events of the long national fever dream that was the Donald Trump presidency between two covers even two covers placed far apart, as is the case with this 752-page anvil would tax the skills of the nimblest journalist. Yet the husband-and-wife team of Baker and Glasser pull it off with assurance. Baker, The New York Timess chief White House correspondent, and Glasser, a staff writer at The New Yorker, are the perfect pair to write this book, with a combined 60 years of Washington reporting experience and two other jointly authored to their names. (I know both of them through professional circles; when Glasser edited Politico Magazine, she hired me to write a history column.) Even while cataloguing Trumps most outrageous behaviours, Baker and Glasser strive to maintain a professional, dispassionate tone: Analytical but not polemical. Apart from the landmark Abraham Accords of 2020, which opened diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations, they devote only fleeting attention to Trumps concrete achievements, of which even critics must concede there were a few. The strength of the pre-Covid economy for which Trump doesnt deserve full credit but which still helped millions of voters look past his failings and failures is little discussed. Trump fans will surely object to the consistently negative judgments about their tribune. Given the sheer number of crises and conflicts that erupted on Trumps watch, herding them all into a narrative isnt easy. To impose order on the chaos, the authors centre each chapter on its own topic Trumps rocky relationship with foreign allies, for example, or the 2018 budget battle over the Mexico wall. Some of the weightiest chapters take up Trumps relationship with Russia. Former Moscow correspondents and long-time Russia jocks, Baker and Glasser eschew the wilder conspiracy theories that were bandied about in left-wing circles during Robert Muellers probe of the 2016 campaigns Russia connections. Instead, The Divider soberly and carefully reconstructs events to reveal anew Trumps shocking deference to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin notably at the 2018 Helsinki summit, where, the authors pointedly write, Trump acknowledged that he would accept the word of Putin over that of his own intelligence agencies. The chapters on the 2019 Ukraine scandal, when Trump linked aid to its government to delivery of dirt on Joe Biden, re-establish the gravity of the first impeachment, which has since been overshadowed by the second. If The Divider has a dominant theme, it may be the struggle within the almost cartoonishly chaotic White House by people more reasonable and ethical than Trump to rein in his most dangerous instincts. Because everyone had different ideas about where to restrain and where to encourage Trump, the White House became a den of ongoing tribal warfare, they write. The dishy gossip and mocking nicknames the Trumpies coin for one another (Kushner is the Slim Reaper, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Nurse Ratched) make for amusing reading; they also highlight a dysfunctionality rare for even the Washington freak show. Every chapter, it seems, has a sentence like this: While Priebus, Bannon and Kushner disliked each other, the one thing they agreed on was they all loathed [Kellyanne] Conway. Or: In public, Mattis, Tillerson and McMaster were portrayed as fellow members of the Axis of Adults. In private, there was pettiness that at times suggested a middle school cafeteria. The backbiting led to constant personnel turnover, a dreary parade of firings, resignations and defenestrations. Even more stunning is the number of onetime loyalists who, after their tours of duty, emerged as among the presidents most strident critics. Many Trump aides even some, like National Security Adviser John Bolton or Attorney General William P Barr, who might deserve harsh criticism on other grounds did intervene valiantly at times to keep Trump in check. Without their small acts of resistance, things could have gone even worse. Yet Baker and Glasser seem to endorse the view of the Democratic congressman Adam Schiff, who, during the first impeachment, warned Republicans, You will not change him, you cannot constrain him. In this instance, Schiff was talking specifically about Trumps plans to compromise our elections, and his words proved tragically prescient. The Divider concludes with a riveting few chapters on Trumps mad scheming to hold onto power after his November 2020 defeat resulting in the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol. In the books final passages, we see Trump lurking in exile in Mar-a-Lago like a movie villain, defeated but not altogether vanquished. In Hollywood, such endings serve to leave the door open to another instalment. But lets hope Baker and Glasser wont be writing a sequel. Mahindra Susten has sold its 30 per cent stake at an equity value of Rs 2,371 crore ($300 million) to Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board. and Ontario Teachers will also jointly explore the sale of an additional 9.99 per cent stake in Mahindra Susten by May 31, 2023. The proposed investment would also include setting up of an Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) for listing assets. The company expects to float the by 2024. Mahindra Susten is the firm of the . It is an independent power producer with 1.5 Gw capacity and also is into the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) business, with a constructed capacity of 4 Gw. The move follows the decision at the in 2020, to take its 10 public and unlock their value for its shareholders. This includes its footprint in mobility, clean energy, rural, financial services, infrastructure and technology, among others. The company said that the Mahindra Group will deploy these funds, along with an incremental amount of up to Rs 1,750 crore ($220 million), into the business and over the next seven years. Over the same period, Ontario Teachers has committed to deploy an additional amount of up to Rs 3,550 crore ($450 million) into the business and over the next seven years, the company said. As part of the proposed transaction, shareholder loans of Rs 575 crore ($73 million) advanced by the Mahindra Group to Mahindra Susten will be repaid, said the company. As a result of this transaction, the Mahindra Group will receive approximately Rs 1,300 crore ($165 million). The proposed InvIT would initially consist of renewable power assets seeded by Mahindra Susten with operational capacity of around 1.54 GWp. This transaction will enable Mahindra Susten to build a strong business focused on solar energy, hybrid energy, integrated energy storage & round-the-clock green energy plants, said the company. Deepak Thakur, managing director (MD) & chief executive officer (CEO), Mahindra Susten, said: This platform will leverage our proven experience in development and deep knowledge of the Indian energy market. Our in-house EPC capabilities honed across renewable energy projects executed globally ensure Mahindra Susten delivers superior performing assets. The Mahindra Group aims to be planet positive by 2040, and the continued inflow of patient, long-term capital into our climate-positive businesses validates our commitment to be a global ESG leader, said Puneet Renjhen, member of the executive board and executive vice-president, partnerships & alliances, Mahindra Group. Bruce Crane, senior managing director, Asia-Pacific, infrastructure & natural resources, Ontario Teachers, said, As part of our climate change strategy, we have committed to continue growing our portfolio of green assets around the globe with investments like Mahindra Susten. This strategic partnership marks the beginning of what we hope will be a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship with the Mahindra Group. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board is a global investor with net assets worth Canadian $242.5 billion and exposure in close to 50 countries. This month, Internet commerce firm is gearing up to host its biggest festive sale event, joining the battle along with and to woo shoppers. The SoftBank-backed firm is expecting 80 per cent of its orders to come from Bharat, or rural India, which includes small towns and cities. Meeshos Mega Blockbuster Sale starts on September 23 and will coincide with Flipkarts The Big Billion Days and Amazons Great Indian Festival. said its sale event this month has been meticulously curated based on its deep understanding of the consumers. This includes their needs, aspirations and buying patterns during the . continues to strengthen the focus on users underserved by traditional e-commerce companies, said Utkrishta Kumar, CXO-Business at Meesho, in an interview. The festive sale gives Meesho a great opportunity to further its mission of democratising internet commerce in India. We are primarily focused on building and solving for Bharat as we want to bring consumers and sellers from the deepest and farthest corners of the country. Meesho would have over 65 million active product listings across 30 categories. While fashion will remain the mainstay, the firm is expecting a strong surge in home and kitchen, furnishings, consumer electronics, and accessories. The firm said more than 70 per cent of the products are found only on its platform. Overall the firm said the products on Meesho are about 15-20 per cent lower in price compared to other platforms. Kumar said sellers will continue to reap the benefits of initiatives like zero commission and zero penalty. This will maximise their earrings from the . Indeed, newer players like Meesho ($5 billion gross merchandise value) are winning the faster-growing Tier 2/3 cities where has struggled to gain traction given low pricing and 'zero commissions' says a report by US-based research group Bernstein. The Bernstein report said while India has three dominant players--Amazon, Walmart-Flipkart, and Reliance's JioMart--the market remains quite fragmented with meaningful market differences by market tier, product category, and distribution models. leads in core categories (consumer electronics, media) and has done quite well in Tier-1 cities with about 5 million prime subscribers. Reliance leads in e-grocery/O2O (online-to-offline) categories with 15,000 store retail footprint and a stronger 1P (first-party relationship) model. has maintained leadership in apparels with about 2x the size of the nearest competition, according to the Bernstein report. We see strong traction in engagement metrics for new player Meesho targeting value end of e-commerce (focus on Tier-2+ markets), said the Bernstein report. Meesho is differentiating by not charging commissions. ALSO READ: E-commerce firm Meesho eyes to become profitable in 1-2 years: Exec Meesho does shipments through third-party logistics (3PL) players such as Ecom Express, Delhivery and Xpressbees. It has seen about 2.5x growth in monthly active users, which reached 127 million MAUs in August this year from 50 million in August 2021. The growth of registered sellers is about 3X or over 7.72 lakh in September this year from 2.5 lakh in October 2021. There has been about 4X growth in active product listings or 65 million this year compared to 16 million in October 2021. The scales achieved here will have a significant bearing on the upcoming annual flagship sale as well, said Kumar. The firm is also bringing in various technology interventions that would help it to handle the scale of business this . For instance, with a compressed app size of 13.6MB, it is able to cater to new consumers, with a majority of users coming from tier 2 cities and beyond. The companys focus on both customers and sellers in tier 2+ markets makes it crucial for the app to function on low-specification devices. This will continue to play a pivotal role during the festive sale as well, said Kumar. Meesho has further improved the feed ranking algorithms to help fuel the discoverability of hyper-local products on the platform. There is also proactive planning for accurate inventory recommendations. This would help sellers improve their inventory planning stock, re-stock and unstock. The firm has also strengthened its regional foothold by adding eight new vernacular languages to the app. These include Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia. We have also created virtual war rooms to discuss, resolve, and reflect on opportunities and challenges in real-time while ensuring seamless collaborations across the board, said Kumar. After the removal of caps, there seems to be a mixed trend with lower ticket prices for routes having relatively lesser passenger loads, according to travel industry experts. More than two years after being put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, the fare caps were removed with effect from August 31. The move also came against the backdrop of gradual recovery in domestic . The average booking price has not changed much but there seems to be a mixed trend with certain sectors seeing drop in fares while some others witnessing a rise, as per the industry players. The country's largest airline IndiGo said the removal of caps will give an opportunity to offer dynamic pricing and that there has been a consistent increase in the number of passengers over the last 5-6 months. The airline did not provide a specific answer on the trends cap removal. Indiver Rastogi, President & Group Head, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel, said the removal of airfare caps enables carriers to offer the benefit of lower pricing to customers on sectors/routes where flight loads are comparatively lower than others. "And this is already being seen for sectors like Amritsar, Lucknow, Dehradun, Surat, Nagpur and Pune where a drop of 8-10 per cent is visible on fares compared to pre-cap removal. "Airfares for September 1-15, 2022, to high-load/popular destinations from various hubs like Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru are understandably higher compared to pre-cap removal; an increase of 20-25 per cent for Andaman, 15-20 per cent for Goa, 5 per cent for Kerala and Himachal, 10-15 per cent for Kashmir," Rastogi said. Karthick Prabu, Head of Strategy at Cleartrip said it is too early to arrive at a trend due to removal of airfare caps. A comparison of the first 15 days of August and September indicates that September has seen 23 per cent higher bookings than August, he noted. "Number of segments that customers booked also has increased by 21 per cent. Interestingly, the average booking price has not changed much. But, there are sectors where prices have dropped and there are expensive fares too. Some softening in airfares for pre-Oct travel has been observed. The fares for the festive period, esp Dussehra, Diwali, etc are continuing at elevated levels," he said. On August 10, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the decision to remove the airfare cap has been taken after careful analysis of daily demand and prices of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). The cap was removed with effect from August 31. The removal of farecap has created affordability for peak season travel in December, according to Rastogi, with an increase of merely 20-40 per cent for leisure routes. The business routes are, however, seeing an increase of 18-30 per cent despite capacity constraints and increased ATF pricing, he said. The IndiGo spokesperson said it has seen a consistent increase in the number of travellers over the last 5-6 months. "We have noticed a sharp increase in passengers preferring air travel within the country. Removal of airfare capping will give an opportunity to offer dynamic pricing to our passengers. As a leading airline, we would be able to offer the best fare structure to our customers," the spokesperson added. In August, domestic airlines carried 1.01 crore passengers, which was a growth of more than 4 per cent compared to 97.05 lakh passengers flown in July. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-August 2022 were 770.70 lakh as against 460.45 lakh during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering annual growth of 67.38 per cent and monthly growth of 50.96 per cent," aviation regulator DGCA said on Friday. Jyoti Mayal, President of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), said the decision to remove the fare caps was taken at an opportune time when the festive season is about to begin, which would result in good days for travellers. "Airfares were on the rise due to the substantial increase in the ATF since the beginning of the year. However, with the decline in the price, fares are in control now and decrease further owing to the tough competition amongst the flight operators," she added. TAAI has more than 2,500 members. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is concerned as 15 districts in the state are among the 25 across the country identified as the most vulnerable to . State Science, Technology and Minister Keshab Mahanta said that out of these 15, as per survey reports from two premier institutes - IIT Guwahati and IIT Mandi, Karimganj tops the list. Karimganj falls in the state's border Barak Valley region. The district normally used to witness a hefty amount of rainfall every year, but recently, this has decreased. In fact, after two spells of monsoon floods in Assam, Karimganj has received very less rainfall over the last two months. The other two districts in Barak Valley - Cachar and Hailakandi - also fall in the most vulnerable category. Silchar, the second-most populous town of and headquarters of the Cachar district, faced the worst floods in June. But from mid-July, the rainfall has decreased in Cachar also, which has sent a warning sign to environmentalists. Apart from these three districts, the 12 others include Goalpara, which comes second in the list, whereas Dhubri and Sonitpur are in the third and fourth places, respectively. The others are Darang, Golaghat, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, Tinsukia, Baksa, Morigaon, Dibrugarh, and Sivsagar. Mahanta said that has affected the agricultural economy of the state. Quoting the Climate Change Action Plan report, he said: "The temperature in Assam has seen a continuous rise for last many years. Along with that, the rainfall has decreased considerably. This has an adverse effect in rural households who are totally dependent on agriculture." The report further states that between 1951 to 2010, the temperature in the state increased by 0.59 degrees every year. After the monsoon floods lashed many districts of Assam in May and June this year, now a drought-like situation has occurred in at least five districts of the state, the Minister said. The Assam Climate Change Action Plan report has estimated 75 per cent rise in the drought situation in coming years. It also assessed that Assam may witness around a 25 percent increase in floods. In 2021, many districts in Assam were drought-hit due to a 21 per cent decrease in rainfall in June and July, and this hit agriculture production. Mahanta informed that the government is preparing an action plan to tackle the climate change situation in the state. --IANS tdr/vd (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 party's Bharat Jodo Yatra led by resumed its journey on Sunday from Kerala's Haripad with hundreds of party workers and leaders accompanying it. The yatra, which entered its 11th day, started shortly after 6.30 AM and senior leaders including Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, Kodikunnil Suresh, K C Venugopal and Leader of Opposition, V D Satheesan are walking beside Gandhi in the 13 km-long first leg of the march. Gandhi was seen breaking security cordon in between to meet people waiting on both sides of the road. After walking for over one hour, he took a break to have tea from a hotel along the route. The party said the morning session of the yatra will conclude once it reaches Ottappana and the members will rest at Karuvatta nearby. According to the schedule, the yatra will resume at 5 PM from Purakkad which is 6.5 km away from Karuvatta and Gandhi and the yatra members will be travelling that distance by vehicle. The evening session is scheduled to end at 7 PM near T D Medical College Hospital, Vandanam. The yatra will be covering 7.5 km in the evening leg. The yatra members will be halting at Carmel College of Engineering and Technology, Punnapra, which is 3.4 km away. Senior leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted that Gandhi will be meeting the farmers of Kuttanad during the morning break. "Day 11 of #BharatJodoYatra started at 630 am from Haripad today. Bharat & Pradesh Yatris will walk a distance of 13 kms and halt for the morning break at the Sree Kuruttu Bhagavathi Temple in Ottappana. Interaction with farmers from Kuttanad & the neighbouring district thereafter," Ramesh tweeted. On Saturday, Gandhi had lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over rising prices and unemployment in the country and said instead of releasing cheetahs, he should spend his time resolving unemployment crisis and issues related to increase in price of essential goods. The Congress party's 3,570 km and 150-day long foot march started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7 and will conclude in Jammu and Kashmir. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which entered 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. (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 Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa told Washington in a state visit that Pretoria itself decides who to associate with and not the US. He reiterated that maintaining diplomatic ties with Russia is not wrong, as is the move to meddle in African affairs. African Continent Not To Be Punished as Free Nations Ramaphosa met with US President Joe Biden in the White House last Friday, intending to pressure South Africa through the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act, reported RT. He clarified that the US now employs the act to achieve what it wants by force, significantly to drop Moscow; it is done regardless of whether Africa is harmed or disadvantaged by the west. South Africa's leader stated that the nation has a long-held non-alignment policy with world powers; nevertheless, the US wants more to its advantage. During their conference, both leaders exchanged words and did not talk about the Russia legislation, as outlined in the White House readout. During his visit, Ramaphosa met with the Congressional Black Caucus and again criticized the bill, according to Gen X Newz. He continued stating that the South African president is worried about the repercussions for the African continent if the anti-Russian Bill becomes US law as Washington did to allegedly teach Pretoria and other African countries a lesson. The US Must Not Impose Itself on Developing Nations Furthermore, the South African continent is being punished for its efforts to push development and growth that should not be impeded by the US, citing Mass News. Read Also: Donald Trump Net Worth 2022: Did Trump Get Richer Since Leaving the US Presidency? According to the African leader, South Africa sees the United States and Russia as strategic partners, not just one. American lawmakers have no power to penalize a sovereign country that dares to disagree with the US administration. Despite US policy claims, the bill will not reprimand any African country that chooses Russia over America, as National Security Council spokesman John Kirby wants them to think. He says that the US is not forcing anyone to take the US side, which is evident in Ukraine or the Indo-Pacific. Although, recently, the US warned Pacific Island nations not to talk to China. Added the statement that the US will not penalize anyone, he said last Friday. Respect for sovereignty was at the top of them. Russia To Give Free Fertilizers Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that a large quantity of valuable compost is stuck in EU ports, intended for developing countries such as the poor African nations, mentioned Almayadeen on Friday. Moscow informed us that 300,000 tons of fertilizer are intentionally held in ports due to sanctions, even though it is free and there is nothing to pay. Putin indicated at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan that he is discussing agricultural issues with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The supposed grains deal that was done with Kyiv and Istanbul is in trouble. The west has not fulfilled its part and is scathed for dishonoring the agreement. President Ramaphosa warns as Washington wants to clamp down on Pretoria and other African nations for rebuffing the US and choosing Russia, which is giving away fertilizer. Related Article: Former Russian President Medvedev Says BRICS Can Create Reserve Currency To Support Its Members @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Terming the relations between India and as "friendly and cordial", Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the Chabahar-Central Asia transit route can help both nations strengthen the grounds for cooperation. "Using the existing capacities in the oil and gas industry, transportation and especially the Chabahar-Central Asia transit route, as well as cooperation in regional and international issues that the two countries are concerned about and have common positions can provide a suitable ground for improving the level of relations and expanding grounds for cooperation between the two countries," read a press release by the Iranian Ministry. Raisi had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he described the development of the interactions with the country as one of the priorities of Iran's foreign policy. "Indian independent figures, like Mr Gandhi, who have stood against arrogance are always respected by the Iranian nation," he said, referring to historical, cultural and civilisational common grounds between the two countries. Referring to Iran's progress in various scientific and industrial fields, Raisi emphasised, "Cruel sanctions could not interrupt the progress of the Iranian nation". In the sideline meeting, PM Modi pointed out the key role and importance of Chabahar Port in the transportation of goods in the region. "The development of this port will contribute to the economic development of the countries in the region," he said. The Prime Minister of India also mentioned the common positions of the two countries regarding the developments in Afghanistan and called for the continuation of Tehran-Delhi international and regional cooperation in this field. (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.) actor Jacqueline Fernandez has been summoned for questioning on Monday by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing in connection with an extortion case linked to alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, officials said. This is the second time that she has been summoned for questioning by for her alleged role in the case, they said. A senior police officer said Fernandez has been asked to join the probe at 11 am on Monday at the office of Economic Offences Wing in Mandir Marg. "We need to scrutinise certain documents and also question her further in connection with the case," he said. On Wednesday, Fernandez was quizzed for over eight hours along with Pinki Irani, who allegedly introduced the actor to Chandrashekhar. Investigation had revealed that Chandrashekhar had offered a motorcycle to Fernandez's agent Prashant on his birthday but he declined to take it. However, Chandrashekhar left the two-wheeler and its keys at Prashant's place, police had said earlier, adding the motorcycle was seized. Chandrashekhar, who is currently in jail, is accused of cheating many people, including high-profile individuals such as former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh. On August 17, the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet naming Fernandez as an accused in a multi-crore money laundering case linked to Chandrashekhar. According to the ED, Fernandez and another actor Nora Fatehi received luxury cars and other expensive gifts from him. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister on Sunday called on his Karnataka counterpart Basavaraj Bommai here and discussed many issues including development of border region. According to sources, Bommai and Pinarayi held talks related to the development of border region and night traffic on the highway running through the Bandipur tiger reserve. Opening the NH passing through the ecologically sensitive Bandipur tiger reserve for night traffic had been a long pending demand of . The southern state had also approached the Supreme Court to allow night traffic and filed an affidavit saying it was highly discriminating for the people living in the surrounding areas of Bandipur Park to restrict their right to move freely, they said. During the meeting, Bommai told Vijayan that the highway running along the Bandipur Tiger Reserve cannot be opened citing Supreme Court order. The two leaders also held discussion on two pending railway projects and few other highway projects, sources 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 brother of two teenage Dalit girls, who were allegedly raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district, remembers his sisters as ambitious and supportive. The elder sister, who was 17, had left education midway and was taking care of the ailing mother. The other wanted to complete her studies and earn for the family. "After our mother had her uterus operation six months ago, my sister was worried and wanted to stay at home to look after her. She quit her studies for that reason," the brother told PTI. Six men were arrested on Thursday in connection with the alleged rape and murder of the two teenage sisters who were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field. "She was quite meritorious and wanted to support the family by doing a job," the brother said, remembering his 15-year-old sister as "very ambitious". "My youngest sister was studying in Class 10. She always used to say that she wanted to do a job and earn for the family. She was good in studies and I wanted her to complete her education," he said. Police sources said the post-mortem report revealed that the girls were raped and then strangled. Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjiv Suman told reporters that according to the preliminary probe, the girls had left their home on Wednesday afternoon with two of the accused, Junaid and Sohail. He said both were in a relationship with the two sisters, who insisted on marriage, after which they were strangled. Dismayed by the statement of the police official, the brother alleged that the police have "presented a fabricated story" in order to "save themselves from embarrassment" in the case. "The police are presenting fabricated stories for their own benefit. They are lying. My sisters were abducted and they never knew those men. None of us knew them. Hence, I never even had an idea that my sisters' lives could be in danger," he said. He demanded a "death sentence" for the culprits. "I have lost my two sisters and I demand justice for them. The death sentence should be given to the perpetrators," he said. The brother, who used to work in Himachal Pradesh, moved to Delhi a few years ago. He worked at a private factory and had returned home about a month ago. Though the girls' father, a landless labourer, has expressed satisfaction over the police probe, the victims' kin demanded a government job for a family member, adequate compensation and the "death sentence" for the accused. District Magistrate Mahendra Bahadur Singh said necessary action is being taken to provide Rs 8.25 lakh compensation each to the two girls' kin under provisions of the SC/ST Act. The administration will forward the family's other demands to the state government, he said. Earlier, the victims' mother had lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that three motorcycle-borne unidentified youths, along with her neighbour Chhotu, stormed into their hutment and abducted her daughters. After the incident came to light, villagers staged a demonstration at Nighasan Crossing. Police personnel in large numbers were deployed to ensure law and order in the village. Police have registered a case against the six accused under Sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 376 (rape) and 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The girls' burial took place in a field near their home as their community buries the dead rather than carrying out the cremation if the deceased are minors. (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 southwest monsoon might finally start withdrawing from parts of North-West India over the next three days, signaling the end of its four-month journey over the country that started in June, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said today. However, though the retreat might begin from next week, the rains might not descend quickly, as the met department predicted fresh spells of rains in Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and east MP on September 21-22 and over Odisha, Coastal areas north Andhra Pradesh and Gangetic West Bengal on September 19-21. Due to anti-cyclonic flows over northwest India at lower tropospheric levels, dry weather is very likely over west Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during the next five days. Hence conditions are becoming favourable for the withdrawal of Southwest Monsoon from parts of northwest India during next three days, the said. Till a few years back, the usual date for the start of the southwest monsoon's retreat was September 1. This was later changed to September 17 according to the new onset and withdrawal dates released by a few years back. A few weeks back, the met department had said the southwest monsoon will start withdrawing from parts of Rajasthan from September 1, which it later updated as development of fresh weather systems meant the rains were not expected to go in hurry. For the whole of September, the in its last forecast had said that monsoon for the country as a whole was expected to be 109 of the Long Period Average (LPA). The LPA for September is 167.9 millimeters. As per the revised onset and withdrawal dates, the monsoon should start retreating from far western Rajasthan from September 17 as against the earlier withdrawal date of September 1. This date is within a range of plus and minus 7 days, so even if the withdrawal starts a few days after September 17, it will be within the range, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told Business Standard. He said rainfall has been above normal over most parts of the country in the first fortnight of September, which was in accordance with the predictions made by the IMD. Mahesh Palawat, Vice-President, Meteorology and Climate Change at private weather forecasting agency Skymet said that anti-cyclone conditions are expected to develop over West Rajasthan over the next 2-3 days which could signal the withdrawal of southwest monsoon. And, even the fresh weather systems developing over Bay of Bengal, will start recurving from North Madhya Pradesh and not reach Rajasthan as was the case of the recent low pressure area. Withdrawal is expected to start within the next 2-3 days and as per the latest patterns it isnt delayed, Palawat told Business Standard. A delayed withdrawal of monsoon might help in leaving good soil moisture for the preceding rabi crops, but could make the standing kharif crops prone to damage and pests due to prolonged exposure to rains at the pre-harvesting stage. IMD considers monsoon to have withdrawn from a particular area if there is cessation of rainfall activity over the area for continuous five days, establishment of anticyclone in the lower troposphere and considerable reduction in moisture content as inferred from satellite water vapour imageries and tephigrams. As per the new onset and withdrawal dates issued a few years back, the monsoon might reach Central India with a delay of 10 days while leave North-West India after 10-15 days from its earlier dates. This should help in getting a good rabi harvest particularly in the North, Mohapatra said. Monsoon Rains So Far (in millimeters) From June 1 to September 18 Regions Actual Normal % Departure East and NE India 1049.2 1263.3 -17 North-West India 538.83 561 -4 Central India 1103.5 923.6 19 South Peninsula 838.1 649 29 All India 868.9 812.1 7 Source: India Metrelogical Department (IMD) Over one lakh people donated blood on Saturday as part of the fortnight-long 'Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav', which began on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, creating a "world record" for single-day donations, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. The previous record was set on September 6, 2014 -- 87,059 participants. It was achieved by the Akhil Bhartiya Terapanth Yuvak Parishad at 556 camps across 300 cities in India. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who also donated blood at a camp set up at Safdarjung Hospital here, urged citizens to register on the Aarogya Setu app or e-Raktkosh portal to donate blood as part of the 'Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav', which will be held till October 1 -- Voluntary Day. "New world record! Today I am happy to inform that on the birthday of Prime Minister @NarendraModiji more than 87,000 people have donated blood voluntarily so far under #RaktdaanAmritMahotsav, which is a new world record. This is an invaluable gift from the country to our beloved Pradhan Sevak," Mandaviya said in a tweet in Hindi around 7.42 PM. Later once the data was updated, he tweeted, "1,00,000 crossed" The counting of individuals who donated blood on day one was still going on, officials said. As part of the drive, over 6,000 camps have been approved across the country and over two lakh (2,07,313) donors have registered themselves on the e-Raktkosh portal which has been linked with the Aarogya Setu app, the data on the portal till 10.25 pm showed. Also, 1,00,506 people have voluntarily donated blood. " is a noble cause and given our rich culture and tradition of Seva and Sahyog, I urge and appeal to all citizens to come forward and donate blood as part of the countrywide mega voluntary blood donation drive - Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav. "Donating blood not just fulfils the requirement but is also a great service to society and humanity," Mandaviya said earlier. The drive aims to collect close to one lakh units of blood in a day besides raising awareness about the need for regular non-remunerated voluntary blood donations. One unit translates to 350 ml of blood. The minister said, "Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav is part of bigger celebrations of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahostav". The campaign aims to increase awareness about regular non-remunerated voluntary blood donations and ensure that blood or its components (whole blood, packed red blood cells, plasma, platelets) are available, accessible, affordable and safe. According to the 2021 statistics, India's annual blood requirement is around 1.5 crore units. In every two seconds, a patient in India needs blood and one out of every three people will need blood in their lifetime, Mandaviya said. "Despite the technological advancements, there remains no alternative to blood and one unit of blood can save as many as three lives," the minister noted. He met the donors at the camp and appreciated their efforts. Removing myths surrounding blood donation, the minister said, "A person has five to six litres of blood in his or her body and can donate blood every 90 days." A body can recover blood very quickly -- blood plasma volume within 24 - 48 hours, red blood cells in about three weeks and platelets and white blood cells within minutes. The shelf life of the donated blood is 35 to 42 days. It is also processed into components such as plasma, red blood cells and platelets. Frozen plasma can be used for up to a year, while red blood cells can be used for up to 35-42 days. Platelets need to be used within five days, the official said. The nationwide drive is supported by the centralised blood bank management information system 'e-RaktKosh portal', which will act as a repository of blood donors. This will ensure a robust record of blood donors and will expedite blood availability when in need, he said. Mandaviya also released a book titled 'Footprints on the Sands of Time', showcasing the contribution of Safdarjung Hospital towards healthcare. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President on Sunday visited Westminster Hall in London, where the body of is lying in state, and offered tributes to the late British monarch on behalf of the Indian government and the people of India. The President offered tributes to the departed soul on her own behalf and on behalf of the people of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted along with a video clip of the President at the Hall within the House of Parliament complex. President Murmu, who is in on a three-day visit to attend the state funeral of scheduled at Westminster Abbey on Monday, also signed a condolence book on behalf of the Indian government. She was accompanied by Acting High Commissioner of India to the UK Sujit Ghosh at Lancaster House in London, where visiting world leaders are stopping by to sign a book of condolence in memory of who died aged 96 in Scotland on September 8. The Indian head of state, who arrived on Saturday evening, will join around 500 world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, and royals from across the world in a congregation of around 2,000 expected at the Abbey for a sombre ceremony starting at 11am local time and concluding with a two-minute silence around an hour later. Ahead of Monday's funeral service, the President is invited to a reception hosted by King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace. All visiting heads of state, government and official overseas guests are expected at what has been described as an "official state event. Zaki Cooper, who worked in the Queen's Royal Household between 2009 and 2012 and has written widely about the monarchy, believes the Queen enjoyed an "affectionate relationship with India" and was instrumental in the transition from empire to Commonwealth. By recognising the desire for many countries to self-determination, she embraced the Commonwealth, said Cooper. The Commonwealth often featured in her messages and speech. She was the organisation's head and also its inspiration. Her legacy of developing friendly relations between nations is one that will continue to inspire the Commonwealth, as it embarks on a new chapter with King Charles III as its head, he said. Representatives of the Realms and the Commonwealth will be among those in the congregation at Monday's funeral service. Hours before the ceremony, the Queen's Lying-in-State will close to members of public queuing for the past few days, with waits of around 24 hours expected over the weekend as the queue stretches to around 10-km-long. The gates to Abbey will open at 8am local time on Monday for the visiting dignitaries and guests invited to the funeral, which will include hundreds of people who were recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours earlier this year, many honoured by the late monarch for their extraordinary contributions to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and volunteering in their local communities. Under the plans in place for the day, all heads of state and overseas government representatives, including foreign royal families, are expected to gather at a central venue and travel under "collective arrangements" to the Abbey. The state funeral service will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster, with Prime Minister Liz Truss and Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Patricia Scotland reading lessons. The Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator will say prayers and the sermon will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will also give the Commendation. The conclusion of the first state funeral in the UK in 57 years, last held at the Abbey for Britain's war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965, will be followed by a service and a private burial ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. The late monarch will be laid to rest in the chapel at Windsor Castle. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least seven people were killed and many others injured after a bus carrying around 50 passengers fell off a bridge in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Saturday, police said. The accident took place when the Ranchi-bound bus coming from Giridih district broke the railing of the bridge and fell into a dry spot in Siwanne River in Tatijharia Police Station area, Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe said. "Two passengers died on the spot and five others succumbed to their injuries. The fatality figures may go up as several are seriously injured," he said. Several passengers were trapped inside the bus and they were rescued. The damage could have been more had the bus fallen into water in the middle of the river, the officer said, adding an investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident. A DSP-rank officer and three police station in-charge were deputed to the spot to monitor the rescue operation, the SP added. Mamta Saluja, a passenger who received minor injuries in the accident, said, "There were Sikh pilgrims in the bus going to a gurudwara in Ranchi's Ratu area to participate in a religious function." President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. "I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of people in a road accident in Hazaribag, . My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this accident. I wish all the injured to get well soon," Murmu said. Modi said, "Anguished by the loss of lives in the in Hazaribag district, . In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying that the injured recover soon." Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Hemant Soren also condoled the deaths. "Saddened by the deaths caused due to falling of a bus from a bridge in Tatijharia. May God give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery to the injured," Soren tweeted. The Governor said in Twitter post, "Deeply saddened to hear about the news of deaths due to falling of a bus from a bridge at Tatijharia, Hazaribag. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish the injured a speedy recovery. (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 Central Burea of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday, along with forensic experts visited the Leoney Grand Resort in Goa, where late leader Sonali Phogat stayed before her death with her aides. As per information, the officers investigating the case were inside the resort for over 10 hours. This comes as took over the probe into Sonali Phogat's death from Police on September 15, 2022, and registered an FIR into the case followed by an order for a detailed probe in the case. Earlier on Saturday, and a forensic team arrived at the resort located on the Anjuna beach in North . Earlier, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that he would request Union Home Minister Amit Shah to hand over the Phogat case to the CBI. On September 12, the Ministry of Home Affairs recommended a CBI investigation into Sonali Phogat's death. Meanwhile, Supreme Court adjourned till September 26, Curlies restaurant's plea against the NGT order and extended its interim order on stay against the demolition till the next date of hearing. The Curlies restaurant was being demolished for allegedly violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms but the owners of the restaurant have moved the Supreme Court challenging the demolition action. Actor-politician Sonali Phogat was found dead in Goa last month. Her family immediately alleged foul play. Following allegations by her family, the Goa Police lodged a case of murder and arrested a couple of Phogat's associates. Sonali Phogat, who rose to fame with her TikTok videos, contested the 2019 Haryana election as a candidate but lost to then Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi (he has since joined the BJP). She also appeared in the reality show Bigg Boss in 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.) Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said a strong, fair, and independent justice system is the safest guarantee to the flourishing of democratic values. Speaking at the 1st Justice JS Verma Memorial Lecture here in Madhya Pradesh, the vice president said all in the country need to realise that nobody is above the law. Spinally strong, fair and independent justice system is the safest guarantee to the blossoming and flourishing of democratic values, the vice president is quoted as saying in an official release. Dhankhar said all in the country need to realise that nobody is above the law and that the people in authority and high positions need to take cognizance of this in a larger public interest and to enhance the democratic ecosystem. The late JS Verma served as the 27th Chief Justice of India from March 25, 1997, to January 18, 1998. Late Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma will always be best remembered for path-breaking judgments and ideas that have empowered citizens and enabled the government to overhaul institutions for the larger welfare of the people, the VP said. Justice Verma also served as the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court from 1986 to 1989, when he (Dhankhar) was the president of the Bar Association and also a member of the Bar Council. His tenure was marked by the uplift of the judicial ecosystem and to enhance the transparency and accountability, the vice president said. While in the Supreme Court, he rendered several judgments that have wholesomely impacted society, Dhankhar added. "In his landmark judgment in Vishaka & ors vs State of Rajasthan & ors case, he (Justice Verma) judicially structured the mechanism for adequately providing for specific protection of women from sexual harassment in workplaces," he said. Addressing another function, held on the martyrdom day of erstwhile Gondwana rulers Raja (king) Shankar Shah and his son Kunwar Raghunath Shah at the Veterinary College campus ground in Jabalpur, Dhankhar said, I bow to the great heroes born on the holy land of Madhya Pradesh on the martyrdom day of Veer Shiromani Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah". He said it is because of the sacrifices made them that the people can breathe in a free India and decide their own destiny. The whole world knows the valour and sacrifice of Rani Durgavati of (erstwhile) Gondwana (empire), he said, adding that the country will never forget the sacrifices of her descendants, Raja Shankar Shah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah in the 1857 uprising against the British. Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population in the country. It is a matter of joy that the Central and state governments together are making serious efforts to empower tribals, he added. The vice president was on a one-day visit to MP to attend the two functions. (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 Hubble Space Telescope has been serving humanity as our first eyes in space since 1990. Even with its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, already commissioned by NASA as an operational space observatory, Hubble continues to deliver excellent observations of space and the celestial bodies within it. However, in a sea of fascinating celestial bodies in space, the celestial body we're about to discuss is one of the more interesting ones that astronomers found. Thanks to its unique characteristics, NASA's team took a picture of it to celebrate Hubble's 26th year in space. The Bubble Nebula Details NGC 7635, also known as the Bubble Nebula, is an emission nebula 7,100 light-years away from Earth and is located in the Cassiopeia constellation, per the European Space Agency (ESA). The nebula was discovered in 1787 by British astronomer William Herschel, who, at the time, was studying various nebulae to understand them better, per MacTutor. He previously discovered many other nebulae, such as the Eskimo Nebula, Cat's Eye Nebula, and the Cone Nebula. Thanks to the observations he made during these discoveries, he deduced that the nebulae he found were "objects in different stages of development." Read More: HoYoverse Releases Trailer for Upcoming Tears of Themis Event; Will Coincide With Vyn's Birthday The nebula was found to be seven light-years across and is formed by a "seething star" 45 times more massive than our sun. NASA added that the star that formed the nebula is burning a million times brighter than our sun can ever do. The first time humanity ever saw a picture of the nebula was during the 26th anniversary of Hubble's time in space, when NASA released a photo of the Bubble Nebula on April 21, 2016. Hubble used its Wide Field Camera 3 to capture the nebula's picture in visible light. How Did The Bubble Nebula Get Its Name? The Bubble Nebula got its name from the bubble-like shape thanks to the powerful gaseous outflows called stellar winds that emanate from the star that created it. These stellar winds are so hot that it escapes from the star at speeds over 4 million miles per hour. During its escape, it sweeps up the cold, interstellar gas in front of it, forming the Bubble Nebula's outer edge. While the outer forms outward, it collides into dense regions of cold gas on one side of the bubble, making the star look off-center. You can see where the star is within the bubble in Hubble's photo, with the star that created the nebula shining brightly while being surrounded by blue "light." The gases that make up the bubble are oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. These gases were hot enough for them to emit different kinds of light. For example, the superheated oxygen emits a blue light that forms the outer edges of the bubble. Meanwhile, the hydrogen and nitrogen from the star, which create green and red light, respectively, combined to emit yellow light, which makes up the pillars near the nebula. NASA estimated from the rate the star creating the nebula is expending energy that it will eventually explode through a supernova in 10 to 20 million years, popping the bubble as a result. Related Article: #SpaceSnap What This Photo Taken by the Voyager 2 Says About the Topography of Neptune's Largest Moon, Triton Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday flatly refused the opposition parties' demand for Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar's resignation over the deaths in the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS). Two ICU patients, including a woman, had died allegedly due to power failure and a defunct generator. Bommai said the previous Congress government had tabled the Private Doctors' Bill, which was opposed by the state's private doctors who struck work for five days, and at that time, around 80 people had died. "Did the then Health Minister resign? The habit of the Congress Party is to politicise everything," he said. Bommai said he did not know why Congress MLA Priyank Kharge is opposing the announcement of Rs 5,000 crore grant for the Kalyana Development Board (KKDB) instead of welcoming it, adding that it looks like that he is not in favour of development of the backward region. The CM said he had announced on Saturday that a Rs 5,000 crore grant will be provided for the development of Kalyana Karnataka region in budget 2023-24, and last year, he had promised to provide Rs 3,000 crore which had been provided in the current year budget. "Instead of welcoming it, the Congress MLA has opposed it. It will give an impression that Priyank wants this region to remain backward forever. All of them must work accordingly when an initiative was made for the development of backward areas and it is not correct to politicise it," he added. --IANS mka/vd (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 special court on Saturday granted a four-day remand to the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) to interrogate Amanatullah Khan, AAP MLA from Okhla, in a case related to the alleged misappropriation of Waqf Board funds during his tenure as chairman. Special CBI Judge Vikas Dhull granted the remand after hearing the submission of counsels for ACB and AAP MLA. Amanatullah Khan was arrested on Friday. He was produced in court on Saturday. His bail will be heard after the expiry of the remand. ACB sought a 14-day remand to interrogate Amanatullah Khan in order to unearth the conspiracy in the matter and to arrest other accused. Additional public prosecutors Atul Srivastava and Manish Rawat submitted that the case is of misappropriation of Waqf fund during the tenure of the accused as chairman. The prosecutor argued that the accused appointed on the board his relatives and near and dear in violation of rules and regulations. The prosecutor also produced in court a diary to show there was evidence related to violations of norms against the accused. It was also alleged that there were entries in the diary, some mentioning amounts to the tune of crores of rupees, to indicate there was wrong-doing. It was also mentioned that four teams were constituted and led by ACP Rajender went to investigate the matter. However, the ACP was also manhandled and beaten by the people. Three FIRs have been lodged in this regard. The prosecutor also referred to a statement of one Hamid Ali from whom rupees 12 Lakh cash, one country-made pistol and cartridges were recovered. the prosecution claimed that Ali said he is in the property business and was looking after the finances of Amanatullah. The prosecution also produced some documents of a property in the New Friends Colony worth 14 crores. Sale documents of properties at Telangana, Uttarakhand and other many places were also produced in the court. It was also alleged that the AAP MLA was also an accused in former Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash assault case. In response to a query by the court, the prosecutor said there were 15 properties and there was misappropriation of rent. The accused has not disclosed this amount, they claimed. The court asked who was the complainant in this case. This case was registered on the complaint of Hafiz Irashad Qureshi, the prosecutor replied. While opposing the remand application the senior advocate Rahul Mehra for AAP MLA submitted there were no documents and material to establish the allegations levelled by the prosecution. He said that it is alleged the funds of widows are misused. Absolutely no documents to relate to how the find was misappropriated. It is a fishing and roving inquiry to extract admission, he said. Mehra further argued that there is umbrella protection for members of the board who are working in the good faith and something is done out of the provisions and scope of this Waqf Act. He argued that there are irregularities in relation to appointments, that can not be called illegality. Where is the illegality in the appointment of the employees' board may appoint according to its need? The senior advocate argued that the accused is not to prove that he is innocent. They (the prosecution) have to prove that he is guilty. (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.) Pushing ahead on the agenda to take Indo- cooperation in the field of agriculture to the "next level", a third major delegation of 19 agricultural officers drawn from seven different states in have concluded a two weeks training programme on management. The programme " Management: The Israeli Value Chain" was organised by Mashav Agricultural Training Centre (MATC) in Shefayim and the course focussed on the possibility of replicating the "Israeli value chain". MASHAV, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation working with the Foreign Ministry, looks at providing developing countries with the best of Israel's experience in development and planning and has served as an important arm of the ministry's diplomatic outreach programme. The delegation visited several Israeli nurseries to explore the potential to import the planting materials of Israeli varieties suitable for in the field of . Field visits to various orchards, vegetable farms, pack houses and others formed an important component of the management course. Local experts gave lectures and made presentations on horticulture outlining relevant activities based on Israeli know-how. "Our partnership with has been consistently deepening and this visit has been helpful in many ways. We got to learn fruit nurseries protocol, canopy management of orchards, post-harvest management of produce to reduce losses, productivity enhancement which can all help improve farmers' earnings", Dr Manoj Kumar Kundu, Joint Director of Horticulture to Haryana Government, told PTI. " is a leader in drip irrigation with fertigation techniques, and local methods in use here can play an important role in improving per unit yield leading to availability of more fruits for our population", Kundu added. Pointing out the understanding between the two governments on developing 75 Villages of Excellence, the Haryana government officer said that 75 more have already been identified to take the number to 150 and the government has committed to create 1500 villages of excellence by 2025. Most of the villages are coming around the Centres of Excellence set up with Israeli agricultural technology. The nearby villages are being promoted to adopt the techniques being taught in these centres. Some 29 Centres of Excellence across several states are already operational and another 13 are in the developmental phase, Dr Kundu pointed out. The delegation also participated in the 31st Annual Agro-Mashov International Exhibition for Agri-business at the International Convention Centre in Jerusalem on September 6 as part of the two weeks programme. The programme started on September 4 and concluded on September 17. "Avocado and pomegranate farming in Israel, that has attracted a lot of attention worldwide, also caught special attention of the visitors", Yair Eshel, Agricultural Counsellor at the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, accompanying the delegation told PTI. It is noteworthy that eighteen agricultural officers from seven different states of India, engaged with Indo-Israel Centres of Excellence, had earlier visited Israel in April to attend a fifteen day study programme to learn about new approaches and technologies in the sector that can add more value to the farmers. The agricultural officers from Indo-Israel Centers of Excellence (CoE) then took part in an extensive state course, Managing Centres of Excellence: Developing value for farmers, also organized by Mashav Agricultural Training Centre (MATC). Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, also visited Israel in May and spoke about taking Indo-Israel cooperation in the field of agriculture to the "next level", highlighting the understanding on developing Villages of Excellence. (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.) Events surrounding Queen Elizabeth IIs state funeral on Monday cap 10 days of national mourning and are expected to be watched by hundreds of thousands of people packed onto the streets of and millions around the world. Here are some figures that have swirled around and the rest of the UK in the aftermath of death on September 8: 2,000 dignitaries and guests in Westminster Abbey for the state funeral 1 mn people transport authorities expect to visit the capital on Monday 800 guests at a committal service later in the day at St Georges Chapel 5,949 military personnel deployed throughout the meticulously choreographed operation since the Queens death on Sept 8 1,650 military personnel to be involved in the pomp-filled procession of the Queens coffin from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch 36 km of barriers erected in central London to control crowds 250 extra rail services will run to move people in and out of the city 8 km queues to pay last respects in Westminster Hall 2,868 diamonds, along with 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and 4 rubies, sparkle in the Imperial State Crown that rested on the Queens coffin What all this may cost $9 million UK likely to spend on Queen Elizabeths funeral 5.4 million (almost $16 million in todays terms) spent on the funeral of Queen mother in 2002 3-5 million ($10-17 million in current terms) the cost of Princess Dianas funeral in 1997 How the day will unfold (in IST) 11:00 am: The Queens lying-in-state at Westminster Hall will come to an end 3:14 pm: The ceremonial part of the day will begin in earnest, as the Queens coffin is lifted from the catafalque where it has been resting since Wednesday and taken to Westminster Abbey, for her funeral service She will be carried on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, drawn by 142 sailors 4:25 pm: Towards the end of the funeral service, the Last Post a short bugle call will be played, followed by a two-minute national silence 5:25 pm: Following the service, the Queens coffin will be drawn in a walking procession, led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, from the Abbey to Wellington Arch 7:30 pm: The hearse is expected to arrive for a walking procession up Windsor Castles Long Walk. The three-mile (5-km) avenue will be lined with members of the armed forces 8:30 pm: The coffin will enter St Georges Chapel for a committal service 9:15 pm: The committal service will come to an end and the King and members of the Royal Family will leave the chapel 12 midnight: The Queen will be buried together with her late husband at the King George VI memorial chapel, located inside St Georges Chapel As world leaders gather in New York at the annual UN General Assembly, rising superpower is also focusing on another body that is meeting across the Atlantic Ocean in Geneva. Chinese diplomats are speaking out and lobbying at an ongoing session of the Human Rights Council to thwart a possible call for further scrutiny of what it calls its anti-extremism campaign in Xinjiang, following a UN report on abuses against Uyghurs and other largely Muslim ethnic groups in the western border region. The concurrent meetings, on opposite sides of the Atlantic, illustrate China's divided approach to the and its growing global influence. Beijing looks to the UN, where it can count on support from countries it has befriended and in many cases assisted financially, as a counterweight to U.S.-led blocs such as the Group of Seven, which have grown increasingly hostile toward . China sees the UN as an important forum that it can use to further its strategic interests and goals, and to reform the global order, said Helena Legarda from the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. While holding up the as a model of multilateralism, China rejects criticism or decisions that the ruling Communist Party sees as counter to its interests. Its diplomats struck back at the report published last month by the U.N. human rights office raising concerns about possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang vowing to suspend cooperation with the office and blasting what it described as a Western plot to undermine China's rise. China had pushed hard to block the report on Xinjiang, delaying its release for more than a year. In the end, the information did come out but just minutes before embattled U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet left office. Like the United States, China feels a certain freedom to ignore U.N. institutions when it wants: The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of the Human Rights Council in 2018, accusing it of anti-Israel bias. The Biden administration jumped back in this year, and has made a priority of defending Israel in the 47-member-state body. Also like the United States, China leverages its influence to get its way effectively stymieing an investigation by the U.N.'s World Health Organization into whether China was the birthplace of the coronavirus pandemic. Ken Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, said Chinese President Xi Jinping is trying to redefine what human rights are, in part by casting economic development as a key criterion. China, Roth said, more than any government in the past, is trying to undermine the U.N. human rights system by pressuring U.N. officials, retaliating against witnesses and trying to bribe governments. "One of their top priorities right now maybe after Taiwan is to avoid condemnation by the Human Rights Council, Roth said. The self-governing island of Taiwan is claimed by China as its sovereign territory, an issue that the Beijing government is vociferous about internationally. Shi Yinhong, an relations expert at Renmin University in China, said advocating for the U.N.'s role in maintaining the order doesn't mean that China agrees with every U.N. body, citing the COVID-19 origins study and the recent Xinjiang report. When the UN high commissioner for human rights issues such a report, in the eyes of China, it is the same as all organizations in the world, no matter official or private, that defames China, Shi said. But China doesn't want its pique toward the rights office, which falls under UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to spill over to its deepening relationship with other parts of the world body that deal with refugees, climate, the internet, satellites, world hunger, atomic weapons, energy and much more. China wields power as one of the five veto-holding members of the Security Council, helping it build relationships with the United States and who needed China's support for past resolutions on Iran and North Korea. That influence has diminished somewhat with the overall deterioration of U.S.-China ties, Shi said. Subsequently, both China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-backed resolution in May to impose new sanctions on North Korea. Under Xi, who came to power 10 years ago, China has expanded its UN involvement from primarily development early on to political, peace and security issues, Legarda said. She noted how China has had its concepts and language worked into UN resolutions and used the U.N. system to promote a Global Development Initiative proposed by Xi in a video address to last year's General Assembly. This is a reflection of China's more assertive and ambitious foreign policy under Xi, Legarda said. China has stepped into a diplomatic void created by a lack of U.S. leadership, said Daniel Warner, a Geneva-based political analyst. Former President Donald Trump shunned many international institutions, Warner said, and successor Joe Biden has been preoccupied with domestic issues. Chinese hold the top jobs at three of the U.N.'s 18 specialized agencies: the Food and Agricultural Organization, the Industrial Development Organization and the International Telecommunications Union, where the United States has put up a candidate to succeed outgoing chief Houlin Zhao. A Chinese official headed the International Civil Aviation Organization until last year. For China, it's a matter of prestige as well as influence, Warner said. The United States and the Western countries were very much involved in the initial United Nations, he said. China doesn't want to have that kind of leadership. They're not talking about liberal values, but they want to make sure that their interests are defended in the U.N. system. Chinese diplomats spearheaded a joint statement which it said was backed by 30 countries including Russia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela that blasted disinformation behind the U.N. report on Xinjiang and the erroneous conclusions drawn in it. And China's ambassador in Geneva said Beijing could no longer cooperate with the human rights office without specifying how. Sarah Brooks, a China expert at the International Society for Human Rights advocacy group in Geneva, said China could hold up its funding for the office which lately has come in at $800,000 a year, far less than Western countries that give tens of millions. Still, Brooks said it would be a huge blow if funding from China were to stop, in part because many countries appreciate and support the causes that Beijing helps pay for. The optics of it are really damaging, she said. You have a country that says, Hi, I want to be responsible, but I'm so thin-skinned ... I'm still going to lash out at the organization that drafted it. (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 Sri Lankan government will virtually brief all its external creditors on September 23 on the deal agreed with the Monetary Fund (IMF) for the economic recovery and the next steps in the debt restructuring process. On September 1, the IMF reached a staff-level agreement to support Sri Lanka's economic policies with a 48-month arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of about USD 2.9 billion. is going through its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948 which was triggered by a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. " will make an online presentation to external creditors on September 23 updating them on a deal agreed with the Monetary Fund and recent economic developments," Clifford Chance, the debt restructuring adviser, said in a statement on Saturday. The Sri Lankan Ministry will update creditors on recent macro-economic developments, the objectives of the IMF package, and the next steps in the debt restructuring process. The IMF while announcing its willingness to enter a staff-level agreement at the end of August said that agreement with creditors was the key to the facility. In mid-April, declared its debt default due to the forex crisis. The country owes USD 51 billion in foreign debt, of which USD 28 billion must be paid by 2027. The worsening forex situation affected the ability to fund importing fuel and essentials, triggering massive waves of public protests in the country. An uprising in mid-July forced the resignation of then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka has to get assurances from creditors about their willingness to restructure debt for the to unlock credit from the agency and others. The objectives of Sri Lanka's new EFF-supported programme are to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability while safeguarding financial stability, protecting the vulnerable, and stepping up structural reforms to address corruption vulnerabilities and unlock Sri Lanka's growth potential, the IMF had said. The IMF also said that debt relief from Sri Lanka's creditors and additional financing from multilateral partners will be required to help ensure debt sustainability and close financing gaps. Financing assurances to restore debt sustainability from Sri Lanka's official creditors and making a good faith effort to reach a collaborative agreement with private creditors are crucial before the IMF can provide financial support to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is also expected to restructure its debt worth USD 29 billion, with Japan expected to coordinate with other creditor nations, including China on this issue. (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 executive recommended on Sunday suspending some 7.5 billion euros in funding for over corruption, the first such case in the 27-nation bloc under a new sanction meant to better protect the rule of law. The EU introduced the new financial sanction two years ago precisely in response to what it says amounts to the undermining of democracy in Poland and Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban subdued courts, media, NGOs and academia, as well as restricting the rights of migrants, gays and women during more than a decade in power. "It's about breaches of the rule of law compromising the use and management of EU funds," said EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn. "We cannot conclude that the EU budget is sufficiently protected." He highlighted systemic irregularities in Hungary's public procurement laws, insufficient safeguards against conflicts of interest, weaknesses in effective prosecution and shortcomings in other anti-graft measures. Hahn said the Commission was recommending the suspension of about a third of cohesion funds envisaged for from the bloc's shared budget for 2021-27 worth a total of 1.1 trillion euros. The 7.5 billion euros in question amounts to 5% of the country's estimated 2022 GDP. EU countries now have up to three months to decide on the proposal. Hahn said Hungary's latest promise to address EU criticisms was a significant step in the right direction but must still be translated into new laws and practical actions before the bloc would be reassured. Development Minister Tibor Navracsics, in charge of negotiations with the EU, said would meet all 17 of its commitments made to the European Commission to stave off the loss of any EU funding. "Hungary did not make commitments to befuddle the Commission," Navracsics told a news conference. "We have made commitments that we know can be implemented ... therefore, we will not be facing a loss of funds." Corruption Orban's government proposed creating a new anti-graft agency in recent weeks as Budapest came under pressure to secure money for the ailing economy and forint, the worst-performing currency in the EU's east. Orban, who calls himself a "freedom fighter" against the world view of the liberal West, denies that Hungary - an ex-communist country of some 10 million people - is any more corrupt than in the EU. Navracsics said Orban's government would submit laws to parliament on Friday to establish a new independent anti-graft authority to monitor the public procurement of EU funds, with the body to be launched by the second half of November. Hungary has also pledged to implement several other anti-corruption safeguards, including tighter rules on conflicts of interest, extending the scope of financial statements and broadening the power of judges to pursue suspected corruption. Navracsics expressed hope that the Commission would be reassured by the implementation of the reforms and withdraw its proposed sanctions against Hungary by Nov. 19. The Commission is already blocking some 6 billion euros in funds envisaged for Hungary in a separate COVID economic recovery stimulus over the same corruption concerns. Reuters documented in 2018 how Orban channels EU development funds to his friends and family, a practice human rights organisations say has immensely enriched his inner circle and allowed the 59-year-old to entrench himself in power. Hungary had irregularities in nearly 4% of EU funds spending in 2015-2019, according to the bloc's anti-fraud body OLAF, by far the worst result among the 27 EU countries. Orban has also rubbed many in the bloc up the wrong way by cultivating continued close ties with President Vladimir Putin and threatening to deny EU unity needed to impose and preserve sanctions on Russia for waging war against Ukraine. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) has carried out 25 missile strikes inside in 2022, killing 27 government soldiers and injuring 23 civilians, a war monitor reported. The Israeli attacks destroyed about 73 targets, including buildings, warehouses, headquarters and vehicles, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Saturday. The injured include a girl and at least three women, the Britain-based watchdog added. The report comes just hours after an Israeli midnight on the airport of the capital Damascus and military sites south of the capital, killing five soldiers, Xinhua news agency reported. --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.) President is finding it's easier to call out attacks on democracy than it is to stop them. His fundamental rationale for running for president was that America's democratic traditions were in jeopardy. Now, 20 months into his presidency, the dangers are worse, Biden's warnings are more dire -- and the limits of his own ability to fix the problem are clearer. Former President Donald Trump continues to stoke the baseless claim the 2020 election was stolen, and even now advocates for the results in certain battleground states to be decertified even though the falsehood has been rejected by dozens of courts and his own attorney general. The belief has taken deep root in the Republican Party, with dozens of candidates insisting Trump was right. Never in the country's history have elections taken place in a climate where one party has so frontally questioned the integrity of the electoral process and actively sought to undermine confidence in it. Biden has found, even with the megaphone of the White House, how difficult it is to counter the Trump-inspired narrative and the millions of Americans who believe it. Trump allies have been going around the country peddling lies about the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about voting machines, while Republican candidates running for office this year have repeated his lies to their supporters - messaging that has reached a broad audience. Every US president swears to preserve, protect and defend the US Constitution, but even in ordinary times there is no playbook for safeguarding it. Biden took that oath as the nation was facing challenges unmatched since perhaps the US Civil War, in the view of some historians. In a speech earlier this month at Philadelphia's Independence Hall, Biden described democracy as under assault and pledged that it was the work of his presidency to defend it. But he also said the solution had to be bigger than him, that he can't turn back what he sees as a years-long backslide in American political norms on his own. For a long time, we've told ourselves that American democracy is guaranteed. But it's not, he said. We have to defend it, protect it, stand up for it - each and every one of us. Has Biden himself done enough? His efforts at persuasion don't seem to have produced any significant shift in public opinion. His push for voting rights legislation in Congress has for the most part fallen short. Beyond the president's increasingly drastic warnings, White House officials point to the administration's efforts to push voting rights safeguards through Congress and to their support for the Electoral Count Act, which would patch ambiguities exploited by Trump and his allies. The Department of Justice is prosecuting those who violently stormed the Capitol. More than 870 people have been charged and more than 400 convicted. The administration also has sounded the alarm about domestic extremist groups. There's an increasing overlap with politically-fuelled violence, as a growing number of ardent Trump supporters seem ready to strike back against the FBI or others they consider going too far in investigating the former president. And the National Security Council has developed a whole-of-government strategy to counter domestic violent extremism, which US intelligence officials have called the top threat to homeland security. While voters ranked threats to democracy as the most important issue ahead of the mid-term elections, according to an NBC News poll late last month, the conspiracy theories pushed by Trump and his allies have succeeded in sowing doubts about the integrity of US elections in a large swath of the population. Two-thirds of Republicans believe Biden wasn't legitimately elected president, according to an AP-NORC poll. They believe that votes were switched, or voting machines were corrupted en masse, or that fake ballots were cast in favour of Biden because pandemic-era policies made voting too easy. Trump-backed candidates are winning primaries and some will make it to Congress. In the states, nearly 1 in 3 Republican candidates for offices that play a role in overseeing, certifying or defending elections supported overturning the results of the 2020 presidential race. Candidates have signalled a new willingness to simply refuse to accept the results of their election if they lose. And election workers across the country are getting death threats and are harassed online, pushing many to just resign. We are very clearly playing with fire with some of the new tactics, allowing them to proliferate around the country, said Matthew Weil, the executive director of our Democracy Program at the Bipartisan Policy Centre think tank. It's: If my candidate loses, I'm going to drag it out as long as possible. I can cut the legs out from the person who beat me from taking office.' That's a new feature and it's pretty dangerous. We can't have an election system where people aren't willing to lose. Checking the antidemocratic forces within Trumpism is not just a policy aim, it's a political endeavour as well, and that clouds the picture. Biden aides say his best tool to try to preserve democracy is his use of the bully pulpit to make clear to voters that they play a vital role in participating in the electoral process and deciding whom to put into positions of influence. He isn't the only one sounding the alarm. The special congressional committee investigating the 2021 Capitol insurrection has delivered the same message, as have election officials in states across the country, historians and other lawmakers. Administration allies say Biden's efforts have resonated with voters, particularly as Trump's behaviour in late 2020 and early 2021 has been cast into stark relief by the January 6 committee. But the president's remarks have largely been dismissed by Republicans unwilling to break with Trump. (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 US congressional delegation headed by Speaker of the House arrived Saturday in Armenia, where a cease-fire has held for three days after an outburst of fighting with neighbouring that killed more than 200 troops from both sides. The US Embassy said the visit will include a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. On Friday, Pelosi told reporters in Berlin that the trip is all about human rights and the respecting the dignity and worth of every person. Other members of the U.S. delegation include Rep. Frank Pallone, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo. A cease-fire took effect on Wednesday evening following two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities in nearly two years. and traded blame for the shelling, with Armenian authorities accusing Baku of unprovoked aggression and Azerbaijani officials saying their country was responding to Armenian attacks. Pashinyan said at least 135 Armenian troops were killed in the fighting. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said Friday it had lost 77. The two ex-Soviet countries have been locked in a decades-old conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by 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. (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.) True crime documentaries, needless to say, are very, very popular among Netflix viewers. These documentaries are not limited to those that focus on cases in the United States. In fact, you can find true crime documentaries from Europe and Asia on Netflix as well. An example of which are the true crime documentaries from India. These documentaries have some of the most disturbing crimes and stories you will probably ever hear of. We are about to list down five of these Indian true crime documentaries. However, we would like warn our readers that some of these documenataries contain very graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised. 'A Big Little Murder' Stories of crimes against children tug on the heartstrings a lot harder and "A Big Little Murder" is a perfect example of it. "A Big Little Murder" was released on Netflix in 2021 and focuses on the murder of a seven-year-old boy named Pradyuman Thakur, which happened in 2017. What made the case even more controversial is that the young boy was murdered in his school, Ryan International School. Specifically, he was found with injuries to his neck in the washroom of the school and he later died from his injuries. Has the murderer been caught? You will have to watch "A Big Little Murder" on Netflix on find out. 'Crime Stories: India Detectives' If you want a true crime documentary series that does not focus on just one particular crime, you might want to check out "Crime Stories: India Detectives," which was released in 2021 as well. This docuseries follows the Bengaluru city police as they work to solve four crimes within their jurisdiction. Three of these crimes involve murder, while the fourth one involves the kidnapping of a child. "Crime Stories: India Detectives" is available on Netflix should you wish to check it out. 'House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths' Released in 2021, "House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths" is a three-part docuseries that focuses on what is known as the Burari mass suicide. In 2018, 11 members of the same family were found dead in their home. 10 of them were found hanging while the oldest member of the family, the grandmother, had been choked to death. It does not sound all that sinister at first, right? But as the police goes on to investigate the reason behind the suicide, things just get worse beyond your wildest dreams. We do not want to give much away, but shared delusion or psychosis plays a big role in the demise of the family. "House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths" is available to watch on Netflix. Related Article: Asian Horror Movies on Netflix That You Should Not Miss Out On 'Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi' "Indian Predator" is a true crime series that, as of press time, has two seasons. The first season, "Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi" premiered on Netflix in July 2022. "Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi" focuses on a series of instances of mutilated bodies left outside a particular jail in Delhi. The police eventually discover that these murders are all related as the victims have been killed by just one person who has a grudge against the police. 'Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer' The second season of "Indian Predator," which is titled "Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer," premiered on Netflix just this month. What starts of to be a story of a murder of journalist turns out to be so much more when the killer's diary is found containing many names written on its pages. In fact, the police discover that there are more than 10 other victims. If you think that is not bad enough, throw in cannibalism to the mix and the cases is taken to a whole new level. You can watch "Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer" on Netflix. Read Also: Emmy Awards 2022: Netflix 'Squid Game' Star Lee Jung-jae Wins Best Lead Actor Pakistani importers of food from and have been relying on the grey market to make payments since they are not allowed to buy dollars from banks or exchange companies, according to a media report on Sunday. has been facing an acute shortage of tomatoes, onions, potatoes and other food items after destroyed crops, pushing up prices to unprecedented levels across the country. This situation has forced the government to immediately allow imports of these foodstuffs from neighbouring countries to bridge the supply and demand gap but it has not made any arrangements for the provision of dollars to make payments against these imports, Dawn newspaper reported. The report showed that the importers were quite interestingly asked to enter into barter deals with their Afghan and Iranian counterparts by exporting food items available in . A barter transaction is the exchange of goods or services, in exchange for other goods or services. Sources in the Peshawar Chamber of Commerce and Industry told the newspaper that import deals in local currencies were possible with Kabul as Afghanis were available in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the sources maintained that the Afghan exporters usually ask for US dollars and insist to pay cash or make payments through Dubai. For Dubai payments, the hundi or hawala system is used. Hawala is an informal funds transfer system that allows for the transfer of funds from one person to another without the actual movement of money. However, the sources maintained that the Afghan exporters usually ask for US dollars and insist to pay cash or make payments through Dubai. For Dubai payments, the hundi or hawala system is used. Hawala is an informal funds transfer system that allows for the transfer of funds from one person to another without the actual movement of money. Malik Bostan, a leading currency dealer, said most importers are making payments to Afghan sellers in cash dollars or through Dubai. The government did not arrange dollars for the imports from Kabul while the importers are barred to buy dollars from the exchange companies or banking channels. This is the case with both and Afghanistan, explained Bostan. He said in either case dollars from are being sent abroad while we need them badly. The Afghan currency is available only in Peshawar where exchange or buying and selling is possible in Pakistani rupees and Afghanis, said Zafar Paracha, a currency dealer. He maintained that Afghan exporters were not ready to sell their goods against Pakistani rupees since the local currency was facing sharp devaluation daily. Saudi confirms rollover of $3 bn deposit for one year: Pakistan The State Bank of Pakistan on Sunday said Saudi Arabia has confirmed the rollover of a $3 bn deposit for one more year. The deposit was set to mature on December 5, the SBP tweeted, adding that the amount was placed as part of its foreign exchange reserves. Saudi Fund for Development has confirmed a rollover of $3bn deposit maturing on 5 Dec 22 for one year. Deposit is placed with SBP and is part of its forex reserves. This reflects the continuing strong relationship between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan," the bank tweeted. He maintained that Afghan exporters were not ready to sell their goods against Pakistani rupees since the local currency was facing sharp devaluation daily. Prime Minister will decide on the appointment of the next Army chief after discussing the matter with former premier in London, according to a media report. Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has been living in London since November 2019 when he was allowed to go there for medical treatment but never returned. He served thrice as the prime minister of and appointed at least four Army chiefs. Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, 61, would retire on November 29. The prime minister, who arrived in London on Saturday arrived to attend the state funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II, will also meet during his stay in the city and discuss the appointment of the next Army chief with him, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The Prime Minister would make the decision on the appointment of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) after discussing the matter with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, the newspaper quoted Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir as saying. Responding to a question on the reported meeting between former prime minister Imran Khan and Army chief Bajwa, Dastgir said that no matter how many times anyone met with army chief Bajwa, the prime minister would make the final decision. The matter of the Army chief's appointment has caused a stir in political circles in . Khan in an interview had demanded that the new Army chief should be appointed by the next government after the elections. The appointment of the Army chief is the sole prerogative of the prime minister. When Khan was in power, the opposition accused him of trying to bring an Army chief of his choice, who could support his alleged agenda of victimising opposition leaders. Since he lost power, the equation has changed and now Khan is saying that the coalition government wants to install an army head of its choice to protect looted wealth and steal general elections. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, accusing Khan of raking up a controversy for his personal benefit, said on Saturday that would appoint a new Army chief on time in November. The powerful Army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy. Addressing a public rally in Faisalabad earlier this month, Khan had alleged that the government was afraid of fair elections and delaying the polls until the appointment of the new Army chief by the end of November when the incumbent Gen Bajwa would retire. "(Asif Ali) Zardari and Nawaz (Sharif) want to bring their favourite as the next army chief because they have stolen public money," Khan alleged. "They are afraid that when the patriotic army chief comes, he will ask them about their loot." Strongly objecting to Khan's remarks, the Army issued a statement in which it accused him of making an attempt to discredit and undermine senior leadership of the at a time when the institution is laying lives for the security and safety of the 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.) is in talks with on the possibility of importing oil on deferred payment, according to a media report on Sunday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had three meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand city, which concluded last week, the Express Tribune newspaper reported quoting a top government official. "One was formal and the rest were informal," said the official, who was part of the prime minister's delegation. "What we have discussed during the recent interaction with the Russian side is the possibility of importing oil on deferred payment," the official said, adding that Moscow has shown inclination to consider the proposal. If the proposal is materialised, it will be a landmark development given that imports oil from Gulf countries and in the past Saudi Arabia and UAE supplied oil on deferred payment. However, it is not clear if the government can pursue the option given the likely opposition from the United States. A source in the foreign office disclosed that the US has never explicitly asked Pakistan not to import oil from but "advised us that it is better if we don't enter into such a venture with Russia", the report 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.) will "absolutely not" default on debt obligations despite catastrophic floods, the finance minister said on Sunday, signalling there would be no major deviation from reforms designed to stabilise a struggling economy. Floods have affected 33 million Pakistanis, inflicted billions of dollars in damage, and killed over 1,500 people - creating concern that will not meet debts. "The path to stability was narrow, given the challenging environment, and it has become narrower still," Finance Minister Miftah Ismail told Reuters at his office. "But if we continue to take prudent decisions - and we will - then we're not going to default. Absolutely not." was able to bring an Monetary Fund (IMF) programme back on track after months of delay, thanks to tough policy decisions. But the positive sentiment was short- lived before the catastrophic rainfall hit. Despite the disaster, Ismail said that most stabilisation policies and targets were still on track, including increasing dwindling foreign exchange reserves. Central bank reserves stand at $8.6 billion, despite the influx of $1.12 billion in IMF funding in late August, which are only enough for about a month of imports. The end-year target was to increase the buffer up to 2.2 months. He said Pakistan will still be able to increase reserves by up to $4 billion, even if the floods hurt the current account balance by $4 billion in more imports, such as cotton, and a negative impact on exports. However, he estimated the current account deficit will not increase by more than $2 billion following the floods. "Yes, there has been substantial loss to the very poorest people and their lives will never be made whole again. But in terms of servicing our external and local debt, and being micro- macro-economically stable, those things are under control." December payment to be met He said global markets were "jittery" about Pakistan, given the economy had suffered at least $18 billion in losses after the floods, which could go as high as $30 billion. "Yes, our credit default risk has gone up, our bond prices have fallen. But...I think within 15 to 20 days, the market will normalise, and I think will understand that Pakistan is committed to being prudent." Pakistan's next big payment - $1 billion in bonds - is due in December, and Ismail said that payment would "absolutely" be met. The IMF said on Sunday that it will work with the community to support Pakistanas relief and reconstruction efforts and the endeavour to ensure sustainability and stability. Ismail said external financing sources were secured, including over $4 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and World Bank. This includes $1.5 billion next month from ADB under the Countercyclical Support Facility - a budget support instrument. The minister also said about $5 billion in investments from Qatar, the and would materialise in the current financial year. The three announced interest in investing in Pakistan earlier this year, but no timelines or exact plans have been reported yet. He said $1 billion in investment will "definitely materialise" in the next couple of months in the form of purchases in the Pakistan stock market. Some $3 billion in Qatari investment pledges will all come within the financial year to June 2023, he added. "They're looking at the three airports in Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad ... long-term leases. They're also looking at buying two plants that run on LNG (liquefied natural gas)...those I think will probably happen this calendar year," he said. He said if the $3 billion figure was not reached as the financial year closed, the remaining amount would go into the stock market. He also said Saudi Arabia's crown prince had assured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Riyadh would invest $1 billion before December. Pakistan's central bank announced on Sunday that Saudi Arabia's development authority had also extended a deposit of $3 billion, to mature in December, by one year. He said a legal instrument was going to be signed soon with a "friendly country" to activate a $1 billion deferred payment facility for oil. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos left for New York on Sunday to participate in the 77th session of the (UN) General Assembly, with his priority focus on food security, energy and climate change. Marcos is expected to deliver the Philippines' statement on Tuesday. "I will outline our expectations of the United Nations, the role our country will play, and our contributions in strengthening the system," he said in his departure speech. Marcos will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and "leaders of long-standing and important partners of the Philippines", Xinhua news agency reported. "I will discuss with them opportunities for stronger cooperation in food security, agriculture, renewable energy, and climate change," he added. Marcos will also participate in business activities "to forge more partnerships to advance our national economic and sustainable development agenda" and attend "a number of bilateral meetings and business engagements" on the sidelines. Marcos assumed the presidency on June 30. The 65-year-old president visited Indonesia and Singapore early this month as his first official foreign trip. --IANS int/svn/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian shelling hit cities and towns across a wide stretch of during the night, officials said Sunday, and the British Defence Ministry warned that is likely to increase its attacks on civilian targets as it suffers battlefield defeats. In the last seven days, has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate military effect, the ministry said in an online briefing. As it faces setbacks on the front lines, has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government." Overnight shelling hit a hospital in the city of Mykolaiv, a significant Black Sea port, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said. He also said shelling hit other parts of the region, wounding two people. Three people were wounded in nighttime shelling of the city of Nikopol, which is across the river from Europe's largest nuclear power station, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was captured by Russian forces in March, but is operated by Ukrainian engineers. Its last reactor was switched off Sunday after repeated power failures because shelling put crucial safety systems at risk. In the Kharkiv region, where a Ukrainian counteroffensive forced Russian troops into a massive pullback from much of the region, three people were killed by rocket attacks over the past day, including an 11-year-old girl, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. Five people died over the past day in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region, one of two Ukraian regions that Russia recognizes as sovereign states, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said. A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Russian forces in Donetsk continue to conduct meaningless operations on villages as opposed to reinforcing the front line. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President has arrived in to pay his respects to . The president was expected to sign the official condolence book and attend a reception Sunday at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III before attending the queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday. Biden is among many world leaders travelling to the United Kingdom to honour Queen Elizabeth's long reign. Biden and first lady Jill Biden were greeted at the airport by Ambassador Jane Hartley, Lord Lieutenant of Essex Jennifer Tolhurst and others. After the queen's death, Biden issued a proclamation directing that all American flags be flown at half staff as a mark of respect for the memory of until sunset on the day of her interment. Before coming to London, he spoke with the king to offer his condolences and went to the British Embassy as well. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The World Health Organisation has expressed fears about an impending second disaster of water-borne diseases in in the wake of devastating that has wreaked havoc in several parts of the country. In a statement issued by the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the global health watchdog said that water supply was disrupted in flood-hit areas of Pakistan, forcing people to drink unsafe water which could cause cholera and other diseases. The WHO has cautioned people across flood-hit areas of Pakistan, precisely the worst affected Sindh province to be extra careful. Tedros on Saturday highlighted that stagnant water serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and spreads vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue and urged donors to continue to respond generously to save lives and prevent more suffering. Separately, the WHO Director general tweeted that he was deeply concerned about the potential for a 2nd disaster in Pakistan, spreading disease and threatening lives following the floodingand asked for quick support to tackle the issue. If we act quickly to protect the health system and deliver essential services, we can reduce the impact of this impending health crisis, he tweeted. Situation in continues to be grim as the devastating have caused havoc in the country, precisely Balochistan and Sindh provinces. At least 1,545 people have been killed due to the across and an estimated 16 million children impacted. The WHO has immediately released USD 10 million from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies which enabled the global health body to deliver essential medicines and other supplies to the country. The Sindh health department, meanwhile, said a total of 2.5 million patients had been treated at different medical camps across the province from July 1 to date, the Dawn newspaper reported. As many as 594,241 patients were treated for skin-related diseases, followed by diarrhea (534,800), malaria (10,702), dengue (1,401), and other diseases (120,745,1), stated a report by the Sindh Directorate General Health Services. The report also showed that 90,398 patients were treated during the last 24 hours, of which 17,919 had diarrhea, 19,746 had skin-related diseases, 695 had malaria and 388 had dengue. Around 92,797 people were treated in the province on September 15, the paper reported. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the health department said that its officials are already struggling to stem the spread of dengue hemorrhagic fever in flood-hit districts of the province, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. (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.) Zambia which is known as a country under "debt distress" from has finally received a USD 1.3 billion financial loan from the Monetary Fund, media reports said. Zambia's minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, was able to receive a USD 1.3 billion loan from the IMF with a grace period of five and a half years and a final maturity of ten years, reported Financial Post. This comes at a time when is already responsible for almost 30 pc of Zambia's debt when compared to non-Chinese private creditors. Terming it a great offer, Financial Post said that the IMF agreement means a lot to the other low-and middle-income nations who are under the trap of China's debt-diplomacy. Looking at the IMF deal closely, it is understood that Zambia would prioritize recurrent expenses over investments in public infrastructure, which are traditionally funded by Chinese stakeholders, reported Financial Post. Zambia has specifically stated that it will completely cancel 12 planned projects, half of which were expected to be funded by EXIM Bank, along with one by ICBC for a university and another by Jiangxi Corporation for a dual highway from the capital. Additionally, the government cancelled 20 of the unpaid loan sums, some of which were for brand-new projects and others for ongoing ones. Such cancellations are not unusual for Zambia, but the majority of these loans come from Chinese partners. Ten of the cancelled loans are from China EXIM Bank; together with three other Chinese loans from ICBC (USD 303 million) and one from Jiangxi Bank (USD 157 million), these loans will save Zambia USD 1.1 billion over the next few years. The remaining six undistributed loan sums, totaling USD 483 million, are primarily from commercial lenders. While some of these cancellations may have been initiated by Chinese lenders themselves, especially those in arrears, Zambia seems to have escaped the clutches of the Chinese. Dealing with the devil can never be beneficial in the long term. China plays out a ploy when it comes to giving loans to the African nations because what Beijing actually seeks is the resources. In these loans, repayment is not made with cash but in terms of giving first access to China for its rare earth metals. The other thing to comprehend about the Zambia-IMF agreement is that China will probably take a backseat as a development partner, which is connected to the first, as The IMF's agreement permits the continuation of 62 concessional loan projects from 12 different lenders, the majority of which are managed by institutions and once again include ongoing expenses as opposed to infrastructure-focused initiatives. (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 Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday hit back at the after it called Delhi Chief Minister a "megalomaniac", saying the saffron party should answer questions raised by the AAP chief rather than deploying what it called were diversionary tactics. "Idhar udhar ki baat na karein. (Don't deploy diversionary tactics. Answer the questions," the AAP's spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told a press conference here, attacking the . He alleged the has "poached" 285 MLAs of other parties and toppled governments in different states under Operation Lotus' so far. "The BJP should tell the nation how much black money it spent on purchasing, kidnapping and breaking 285 MLAs away from their parties across the country," Singh said, asking shouldn't the "Operation Lotus be probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. The stinging reaction came after the BJP called Kejriwal a "megalomaniac" following his allegation AAP leaders were being targeted as the BJP fears defeat in Gujarat elections later this year. At the BJP press conference, its spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged the AAP is resorting to the "old drama" it unleashes before every election that "others were rattled as the AAP was winning". Sanjay Singh's press conference came in response. "It is obvious for the BJP to get unnerved after seeing such a big conclave of the AAP's elected representatives here." "Instead of responding to the issues raised at the conclave, the BJP's Sambit Patra did baseless talks at his press conference," he charged. "I want to ask some specific questions to Patra, though they might pinch him. The BJP should tell the nation how much of the black money it has spent to purchase, kidnap and break 285 MLAs away from their parties across the country," Singh said. "The BJP should also reveal the source of the money spent on this." Singh also alleged the BJP received "a cut" when the Modi government "waived billionaires' loans worth crores", and demanded the party tell the nation 'how much money it got as commission". Singh alleged the BJP has been trying to frame Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders in "false cases" of corruption to stop the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in Gujarat even as its Operation Lotus' failed "in toppling the in Delhi and Punjab". He said the AAP leaders have been "acquitted by courts in 135 cases out of a total 169 registered" against them during the BJP regime. "I want to ask the BJP and Sambit Pratra if Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and your party president J P Nadda should apologise to these AAP leaders or not," SIngh said. Singh alleged the BJP has left no stone unturned in its bid to "destroy" the AAP. "But the AAP's caravan is not going to stop. The AAP is going to repeat the history that it made in Delhi as people are standing by the party and Kejriwal," he claimed. (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.) Jeju Air, Korea's leading budget carrier, said Sunday it has signed an initial pact with an Indonesian provincial government for a partnership to open a new route between the two countries. Jeju Air has signed a memorandum of understanding with North Sulawesi Province to explore opportunities to offer flights to the Southeast Asian country, the company said in a statement. The Indonesian government aims to develop new tourism sites to attract travelers from around the world under the "10 New Bali's" policy. Jeju Air plans to support increasing routes with B737-8s, which will be delivered from next year through 2027. It ordered 40 B737-8s, formerly called the B737 MAX, for 5 trillion won ($4 billion). The budget carrier used to operate 45 B737-800NG chartered planes on 87 routes, including six domestic routes, before the pandemic. The number of planes has fallen to 39. Jeju Air is targeting to turn around next year as eased virus restrictions unleash pent-up travel demand. The low-cost carrier posted net losses for three consecutive years through 2021 amid the pandemic. The addition of a new route and planes will also help put Jeju Air back on track though it depends on how much travel demand will recover later this year, Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae said in June. (Yonhap) Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said all three major rail projects, proposed by Kerala, have been rejected. Talking to media after meeting with the delegation headed by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his official residence, Bommai said: "We are sister states and a lot of cultural exchange is also there. But, three railway projects proposed from Kasargod to Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru to Talacherry and Kanhangad - Kaniyur railway lanes come under eco-sensitive zones." "The railway department had rejected the Kangar - Bantur - Kaniyur railway project. Now, the railways is maintaining that if the two states agree, the project could be pursued. So, they brought this proposal and it was rejected," Bommai said. "This lane passes through eco-sensitive Sullia, Subramanya stretch. "We can't agree. We will see how much it is beneficial for passengers and check environmental challenges. We have clearly told them that until then, it is not possible to give consent," Bommai said. "The projects will pass through the national parks, tiger sanctuaries and elephant sanctuaries. These are old proposals. Earlier also we have rejected them and now also we have said no to them," Bommai said. "Talacherry-Mysuru railway lane passes through Bandipur and Nagarahole National Sanctuaries. They proposed to implement the project with new alignment. We have not agreed. We have told them that no compromise will be made with the environment," he said. "The delegation also proposed an underground tunnel in the forest stretch, which we have rejected," he said. Vijayan had asked for a meeting during Zone Committee convention of Indian Chief Ministers at Thiruvananthapuram. "Today we met," Bommai said. On arrival, Vijayan was honoured with the traditional 'Mysuru Peta' headgear and sandalwood garland. --IANS mka/svn/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister along with eight MLAs, who recently switched to the from the Congress, will leave for Delhi later on Sunday to meet Prime Minister and other senior saffron party leaders. On September 14, former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes had jumped ship from the Congress to the . Sawant on Sunday attended a coordination meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) after which he told mediapersons that he will be leaving for Delhi later on Sunday. "All the eight new joinees and the state President (Sadanand Tanavade) are also going to Delhi with me. We will meet the Prime Minister and also will try to meet Home Minister Amit Shah," Sawant said. He added that the meeting with Prime Minister Modi has already been fixed, while the meeting with Amit Shah is yet to be finalised. When asked whether a Cabinet reshuffle will take place after the meeting with the Prime Minister, Sawant said there are no such plans. The BJP had 20 MLAs in the 40-member Assembly, which has now gone up to 28 after recent joinings. The BJP also has the support of two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLAs and three Independent members. Hence, the total strength of BJP+allies has gone up to 33 now, while the Congress has been reduced to just three MLAs. --IANS sbk/arm (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Sunday appointed its Rajya Sabha member as the AAP's co-incharge for the state Assembly elections due later this year. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had earlier appointed Rajya Sabha member Sandeep Pathak at its in-charge. Chadha had also held the responsibility of the party as Punjab affairs co-incharge, ahead of the Assembly elections in that state held earlier this year. The AAP had won the Punjab polls. It has now positioned itself as the main rival of the BJP which has governed for 27 years. "Congratulations and best wishes to Rajya Sabha member and youth leader Raghav Chanda on being appointed as the "AAP' Gujarat sah-prabhari (co-incharge)," AAP Gujarat said in a tweet. In a response to his appointment, Chadha said, "I thank @ArvindKejriwal ji for entrusting me with this big responsibility. I will put in my blood, sweat, tears and toil to meet the expectations of my party. Gujarat wants change, Gujarat wants good education-healthcare. Gujarat wants Kejriwal." Gujarat in-charge Sandeep Pathak and state party leader Isudan Gadhvi also congratulated Chadha. Chadha had last Friday hinted at the new responsibility. "Gujarat wants a change. I am ready for whatever responsibility the party gives, will fight strongly against the 27 years of mismanagement of the BJP," he had tweeted. In response to his tweet, state party leadership had tweeted welcoming him to Gujarat. During his last visit to Gujarat on August 31 after Gujarat AAP's general secretary Manoj Sorathiya was attacked in Surat, Chadha had targeted the BJP and said the state Assembly elections will be a fight between the "fake Gujarat model" and the "real Kejriwal governance model." The AAP is showcasing its 'Delhi model' to woo voters in Gujarat. Its convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited Gujarat multiple times in the recent past to hold meetings and town halls with the public in different cities of the state and offered a number of "guarantees", including free electricity up to 300 units per month and unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The chorus for making president again grew louder as Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan passed resolutions to support him to take on the mantle of party chief. Committees of both the states passed the resolution for making the party president, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister on Sunday said the Wayanad MP should "rethink" about his decision on this matter. "Chhattisgarh Committee and Rajasthan Cong Committee have made this proposal. It has been done in two states but if this proposal comes from other states too, then Rahul ji should rethink this matter," said Baghel on appointing as party president. Chhattisgarh Congress has unanimously passed a resolution that Rahul Gandhi should take over as party president again. The Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee held an important meeting. The agenda of the meeting is an organizational election in the state unit. The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, party state in-charge PL Punia and other leaders of the state. Notably, the Congress Committee of Rajasthan has also passed a resolution to make Congress leader Rahul Gandhi party president. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot presented a proposal in the meeting which stated that the Congress president should select the state president of RPCC and AICC delegates. Congress Working Committee member Raghuveer Meena approved the said proposal, which was also backed by State President Govind Singh Dotsara. Earlier while addressing the media during Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Wayanad MP had said, "Whether I become president of Congress or not will become clear when the elections for the president post take place. But, I have clearly decided what I will do and there is no confusion in my mind." The notification for the Congress president's election will be out on September 22. Nominations for the post of Congress president can be filed from September 24 to September 30. The last day of filing the nomination is September 30, 2022, and the last date of withdrawal of nominations is October 8. Congress Working Committee (CWC) had decided that the election for the Congress president post will be held on October 17, said sources. The counting of votes will be done on October 19. This comes in the backdrop of the party's senior leader Gulam Nabi Azad's resignation on Friday. According to sources, the election for the post of president has now become a challenge for Congress with the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to contest the polls. The Central Election Authority has made preparations to complete the election process on time. The process seems to remain stuck since Rahul Gandhi is not willing to contest the election for the post of Congress president, although all the efforts to convince him are still going on, added sources. Rahul Gandhi was the Congress president from 2017 until 2019. When Rahul Gandhi was elected as Congress president in 2017, state units passed a similar resolution. He resigned following the party's debacle in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (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.) Apples decision to launch the eSIM-only 14 series in the US has American buyers puzzled. Surprisingly, it stumped some Indian folks, too, despite the availability of a physical SIM slot in the India-centric 14 series. This is because a large number of Apple consumers in India get their iPhones at considerably cheaper rates from the US through visiting relatives, friends, family, et al. Their apprehensions are mostly about compatibility with Indian networks and availability in India. Analysts believe tech-aware consumers who know Indian telecom operators offer services may still go for US-made iPhones. Others would either buy India models or may look at destinations such as Dubai, where the iPhones are a tad more expensive than from the US, but still much cheaper than India. Given that iPhones from the US will require eSIM-support from day one in India, some tech-aware consumers may still continue to buy iPhones from there, said Prabhu Ram, head-Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research (CMR). For others, it will be prudent to buy new iPhones in India. A distant home for many Indians, Dubai is likely to be the destination of choice for the buyers this year because these phones are cheaper there and come with a physical SIM slot. So consumers get the iPhone of choice (with physical SIM) at a cheaper price. It is a win-win situation for consumers, Faisal Kawoosa, Chief Analyst, Techarc. Apple has been a trendsetter in the global smartphone market that has been unapologetically copied by other brands on many occasions. The removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone, notch screen, and the removal of the charging adapter, are cases in point. Likewise, the focus on only smartphones is expected to gather steam now that Apple has initiated the trend. The launch of the eSIM-only iPhone 14 variant in the US indicates that the winds of change are very much here, despite all the transitory challenges with technology adoption at scale, in the near to short term, said Ram. An eSIM (embedded SIM) is a reprogrammable chip integrated within the smartphone. It has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is certainly better than the physical SIM. This is because the eSIM is reprogrammable, and can store multiple unique identifiers. In simple words, a smartphone with eSIM can save multiple SIM profiles. This enables convenience especially for those who carry more than one active connection. Security is another plus of the eSIM. It cannot be taken out, and so cannot be misused if lost and stolen. For international travellers, the eSIM makes it easy to enrol for telecom connections and activate it before arriving at the destination. However, it works only in countries with eSIM on offer by telecom operators. In India, the eSIM has been available alongside physical SIM in premium smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy S-series, Google Pixel series and Apple iPhones. This hybrid SIM arrangement is expected to remain the choice of combination for India-centric smartphones. Now on, however, it is likely to trickle down to smartphones across price brackets. Analysts believe it is time for both telecom operators and phone makers to create awareness around eSIMs. While telcos in India will be prepared to adapt to the potential changes that eSIM-only future portends, the focus will have to be on creating awareness, familiarity and trust in eSIMs amongst consumers, said Ram. A promotional image of the Seoul Finance Conference and Fintech Startup Pitch Event that will be held in San Jose, California, Sept. 20 / Courtesy of Invest Seoul By Lee Min-hyung The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) plans to hold an investor relations (IR) event in Silicon Valley in the United States next week to raise awareness of Korean fintech firms and attract foreign capital. The Seoul Finance Conference and Fintech Startup Pitch Event will be held on Sept. 20, where a group of 50 startup accelerators and investors will take part to introduce the Korean fintech industry and competitiveness of local startups. The FSS is now supporting four fintech firms' overseas inroads, helping them tap further into the U.S. market by attracting investments there. The watchdog will also hold a conference with its U.S. counterparts, local financial firms and fintech startups there, so the Korean companies can catch up with the latest market trends and regulatory environments there. The authority also shared plans to establish a hotline with U.S. regulators for future cooperation in the financial sector. Officials from the watchdog will listen to latest market information from local investors and venture capital firms, with a view to increasing the possibility of attracting more investments for Korean startups, the FSS said. It plans to hold another IR conference in Singapore in early November. "We will relieve difficulties that Korean fintech firms face ahead of their global expansion," an FSS spokesman said. "The authority will also step up institutional support and improve regulatory hurdles, and help fintech firms develop in a sustainable manner." The upcoming event will be held at KOTRA Silicon Valley in San Jose, California. 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After: Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast Have Another Cringey Project in the Works 90 Day Fiance stars Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast have started a new channel on YouTube. While they seem proud of it, some franchise fans think the Happily Ever After couple is just moving on to their next cringe-worthy project. It's not personal, it's business and Andrei wants Libby's sisters to have nothing to do with it! #90DayFiance pic.twitter.com/ewBj5DfIWK 90DayFiance (@90DayFiance) August 5, 2021 Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Libby Potthast started their 90 Day Fiance journey in 2017 Andrei and Elizabeth started their 90 Day Fiance journey during Season 5. The TLC series documented how the couple first met in Dublin and how they fared during their K-1 visa process and marriage. The reality stars returned for Season 5 of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After and the fifth season of 90 Day Fiance: What Now? Fans have seen the couple through tons of drama over the years. Andrei has had a contentious relationship with Libbys family from the beginning. That strain led to some outrageous behavior from the Potthasts during their wedding in Moldova. Elizabeth and Andrei havent always seen eye to eye either. Many viewers find Andreis attitude toward his wife to be misogynistic at times. However, the couple is still together and happy. They welcomed their daughter, Eleanor, who they lovingly refer to as Ellie, in January 2019. In March 2022, Elizabeth announced she is pregnant with their second child. 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever Afters Libby Potthast with her daughter | TLC via Youtube The 90 Day Fiance couple recently started a Youtube channel Andrei and Elizabeth are lucky enough to appear on multiple 90 Day Fiance spinoffs. Theyre also making their 3-year-old daughter Eleanor the star of a new project. Their Youtube channel is called Ellies World. It features videos of Eleanor playing various pretend games with Andrei. Welcome to Ellies World! I am Eleanor (Ellie) Castravet! the channel description reads. You may know me from TLC with my parents Elizabeth and Andrei featured on the hit TV series 90 Day Fiance. But this channel is all about ME! I make fun skits with my parents and travel the world. I post weekly videos and will entertain you! Subscribe for more. The channel uploaded its first video in May 2022. As of September 2022, its racked up a little less than 2,000 subscribers. Some 90 Day Fiance fans are turned off by Andrei and Libbys new Youtube project For years, 90 Day Fiance fans have criticized Andrei and Libby, accusing them of being thirsty for attention. Some think the couple faked drama on the show to get more air time. Others found it odd when the two started an Only Fans account. Now, with the reality stars spotlighting their young daughter, many think its a step too far. And seeing how the couple has multiple iterations of the channel in different languages, including Hindi and Russian, some fans think its a form of exploitation. So basically, they are stage parents, trying to groom their child to be an international superstar, one Reddit fan wrote. Ask the Olsen twins how happy their childhood was. I cant imagine creating a human life just to exploit it for attention and money, another Redditor added. I dont think kids should be on YouTube, period. Who do they think is watching this kind of content?? Should be illegal to put your kids online like this. Fan criticism hasnt bothered Andrei and Elizabeth in the past. So ultimately, no matter what people may think, the couple will likely continue doing what they think is right for their family. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Elizabeth Potthast and Andrei Castravet Celebrated Their Daughters 2nd Birthday With an Adorable Party Love Island USA Season 3 couple Andy Voyen and Mady McLanahan attempted a relationship outside the villa. However, it didnt work out, and the two decided to remain friends. Andy Voyen and Mady McLanahan say theyre better as friends After Andy Voyens dumping on Day 11, Madison Mady McLanahan voluntarily followed him out of the door and walked from the island four days later. The two reunited a couple of weeks afterward, sharing a picture of the moment on Instagram on August 19. Following the reunion, which aired on September 1, the couple shared an update on their relationship as they werent included in the wrap-up. Turns out the glow from Andy's burning bridge is a really flattering light for Mady ? #LoveIslandUSA pic.twitter.com/aVZOyUUWcB Love Island USA (@loveislandusa) July 27, 2022 RELATED: Love Island USA: Phoebe and Chad Still Together After the Season; Fans Dont Buy It They revealed their upcoming plans to hang out and explained they are still working on growing our relationship together. Mady and Andy then attended the September 11 Minnesota Vikings home game against the Green Bay Packers together shortly before announcing the end of their romantic relationship. In a September 13 joint post, the Love Island USA couple explained theyve discussed the following steps and have concluded they are better as friends. The couple ended by wishing each other the best and thanking the fans for their support. Mady and Andy coupled up during Love Island USA Season 4 Andy entered the villa as an OG Islander and chose to pair up with Courtney Boerner, even though she didnt step forward signaling interest. Following the initial couplings, Valerie Bragg and Mady secretly snuck into the villa. Andy and Courtneys relationship fizzled pretty quickly as she deemed him a mamas boy and moved on to Felipe Gomes. Therefore, Andy and Mady began getting to know each other. However, he got bored with their relationship, considering it surface level, and wanted to have different conversations. Choices have been made and now it's time to say farewell to Andy & Bria. ? #LoveIslandUSA pic.twitter.com/JJ2gouXujH Love Island USA (@loveislandusa) August 4, 2022 Andy tried to develop a connection with Sydney Paight, who was already in a strong pairing with Isaiah Campbell. They admitted an interest in each other and kissed, leading Andy to pick her at the next recoupling. His move shocked the villa, especially Isaiah, who felt the Minnesota native broke the bro code. As a couple, the two didnt get to know each other as she missed Isaiah, and he rekindled his romance with Mady. While she claimed she wouldnt give him another chance, the two worked on their relationship and recoupled. Andy was eliminated in Week 2, and Mady followed him out During Week 2, Andy and Mady landed at the bottom, making them vulnerable to elimination. The Islanders opted to save Mady over newcomer Bria Bryant but dumped Andy for eventual winner Timmy Pandolfi. As she remained in the house, the Texas native attempted to move on with the new arrival Jared Hassim, and she thought the two might have a connection. It was an unexpected night but now we have to say goodbye to Bryce and Mady. ? #LoveIslandUSA pic.twitter.com/2NvtiF11jw Love Island USA (@loveislandusa) August 9, 2022 However, they didnt have a spark, and she didnt see herself opening up to anyone else in the villa. Therefore, Mady exited the island and attempted a relationship with Andy. After leaving, she returned to social media and shared that she and Andy made a lot of progress in their connection that the episodes didnt include. While it might seem as though she quickly took him back after he opted to couple up with Sydney over her, Mady insists they had a lot of deep conversations that proved to her that he deserved a second chance. Love Island USA is streaming on Peacock. RELATED: Love Island USA: Mady McLanahan Wishes Viewers Saw Her and Andy Voyens Progress Few couples on The Young and the Restless have intrigued fans as much as Summer and Kyle have. The duo has been together through thick and thin. Even when there seemed to be no hope for them, they emerged stronger together. Fans have been calling for the show to give them more storylines and are now happy their favorite couple will finally have a real wedding. Summer and Kyle got married offscreen on The Young and the Restless Summer and Kyle had an on-again-off-again relationship for a while. The pair met as kids and essentially grew up together. Summer developed a crush on Kyle, who was much older than her. But thanks to the magical aging in soaps, she grew up faster and started a real relationship with Kyle. Their journey hasnt been rosy as theyve had to deal with rumors of them being siblings, Kyle marrying Lola to save her life, and their warring mothers. Kyle and Summer stepped away from Genoa City when Summer got a job in Italy as a luxury handbag designer. During their time in Italy, the pair got married off-screen. This didnt sit well with fans who felt cheated out of a dreamy event. Now Y&R has decided to give the fans what theyve begged for by giving Summer and Kyle a real wedding. Head writer Josh Griffith said in an interview, per Soaps She Knows, that the series is planning to do the vow renewal in a big way. The Young and the Restless Kyle and Summer | Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images He said, Kyle and Summer havent lost their passion, so they decide to renew their vows in Genoa City. Were making up for the fact that fans never got to see their wedding, so Kyle and Summer are going to have a beautiful renewal of their vows on the Abbott estate. Fans are happy Summer and Kyle will finally have a real wedding When Summer and Kyle returned to Genoa City and revealed theyd gotten married, fans tweeted their rage at the storyline. One wrote, I will NEVER forgive #YR for not letting us see the #Skyle wedding. Another wrote, I would have loved to see #Skyle get married on screen. It didnt need to be a big one just with the ones who have been supportive of them. Now that the couple finally gets to redo their vows in front of friends and family, fans are over the moon. One fan tweeted under a Y&R thread, Glad #Skyle is getting married again. However, not everyone is enthusiastic about the upcoming nuptials as some fans dont appear in the least bit interested in the storyline. Glad #Skyle are getting married again (@fnskyle) September 2, 2022 One fan tweeted, Who cares about this upcoming wedding. How many times are they going to say I do? Bring Ashland back. At least it was exciting having him around. Fans want Summer and Kyle to get a new home While some fans dont seem excited that Skyle are renewing their vows, many called for the show to give the couple their own home. Dianes return and her feud with Phyllis Summer create unnecessary tension for Summer and Kyle, and fans want the show to remove them from it. i hope Summer and Kyle can finally get their own place, and please let Summer get back to her first instinct of not trusting Diane. #Skyle #YR Skyla's Backup (@ItsSkylizzels) July 1, 2022 I hope Summer and Kyle can finally get their own place, one user wrote under a different Twitter thread. Another commented, They are amazing! Hopefully soon they get a home of their own. Another user said, My loves, please give them a house of their own. Some fans, however, pointed out that the Abbott mansion is also their home, so there was no need for the young couple to move. RELATED: The Young and the Restless: Fans Are Ready for Summer and Kyle to Make a Major Move and Its Not Marriage The sun sets over the Badger-Two Medicine area Friday, March 25, 2016 near Browning, Mont. U.S. Attorneys for an oil and gas company are asking a federal judge to reinstate a drilling lease in the area that is considered sacred to Native American tribes in the U.S. and Canada. Chinese FM holds phone talk with French president's diplomatic counselor Xinhua) 09:43, September 18, 2022 BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday held a phone conversation with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron. China and France are both permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council and responsible major countries, said Wang, adding that maintaining the steady and smooth development of bilateral relations is in the interests of both sides and conducive to world peace and stability. The recent China-France strategic dialogue and economic and financial dialogue have yielded positive results, and the two sides have reached a full consensus on future cooperation priorities, Wang said. He added that China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with France, strengthen strategic communication, inject strong impetus into the development of bilateral relations and jointly address global challenges. Bonne, for his part, said that France attaches great importance to developing sound France-China relations. In the face of the current complex and volatile international situation, France is ready to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, strengthen dialogue on major issues concerning global security and stability, demonstrate active leadership and play an important role in ending wars and promoting peace. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon / Courtesy of Kwon's LinkedIn page By Lee Min-hyung Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform Labs, is drawing escalating criticism for making vague comments on his whereabouts without responding to a warrant prosecutors filed for his arrest. "I am not 'on the run' or anything similar for any government agency that has shown interest to communicate, we are in full cooperation and we don't have anything to hide," he said on his Twitter, Sunday. The remarks came in response to Singapore Police Force's latest announcement that Kwon is not residing in the country. He was known to be in the city-state after having a face-to-face interview with crypto media outlet, Coinage, at his office there last month. Voice of the Martyrs offers resources for churches ahead of Persecution Sunday Ahead of the annual International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians, Voice of the Martyrs ministry has released resources to help churches pray for the hundreds of millions of believers facing threats of violence or being killed because of their faith. The VOM, a nonprofit thats provided practical and spiritual help for persecuted believers since the 1960s, has released resources for churches, small groups and families that inspire prayer weeks before the IDOP, which will be marked on Nov. 6 this year. The resources include prayer banners, prayer guides, slides and bulletin inserts. You can hang a prayer banner in your church as a reminder to pray for persecuted Christians in hostile areas and restricted nations, the ministry says of those who are frequently ostracized or rendered homeless in many parts of the world. You can share Global Prayer Guides with church members to help them learn who the persecutors are in these countries and how difficult it is to get a Bible there. And you can order bookmarks that provide 10 ways to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Around the world, more than 360 million Christians live in places where they experience high levels of persecution, just for following Jesus thats one in seven believers worldwide, according to Open Doors USAs World Watch List, which ranks the top 50 countries where Christians experience the worst persecution for their faith. The 2022 World Watch List, which looked at incidents reported between Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021, found at least 5,898 Christians were killed, 5,110 churches were attacked or closed, 6,175 Christians were arrested without trial, and 3,829 Christians were kidnapped. The year 2021 saw a 24% increase in Christians killed for their faith. The VOM has also released a video titled Rebecca: Nigeria, featuring the story of a woman who watched helplessly with her daughter as Boko Haram militants killed her husband and son, and burned her home. When she searched the charred remains of her home, she found the Bible that she and her husband had received on their wedding day. I still use this Bible, she says in the video. It reminds me of Gods faithfulness. Earlier this month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom warned that religious freedom is deteriorating in Nigeria because of rising violence by non-State actors, mainly militant Islamist groups, and poor governance. The group has called on the State Department to utilize the power that it has to take action against the government. According to a recent study from the Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, at least 60,000 Christians have been killed in the past two decades in Nigeria alone. The organization reported that hundreds of churches had been threatened, attacked, closed, destroyed or burned in 2021 alone. Churches around the world have observed the IDOP on the first Sunday of November since the World Evangelical Alliances Religious Liberty Commission launched the first Persecution Sunday in 1996, encouraging churches worldwide to dedicate a Sunday to pray for persecuted Christians. 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. 48% of Evangelical leaders report being blacklisted over beliefs, guilt by association Nearly half of Evangelical leaders said in a new survey that they have been disinvited, blacklisted or excluded because of their point of view or guilt by association, according to the National Association of Evangelicals. The NAE's July/August Evangelical Leaders Survey revealed that 48% of Evangelical leaders said they have been canceled by others as a way of expressing their disapproval for the leader or the leaders point of view. The findings are part of a monthly poll of the NAEs Board of Directors, which includes the CEOs of denominations and representatives of diverse Evangelical organizations, such as missions, universities, publishers and churches. Cancel culture is the practice of excluding any person, organization or work as a way of expressing disapproval, NAE President Walter Kim explained. While it is important to be clear about unacceptable behavior and unorthodox positions, this phenomenon makes it difficult to have meaningful, vulnerable and open dialogue about the real challenges that we face, he said. Some leaders said the Evangelical leadership should expect to be canceled because it has become commonplace. However, the reality of cancel culture can make leaders wary of communicating their positions on complex issues for fear of retribution, the association fears. Last month, Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, said Facebook removed a paid ad for his sermon Woke or Awake. Well, I got canceled this week, Young said, according to Church Leaders. Our friends at Facebook just canceled me. Our incredible media team put together these ads, and we showed these ads. And, for some reason, Mark Zuckerberg and his friends didn't dig them. Many Evangelical leaders think being open and willing for respectful conversations could be the way to engage. I have made it a policy to welcome comments and open the door to discussion. People have disagreed with statements that I have made and contacted me to share their concerns, Ron Hamilton, conference minister at Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, was quoted as saying. Those who said they had not been canceled also noted that they might have been unknowingly rejected or not invited due to their beliefs or engagement. Not to my knowledge! I have no idea whether my views were the reason I was not invited to speak in the first place, Rich Nathan, founding pastor of Vineyard Columbus, was quoted as saying. Some leaders said guilt by association was also a basis for cancellation. I served as the primary speaker for an annual event (for about nine years) at a major Christian university. Although my ministry remained consistent and my views had not changed at all my relationship with people outside their doctrinal distinctives caused me to be disinvited, Daniel Henderson, president of Strategic Renewal, was quoted as saying. Kim said while individuals and organizations need to be held accountable for their actions, people should not be punished for holding beliefs that may be different. We need to encourage conversations across differences. Let us open our doors and ask those with differences to pull up a seat at the table. After all, that was the way of Jesus, he concluded. Trans care group removes age guidelines for puberty blockers, disfiguring sex change surgeries A leading trans health associations latest guidelines omitted minimum age requirements for gender-confused youth to obtain puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or genital mutilating surgeries, a major change from earlier editions. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) released its Standards of Care 8th Edition in the International Journal of Transgender Health earlier this month. The journal published a correction on Thursday, removing sections related to "suggested minimal ages" for offering so-called gender-affirming care or surgical treatment, such as experimental puberty-blocking drugs and performing operations such as breast amputations on girls and removing boys' genitals. WPATH did not respond to The Christian Posts request for comment about the changes. In Chapter 6, the new guidelines claim that chest masculinization surgery, better known as a double mastectomy, can alleviate chest dysphoria in girls who are led to believe that in order to be happy, they must remove their beasts. The guidelines further argue that boys suffering from gender dysphoria can obtain improved psychosocial functioning if they allow a surgeon to perform a vaginoplasty by removing penis tissue to create a fake vagina. While the sample sizes are small, these studies suggest there may be a benefit for some adolescents to having these procedures performed before the age of 18, the new guidelines claim. Among 20 surgeons affiliated with WPATH, more than half said they have "performed vaginoplasty [on] minors," according to a 2017 study titled Age is Just a Number that was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. One surgeon said he had performed the surgery on a boy as young as 16. The new guidelines also suggest that obtaining parental consent should not be a requirement before minors undergo disfiguring surgeries or obtain cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers that stop their natural development. We recommend when gender-affirming medical or surgical treatments are indicated for adolescents, health care professionals working with transgender and gender diverse adolescents involve parent(s)/guardian(s) in the assessment and treatment process, unless their involvement is determined to be harmful to the adolescent or not feasible, the guidelines state. The trans health group claims that the primary goal is to help youth work alongside their parents or caregivers regarding important gender care decisions. It adds, however, that the critical evaluation process must determine if there are cases where parents have rejected their childs gender needs. In these situations, youth may require the engagement of larger systems of advocacy and support to move forward with the necessary support and care, the new guide advises. In an opinion piece published in The Christian Post earlier this month, Brandon Showalter noted that "minors are being surgically disfigured under the banner of a non-existent gender identity in clinics and hospitals around the country. He added that the corporate press that has largely supported the movement to halt puberty and give children puberty blockers will not be able to "feign ignorance" ... as more and more de-transitioners who were sterilized and disfigured as minors start to raise their voices and as others around the world begin filing lawsuits against the medical institutions that harmed them." 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." 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. Relationship with God trumps religious observance In my thinking, everything that Jesus did, thought, taught, and modeled screamed don't be religious! He could have easily said, ok people, listen, you have been trying to do this religious thing for over 4,000 years and it has not been working out for you. My Father knew that, and He wants you to know that He has always had a much better plan. It's called a relationship. I believe that in many ways people prefer religious practice over a relationship. Why? Because they think it's easier. The prophet Samuel told the people of Israel very plainly that God wanted to be their King. They refused. Everybody else had a king and they wanted one, too. In my opinion, the Roman Catholic Church came into being simply because it gave people what they wanted deep down all along. They wanted someone else to hear from God for them. Throughout history and right up to today, billions of people worldwide cling to its practices. There are those within its ranks who experience the deep and rich personal relationship with the true God, seeking His will for themselves and praying to Him directly through the shed blood of their Savior Jesus Christ. Delightfully, we all personally know some who do, but far too many prefer a third-person connection to God. Other movements or denominations, although earnestly desiring to hold closely to the biblical model of the New Testament Church, can still fall into similar patterns. They realize that given the choice, their constituents would rather get together for a potluck than for a prayer meeting. Also, because the average person does not actively seek Gods direction for their lives, the role of a priest or a pastor becomes the primary one in discerning Gods general will for his or her congregation. All in all, in my opinion, we create our Protestant version of a spiritually empty religious society. Jesus made it very clear, It is necessary that I go away because if I do not go away the Holy Spirit cannot come! (John 16:7b). I believe what Jesus was trying to communicate was that all the Old Testament saints whom God used to do wonders in the past, had a one-on-one relationship with the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. The sacrificial system was set up to remind them of their sins and the eternal gravity they have in the sight of a transcendent God. But in due time, the Messiah was to come to die and make the final sacrifice to save the world and have the Holy Spirit lead His people into an eternal perfect relationship with the Triune God. The sacrificial lamb, by His blood, opened the doors of Heaven for sinners doomed for destruction. Honestly, could the mere prospect of empty religious trappings hold a candle to this? 13 traits of 'orphan spirit' leaders One of the greatest needs in the body of Christ is to release the spirit of sonship (Romans 8:15). Since the nation of Israel and the church were modeled after the biblical family structure, its leaders were supposed to function more as spiritual parents than corporate executives. The apostle Paul said that we have only a few fathers even though we have numerous teachers (1 Corinthians 4). Those who have not been properly fathered in the natural, tend to walk with an orphan spirit. Unfortunately, many leaders in the church and marketplace still function emotionally with an orphan spirit even though they have been adopted as sons into the family of Father/God. Leaders with orphan spirits are limited in their capacity to make disciples and maximize their kingdom purpose. I write this article to shed light on this vital subject so leaders can become more self-aware and go to the Lord and others to be healed. The following are 13 traits of orphan spirit leaders: 1. They are hyper-sensitive Those with an orphan spirit walk around with a spirit of rejection. Hence, they are hyper-sensitive and unconsciously assume that people are against them. Consequently, they are easily offended and overreact to minor infractions and experience continual misunderstandings when interfacing with others. 2. They dont know how to be a spiritual parent Pastors and all mature leaders in the body of Christ should first and foremost function as spiritual fathers that can nurture young believers (1 John 2:12-14). When new people come into the church, they intuitively yearn for spiritual parents who will care for them. Many people are hurt because there is no opportunity presented to them in the church for personal nurture and development. First and foremost, the body of Christ needs its leaders to function as spiritual parents, secondarily, preachers and leaders. 3. They are always in competition with other leaders The lack of affirmation by a father contributes to an orphan spirit. Those with an orphan spirit are constantly striving to prove themselves to others. Consequently, in their striving, they compete with other gifted leaders (including peers not within their organization). 4. They are driven by a search for significance Due to the lack of affirmation from a father growing up, those with an orphan spirit are constantly striving to succeed. Hence, they rarely rest because they are on a quest to elevate themselves amongst others so they can feel good about themselves. Orphan spirit leaders are driven more by personal ambition than being led by the Holy Spirit. Hence, it can leave much destruction in their wake as their ambition, rather than the Holy Spirit, motivates and directs their work. 5. They dont know how to connect emotionally Orphan spirit leaders may be competent at dispensing tasks to their followers but may be handicapped regarding emotional intelligence. Affirmed sons are better able to connect emotionally with other people since they have already experienced (and developed) an intimate relationship with their Heavenly and spiritual father. 6. They do not feel good about themselves I have observed that even highly accomplished leaders may have low self-esteem. They desperately try to compensate for this self-disdain with their achievements. Some of the most successful people I have ever met were laden with self-hatred. All this is hidden behind looking good physically and having a tremendous public persona, but it comes out in one or more of the traits mentioned in this article. 7. They do not know how to treat others Leaders with an orphan spirit often mistreat or abuse those under their leadership. This comes out sometimes because of the deep subconscious resentment and anger (from being abandoned by their father) embedded in their soul. 8. They do not interpret reality correctly I have found that those who carry an orphan spirit interpret everything through the lenses of abandonment, rejection, and disappointment. Consequently, they interpret reality differently than other people, which causes others they hurt to think these leaders are either liars or delusional. 9. People are objectified to obtain their goals Leaders with an orphan spirit often use people for their agenda rather than viewing their leadership assignment as a way to love and empower others. 10. They are always looking for approval and recognition Those with an orphan spirit have a massive void in their heart that only God can fill. Their pain is so great that they look for temporary (superficial) relief by getting people to notice them so they can receive their accolades. Until and unless they allow the Lord to heal their woundedness, they will live a life seeking the approval of others. 11. They do not know how to submit to spiritual authority Those with an orphan spirit have a very difficult time understanding how to be a son to another father. Hence, they have difficulty trusting anyone enough to receive correction and genuinely submit to authority and spiritual leadership. I have found that most lone rangers are just people with an orphan spirit. 12. They have a difficult time with their own family Those with an orphan spirit are so driven they often do not keep boundaries. Consequently, they do not know how to relax and spend quality time with their family. Work and accomplishment are always at the center of their life. Also, because they have never been fathered, they do not understand how to be a parent and emotionally connect to their biological and spiritual children. These two issues cause significant friction between spouses as well as the alienation of children. 13. They have a difficult time relating to God as their Father Those with an orphan spirit either view God as a harsh taskmaster or a distant father who cannot be fully trusted. This is because growing up, they experienced abandonment from an authority figure, transferring this view into their relationship with God. They need a spiritual experience with God that permeates their soul and revolutionizes their view of Father God. Also, they need a spiritual father in their life who will represent God to them and restore their soul. In conclusion, nobody has been fully healed emotionally on this side of Heaven. Every leader, including me, has deep emotional issues and needs continual transformation by God. Hence, there are no perfect marriages, children, and leaders (and no perfect churches or organizations). May the Lord use teachings like this to open our eyes, help us be self-aware, and look for Him to bring people, situations, and His word to conform our heart, mind, and soul into the image of Jesus, the only perfect Son of the Father. Kwak Hyo-hwan, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), speaks during a press conference for the upcoming Seoul International Writers' Festival held in central Seoul, Sept. 14. Courtesy of LTI Korea Authors, translators and critics to discuss role of literature in post-pandemic era By Park Han-sol An official poster for the 11th Seoul International Writers' Festival, scheduled to run from Sept. 23 to 30 / Courtesy of LTI Korea Christian group demands Turkish authorities answer question about alleged plot to kill pastors The U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide has called on the government of Turkey to investigate a claim that the countrys security officials offered to pay an ultranationalist whatever he wanted in return for assassinating church leaders. Last month, an ultranationalist man, identified only as Tolgahan A., confessed to Vedat Serin, a leader of the Salvation Church in the eastern city of Malatya, that members of Turkeys Gendarmerie Intelligence and Anti-Terror Unit offered him whatever he wanted if he killed Serin and two other Christian leaders former pastor Tim Stone and Pastor Ihsan Ozbek, the chair of Kurtulus Churches Association, CSW said in a statement. The man, allegedly connected to the Nationalist Movement Party, was given the addresses and photos of Serin and the others, Ahval News reported, adding that he was also given a gun and sent to the church with a friend. But when they saw a little boy playing with a computer inside, they left. A separate murder attempt was called off following the murder of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov in the capital, Ankara, in December 2016. In April 2007, two Turkish converts from Islam and a German citizen from Serins church were attacked, tortured and murdered in a publishing house by five ultranationalists assailants. Tolgahan A. had reportedly praised the murder on social media at the time. Although the would-be assassin had been ordered to assassinate the Christian leaders around 2015-'16, only recently was a complaint filed at the Malatya Chief Public Prosecutors Office after Tolgahan A. confessed to the alleged plot. Whilst we are relieved that plans to assassinate these church leaders ultimately ended in failure, the allegation that they were orchestrated by elements within Turkeys security apparatus is deeply concerning, CSWs CEO Scot Bower said. Even though several years have passed since these assassination attempts, it is essential that the Turkish government acts on the disturbing information which has come to light and conducts a full and swift investigation into these claims, with particular attention paid to identifying and holding to account any members of JITEM who are identified as having been involved, Bower added. Turkey has a long history of Christian persecution, and its government still refuses to admit that the Ottoman Turks committed genocide of Christian Armenians in 1915. Turkey is 99% Muslim, according to its own statistics. Although its constitution provides for freedom of religion, the government uses regulations that demand the registration of religious groups to make it more difficult to practice non-Islamic faiths. Hatred toward Christians and Jews in the country often leads to discrimination, stigmatization and attacks. In July 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned the Hagia Sophia, an ancient Christian cathedral, from a museum into a mosque, undoing its transformation in 1934 from a mosque to a cathedral. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access The USS Ronald Reagan / Yonhap Supercarrier set for drills in South Korean waters in response to Pyongyang's preemptive nuclear law By Jung Min-ho The USS Ronald Reagan, the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered supercarrier, will arrive at the southeastern port city of Busan later this week for joint military drills with South Korea amid mounting nuclear threats from North Korea. According to military sources Sunday, the Nimitz-class supercarrier will take part in combined exercises with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy in the East Sea this month for the first time since 2017, when Pyongyang conducted its sixth nuclear weapons test. The move comes immediately after the two allies issued a joint statement Friday (local time), after holding a meeting in Washington to denounce the North for passing a law earlier this month to grant its military the right to use nuclear weapons preemptively. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also called the nation's nuclear status "irreversible," leaving no room for negotiation on the issue. In that statement, the U.S. reaffirmed its "ironclad and unwavering" commitment to provide deterrence for South Korea, which has long relied on the U.S.' nuclear umbrella against the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats. "The United States committed to strengthen coordination with the ROK to continue to deploy and exercise strategic assets in the region in a timely and effective manner to deter and respond to the DPRK and enhance regional security," the statement reads, referring to North Korea by an abbreviation of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "They highlighted the combined training of fifth-generation F-35A fighter jets in July and the upcoming deployment of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group in the region as a clear demonstration of such U.S. commitment." The U.S. also warned that a North Korean nuclear attack would be met with an overwhelming and decisive response. With the North believed to have already completed preparation for its seventh nuclear weapons test, many worry that the expected provocation may increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula to dangerous levels and lead to a military confrontation. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Yonhap A crypto investor accused of persistently ringing the doorbell of the house of Do Kwon, co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, enters Seongdong Police Station in Seoul, May 16. Yonhap Do Kwon, the wanted Korean founder of the failed cryptocurrency Terra, denied Sunday he was on the run after the Singapore police said he was not in the city-state as had been believed. Kwon's whereabouts have been thrown into question after the Singapore Police Force (SPF) statement late Saturday, and his tweets did not reveal where he was. The collapse of Terraform Labs earlier this year wiped out about $40 billion of investors' money. A Korean court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for Kwon. Early Sunday he said on Twitter: "I am 'not on the run' or anything similar", but did not reveal where he was. "For any agency that has shown interest to communicate, we are in full cooperation and we don't have anything to hide," he added. 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. British had a better attitude towards casteism and untouchability. Upper caste elite would not have ever allowed Dalits to come up to their level What could be a bigger irony than that most of the Indian political and social movement leaders, dissenters and publishers, who were unable to get along well within the country, found space to breathe and enjoyed in the United Kingdom? People from former colonies who now reside in UK enjoy the life and opportunities provided by that country. Not without reason, their anti-colonial feelings have evaporated in the air. It is also ironical that, except for India, where Jawaharlal Nehru was a hugely popular leader and respected by masses, one who built institutions and was a thorough democrat, in most other nations, where the British and other colonialists ruled, the anti-colonial heroes became despots. Except India, where autonomous institutions were built and flourished, in other countries which got rid of colonialism, autonomous governance structures failed to emerge. No doubt, the British caused us enormous loss. However, the Dalits and Adivasis of India today legitimately ask the question to the Brahminical elite whether they ever thought of apologising to the communities for the historical wrongs done to them, snatching their right to education, and the right to own land and property. Today, we are divided more than ever before, and one cannot blame the British when those who rule us create a false sense of nationalism. Caste discrimination and untouchability was not the creation of the British. Even after 70 years, we are unable to remove it, which shows the real face of our political commitment. A feudal and caste ridden society cannot create a powerful democracy unless we become socially democratic, as Baba Saheb Ambedkar said. Shashi Tharoors reparation demand from the British would have sounded ideologically correct if he had also spoken about the dirty caste system and whether the Brahminical elite in India would do the same vis-a-vis the Dalits and other underprivileged sections. There is no doubt that monarchy is the real face of dynasty, and it is at odds with modern democratic principles. Yet, unfortunately, it is often used in India for the Gandhi family. Can there be a bigger irony that the person and the family which are being blamed as dynasts actually are walking on the streets to win over the hearts of the people, facing the onslaught of the ruling elite, which continues to use the term dynasts for just one family? One could use the word dynasts for Rajas and Maharajas, who had ruled small principalities across India. What is forgotten is, Rahul Gandhi and other Gandhis are not in power in the real sense since 1989 after Rajiv Gandhi lost his elections. In fact, Rahul Gandhi does not have the same privilege as that Prince Charlesm who became the King without any questions being raised. The Gandhis are out of power for so long, and can return to power only if people want it through a democratic process. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat; twitter: @freetohumanity Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch of the British empire, died on September 8th at the age of 96, and since then the crazy 24x7 channels, including BBC and CNN, have been minutely reporting every event related to her death. The funeral will take place on September 19th, but till then people will watch various events and engagements of the royal family, particularly the new King Charles III and his consort.The Queen ruled for over 70 years, and hence one can understand the feeling of loss to a nation which ruled a large part of the world till the middle of the last century. India too declared a one-day national mourning on September 11th. World leaders are expected to join the funeral procession on September 19th, and the London police is expecting massive gathering of people and leaders on that day.The question as to why the United Kingdom, despite being a robust democracy, is still hanging on to monarchy has been widely discussed. The question becomes more important for Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where the anti-monarchy sentiments are growing. One also needs to ask: why are the British royals so popular with the American public, who revolted against them so many years ago?India was ruled by the British Empire from 1858 till 1947. Prior to that, the East India Company controlled Indias large parts. After Independence, India maintained good relations with Britain, and a big Indian diaspora, which now lives in UK, is hugely successful and politically influential.Views in India on the British empire are divided. The Hindutva elite and their followers, from available facts, have celebrated the British, who allegedly freed India from the Mughal rule. To them, the British were the liberators of the Hindus. A big section of the Ambedkarites too feels that the British opened the door of Dalit liberation through education.Recently, a Fox TV anchor was widely criticised when he counted the greatness of the British empire in his show. Tucker Carlson said , The British Empire was not perfect, but it was far more humane than any other ever. It's gone now, barely even remembered. Queen Elizabeth II was the last living link to a truly Great Britain. Today on social media, the usual ghouls celebrated her death...He continued, When the U.S. government withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years, we left behind airstrips, shipping containers and guns. When the British pulled out of India, they left behind an entire civilization, a language, a legal system, schools, churches and public buildings, all of which are still in use today. Here's the train station the English built in Bombay, for example. There's nothing like that in Washington, DC right now, much less in Kabul or Baghdad.He added Today, India is far more powerful than the UK, the nation that once ruled it and yet, after 75 years of independence, has that country produced a single building as beautiful as the Bombay train station that the British colonialists built? No, sadly, it has not. Not one.Many share Tuckers views. But to suggest that India did not have the kind of structure like VT Railway Station of Mumbai only reflects Victorian arrogance. The British ruled in India for such a long period that it was impossible for them to rule without involving local people in their administration.There is no doubt that they created a vast railway network, so that the expensive timber from the Himalayas could be transported to the Kolkata port comfortably. As they needed an effective and loyal bureaucracy which could interact with them, they promoted English language and brought in some reforms.No doubt, the British had a better attitude towards casteism and untouchability. Indeed, the upper caste elite would not have allowed the Dalits to come up to their level politically, socially and economically but for the British policy. Also, during the British rule, ndia became the biggest English-speaking country in the world, which helped the Indian community to become a powerful group in diaspora.Yet, the fact is, the British did not come to India to liberate us but to reap its economic power. Indias foreign Minister S Jaishankar reportedly said that the British loot in India was close to $45 trillion as per todays estimates. To quote, India had two centuries of humiliation by the West in its predatory form it came to India in the mid-18th century. An economic study tried to estimate how much British took out of India, it ended up at a number of $45 trillion in todays value.Eminent economist Prof Utsa Patnaik calculated this figure of $45 trillion loot from India. In an interview she said , Between 1765 and 1938, the drain amounted to 9.2 trillion (equal to $45 trillion), taking Indias export surplus earnings as the measure, and compounding it at a 5% rate of interest. Indians were never credited with their own gold and forex earnings. Instead, the local producers here were paid the rupee equivalent out of the budget -- something youd never find in any independent country.She added, The drain varied between 26-36% of the central government budget. It would obviously have made an enormous difference if Indias huge international earnings had been retained within the country. India would have been far more developed, with much better health and social welfare indicators. There was virtually no increase in per capita income between 1900 and 1946, even though India registered the second largest export surplus earnings in the world for three decades before 1929.It is also a fact that the British never apologized for the Jalianwallah massacre of April 13th, 1919 in which officially 379 people were killed, but the unofficial count is said to be around 1,500 deaths. The hanging of Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters as well as brutalities inflicted on the people of India remain a dark chapter in the history of the British Raj.There are many other chapters of brutalities and exploitation of India by the British. India cannot ignore or forget the Bengal famine in 1943 and how Prime Minister Winston Churchill was responsible for 3 million deaths in Bengal. The Monarchy cannot ignore the fact that it did nothing to protect Indians. It never had any regrets. In fact, Churchill blamed Indians for breeding like rabbits and denied India 1 million tonnes of wheat requested by the then Viceroy to tackle the Bengal famine.In fact, the crisis of Asia today is actually the gift of the British Raj to its former colonies. Whether it is the border dispute between India, Pakistan and China, or Tibet or Jammu and Kashmir, the role in keeping these issues deliberately on the boil was a British strategy to keep playing the role of a mediator. Thanks to the British legacy, the mistrust around these issues is so deep that it can bring the world on the brink of disaster any time in future.Even then, one of the biggest ironies of the British Raj is that most of our political leaders actually got their education in the prestigious colleges and universities of England. The fact is, Britain was a superpower not just because of its military might, but because, during the Raj, it progressed in industrialization, literature, liberalism and sports.The British might have come to us as explorers or invaders, yet they not only documented our best and worst practices but provided us a huge infrastructure, too. As a country Britain might have colonised so many countries and people, but as a society and a governance structure, it built credible and knowledgeable institutions, respected freedom of expression and individual choice. It is a fact that slavery in India was not invented by the British but was already being used by the local chieftains, and the British learned the trick and magnified it. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has been named an honorary veterans affairs minister in Korea in recognition of his efforts to elevate the honors of Korean War veterans, the ministry said Sunday. Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik was to present Gov. Hogan with a letter of appointment and a commemorative medal in a ceremony at the ministry in Seoul on Sunday shortly after their bilateral meeting to discuss cooperation, according to the ministry. Married to a Korean American, Yumi Hogan, the governor is known for his contributions to the development of the Korea-U.S. alliance and friendship. He donated $250,000 for the construction of the Wall of Remembrance in Washington, a monument dedicated in July to honor U.S. soldiers and members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. The ministry said Hogan has gladly accepted the suggestion of his honorary ministership, calling it "very wonderful." Hogan is the first to be named an honorary minister by the veterans ministry. (Yonhap) Bay Garnett is a trendsetter in the truest sense of the word. She championed second-hand clothing long before preloved was a thing. Long before myriad apps were devoted to it. Long before thrifting had passed into common parlance as a verb. As a contributing fashion editor to the glossiest magazines, 49-year-old Garnett was the first stylist to include thrifted pieces in high-end fashion shoots. In an industry fuelled by constant newness, she has made a career by celebrating the old. So influential have Garnetts second-hand gems proved to be that they in turn have shaped what designers put on their catwalks. I found a gold sequin jacket in The Salvation Army that I let Kate [Moss] borrow, she says. Two years later I went to a John Galliano for Dior show and everything was gold sequins. The PR told me afterwards that my Kate jacket had inspired the collection. Bay Garnett (pictured) is a second-hand clothing trendsetter - long before 'preloved'. The fashion stylist has styled the likes of Kate Moss for British Vogue In 2003, after Garnett had styled Kate for Vogue in a banana-print top she found in a Cancer Research shop, Phoebe Philo the then creative director of Chloe called and asked to borrow it. The following season it was on the Chloe catwalk, complete with the woven belt Garnett had originally teamed it with. Garnetts anecdotes feature some of fashions biggest names, from photographing style muse Chloe Sevigny in second-hand bathing suits and dog collars in New York to thrifting with the late Anita Pallenberg. I learned so much from her, says Garnett of her close friend and 70s icon. Her energy around second-hand and that total independence. She was my partner in crime. Bay champions preloved trends as Oxfams senior independent fashion advisor and often shares her charity shop finds on her Instagram account The worlds most stylish women, meanwhile, still cite Garnett as their preloved inspiration. Thrifting with Bay is always an adventure, says actress and friend Rachel Weisz. She has a nose for the great find. Many a morning Ive spent with her, sifting through boxes of second-hand clothes. Its her mother (the acclaimed writer Polly Devlin, who wrote the Vogue Book of Fashion Photography) who Garnett credits with introducing her to second-hand. She loved antique shops. When she picked me up from school wed go to them. It was part of life, looking for old stuff. Sharing the same passion, Garnett spent her teen years trawling local hospice shops in Somerset: I remember finding a fuchsia top with shoulder pads and diamonds with a tie knot on the hip. It was the best thing ever. Bay uses her Instagram account to share both her preloved finds and celebrity friends she is pictured here with Kate Moss Despite this early exposure to the fashion world, Garnetts route into the industry wasnt straightforward. Early on I had no confidence, I didnt think I could do anything. After scraping by at school, she went to Exeter University to study art history and modern history, before doing an internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. However, a stint in a gallery archive put the kibosh on a career in art: My brain scrambled as it was very computery. I ducked out and ran scared. A short-lived position at Tatler back in London followed. I didnt like it. I went out for lunch and never came back. Keen for a change of scene, Garnett left London for New York in her 20s and it was here that her thrifting obsession became her central focus. Some of the happiest days of my life were getting on the N train and going to the huge Salvation Army shop in Queens with 90s hip-hop playing really loudly on my Walkman. Great style has nothing to do with how much money you have to spend In 1997 Garnett made a bold declaration against the then big-brand-obsessed fashion scene, co-producing the anti-fashion zine Cheap Date. With a contributor list that could rival the most prestigious publications (Debbie Harry, Jerry Hall, Tracey Emin, Keith Richards), Cheap Date positioned thrift as desirable a radical message. People didnt do it [second hand] back then. Fashion advertising was so potent and prolific because everyone looked at magazines. There was no Instagram. It wasnt very democratic. It was a series of satirical fashion campaigns Garnett produced for Cheap Date in the early noughties that caught the attention of British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman. All the clothes were from charity shops. Calvin Klein became Cancer Care, Cartier was Cast off, Burberry was Borrowed. Shulman invited Garnett to become an editor, and her debut editorial a cover shoot with Kate Moss for the 2003 music issue was the first time British Vogue had done a shoot with just charity-shop-bought clothes. Garnett has been a thrift lover since childhood and now in 2022 it is big business with preloved fashion sites on the rise Fast-forward to 2022 and thrifting is big business. Preloved fashion sites are rising in popularity (according to analysis company GlobalData, the resale market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail) while Ebay reports a 700 per cent increase in searches for preloved fashion over the summer. Its a momentum Garnett is passionate about maintaining. As Oxfams senior independent fashion advisor, she is the creative force behind the charitys current Second Hand September campaign, which encourages only buying second-hand this month. Second Hand September is an antidote to all the new stuff were being sold, says Garnett. Taking place during one of the biggest fashion months of the year, with the new-season collections being ushered in via all the international fashion weeks, its a pertinent message and something Garnett feels strongly about: Sustainability and climate change sit hand-in-hand. We live in a capitalist society and its very hard to pull back, but we have to. Last week, Garnett kicked off London Fashion Week by staging Oxfams Fashion Fighting Poverty show the only catwalk to feature exclusively second-hand outfits. Now in its third year, the event is already becoming known for featuring a line-up of top models and stylish celebrities such as Bella Freud, Erin OConnor, Daisy Lowe, Lottie Moss and Yasmin Le Bon. Garnetts spoof ads for the magazine Cheap Date were pastiches of major label campaigns Not forking out for the latest It-pieces and finding joy in the old and offbeat instead, isnt the typical manifesto served up by the fashion industrys key players, but its one that feels increasingly relevant. As Garnett succinctly puts it: If theres one thing I know its that having great style has nothing to do with how much money you can spend on clothes. Queralt Ferrer has stopped counting the time in her new position at John Lewis in days or even weeks. I started seven months ago, she declares. But its gone by so fast! Thats a good sign because the 50-year-old is clearly enjoying life as the stores new director of design, in charge of ready-to-wear for women, men and children. Its a job that should see her reshaping perceptions of this great British icon, taking it from a bit on the safe side to essential for a fashionable wardrobe. However much of a fashion hound you are, its likely youve not heard of Ferrer before. But for decades this petite Spaniard has been quietly shaping what women are wearing, understanding what they want and becoming a stalwart of the high-street fashion arena. It was Ferrer who, aged just 23 and still living in Barcelona, founded womenswear at Massimo Dutti, having started there as an assistant menswear designer. She remained at the helm for 17 years. Then in 2013 she moved to London and to Marks & Spencer, where she first headed up its Autograph collection before being promoted to design director for womenswear and lingerie. Queralt Ferrer (pictured) is the new head of design for department store John Lewis. The 50-year-old stylist is in charge of ready-to-wear for women, men & children She left there in 2018, when she and her family she has two daughters and a son, aged from 12 to 17 moved to Amsterdam for her husbands work. Last September, however, soon after the family moved back to the UK, she got the call from John Lewis. It was as if she had manifested it: the dream role shed wanted. John Lewis inspires because of its heritage and uniqueness. I thought, Id love to be part of this. Her task is to build John Lewiss own label into a more significant player in fashion, not a space that the brand has been associated with. What convinced her to take on the challenge? I could see the opportunity. Its how fashion is evolving people are looking for trusted brands that care for you, for the environment, for the world. And I thought John Lewis was the perfect fit to do something compelling. I understand the British customer and I have a global mindset. John Lewis is a label we want to be proud of, that the British are proud of, so its important to have amazing products as well. People are looking for trusted brands that care for you Just how fashion should a store be when its the same place you go to buy kitchen utensils or a sofa? Ferrer is about bringing design and style back into the business. Its about creating a unique look that is relevant, not fashion for crazy forward people. Im here to create a perfect stylish wardrobe that you can layer season after season rather than new, new, new, then throw it away. Ferrer is also passionate about versatility. So you can get a dress to wear with sandals in summer, then in winter you can team it with boots, a blazer and a coat. Although Ferrers been quietly introducing her vision through additions to the Anyday range, this seasons collection sees her at full throttle. And there are great pieces that will instantly pull a wardrobe together, whatever your age. These include the perfect cashmere-blend coat that could rival one from a luxury brand, easy knits from pullovers and jumpers to a Breton-striped collared top, and wide-legged jeans and elegant waist banded silk pants. And, of course, theres some excellent tailoring, too (remember her menswear background), with trouser suits and blazers. All in a palette of neutrals accented with options of deep-water green, aqua blue and sherbet pink. Sounds like a welcome distraction for next time youre out shopping for a new fridge freezer, doesnt it? Lee Jun-seok, a former chairperson of the ruling People Power Party, appeared before police Saturday to face questioning over allegations he received sexual services as bribery from a businessman about 10 years ago. He arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency around 10 a.m. and has been under questioning for some 12 hours, according to sources. The 37-year-old Lee has been accused of receiving sexual services paid for by Kim Sung-jin, CEO of tech company I-kaist, in 2013 and attempting to cover it up by promising to pay off a whistleblower. Kim's side claimed Lee had promised to set up a meeting with then President Park Geun-hye in return. Lee was considered close to Park at that time, because she had handpicked him for a seat on the party's collective leadership two years earlier. The scandal had Lee's party membership suspended for six months by the party's ethics committee in early July, resulting in his ouster from the party chairmanship. (Yonhap) Once a year I pull out an old sequined dress. That dress wouldnt fit over my head these days. Yet in the cupboard it stays hanging in the windy void of those clothes that we dont throw away. Did I really have such slender shoulders, I wonder, before falling into a slump and a pack of mini rolls. But that dress holds a special place in my former fashion PR heart. It represents one of many days in my old life when I used to represent the likes of Victoria Beckham, Anya Hindmarch and Bella Freud. I have several such garment memories languishing in my wardrobe. This one specifically represents the day of the Elspeth Gibson spring/summer 2000 show in September 1999. Who is Elspeth Gibson? any of you under the age of 40 may cry. Those of us of a certain age will remember dreaming of teaming beaded skirts with cashmere jumpers. Or puff-sleeve lace shirts with knickerbockers. That was Elspeth. She was lauded. She won awards. She did homeware. She had a massively successful high-street childrenswear collaboration. Madonna was spotted in her tiny Knightsbridge store, causing a frenzy. I was her PR, and Elspeth took up so much of my time that no wonder I still look at that dress and refuse to let it go. Former fashion PR Natalie Lewis (left) has represented a rollcall of star designers including Victoria Beckham, (right) Anya Hindmarch and Bella Freud So what is fashion PR and who are these designers that rule our orbit? When youre an independent designer youre competing against the big houses, other young designers vying to be heralded as the next big thing and your bank manager. But the first rule of thumb: you must have a PR. I lie. Its not a rule. Its a commandment. Because your savvy competitors will definitely have one. You need someone to be your advocate, ambassador, bad cop, therapist and sales person. PRs provide you with a showroom for your designs where stylists come in to peruse and efficiently choose pieces they want for a country punk story theyre photographing in a forest in Totnes. Pick me! Pick me! screams the turquoise silk shirt hanging on the rail while the PR pretends to look at her phone but is internally wailing, Pick the shirt! Pick the shirt! Otherwise Im in trouble with my client. Natalie at the Fashion Awards red carpet with stylist Martha Ward. She recalls her life on the catwalk as one of fashion's most prolific PRs Your PR ensures your clothes are featured in magazines and online. They send garments to influencers, celebrities and, shamelessly, to maitre ds to ensure reservations. Meaningful quotes attributed to you (that your PR wrote) on the trend for lemon leggings are featured in newspaper articles. They write press releases announcing your new collaboration with a hair removal brand and make it sound stylish. They organise dinners to celebrate the arrival of your new partnership with a hosiery brand and gift everyone a pair of socks. They take you out for breakfast with retailers, lunch with editors, they stroke your hair and your ego and beg you to include pink mohair in your next collection because theyve heard its going to be the next big thing. When Elspeth turned up at the doors of Brower Lewis PR, the agency I owned with my friend Tracy Brower, we knew we had hit the jackpot. Lilac bell-sleeve lace shirts that needed promoting? Its what weve always dreamt of! A place in our Central London showroom for thruppence a month and a clothing allowance? Of course we can! Need us to work 16-hour days so you can shout at us because you werent featured in Elle? No problem! Im not being specific to Elspeth. Shes just one character in the story of the life of a fashion PR agency and I adored her. Designer Elspeth Gibson with Naomi Campbell in the dress that Natalie will never forget But to arrive at the moment when Naomi Campbell hit the catwalk in that shimmering dress took a harsh six months. Its a tale of finding the financing sponsorship falls under a PRs remit. And a venue location scouting is down to the PR. Securing a stylist? Ask the PR. Getting someone to do the music humming obscure new sounds is also the responsibility of the PR. Cajoling a model casting director to take the show on also apparently falls under the umbrella remit of public relations. All of that is before youve even negotiated with a producer to oversee the show, worked on invitations and the photographers rostrum, including fights over whose lens has the best position. And the most dreaded of all the seating plan. Only a fashion PR can persuade someone in five-inch heels and an outfit theyve planned for a week that standing at the back is a privilege its a masterclass in negotiation. Ive been screamed at and accused of having an acorn-sized brain (in print) by a columnist I wouldnt give access to at a show in New York. Ive been pushed, shoved, hugged, air-kissed and, worst of all, ignored. I once overheard Tracy and I described as the pretty brunette and the heavier blonde (no prizes for guessing who was who) and pretended not to care. But when the lights go down, the music is turned up and the show begins and the pictures are in the morning papers all the pain is forgotten. Which is why you do it again. And again. Not with the same designer, though. Oh no. After about eight show seasons their light finally dims because some new hotshot has arrived on the scene. The designer will want off the hamster wheel and decide they dont need a PR any more. Its a timely move as the PR agency will have just taken on that newest designer straight out of Central Saint Martins, triumphantly accepting a retainer fee of a pencil skirt a month. Besides, theyre busy finding a venue for a show that truly reflects their new star designers inspiration the pearlised teapot their great aunt found at a car-boot sale. Pearlised location with a capacity for 300? A front-row seat for Great Auntie Jean and her best friend Helena? Delighted to deal with all of that! the PR will exclaim, reaching for the mini rolls. You may not know her name, but your children and grandchildren probably will. Amelia Gething, you see, is TikTok famous, possessed of that particular type of celebrity whose value is measured in followers (seven million in her case). But Gething has morphed beyond being a mere social-media influencer. Aged just 23, she has used her online fame as a springboard, firstly into the world of mainstream comedy, writing and starring in her own BBC show (The Amelia Gething Complex), and latterly into acting roles alongside Downton Abbeys Laura Carmichael and Oscar-winner Tom Hanks. Sid Cole, executive producer of her comedy series, says, Her multifaceted approach reminded me of Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Every now and then in the world of comedy someone comes along who makes you do a double take and for me that was very much the case with Amelia. Amelia Gething (pictured) has morphed beyond being a mere a social-media influencer. Cotton and silk shirtdress, 3,200, and gold-finish metal and resin pearl earrings, 440, both dior.com Unsurprisingly, she has also caught the eye of the fashion world. Christian Dior started sending Gething clothes to wear in her videos, building a relationship that she describes as a nice friendship. She was invited to Paris to attend their show last year and has since become a regular front-row guest. The clothes are stunning, she says, wide-eyed. Id never been to Paris before. Its so beautiful. I went to a museum and felt very cultured. Her favourite Dior piece is, she says, a bandana top, though she also loves the lipsticks. I have so many. My day-to-day clothes are definitely not fancy. Theyre more likely to be hand-me-downs from my dads wardrobe. He recently decided to reinvent himself, fashion-wise. He bought a lot of chelsea boots. He can keep those, but I did take some of his old clothes that he didnt want any more. Theyre quite baggy on me, but I like that. Im very interested in clothes, but havent invested in many because Im being careful with my money. So its lovely to do a shoot like this where I can play dress-up with such beautiful pieces that Id never normally wear. Gethings financial prudence is admirable, though her skyrocketing career means that it wont be long before she can treat herself with impunity. Shes soon to grace the big screen as Anne Bronte in Emily, starring alongside Sex Educations Emma Mackey in a film that tells the imagined life of the Wuthering Heights author. I was quite shocked to get the part because Id never done a film before, she smiles. Anne is lesser known. On the surface, shes the boring, bland Bronte sister, but when you read her books and see her sketches, you realise shes really funny, quietly observant and smart. Wool and silk dress, 3,700, cap, 560, antique-gold-finish metal and resin pearl earrings, 410, all dior.com The same could be said of Gething, of whom you might justifiably be wondering how she managed to go from posting funny TikTok videos (one of her most popular, with 1.6 million views, is called The Future and features her lip-synching in her bedroom with a puppet) to being cast in a major film. There are millions of funny videos on TikTok, but few are as polished, well-scripted and cleverly conceptualised as Gethings. The numbers speak for themselves: her videos have a staggering 235.7 million likes. Wool and silk jacket, 3,200, cotton blouse, 900, silk tulle skirt, 3,000, silk scarf, 180, yellow gold and diamond earrings, from 860, yellow gold and diamond double ring, from 860, all dior.com. Headband, 545, emily-london.com Cardigan, 4,300, yellow gold and diamond earrings, from 860, rings (right hand), yellow gold and diamond (on index finger), from 860, rose gold and diamond, 860, ring (left hand), yellow gold and diamond, 860, all dior.com Like many successful people, she also diversified. In 2016, she started her own YouTube channel, which became so popular that she made the risky decision to leave sixth-form college in Barking, Essex, three months before sitting her A-levels. I was going to go to university to study psychology, but nothing was set in stone, and I was just doing it because thats what you do. But when I started earning money off YouTube, my parents were the ones who suggested I drop out. Which was a shock, because theyre very education first, but I took their advice. Also, uni is nine grand a year. Cotton corset, 2,550, silk tulle skirt, 3,100, headband, 560, yellow gold, diamond, mother-of-pearl and onyx earrings, 3,550, yellow gold, diamond and mother-of-pearl hand jewel, 4,100, all dior.com. Boots, 710, jenniferchamandi.com Don t even get me started on the comments Ive had about my videos Her comedy sketches soon accrued enough of a following that she could monetise her channel, and she cannily saved her earnings to pay for a team of people writers, set designers, film crew to make her output more slick and polished. Her game plan worked: in 2019, she was approached by the BBC and commissioned to create The Amelia Gething Complex, a surreal comedy sketch show (its no surprise that her favourite comedy acts are The Mighty Boosh and Monty Python) which ran for 18 episodes. This led to her getting an agent and being cast alongside the aforementioned Carmichael (in the historical TV series The Spanish Princess) and by Hanks (for his Second World War drama Masters of the Air). I always wanted to do acting I didnt always want to be a YouTuber; I used it as a stepping stone. AMELIA ADORES Instagram or TikTok? I choose sleep. Charlotte Bronte or Jane Austen? Anne Bronte! Dressing up or down? Dressing down in my dressing gown. YouTube or TV? TV, especially if Bob Ross is on. Paris or London? I love Paris but its got to be London. Bucket hat or headband? Bucket hat. Book or magazine? Book. Gold or silver? Gold, Im too pale for silver. Sunglasses or handbag? Sunglasses, they help with migraines, lol. City or countryside? Countryside during the day and city at night. Corset or crop top? Ive worn enough corsets for two lifetimes and crop tops make my stomach chilly, so neither. Lipstick or eyeliner? I love them both. Advertisement She agrees that its a golden period for women in comedy. Im so glad that Im in the industry at the time that I am, because there are definitely more opportunities for women. Not that she doesnt have her detractors. Dont even get me started on the amount of comments Ive had about my videos, with people saying, essentially, that women arent funny, she says, rolling her eyes, though she wont let the criticism stop her. Sexism sucks, but I move on. Ive got quite a thick skin. However, she does admit to being self-critical. I struggle with giving myself credit, which my boyfriend likes to remind me to do. Her boyfriend James is a copywriter. They met at a Come Dine With Me-themed dinner party two years ago. Id made an awful, dry brownie, which he pretended to like. She seems smitten, recounting how she recently took him to meet her extended family at Gethfest, an annual family knees-up organised by her great aunt. Shes one of 12, so there are a lot of us. We hire a hotel, have a jazz band come to play and just get drunk for the weekend. Lots of good sketch material could come out of Gethfest. Good times. She credits her mother Louise, a court stenographer, and father Dave, a station manager on London Underground, with her sense of humour. Everyone in my family is a bit odd, she laughs. As for the future, Gething plans to keep writing as well as acting, focusing on the sort of content she herself wants to watch. I havent had any training, so I dont know the rules of scriptwriting. I just try to imagine the scene and write what I think would be entertaining to watch. Im working on a few different ideas at the moment. Im hoping that at some point, once theyre ready, I can pitch them and hopefully be in them as well. Im quite a perfectionist, so I dont want to send them until Im super happy. Id also love to try directing at some point, but I want to shadow some people first so I make sure that I know what Im doing. Gething already seems to know what she is doing and this is just the start. This week youll find me knee-deep in my wardrobe, wielding an enormous metaphorical axe and a couple of giant bin bags. This time of year demands a warrior-like disposition. When it comes to precious wardrobe space for the new season, no woman ever thinks: I have too much room, take it away! (insert queen-like dismissive hand wave here). In most households, its a battle to the end with our loved ones for every precious inch of space. So act swiftly and mercilessly. Indeed, there is something wonderfully energising about the September back-to-school feeling with its promise of brand new, unwritten style chapters. I much prefer it to making unsustainable resolutions in dreary January. Autumn ready in a blazer by LK Bennett and trousers from Alex Eagle Studio. This week you'll find Joanne Hegarty (pictured) knee-deep in her wardrobe, wielding an enormous metaphorical axe and a couple of giant bin bags When preparing your wardrobe space for autumn, its all about creating the feeling of a clean page to greet you when youre getting dressed every morning, with no distractions and everything easily accessible. Achieve that and only your mood influences what you want to wear for the day/occasion ahead. Embark on a wardrobe detox when youre in the right mood. I find that when I have more energy, less work and fewer family demands, I actually enjoy it. Pack away summer things to allow your autumn-winter options to shine. Its important not to peak too soon with this remember, even late September can be warm. I have just invested in two clever linen and leather storage bags from Zara Home to fold away my summer favourites. Under beds or in often-forgotten top cupboards are great places to store these. Create the feeling of a clean page to greet you when getting dressed Try on items youre not sure about. If you dont long to wriggle back into it this season, then it goes to the donate or resell pile. Getting rid of what youre not wearing and loving helps you to invest wisely in the future. A grown-up closet should contain pieces to wear again and again. Being tough on the time-wasters hanging there, never worn, will give you a renewed love for all your cherished bits that survive the cull. Organise by colour, clothing category, even fabric. It makes getting dressed easier and your closet will look super-chic. Display some of your favourite accessories rather than hiding them away. Its mood-lifting to admire what youve worked hard to collect. Freestanding wall shelves can be a fabulous showcase for handbags and shoes. Play the frame game This ash rail from Zara Home (119.99, zarahome.com) is a great way to ensure wardrobe favourites get seen and a clever solution to lack of space This ash rail from Zara Home (119.99, zarahome.com) is a great way to ensure wardrobe favourites get seen and a clever solution to lack of space. My perfect pair Tailored trousers are autumns hottest staple. Toteme and Filippa K (these are 225, filippak.com) are best for a stylish fit and longtime relationship Tailored trousers are autumns hottest staple. Toteme and Filippa K (these are 225, filippak.com) are best for a stylish fit and longtime relationship. Hang out in style Good hangers go a long way when it comes to reordering our wardrobes. These cost 17 for five, notonthehighstreet.com Good hangers go a long way when it comes to reordering our wardrobes. I prefer skinny metal ones because they take up less room. These cost 17 for five, notonthehighstreet.com. The scene is an upmarket fashion store in Florence. A cheery middle-aged Russian couple have finished selecting their clothes and are ready to pay. The man brings out a roll of freshly minted 100 notes and starts to peel them one by one on to the counter. Russians, even those with foreign bank accounts, cannot pay by card because of sanctions imposed by Britain, the EU and the US in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. How many of these can we accept? calls out the assistant as the crisp green notes pile up in front of her. Italy limits the amount of cash used to pay for a single transaction a ceiling imposed to curb tax evasion. The manageress appears and a solution is reached. The man and the woman divide their purchases to stay within the 2,000 limit and walk out smiling with two bags that bulge with elegant designer garments. EU ordinance bans the export to Russia of luxury goods anything on a long list of almost 50 kinds of apparel with a price tag of more than 300. Illustration: Marcos Farina These are difficult times for the fashion business. And nowhere more so than in Italy where large swathes of the population depend on design for their livelihood. An industry normally focused on turning taste into turnover all of a sudden found itself grappling with article 3h of European Council regulation 833/2014 (an amendment of 428/2022). This is the EU ordinance which bans the export to Russia of luxury goods anything on a long list of almost 50 kinds of apparel with a price tag of more than 300. For most of the continental fashion houses the sanction represents a ban on all shipments to Russia. But firms making cheaper pieces can continue to export without busting the regulations. Whether they are morally right to do so is another matter. A department of Yale University in the US has been assiduously tracking the reaction of corporations to the invasion of Ukraine. Firms have a legal obligation to respect sanctions, but because of the way the regulations have been framed, some companies do not need to abide by them. Others that respect the sanctions to the letter can nevertheless find that their wares still end up on sale in Russia, after having been diverted from a third country to which they have been legally exported. Benetton has decided to continue its commercial activities in Russia Opponents of Vladimir Putins war who fled abroad say that friends in Russia can still buy many of the luxury items that were available before the invasion through Russian online retailers. The only difference is that they have to wait for seven days for the clothes or shoes to be delivered, said a dissident who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals. Yales 29-strong team of researchers grades the firms from A (companies halting Russian engagements or completely exiting Russia) all the way down to F (companies continuing business as usual in Russia). Many of the luxury Italian brands Moncler, Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada and Zegna are rated B, the grade awarded to companies temporarily curtailing nearly all operations while keeping return options open. Many French and German competitors are in the same category. A senior executive at one of the big Italian fashion houses says that since the embargo on luxury goods took effect in March, weve not shipped so much as a tiepin to Russia. In the short term, the ban will cost his and similar companies surprisingly little. The figures give an impression that Italys couturiers do not rely on selling to the family of Russian oligarchs. Valentino disclosed earlier this year that sales in Russia accounted for a mere three per cent of its turnover. But that omits all the beautiful gowns, shoes and bags purchased by Russian tourists abroad, whether in Rome, Portofino or in shops elsewhere such as London, Paris and New York. All those sales remain perfectly legal, as the Russian couple in Florence demonstrated. In the longer term, however, there may be a price to pay. The fashion houses risk being sued in the Russian courts. Most do not own the stores in which their wares are sold. They are run by local franchise-holders with whom they have contracts. And, in many cases, the brands are in breach of those contracts because they are not supplying their Russian partners with goods, particularly those priced under 300 not subject to the embargo. This is an area in which companies have struggled to balance their legal obligations with doing the right thing, says Tom Cummins, a partner at Ashurst, a London law firm that has been advising firms on the sanctions. Set against the legal risks of cutting off supplies to Russia are the reputational dangers of exporting items that are not covered by the sanctions. Consumers may well say, I dont want to buy your products any more because youre continuing to profit from business in Russia, says Cummins. Young people are particularly sensitive to ethical issues. In fashion, the further you go down the market where products cost less than 300 and young consumers are in a majority the trickier the balancing act becomes. Milan-based Yoox, the global online retail giant, is an example of a firm that could have continued working with Russia but decided not to. Its website offers plenty of products under 300. But within days of the invasion it suspended all its activities in Russia, posting a message in Russian on its website that read: Due to the current situation, we are unable to complete any new orders in your country. According to Yale, however, four of the best-known names in Italian fashion have taken a different approach. Armani, Benetton, Diesel and Calzedonia have all been consigned to the sin bin with the lowest possible grade, accused of carrying on as if nothing had happened. The most surprising is Armani, since it hardly belongs to the cut-price end of the market, even if its Emporio Armani stores appeal to a young clientele. When asked to comment, the Armani group issued a statement that said it does not operate directly in Russia and the shops operating in the country with the brands of the group are managed by independent franchisees. It added that Armani adheres with strict compliance to the sanctions regime issued by the EU. A spokesman said the group had suspended its online sales, but did not respond to a question as to whether it was exporting products priced less than 300 to the shops operating under its brand name. Diesel said that it had closed its online activities. It stressed that it did not have shops of its own in Russia and that it was respecting the sanctions while noting that they do not apply to products selling for less than 300. Calzedonia simply refused to discuss the matter. As for Benetton, a company that for decades has linked its products to notions of diversity and racial equality, its website declares: Social responsibility is intrinsic to Benetton Group and has always been expressed through a way of doing business that is based on principles of respect for the environment and people at all levels and on campaigns defending human rights. True to these fine principles, after the invasion, Benetton Group immediately expressed its deepest concern for the ongoing dramatic humanitarian crisis, according to a statement provided to YOU. Within this context, the company has decided to suspend all its development business plans in Russia, allocating its commercial investments in favour of humanitarian assistance for the Ukrainian people handled by the Italian Red Cross. The Italian conglomerate has also donated garments to Ukrainian refugees and is providing protection and support to Ukrainian refugees in Italy, the statement said. But donating clothes and cash is one thing and, in the present circumstances, putting future investment on hold might even be seen as a sound business decision. But what about stopping business in Russia to make the point that invading another sovereign nation does not square with respect for people at all levels, let alone defending human rights? No dice. Benetton Group, the statement continued, has decided to continue its commercial activities in Russia, based on longstanding relationships with commercial and logistical partners and on a network of stores employing over 600 families. For some fashion houses, expressing solidarity with Ukraine does not translate into halting commercial operations in Russia. But whether customers understand that and whether it will influence their choices as consumers remains to be seen. The Princess of Wales paid tribute to her mother-in-law Princess Diana by wearing her bracelet on Saturday. Kate, 40, donned a beautiful pearl bracelet, that originally belonged to Diana, during a lunch held for governors-general of the Commonwealth nations at Buckingham Palace. The royal paired the elegant three strand piece with a matching pearl necklace and earrings. The bracelet was passed onto Prince William after his mother died and now belongs to Kate. The Princess of Wales paid tribute to her mother-in-law Princess Diana by wearing her bracelet on Saturday during a lunch held for governors-general of the Commonwealth nations at Buckingham Palace The three strand pearl bracelet was originally worn by Princess Diana (pictured in Hong Kong in 1989) and was designed by British jeweller Nigel Milne The mother-of-three looked typically elegant in a black long sleeved dress and stilettos. This is not the first time Kate has worn the iconic piece, as she wore it in 2017 whilst visiting Germany, and many times since. The bracelet was famously worn by Diana in 1989 when she toured Hong Kong with Prince Charles. The bracelet's designer Nigel Milne was surprised to see the jewellery been worn again decades after he created the piece in 1988. The royal paired the elegant three strand piece with a matching pearl necklace and drop earrings The Princess of Wales looked sophisticated as she chatted to governors-general of the Commonwealth nations The Queen Consort, Camilla and the Kate chatted during the lunch which was held at the palace The Princess spoke with His Excellency Mr. Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles, Governor of St Lucia Milne and his wife Cherry decided to produce several pieces of jewellery with proceeds of the sales going to charity BIRTHRIGHT, of which Diana was patron. One of the pieces was the bracelet that could be seen adorning Kate's wrist and that Diana wore on several occasions including at the Birthright Ball in 1989 and with her iconic Catherine Walker Elvis dress. It is not uncommon to see the Duchess of Cambridge borrowing from her mother-in-law's jewellery box having been pictured wearing her earrings on The Queen's procession. The mother-of-three looked typically elegant in a black long sleeved midi dress and black stilettos Kate donned pearl earrings that were gifted to Diana before her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981. The earrings, made by Collingwood, mark a touching handover from one Princess of Wales to the other. They became firm favourites of Diana and were sported on royal tours of Australia, Canada and Italy. The earrings feature a round diamond stud, from which is suspended an additional round diamond and a bell cap set with three more rows of small diamonds. The bell caps each contain a pearl drop. The Princess of Wales paid tribute to her mother-in-law Princess Diana by wearing her earrings for the Queen's procession. Pictured, Diana wearing the earrings in Washington DC in 1985 The Princess made a sweet nod to her late mother-in-law by wearing earrings that belonged to Diana for the occasion Diana began wearing the earrings before she was Princess of Wales. They were a gift from Collingwood, a jewellery firm that was a favourite of the Spencer family. She wore them on several occasions throughout her marriage. They made her gala outfits sparkle during her tour of the US in 1985, where she wore them with a lacy white gown and the Lover's Knot tiara for a gala dinner at the British Embassy. She also wore them with the form-fitting black dress she sported as she attended the Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery in November 1994 in London, which then later become known as the Revenge Dress. Zara Tindall had to pause briefly on her way out of Westminster Hall last night, prompting some royal fans to speculate that she might have lost a shoe. Princess Anne's daughter joined her brother Peter Phillips and cousins Prince Harry, Prince William, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, to stand guard over their grandmother's coffin. The 15-minute ceremony went off without a hitch, with the cousins seamlessly taking their positions around the coffin and leaving in formation. Zara Tindall had to pause briefly on her way out of Westminster Hall last night, prompting some royal fans to speculate that she might have lost a shoe. Zara was making her way up the stairs when she had to stop and bend down (as seen above) prompting her brother Peter to hold back Zara Tindall joined her brother Peter Phillips and cousins Prince Harry, Prince William, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, to stand guard over their grandmother's coffin. Pictured, with Lady Louise and Eugenie But on their way up the steps to leave Westminster Hall, Zara was seen briefly stopping and looking down at the ground. Her brother Peter Phillips was by her side and paused briefly so that she could gather herself and continue. Typically unflappable, Zara did not let the moment faze her and continued on. Although it is impossible to see what the issue is on the ground, some royal fans have speculated that Zara lost her shoe. One tweeted: 'To me it looked a bit like Zara lose a shoe on the stairs back from the vigil.' Zara left Westminster Hall with her brother Peter Phillips (just pictured behind), following the 15-minute vigil At one point Zara bent down to the ground, prompting some royal fans to speculate that she might have lost a shoe or possibly dropped something Another theory is that Zara dropped something, although it is not clear what that would have been. Another posted: 'Suspect Zara lost her shoe there, dealt with it in good grace. Beautiful vigil.' All eight grandchildren came together on Wednesday when Her Majesty's coffin was brought to Westminster Hall to lie-in-state. The emotion of the moment was clear to see, with Eugenie, Beatrice and Zara all holding back tears. Meanwhile Lady Louise, who shared a love of horses with her late grandmother, moved viewers to tears when she curtsied to the Queen's coffin. Today, all eight grandchildren remained composed as they took part in the highly public ceremony. It comes ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday. Zara Tindall, Lady Louise Windsor and Princess Beatrice stood vigil at Westminster Hall on Saturday night Princess Eugenie joined her sister and cousins at the vigil (left). Right, Prince Harry was permitted to wear military dress Pictured: Princess Eugenie (back left), Princess Beatrice (back right), James, Viscount Severn (centre left), Lady Louise Windsor (centre right), Peter Phillips (front left) and Zara Tindall (front right) Princess Eugenie (left) and Zara Tindall (right) looked sombre as they took part in the Vigil of the Princes on Saturday night Prince William and the Duke of Sussex lead their cousins into Westminster Hall for the vigil on Saturday night Lady Louise Windsor and Princess Eugenie of York during a vigil for their grandmother in Westminster Hall on Saturday evening Brothers William and Harry - both dressed in uniform - stood guard at the Queen's lying in state in Westminster Hall on Saturday evening as a stream of mourners filed past after queueing for hours. Prince 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 said the King decided his youngest son could wear uniform for the vigil. The brothers were joined in their silent tribute around the coffin by their cousins. The eight sombre grandchildren arrived at Westminster Hall where they performed a vigil at the Queen's coffin Queen Elizabeth II 's grandchildren (clockwise from front centre) the Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Princess Eugenie, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall hold a vigil Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren arrived in Westminster just before 6pm where they will hold a 15-minute vigil The young royals, led by Prince William, were in position at the top of the grand committee staircase in the corner of the vast hall at 5.58pm. At 6pm, the tapping which signifies the changing of the guard sounded, and William began walking down the steps, one at a time, followed by Harry, then Beatrice and Eugenie side by side, Louise and James side by side, and Zara and Peter also side by side. Silence fell as members of the public looked on, with the only sound being the grandchildren's footsteps on the stone. Prince William bows his head as he stands beside his grandmother's coffin in Westminster Hall The Queen's four grandchildren stand around her coffin during their own vigil, similar to the one held by their parents on Friday Mourners watched as the vigil was held for the Queen in Westminster Hall by her eight grandchildren on Saturday evening Prince William was positioned at one end of the coffin, facing the north entrance, while Harry was positioned at the opposite end, facing the area of the hall where thousands of people have entered over the last few days. The Prince of Wales stood with his hands clasped in front and his head bowed. Louise and James's parents, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, looked on from a platform facing the coffin. Members of the public continued to file past while the Queen's grandchildren stood guard, with some women wiping tears away from their face as they left the hall. At 6.15pm, the grandchildren ended their vigil. Prince William led the group away from the coffin, followed by Zara and Peter, Louise and James, Beatrice and Eugenie, and finally Harry. There will be mixed emotions for Princess Beatrice on her daughter's first birthday today as she mourns the loss of her 'grannie' the Queen. Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter, 34, is celebrating her daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi's birthday ahead of Her Majestys state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London tomorrow. The princess and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's daughter, who has never been publicly pictured. was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London and was named after The Queen. Beatrice, who had a close relationship with the Queen, decided to honour her grandmother by including 'Elizabeth' in Sienna's name. Mixed emotions for Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on their daughter's first birthday today as they mourn Beatrice's 'grannie' the Queen The princess and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's, 38, daughter was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London and was named after The Queen Emotions are probably running high today for the couple as they have been seen looking sombre over the last few days while attending public engagements in the wake of the Queen's death. On Friday, Beatrice and Edoardo joined Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, and other senior royals, to watch the Queen's children stand vigil. On Saturday, Beatrice and her sister Eugenie paid a personal tribute to the Queen, saying: 'Goodbye dear Grannie, it has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters and we're so very proud of you.' According to the royal sisters - who posted the tribute on Instagram alongside a sweet photograph of their younger selves with their grandmother - they have 'not been able to put much into words' since the monarch died at Balmoral on September 8, aged 96. The Duke of York's daughters, who are both thought to have shared a close relationship with their grandmother, thanked Her Majesty, saying she would 'never know' the impact she'd had on their lives. Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter, 34, is celebrating her daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi' birthday ahead of Her Majestys state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday They also paid tribute to King Charles, their uncle, writing that they know he 'will continue to lead in your example as he too has dedicated his life to service'. In the statement, Beatrice and Eugenie said: 'Dearest Grannie, We've not been able to put much into words since you left us all. There have been tears and laughter, silences and chatter, hugs and loneliness, and a collective loss for you, our beloved Queen and our beloved Grannie. 'We, like many, thought you'd be here forever. And we all miss you terribly. You were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world. You taught us so much and we will cherish those lessons and memories forever. The royal sisters Beatrice and Eugenie shared a sweet image of themselves with their 'dearest Grannie', as they paid tribute to Her Majesty with a moving statement In the statement, the princesses said they've 'not been able to put much into words since you left us all' 'For now dear Grannie, all we want to say is thank you. Thank you for making us laugh, for including us, for picking heather and raspberries, for marching soldiers, for our teas, for comfort, for joy. You, being you, will never know the impact you have had on our family and so many people around the world. 'The world mourns you and the tributes would really make you smile. They are all too true of the remarkable leader you are. 'We're so happy you're back with Grandpa. Goodbye dear Grannie, it has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters and we're so very proud of you. 'We know that dear Uncle Charles, the King, will continue to lead in your example as he too has dedicated his life to service. On Friday the sisters attended a vigil at Westminster Hall. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi appeared visibly moved as he watched over the vigil next to Princess Eugenie (centre) and Princess Beatrice (right) 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 'God save the King. With our love, Beatrice and Eugenie.' On Friday they attended a vigil at Westminster Hall, which saw the Queen's children - King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - repeat the ceremonial Vigil of Princes that they first carried out at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh as the Queen lies in state. As they stood around the casket, other members of the royal family, including Queen Consort Camilla, watched in solemn silence from the stands. As Andrew, 62, who served in the Falklands, wore the uniform and stood around his mother's coffin, his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie watched their father pay his respects. They were joined by Beatrice's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi who appeared visibly moved by the vigil and put his hand to his face, as if he was wiping away tears. 'Your Majesty, Thank You': Princess Beatrice's brother-in-law pens a heartfelt poem paying tribute to the Queen BY GWYNETH REES FOR MAILONLINE Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi has shared a moving post paying tribute to the late Queen. Taking to Instagram, the property developer shared a heartfelt poem written by his half-brother Alby Shale in a bid to provide comfort to a grieving Princess Beatrice, who is the grandaughter of the Queen. The lengthy poem called Her Majesty, Thank You mentions the great service of the Queen over her 70-year reign in rhyming couplets. And it's now racked up more than 10,000 likes on Instagram, with more than 300 comments. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice pay their respects in front of the Queen's coffin of the Queen as it lies in Westminster Hall Alby Shale's poem largely took the form of rhyming couplets, with a powerful final stanza paying homage to the Queen's defining qualities Edo, 38, who married Princess Beatrice in July 2020, was recently seen at his wife's side at Westminster Hall, where they stood in front of her coffin to pay their respects as she lies in state. Although Edo's half-brother Alby Shale keeps a low profile in royal circles, he penned this poem to bring comfort to Beatrice. With sixteen verses and one stand-alone line, it thanks the late Queen for 'leading us till death do us part', and for 'leading with an honourable heart'. It reads: 'Thank you for guiding for 70 years. Thank you for guiding with values not spears. Thank you for guiding your whole adult life. Thank you for guiding with dignity not strife.' Another verse adds: 'Thank you for being our Head of State. Thank you for being so out of debate. Thank you for being shrewdly serene. Thank you for being everyone's Queen. 'Thank you for evolving with change all around. Thank you for evolving with such little sounds. Thank you for evolving from Churchill to Truss. Thank you for evolving without any fuss.' The poem also ended with a powerful stanza which read: 'Thank you for personifying sincerity. Thank you for personifying justice. Thank you for personifying moderation. Thank you for personifying humility. Thank you for personifying us.' Mr Mozzi accompanied the post with a message that read: 'Your Majesty, Thank you. Thank you to my wonderful brother Alby Shale for writing this for Beatrice and thank you for allowing us to share it.' Mr Mozzi's Instagram followers were quick to heap praise on his brother, with one writing: 'Such a beautiful tribute and touching.' A second wrote: 'This is not only incredibly well written, but it's a photograph with words. It captures the delineation and essence of a person.' Alby Shale's father was Christopher Shale, who was also Mr Mozzi's beloved stepfather. Mr Shale, who was a senior Conservative and a close friend of David Cameron, died from heart disease at Glastonbury Festival in 2011. Prince William was the 'clear leader' of the group and proved himself as a 'future king' as he joined his cousins to mourn their grandmother at a vigil on Saturday night, a body language expert has claimed. The new Prince of Wales, 40, joined the Queen's other seven grandchildren to stand by her coffin as she lay in state in Westminster Hall as weeping mourners filed past last night. Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Judi James revealed William showed himself as 'next in line' while brother Harry looked 'quietly emotional' and 'proud to be back in uniform. The new Prince of Wales, 40, joined the Queen's other seven grandchildren to stand by her coffin as she lay in state in Westminster Hall as weeping mourners filed past tonight. Pictured: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Princess Eugenie of York, Princess Beatrice of York, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Lady Louise Windsor, James, Viscount Severn Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Judi James revealed William showed himself as 'next in line' while brother Harry (pictured together) looked 'quietly emotional' and 'proud to be back in uniform Meanwhile, their 'peacemaker' cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips provided a 'provide a supportive presence' to Harry, William as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. 'Leading the grandchildren and with his jaw firmly set, Williams body language showed acutely how much he has stepped up in terms of his role of Prince of Wales and next King in line since the death of the Queen,' she said. 'William has lost some of his shyness and anxiety signals over the last few days as he has appeared to have grown in stature and confidence.' Judi also explained that William has 'grown in confidence' while Harry was 'clearly proud' to be allowed back in uniform, after a U-turn allowed him to wear it. Meanwhile, their 'peacemaker' cousins Zara Tindall (pictured) and Peter Phillips provided a 'provide a supportive presence' to Harry, William as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn Judi also explained that William has 'grown in confidence' while Harry was 'clearly proud' to be allowed back in uniform, after a U-turn allowed him to wear it. The brothers are pictured together Judi also explained that Harrys hat peak and his slightly dipped head meant we could only see the rather clamped, straight line of his mouth. He is pictured with his brother and cousins 'William was clearly the instigator and leader of the gathering with his wife and Harry and Meghan at Windsor and handled the difficult outing with high levels of physical confidence,' Judi said. 'His walkabout in the crowd prior to the vigil showed his engaging, social side and here at the vigil itself he looked like the rock that the others were drawing strength from. 'Harry walked behind his brother and while Williams determined-looking facial expression with a reflective gaze and a slight working of his jaw was visible. Prince William bows his head as he stands beside his grandmother's coffin in Westminster Hall The Queen's four grandchildren stand around her coffin during their own vigil, similar to the one held by their parents on Friday 'Harrys hat peak and his slightly dipped head meant we could only see the rather clamped, straight line of his mouth. 'His posture and his marching walk reflected pride in the fact he was in uniform again but this was more of a quietly emotional appearance overall.' 'William led the group and he and Harry were the only siblings not walking side by side. In his uniform, Harry became pure military: expressionless and upright with his clamped mouth just a bland horizontal line. Judi also explained that all eight of the grandchildren showed 'formidable communal bravery'. 'Marching out in step they silently took their places around her coffin and from the moment they adopted their poses the stillness from all of them was incredible. 'Even in close-up it was almost impossible to see them even breathing. They stemmed any tears and they showed no signs of nervousness or tension, just dignity and sense of duty,' she explained. She added that Princess Anne's children Zara and Peter were a 'supportive presence' to William and Harry. 'With Zara using a very determined and confident walk, although she did falter at the very last moment, either dropping something or losing a shoe at the top of the steps and halting the line while she bent to retrieve it. 'Both Zara and Peters faces showed a certain amount of muscle tension with a look of determination in the set of their jaws. 'Beatrice and Eugenie have been so openly emotional about the loss of their grandmother, both weeping and hugging each other or holding hands but last night they applied a kind of regal self-control, exchanging no glances or looks of support but managing their vigils in stillness and silence. ' The Royal Family's Instagram account has celebrated The King and The Queen Consort's tour of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the wake of the Queen's death. In a post this morning, a selection of photographs marking King Charles and Camilla's visits to the nations were shared. His Majesty was pictured meeting members of the public in Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London during his week long tour after Queen Elizabeth death last week aged 96. The Royal Family's Instagram account has celebrated The King and The Queen Consort's successful tour of the UK nations with a series of snaps including this one of the royal couple meeting well-wishers outside Hillsborough Castle, Co Down In the post King Charles was pictured inspecting the Guard of Honour as he arrived at the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh The caption read: 'This week The King and The Queen Consort were greeted by crowds in all four nations of the United Kingdom. 'In Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London members of the public offered their condolences and good wishes following the death of Her Majesty The Queen.' People rushed to the comments to send their thoughts and prayers to the new King and Queen Consort. One wrote: 'Beautiful photos at such a sad time my heart does out to each and every one . As well as all Britain's first and foremost she was a mother then a Queen. Always loved all ways respected. From our home in South Australia. King Charles was snapped greeting members of the public as he left Cardiff Castle in Wales on Friday His Majesty met members of the public in the queue along the South Bank, near to Lambeth Bridge, as they waited to view Queen Elizabeth lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday King Charles and the Queen Consort, Camilla viewed floral tributes outside Hillsborough Castle in Belfast The caption read that members of the public 'offered their condolences and good wishes' following the death of The Queen Another said: 'How difficult it must be to mourn your mother while the world watches. Much love and respect, condolences.' While someone else wrote: 'It's so wonderful to see Their Majesties receiving such a warm welcome wherever they went. 'We, as their longterm supporters, have always known that they were going to be great but it's so heartwarming and wonderful that now everyone can see and feel that... so proud of them.' Crowds lined the streets of the UK nations during the new monarchs visit on the run-up to his late mother's state funeral at Westminster Abbey and burial at St George's Chapel in Windsor on Monday- following her death at Balmoral on Thursday aged 96. In Edinburgh the King inspected the Guard of Honour at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, before he attended the ceremony of the Keys on the forecourt. Camilla mets with member of the public during the couples visit to Cardiff Castle in South Wales The Queen Consort was gifted flowers as she left the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood in Edinburgh The monarch and Camilla met members of the public on a walkabout in Writer's Square, during a Service of Reflection at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast People rushed to the comments to send their thoughts and prayers to the new King and Queen Consort In Belfast the royal couple visited Hillsborough Castle, where they viewed an exhibition about the late Queen's long association with Northern Ireland. The King met the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and party leaders and received a message of condolence led by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. In a tribute to his late mother, the King came back to London to lead Wednesday's procession behind the gun carriage carrying her coffin to Westminster Hall, where the lying in state begin before her state funeral. On Friday the King was joined by the Queen Consort as he attended a service of remembrance for his mother at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff. Members of the public pay their respects as they pass the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, Lying in State inside Westminster Hall Members of the public file past as King Charles, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex as they hold a vigil beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth 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. Tonight 1,000 guests will be hosted by the King and Queen Consort in Buckingham Palace including world leaders, ambassadors and foreign royals where they will also be greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The Kings and Queens from Holland, Norway and Spain will also be there - but guests asked to wear lounge suits and morning dress rather than ball gowns and white tie as would be expected at a usual state event at the King's London home. The Queen wouldn't have believed how many people are queuing to see her lying in state, her grandson Prince William has said. The Prince of Wales said yesterday his grandmother would be amazed at the number of people queueing for hours to see her coffin in Westminster Hall. The heir to the throne was speaking to mourners in the queue, saying: 'This is amazing. She would never believe this. 'Even in death she unites everyone, bringing everyone together, so I hope you're all chatting amongst yourselves.' He told people gathered there it was 'lovely to see you'. The Prince of Wales has thanked mourners queuing 14 hours to see the Queen's coffin lying-in-state at the Palace of Westminster on a surprise walkabout alongside his father King Charles III - after shaking hands and talking to royal fans. The Queen wouldn't believe how many people are queuing to see her lying in state the queue, her grandson Prince William said yesterday The heir to the throne mentioned it as he was speaking to mourners lined up in the queue yesterday Speaking to a woman in the queue he said: 'She would never believe this. Even in death she unites everyone, bringing everyone together' Prince William and Britain's new monarch greeted hundreds of people along the South Bank near Lambeth Bridge in London ahead of the Queen's state funeral on Monday, to cheers of 'hip hip hooray' and 'God Save the King' as they passed by. Many took photographs and pressed against the metal barriers, eager to exchange a word with the King and the heir to the throne as they shook hands with those closest. William later thanked royal fans for queueing for 14 hours to pay their respects to his grandmother, tweeting: 'It mean an awful lot that you're all here'. One lady offered Charles condolences as he shook her hand, and another shouted: 'I can't believe this' - while a third presented the two royals with a Paddington Bear toy, in reference to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee sketch with the beloved children's character. As the prince shook the hands of mourners, he said: 'It means an awful lot you're here. She [the Queen] would never believe this. You'll make some friends for life [those who have met in crowd'. Revealing that his wife Kate Middleton and children George, Charlotte and Louis were 'ok' and 'all united in grief', William also said that he became emotional seeing his grandmother's corgis, adding: 'They are being looked after - they have gone to a very good home'. Several people cried after meeting the Prince of Wales, and one woman told him: 'You'll be a brilliant king one day'. Members of the public view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall People queue to pay their respects to the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall in the capital The late monarch's casket will remain in the Palace of Westminster until 6.30am tomorrow, ahead of the state funeral in Westminster Abbey. Officials discouraged people from joining the five-mile queue winding its way along the banks of the Thames to Southwark Park. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport tweeting at 1pm: 'Queuing time is at least 13 hours. 'A decision will be taken today on final queue closure time. To avoid disappointment please do not set off to join the queue.' People started queueing at Southwark Park today so they could pay their respects to the late monarch Members of the public at the end of the queue in Southwark Park in London had a long journey ahead of them Members of the public, some wrapped in blankets, waited in the queue in the early hours opposite St Paul's Cathedral today Members of the public stand in the queue in the early hours of the morning, near Tower Bridge in London A Government source warned: 'We don't want people to make long journeys only to find it closed. We will give people as much notice as possible so they can avoid disappointment. 'We are monitoring the numbers incredibly closely to make a judgement on final capacity. We have always said we will need to close the queue well in advance of the Lying-in-State ending.' As of 5am, the DCMS online tracker said the estimated queuing time was at least 12 hours - far shorter than the peak of more than 25 hours that was seen in the early hours of yesterday morning. The wait time increased to at least 14 hours by 10am. The London Ambulance Service said it treated 368 patients along the route yesterday, with 55 taken to hospital. President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee pose for photos before leaving for London, Sept. 18. Yonhap President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday instructed officials to maintain thorough readiness for Typhoon Nanmadol as the country's southern island of Jeju and the southeast coast are predicted to come under the typhoon's influence. Yoon made the instruction to Interior Minister Lee Sang-min at Seoul Air Base earlier in the morning before leaving for London for a three-nation trip that will also take him to the United States and Canada, a presidential spokesperson said in a written briefing. "It is worrisome that the stronger-than-expected typhoon could inflict additional harm on our country, including Pohang and Gyeongju that were damaged by Typhoon Hinnamnor," Yoon was quoted as saying. Yoon urged the interior ministry and other disaster management authorities to "respond seriously to Nanmadol to an extent that could be seen as excessive," highlighting "special caution for any potential human damage." Hinnamnor, this year's 11th typhoon, made landfall in Korea's Geoje on Sept. 6, leaving 12 people dead and causing thousands others to evacuate. Starting Sunday afternoon, Korea's southern island of Jeju and the southeast Gyeongsang coast are expected to come under the influence of Typhoon Nanmadol, this year's 14th. With a central atmospheric pressure of 920 hectopascals and a maximum wind speed of 53 meters per second, Nanmadol was moving northwest over waters 350 kilometers south-southeast of Japan's Kagoshima as of 3 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The weather agency issued a typhoon advisory over Jeju Island, effective starting in the afternoon. Coming under the direct influence of Nanmadol, Jeju may experience strong winds up to 35 meters per second from Sunday night through Monday morning, with heavy rains of up to 80 millimeters. Areas near the Gyeongsang coast may see heavy rains of up to 150 mm and strong winds through Monday as the region comes "indirectly" under the influence of Nanmadol, the agency said. Yoon is set to arrive in London on Sunday afternoon (local time) to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. He will then fly to New York to give his first address to the U.N. General Assembly and hold a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. Yoon's second overseas trip since taking office in May will also take him to Canada on the last leg. (Yonhap) Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece has said his third cousin Queen Elizabeth II was 'one of the most wonderful people ever' as he prepares to attend her funeral tomorrow. The Crown Prince, who is the son of King Constantine II, the last King of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark, has revealed he will be attending Her late Majesty's state funeral on behalf of his father, who is too ill to make the journey. Speaking on the BBC today, Prince Pavlos, 55, said the Queen, who was his third cousin twice removed, always supported his family and showed them great kindness. The Crown Prince of Greece told BBC News the Queen's death was a 'big loss' as he praised her empathy and sense of duty Prince Pavlos, 55, who is the third cousin twice removed of Her late Majesty, said the monarch was a great support to his family over the years He said: 'The Queen has always been a very kind person to my famiy. Always received with a smile. 'My parents were very well taken care of by her when we left Greece and lived in England for years after.' Prince Pavlos added his father was a 'confidant' for the Queen throughout their years in the UK, after he was forced to flee the country with his family following a coup. The 55-year-old added: 'The Queen was always receiving us with great smiles and family friendship. 'Always enquiring how things were going back home or elsewhere. One of the most wonderful people ever.' He went on to praise the late monarch's 'empathy, kindness and her service' - while adding the Duke of Edinburgh also showed him great respect over the years. The Queen (pictured with Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece at King Constantine II's 70th birthday party) was also chief of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, in which Pavlos served He said it was a 'big loss' to hear of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. As a veteran of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, a regiment the Queen was chief of, the Crown Prince said his connection to the late monarch was strong. 'It was, for me, one of the most wonderful experiences to have served her directly,' he said. 'I feel like, not only am I part of her regimental family but also her real family.' The Crown Prince, who is the eldest son of King Constantine II, said he would be attending Queen Elizabeth II's funeral tomorrow with his mother and his wife Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece. King Constantine, 82, suffered a stroke last December and was hospitalised in Athens. His bout of poor health followed a previous stroke in 2018. In more recent public appearances he has been pictured using a wheelchair and, according to his son, he is not well enough to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London. The Queen's relationship with her Greek cousins was always strong, even after the Mediterranean country abolished the monarchy in 1973. A video of the Crown Prince and Princess's wedding in 1995 recently surfaced in which Her late Majesty, one of the guests, was seen fussing over the bride. As the family gathered for a group photo on the wedding day, the Queen was captured adjusting Marie-Chantal's train to ensure the photo was picture-perfect. Speaking about the sweet moment on the BBC today, he said: 'She obviously knew how to maintain the right decorum.' Prince William's equerry, who appears to be building a legion of fans thanks to his dashing looks, is a Royal Navy officer who's worked for the Royal Household since 2020. Lieutenant Commander Rob Dixon was spotted by royal watchers after accompanying the royals to last night's Westminster Hall vigil. An equerry is an officer of a royal household or court, who assists members of the royal family with their duties. The role, which is normally occupied by a senior officer from one of the armed services, is held for three years. Rob Dixon was appointed to the Royal Household in September 2020, working as an equerry for Prince William, according to his LinkedIn. Lieutenant Commander Rob Dixon (right) has been noticed by royal watchers, some of whom have commented on his looks, after attending royals events in recent times (pictured with with Sophie Wessex, left, at a vigil in honour of the Queen at Westminster Hall yesterday) The equerry (pictured here with Prince William en route to the vigil at Westminster Hall last night) joined the Royal Household in 2020 Happier times: Rob Dixon (left) was snapped with Prince William (right) in July this year, at a polo match in Egham, Surrey The military man, who attended Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, followed by the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham, spent almost 22 years working for the Royal Navy. His CV boasts an impressive list of roles, including Helicopter Instructor, and Wildcat HMA Mk2 Pilot. While describing himself as 'mostly operating as a leader', he has noted that he also 'operates well as part of the team'. In 2015, he was awarded a Green Endorsement, being commended for 'the speed of thought, judgement and total professionalism with which he dealt with a compounding series of circumstances'. Lieutenant Commander Rob Dixon (right) was snapped in April 2021, near the the Princess of Wales during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle Over recent days, he has been snapped at events including the vigil at Westminster Hall, where the Queen's grandchildren stood at the monarch's casket. Images snapped in July this year show the equerry smiling as he attends a polo match in Surrey with Prince William. Meanwhile an April 2021 snap shows him with the Princess of Wales during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle. Lieutenant Commander Rob Dixon is not the only equerry to set pulses racing in recent days. Major Jonathan Thompson of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, pictured on the left of the frame behind the Queen's coffin, accompanied the procession Major Jonathan Thompson, 39, of the 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, was once the Queens most senior bodyguard but is now serving King Charles and has been seen constantly at his side. In recent days he has found himself thrust front-and-centre at historic Royal events as the equerry of King Charles III, having served in the role when he was Prince of Wales. Major Thompson, known to friends as 'Johnny', tied the knot with marketing manager Caroline, 44, in 2010 and the couple have a four-year-old son as well as two black labradors called Odin and Piper a nod to his military time in Scotland. Major Thompson (pictured left) cracked a smile as he walked with the Queen through the gates of Balmoral Castle earlier this year, before the monarch's death Last Saturday he was caught on camera calmly and coolly removing a pen tray which was cluttering the Kings desk, as Charles signed the Proclamation which named him as the new monarch following the death of Queen Elizabeth. Contrary to most people believing he is Scottish, Major Thompson was actually born in Morpeth, Northumberland, and now lives with his family in Surrey. He joined the Army in 2006 and is a Platoon commander, according to his LinkedIn. He is thought to have been working as an equerry with Charles for the last two years. Major Thompson was also seen in the procession on Wednesday, when the Queens coffin was escorted from Buckingham palace to Westminster Hall for the four days of lying in state. His facial expression prompted comparisons to the late princess in 1997 The Prince of Wales was photographed leaving the vigil at Westminster Hall Royal fans were struck by how much Prince William looked like his mother Princess Diana as he joined his brother and cousins for the vigil yesterday. The Prince of Wales was photographed smiling slightly as he left Westminster Hall in the back of a car following the 15-minute ceremony. The photograph led to comparisons between the prince, 40, and his mother Diana at an engagement shortly before her death in 1997. Royal fans were struck by how much Prince William looked like his mother Princess Diana as he joined his brother and cousins for the vigil yesterday, pictured Side-by-side photos show the striking likeness between mother and son. One tweeted: 'Prince of Wales leaving Westminster Hall after standing guard at Queens coffin for 15 minutes. Williams facial so similar to his late mother, Princess Diana.' Another posted: 'Prince William looks so much alike his mom Princess Diana. The resemblance is uncanny. She must be so proud of him indeed.' A third wrote: 'He really looks like Diana but also previous kings.' People rushed to Twitter with one posting that Prince William looks so much like his mom Princess Diana The Queen's eight grandchildren - including a sombre looking Prince William in his military uniform - stood by her coffin in her honour as she lay in state in Westminster Hall Princess Diana looked sombre as she attended a gala dinner at the Parliament building in Budapest, Hungary, in 1990 The Queen's eight grandchildren - including Prince Harry in his military uniform - stood by her coffin in her honour as she lay in state in Westminster Hall as weeping mourners filed past. The Prince of Wales, at the head of the coffin, with his brother the Duke of Sussex at the foot, both in the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform, stood with their heads bowed in her honour in sombre silence in the vast Westminster Hall. Future king William was flanked at the corners by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips. Harry was between Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with 18-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn - the Queen's youngest grandchild who is just 14 - at the middle on either side of the coffin. Princess Diana accompanied her son Prince William on his first official engagement in Cardiff, Wales in 1991 The grandchildren, invited by the King, had wanted to pay their respects as their parents had done the evening before. It comes as King Charles III met the rebellious Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda at Buckingham Palace today just days after he threatened to hold a republican referendum to ditch The Crown and remove Britain's monarch as the Commonwealth country's head of state - ahead of the 'reception of the century' for 1,000 VIPs including world leaders and foreign royals tonight. The new sovereign smiled and waved at well-wishers who cheered him as he was driven through the palace gates in the state Rolls-Royce this afternoon. After meeting Prime Minister Liz Truss in the 1844 Room at 12.15pm, Charles shook hands with Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, who has renewed efforts to stage a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years of the Queen's death. The King and Queen Consort Camilla will tonight host hundreds of dignitaries, from world leaders including US President Joe Biden, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau to senior members of the British royal family, ambassadors from almost all nations, and foreign royals including Japan's Emperor Naruhito and the Kings and Queens from Holland, Norway and Spain. The Prince of Wales, at the head of the coffin, with his brother the Duke of Sussex at the foot, both in the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform, stood with their heads bowed in her honour in sombre silence in the vast Westminster Hall Harry was between Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with 18-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn - the Queen's youngest grandchild who is just 14 - at the middle on either side of the coffin Most dignitaries are also expected to view the Queen's coffin in the ancient heart of Parliament after being given a VIP timeslot - raising the prospect that mourners who have queued through the night will pay their respects with leaders of the free world. However, guests asked to wear lounge suits and morning dress rather than ball gowns and white tie as would be expected at a usual state event at the King's London home. They will arrive at 6pm for drinks and canapes in the Buckingham Palace picture gallery and state apartments. And reports suggest that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were 'uninvited' to a state reception for world leaders and foreign royals this evening. Mr Biden, who flew in late last night, said that the Queen 'defined an era' after she reigned for a record-breaking 70 years. Australia's anti-monarchy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who viewed the lying-in-state and met Charles yesterday, told Sky News Australia that the Queen was 'a constant reassuring presence'. There was also a private audience at Buckingham Palace for Ms Ardern, which like Australia and 12 other Commonwealth realms now counts Charles as its sovereign. Advertisement Foreign royals have arrived in London to pay their respects to the Queen. King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, were among the first monarchs to view the monarch lying-in-state at Westminster Hall. Hundreds of emperors, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and other foreign dignitaries have descended on London ahead of Her Majesty's state funeral at Westminster Abbey tomorrow. Tonight, heads of state including Emperor Naruhito of Japan arrived at Buckingham Palace for the so-called 'reception of the century', hosted by King Charles III and the Queen Consort. Representatives of more than 20 Royal Families are expected at the funeral, including the reigning monarchs of the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. Among the most anticipated attendees is the Emperor of Japan, who rarely makes overseas visits. King Jigme & Queen Jetsun of Bhutan and the Sultan of Brunei will also attend. King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain looked dignified as they viewed the Queen's coffin lying-in-state on Sunday evening King Phillipe and Queen Mathilde of Belgiun look solemn as they pay their respects to Her late Majesty as she lies in state at WEstminster Hall Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, was pictured arriving at Buckingham Palace in the back of a Range Rover, dressed in black, ahead of Sunday night's 'reception of the century' The Prince and Princess of Wales could be seen sitting together in the back of a Range Rover as they headed to Buckingham Palace where King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will host 500 guests Kate and William looked deep in conversation as they arrived at Buckingham Palace, following a week of ceremonial events to commemorate the life of Her late Majesty King Felipe of Spain bowed his head as he walked into Buckingham Palace arm-in-arm with Queen Letizia, after the royal couple paid their respects to Her late Majesty at Westminster Hall earlier today queen Letizia linked arms with her husband King Felipe VI as they walked up the steps into Buckingham Palace this evening ahead of the 'reception of the century' Wueen Silvia of Sweden arrived at Buckingham Palace with King Carl XVI Gustav to be hosted by King Charles III, after paying their respects to Her late Majesty in Westminster Hall earlier today King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands walked into Buckingham Palace with his wife Queen Maxima following just behind him King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden also arrived to pay their respects at Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Rania arriving at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening as royals from around the world attend the 'reception of the century' hosted by King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla Emperor Naruhito of Japan was spotted arriving at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening ahead of the 'reception of the century' hosted by King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain arrived at Buckingham Palace ahead of the reception on Sunday night Queen Letizia of Spain paying her respects at Westminster Hall (left). Right, Emperor Naruhito leaves Claridge's Hotel On Sunday evening, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain were spotted waving to well-wishers as they left the Spanish Embassy for Westminster Hall. Felipe, son of disgraced former King Juan Carlos, is a distant cousin of the Queen and referred to Her Majesty as 'dear Aunt Lilibet' in a personal tribute following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. The king looked sombre in a black suit and tie as he and his stylish wife left the embassy for the Palace of Westminster. The couple crossed themselves and bowed their heads as they filed past Her Majesty's coffins. Visiting dignitaries have access to a VIP entrance and platform that means they can avoid the queue snaking through central London. At around the same time, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden also filed into the hall to pay their respects. King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are preparing to host 1,000 VIPs including US President Joe Biden, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, at Buckingham Palace this evening. The Swedish royals looked solemn as they viewed Her Majesty's coffin from the platform inside Westminster Hall on Sunday The Spanish King was joined by his wife Queen Letizia. The couple have a good relationship with the British Royal Family The Spanish couple bowed their heads in respect as they made their way from Westminster Hall on Sunday evening The list of dignitaries includes President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed and Colombia's First Lady Veronica Alcocer Gargia and Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva. However, it also includes a string of controversial strongmen, including Bolsonaro, who was filmed today giving a thunderous speech from the windows of the Brazilian Embassy in London to a cheering crowd waving the national flag. His allies hope his four-day international trip - first in London, then at the UN Assembly General session in New York - will sway some voters in the upcoming elections, give him some gravitas after almost four years of rifts with other world leaders and provide material for TV ads. And today the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia confirmed that Mohammed Bin Salman, known by the abbreviation MBS, had been invited to attend the funeral. He was set to hold talks with British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Sunday evening, despite international outrage after ordering Saudi agents to brutally murder and dismember Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. And Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the authoritarian ruler who has jailed hundreds of journalists and busily dismantled Turkish democracy, is also coming to the funeral. China has announced it will send its vice-president, Wang Qishan, but was barred by parliamentary leaders from the lying-in-state. Due to strained ties, the UK opted to invite ambassadors, not heads of state, from Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea. Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations excluded altogether following Putin's invasion of Ukraine. King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain have led the foreign royals arriving to pay tribute to the Queen ahead of her funeral tomorrow The Spanish king and his former journalist wife will be among the heads of state who will gather at Buckingham Palace tonight for Prince Charles's 'reception of the century'. Pictured, waving to well-wishers in London on Sunday The Spanish King and Queen were dressed in sombre black ahead of the reception at Buckingham Palace this evening Felipe, son of disgraced former King Juan Carlos, is a distant cousin of the Queen and referred to Her Majesty as 'dear Aunt Lilibet'. Pictured, with his wife Queen Letizia in London today King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain were spotted leaving the Spanish Embassy ahead of the Buckingham Palace reception The Spanish King and Queen are set to join more than 500 leaders and heads of state for the 'reception of the century' tonight Who has not vented their frustration after getting on the wrong side of a leaking pen? Oh God, I hate this, said King Charles on Tuesday while signing a visitors book at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Oh look, its going everywhere, sympathised the Queen Consort. The brand of the offending implement has not been revealed but, on a visit to a Welsh cathedral on Friday, it appeared that the King had wisely brought his own pen along, calmly signing the visitors book in Llandaff Cathedral before passing his pen and the book to his wife. King Charles III complained about a pen at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland whilst signing a visitor book. On a visit to a Welsh cathedral on Friday, the King (pictured) had brought his own pen To save you the risk of an inky accident, we put five pens to the test to see which ones have the write stuff for a royal signature... ELIZABETHS FAVOURITE Parker 51 fountain pen (79, cultpens.com) The late Queen was photographed using a burgundy Parker 51, once hailed as the worlds most wanted and a pen from another planet, thanks to its streamlined silhouette and hooded nib The late Queen was photographed using a burgundy Parker 51, once hailed as the worlds most wanted and a pen from another planet, thanks to its streamlined silhouette and hooded nib. Work on the aviation-inspired design was completed in 1939 the companys 51st year. U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower used the model when he signed an acknowledgement of the German surrender in World War II and Parker has had a royal warrant since 1962. Pilot FriXion Erasable Rollerball (7.99 for two, whsmith.co.uk) The 51 comes in a luxurious presentation box, with one blue and one black cartridge. It is available with either a fine or medium stainless steel nib. The writing is fluid and the precious resin body provides a regal edge, though its concealed nib may fool some into thinking youre using a ballpoint. THE WRITING IS UNMISTAKABLE Pilot FriXion Erasable Rollerball (7.99 for two, whsmith.co.uk) On Tuesday, cameras did not just record the Kings ink mishap, they also captured his conversation with Camilla in which she told him he had the date wrong in the visitors book. That would have been no problem at all if he had been writing his message with a fine-nibbed Pilot FriXion which boasts magical disappearing ink. Somehow the writing doesnt smudge when your fingers touch it but if you rub the paper with the plastic tip at the end of the refillable barrel, it is perfectly erased, using friction-generated heat. The price you pay is a black ink that looks rather anaemic and feels less smooth-flowing compared with its rivals. And, be warned, some customers have reported their handwriting disappearing entirely from cards left in a hot car. Probably not one for constitution-defining documents. ON HIS MAJESTYS SECRET SERVICE Cross Tech3+ Refillable Twist-Action Metal Multifunction Ballpoint Pen (44.99, amazon.co.uk) Cross Tech3+ Refillable Twist-Action Metal Multifunction Ballpoint Pen (44.99, amazon.co.uk) This writing tool from 170- year-old U.S. brand Cross looks more gizmo from James Bonds Q than something that would be wielded by a member of the Royal Family. It comes in a presentation box flimsier than that of the Parker. But twist the polished chrome barrel clockwise and a black ballpoint emerges. Keep twisting for a red one, and again for a mechanical pencil or turn anti-clockwise to abort your writing mission. The top of the pen unscrews to reveal a pencil eraser and can be switched for the enclosed stylus, which is compatible with most touchscreen devices. Admittedly, it lacks the finesse of a fountain and the flow of ink on to the paper is not exactly effortless, but your friends will marvel at its ingenuity. And why carry three pens, when one will do the trick? EXPENDABLE ELEGANCE Pilot V disposable fountain pen (5.29, ryman.co.uk) Eagle-eyed viewers of the Proclamation of the King at the first Accession Council ever televised, at St Jamess Palace on Saturday, September 10, spotted fellow signatories including the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales and Liz Truss using a disposable fountain pen. Some were shocked at the choice of Pilot Varsity, or VPen, with one viewer tweeting: Had to check the live feed to believe it. The very idea of a throwaway product would clash with the new monarchs long-established environmental principles, but the VPen offers convenience, in that you never have to go near an inkwell or cartridge, and gives you longhand as smooth as silk. It also comes in an array of colours, is lightweight and offers the ease of a Biro with the elegance of a fountain pen. WHERE THERES A QUILL Manuscript quill pen and ink set (31.95, libertylondon.com) If you want to feel more Charles II than Charles III, invest in a quill kit. It comes with a brass nib mounted on a vivid blue feather, plus a 25ml bottle of black ink, If you want to feel more Charles II than Charles III, invest in a quill kit. It comes with a brass nib mounted on a vivid blue feather, plus a 25ml bottle of black ink, in which to dip your pen just like the King did at his Proclamation ceremony. Writing with it is as scratchy as you would expect, though does give you the chance to perfect your italic and copperplate calligraphy. The quill is the least comfortable to hold of the five and the only one that left me with ink-smeared hands and the blotchiest of writing paper. Plenty of fun, but certainly not fit for a 21st-century sovereign keen to keep his suit clean Disgraced former King Juan Carlos of Spain has arrived at Buckingham Palace ahead of the Queen's state funeral amid a row over his attendance. The former monarch, 84, who currently lives in Abu Dhabi, was reportedly asked not to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II by Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez. But he was pictured being ushered into the Palace by Queen Sofia while clutching the hand of an official for support ahead of the 'reception of the century', where King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will greet leaders from around the world. King Juan Carlos I, 84, was pictured arriving at the 'reception of the century' at Buckingham Palace with Queen Sofia amid an alleged row with the Spanish government over his attendance at Her late Majesty's state funeral El Debate reported the Spanish government wished for King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia (pictured outside the Spanish Embassy in London today) to attend the state funeral as representatives from Spain In a row that could drive a wedge between the Spanish government and monarchy, the government reportedly made it clear they wish for King Felipe VI, Carlos's son, to be the Spanish representative at the state funeral, as his father currently awaits trial in the UK for a harassment case involving an ex-partner. El Debate reported 84-year-old King Juan Carlos, the late Queen's cousin, was privately contacted by Spanish government officials a few days ago to ask him not to attend the service. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were both pictured outside the Spanish Embassy in London earlier today, after flying into the UK to attend the funeral. As a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Family extended Carlos an invitation, but photos of the disgraced king at the state funeral would be the first of him captured at a royal event since his abdication potentially undercutting the position of King Felipe VI, nephew of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The Spanish couple bowed their heads in respect as they made their way from Westminster Hall on Sunday evening The Spanish King was joined by his wife Queen Letizia. The couple have a good relationship with the British Royal Family King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain looked dignified as they viewed the Queen's coffin lying-in-state on Sunday evening King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain led the foreign royals arriving to pay tribute to the Queen ahead of her funeral tomorrow King Juan Carlos I, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, was invited to the late monarch's funeral by Buckingham Palace, but the Spanish government has reportedly asked him not to attend Then king Carlos stepped down after nearly 40 years on the throne in 2014 after his daughter's husband became embroiled in a controversial elephant hunting scandal. Juan Carlos I is awaiting trial in the UK after the country's High Court ruled he does not have the right to Sovereign Immunity in a case involving the alleged harassment of his ex-lover. The King allegedly demanded the return of gifts he had given Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 58 when their tryst ended, souring the relationship. Prosecutors in Switzerland and Spain shelved cases last year after investigated him for suspected money laundering and tax evasion over a separate $100million payment from the Saudi Arabian government. But the harassment case remains open in the UK with the royal attempting to appeal the ruling denying him immunity from prosecution because of his regal status. Carlos had a series of affairs during his time on the Spanish throne. It's not the only scandal the former monarch is embroiled in. Spanish investigators are also looking into a missing 600,000 (520,000) allegedly taken by a close Mexican friend of Juan Carlos I. Despite once counting himself among the world's most popular monarchs, polling showed that approximately two-thirds of Spain wanted the king to abdicate when he stepped down underlining how quickly public opinion can shift. Juan Carlos returned to Spain for a brief visit in 2022 but has spent the past two years living in exile in Abu Dhabi. All the trips of Don Juan Carlos makes abroad are carefully observed by Spanish officials, according to El Mundo, with the government keenly aware of the history the monarchy has played in shaping the state. 'Currently the head of state is Felipe VI and that, like his father, he also represents the existing family ties between the two royal houses,' said foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares in an interview last weekend, pushing back on the idea that there was any issue with the previous monarch coming to London. Like so many mums, Edith Lemay is a tad photoobsessed. During the epic family holiday she is now on, she has taken thousands of pictures. She sends me a file with the edited highlights. It contains nearly 400 photographs wonderful images of not only her childrens wide smiles, but of glorious sunsets, waterfalls, wildlife, rainbows. The best you can see of the world, basically. I take a lot of pictures, she admits. Im a little crazy on that side, but its my way of coping. I want to capture every single part of this trip so that my children will be able to see the pictures for as long as possible. Looking at photographs only requires a small field of vision. Its about building that memory, on top of what they actually see the hard disk of their memories, in a way. Edith Lemay, 44, is on a making visual memories adventure with her family. Her four children are pictured here at the cliffs in Mongolia You may have gathered that this is no ordinary family holiday. Edith, 44, her husband Sebastian, 45, and their four children are on what she calls a making visual memories adventure. In short, they are seeing the world in the most literal sense and while they still can, because three of Ediths four children are slowly going blind. In 2018 their eldest child, Mia, now 11, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a cruel condition which causes visual cells to break down, gradually stealing the eyesight. The condition is genetic, although the defective genes responsible had never made their presence known in the wider family before. We were both carriers, without us knowing, says Edith. There was no history in either family. They told us we had a one-in-four chance of transmitting this to our children. Unfortunately, we got three out of four. Canadian family-of-four takes world trip after sons, 7 and 5, and daughter, 11, are diagnosed with rare genetic condition that will make them blind by mid-life. They are pictured here in Turkey By the time the family realised what they were dealing with that Mia was already on a trajectory towards blindness their two youngest sons, Colin, seven, and Laurent, five, were also showing symptoms. As soon as they told us Mia had it, I knew my two youngest children had it, too, says Edith. The diagnosis confirmed that Leo, nine, was the only child likely to reach adulthood with his vision intact. They found themselves in a distressing situation, of course, but after the initial shock and denial (I think it was like the stages of grief, Edith admits), this remarkable couple resolved to fill their childrens young minds with as many unforgettable images as possible. And real images from life, not ones from books or the internet. It really was a case of, Why look at an elephant in a book when we can go and see the real thing. Edith says. Its about building the hard disk of their memories A trip of a lifetime was planned. They sat down with their children and asked them where in the world they would like to go and, more pertinently, what they would like to see there. The results were charming, and a little unexpected. We drew up a bucket list, not so much about the countries or the places, but about activities. What did they really want to do? Mia is horse-mad so she wanted to ride horses. Colin wanted to sleep on a train or a boat. Laurent, the little one, was a bit too young to understand but he made us laugh. He wanted to drink juice while sitting on a camel. Off they went, to find a camel. And the rest. They rented out their house for a year and did that thing most people dream of but rarely do (or can rarely afford to do) and just took off. Edith and her husband resolved to fill their children's young minds with as many unforgettable images as possible. The family in Mongolia. Laurent, five, wanted to drink juice while riding a came Since they departed their native Canada six months ago, the family have visited Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Turkey, Mongolia and Indonesia. When I catch up with Edith they are in Bali, around halfway through their trip. What have they seen so far? Perhaps the better question would be, what havent they seen? Wildlife ticked off the list includes elephants, giraffes, zebras and cheetahs, most seen on safari in Africa. We saw a giraffe on our first day. Laurent said: Is it real? Mia got to ride her wild horses in Mongolia. They have also slept in a yurt, taken a hot-air balloon, pitched their tents in the Gobi desert and swum in thermal pools in Turkey. And the camel? Oh yes, Laurent got on his camel. We even found him some juice to have on it. The diagnosis confirmed that Leo, nine, was the only child likely to reach adulthood with his vision intact. The four children are pictured here balancing on a rope swing in Tanzania The original plan had been to start the trip in 2020, kicking off in Russia and China, but Covid scuppered that. So they set off, from Montreal, in March this year. While the couple are clearly comfortably off Sebastian works in finance, Edith in logistics the trip was made possible when Sebastians company was bought out, leading to a one-off bonus payment. Edith calls it their gift from life. Wed had some pretty bad numbers, so when this happened we felt really blessed. It allowed us to do this on the scale we are doing it. Edith and Sebastian had never even heard of this rare condition before, but it was issues with Mias night vision that led to them seeking medical help. She would walk into things, stumble in the bedroom. She didnt seem to have a problem with seeing things in the day, but at night there would be issues. Mia was our first child. We thought maybe the eyes were slower to develop in children. Sebastian, 45, Mia, 11, Leo, 9, Colin, 7, and Laurent, 4 pictured here stroking some antlers in Mongolia When she was around six, they started Googling night-vision issues and read of this condition. After seeking help, they went through a series of tests, and were devastated when the news was broken. Retinitis pigmentosa is not treatable and the prognosis can sound bleak. Problems with night vision usually lead to issues with peripheral vision. The field of vision shrinks. Sometimes the end result will be complete blindness; sometimes some sight is retained. There is no way of knowing, and no way of predicting the path. And just because one child progresses in a certain way, it does not mean that the others will follow, says their mum. It makes everything hard to plan for. Edith seems a very positive, pragmatic person, but admits she went to pieces at the start. I collapsed, she says. Not in front of Mia, but in a side room. It took another year to confirm what she already knew: that this was affecting three of her children. All three have issues already. As well as problems with night vision, they have sensitivity to light and have been advised to wear sunglasses. Which we try to do as much as possible but it can be difficult in the evening because of their existing issues with night vision. This trip has thrown up a few extra issues sand in their eyes in the desert, for instance but they have been determined to get round them. We do have to make sure we have headlamps with us if we go out in the evening. Shelling out: Leo, nine, got to grips with this giant in Tanzania. Leo is the only child who doesn't have sight problems What do the children know about their condition? Mia was told when she was seven. I had to have that conversation, telling her that she was going to go blind, says Edith. She said: Oh, that isnt fun, and then didnt say anything else. I thought she didnt quite understand. A few days later she came in and said she would have to learn to keep her room tidy because when she cant see, shell need to have everything in the same place. Then I caught her practising going from room to room with her eyes closed. More recently, Laurent has reached the questions stage. He asked me: What does being blind mean? and I realised he didnt actually know. I explained it in terms of having your eyes closed, but then he started to think about it. He asked: How will I drive a car? How will I cross the road? Will my wife be blind? You just answer their questions as best you can but, honestly, it mostly isnt an issue. They have taught us how to handle it. Mia wanted to ride horses, Colin wanted to sleep on a train or boat And the children are astonishing in their resilience, as children often are. Mia now says: Thats in the future. On a day-to-day basis, it doesnt bother them. The gradual decline is a tricky thing to navigate. Edith says they have wondered how much they should be preparing their children for life ahead with visual impairment. Should they be teaching them Braille, for instance? The answer was no. Its very difficult to learn Braille when you can see, and we have no way of knowing if they will need it. There are so many technological advances with their phones, too [for example, with audiobooks]. We just have to wait and see. Another parenting dilemma is managing expectations. Edith says that one of the things she has found difficult is that Mia wants to be a surgeon when she grows up. Should we try to steer her away from that? But who am I to say she cant? The four children make friends with a family in Namibia. Edith says another reason for the trip was to show her children the real world and the unfairness of some of it You couldnt meet a more positive, can-do family though. The shared experience is a comfort. Certainly, the younger boys are able to follow Mias very calm lead. Edith says another reason for the trip was to show her children the real world and the unfairness of some of it. We have met families who have no running water, no electricity. It has shown them that people are suffering on a lot of levels and that we are incredibly lucky. Yes, as a family we have challenges, but so does everyone. Their trip sounds hard work (We are not staying in five-star luxury. Its very much tents and buses) but also a blast. Over the coming six months they plan to travel to Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo and, hopefully, Cambodia. Any specifics that are still on their bucket list? Whales, laughs Edith. And a volcano preferably a live one, with lava, but Im not sure how viable that is. The wife of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky paid subtle tribute to her home country as she joined the Princess of Wales and other senior royals at a Buckingham Palace reception on Sunday night. First Lady Olena Zelenska wore a pin inspired by a rushnyk, a piece of fabric embroidered with traditional Ukrainian symbols, as she arrived for the 'reception of the century'. Mrs Zelenska, who is representing her husband President Zelensky, pinned the simple gold accessory on a smart black blazer. First Lady Olena Zelenska wore a pin inspired by a rushnyk, a piece of fabric embroidered with traditional Ukrainian symbols, as she arrived for the 'reception of the century' The Ukrainian First Lady chatted to the Princess of Wales ahead of the 'reception of the century' at Buckingham Palace on Saturday night Mrs Zelenska has worn the pin on a number of previous occasions, including on a visit to the US earlier this year (pictured) The pin is from the jewellery label Guzema in a collaboration with the label Gunia Project. The President's wife has worn the pin on a number of occasions, including on a visit to the US earlier this year. Earlier today, Mrs Zelenska made the trip to Westminster Hall to pay her respects to the Queen. Later she joined royals including the disgraced King Juan Carlos of Spain at the Buckingham Palace reception. King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are preparing to host 1,000 VIPs including US President Joe Biden, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, at Buckingham Palace this evening. The list of dignitaries includes President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed and Colombia's First Lady Veronica Alcocer Gargia and Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva. The two women spoke during a Buckingham Palace meeting earlier today (pictured L-R: Princess of Wales, First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska) The wife of Ukraine's President Zelensky, Olena Zelenska, bows her head as she pays tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II Ms Zelenska was earlier spotted entering Westminster Hall, where the late monarch is currently lying in state Olena Zelenska looks reflective and sombre as she pays respect to Her Majesty Ms Zelenska appeared alongside other members of the Ukrainian delegation to the UK However, it also includes a string of controversial strongmen, including Bolsonaro, who was filmed today giving a thunderous speech from the windows of the Brazilian Embassy in London to a cheering crowd waving the national flag. His allies hope his four-day international trip - first in London, then at the UN Assembly General session in New York - will sway some voters in the upcoming elections, give him some gravitas after almost four years of rifts with other world leaders and provide material for TV ads. And today the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia confirmed that Mohammed Bin Salman, known by the abbreviation MBS, had been invited to attend the funeral. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and his wife Olena have presented a united front since Russia invaded Ukraine in February He was set to hold talks with British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Sunday evening, despite international outrage after ordering Saudi agents to brutally murder and dismember Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. And Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the authoritarian ruler who has jailed hundreds of journalists and busily dismantled Turkish democracy, is also coming to the funeral. China has announced it will send its vice-president, Wang Qishan, but was barred by parliamentary leaders from the lying-in-state. Due to strained ties, the UK opted to invite ambassadors, not heads of state, from Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea. Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations excluded altogether following Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Queen Letizia of Spain was a strong support for her husband King Felipe VI as they arrived at Buckingham Palace this evening ahead of the Queen's funeral. King Felipe, who fondly referred to Her late Majesty as 'Aunt Lilibet', attended the 'reception of the century' at the royal residence after paying tribute to the Queen at Westminster Hall, where she lies in state, earlier today. The Queen of Spain linked arms with her husband as the royal couple, both dressed in black to symbolise their mourning, prepared to be hosted by King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla. A strong support: Queen Letizia was pictured arm-in-arm with her husband King Felipe VI as they walked into Buckingham Palace following an emotional day in which they paid their respects to Her late Majesty King Felipe and Queen Letizia were pictured outside the Spanish Embassy in London earlier today as they prepared to pay their respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall, where she lies in state As they paid their respects to the late monarch earlier today, King Felipe and Queen Letizia looked solemn and bowed as they paused to look at her coffin on the catafalque in Westminster Hall. King Felipe also made the sign of the cross over his chest as he appeared to say a little prayer for the Queen. Letizia looked dignified and elegant in a black dress with roses on the shoulder and black stilettos, and pinned her hair back in a low bun with neutral make-up. Following Her Majesty's passing on 8 September at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, King Felipe and Queen Letizia posted a heartfelt tribute to 'Aunt Lilibet'. In a letter to King Charles posted on the Casa Real Twitter account, King Felipe said he would 'dearly' miss his aunt. He wrote: 'Your Majesty, dearest Charles, The Spanish King was joined by his wife Queen Letizia. The couple have a good relationship with the British Royal Family The Spanish couple bowed their heads in respect as they made their way from Westminster Hall on Sunday evening 'Deeply saddened by the sorrowful news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, your beloved mother. 'I would like to offer Your Majesty and the British people, on my behalf and on the behalf of the Spanish government and people, our most heartfelt condolences.' He continued: 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has undoubtedly witnessed, written and shaped many of the most relevant chapters in the history of our world during the last seven decades. 'Her sense of duty, commitment and a whole life devoted to serving the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland set an example for all of us and will remain as a solid and valuable legacy for future generations. 'Queen Letizia and I send Your Majesty and the whole family our love and prayers. 'You are all in our hearts and thoughts. We will miss her dearly.' The King and Queen of Spain arrived at Buckingham Palace shortly after former King Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in 2014 after his daughter's husband was embroiled in an elephant hunting scandal. El Debate reported 84-year-old King Juan Carlos, the late Queen's cousin, was privately contacted by Spanish government officials a few days ago to ask him not to attend the service. Nonetheless he was spotted walking into the Palace with other world leaders and royals, accompanied by Queen Sofia. Her Majesty beamed for the photograph at Windsor Castle in May, shortly before the Platinum Jubilee She was wearing a blue dress and her aquamarine and diamond clip brooches, given to her by her father The brooches, which she was known to cherish, were a 18th birthday gift from King George VI in April 1944 Advertisement The Royal Family has released a never-seen-before portrait of Her Majesty The Queen on the eve of her funeral. It was taken at Windsor Castle in May earlier this year with the Queen flashing a beaming smile while wearing some of her favourite jewellery. Her late Majesty was wearing a pastel blue dress, adorned with a stunning pair of aquamarine and diamond clip brooches. The brooches, worn separately above each other, which were an 18th birthday present from her beloved 'Papa', George VI, in April 1944. The Royal Family has released a never-seen-before portrait of the Queen on the eve of her funeral. The portrait was taken in May earlier this year at Windsor Castle She was wearing her aquamarine and diamond clip brooches, worn separately above each other, which were an 18th birthday present from her beloved 'Papa', George VI, in April 1944 She was also wearing her three-stranded pearl necklace, which appeared to be the same one she wore in the last ever photo of her (pictured), as she met Prime Minister Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle in Scotland The monarch also accessorised with pearl and diamond earrings and a three-stranded pearl necklace. They appear to be the same earrings the Princess of Wales has worn four times in the past week to pay tribute to the late monarch. Meanwhile, the necklace appears to be the same one she wore in the last known photograph of her, when she met Prime Minister Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle just days before her death. Throughout her life, the Queen amassed a jewellery collection full of family heirlooms, priceless treasures and gifts from world leaders. The monarch was rarely seen without diamonds, pearls or gemstones adorning her clothes, with royal commentators sometimes suggesting she used the pieces to send unspoken signals. Particular attention was paid to her brooches: Her Majesty would often choose one with a connection to the person, country or organisation she was visiting. The Queen was rarely seen without a dazzling array of diamonds, pearls and gemstones decorating her bright and colourful clothes (pictured, in 2022 at the Platinum Jubilee celebration wearing her favourite pearl necklace, earrings and one of her favourite brooches the Kensington Bow brooch) The Queen had a huge selection of brooches, with over 100 in her personal collection. One of her favourites was the Cullinan V Brooch, given to Queen Mary, the Queens grandmother, by the people of South Africa in 1910 (pictured wearing it during a visit to Tuvalu in South Pacific) The Queen was believed to have more than 100 brooches in her collection. The art deco-style Boucheron clips worn in the portrait released on Sunday evening were adored by the late Queen. They are made of aquamarine and diamonds and in a typical 1940s design and combine baguette, oval and round stones. The distinctive style of the brooches - one often used by Cartier - led many jewellery experts to believe the clips were actually the work of the brand, which is why they are often incorrectly identified as the Cartier aquamarine clips. The clips can be worn in a number of different ways: as matching clips, on either shoulder or as a single brooch. The Queen usually wore them as separate clips, one above the other, on her left shoulder. Due to the translucent nature of the jewels, the Queen typically wore them with blue or pale purple fabrics that enhanced the natural colour. She wore the pieces on a host of occasions over the years, including during her televised message on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in May 2020. Meanwhile, although many often associated the Queen with her incredible royal collection of priceless tiaras, intricate brooches and dazzling diamond earrings, she was, like many Englishwomen of a certain age, most at ease in her pearls. One of the royal's favourites was the Kensington Bow brooch, a wedding gift from the residents of Kensington to her grandmother in 1893, costing 450 (about 40,000 today). (pictured in 2005 visiting Bristol university) Another of the 2,500 wedding presents given to the Queen on her marriage to Prince Philip, the Carrington Sapphire Feather brooch (pictured) was a gift from Carrington jewellers. A fine diamond feather with a sapphire centre, it was always paired with blue or purple, as here in 2019 Pearls were the Queens first serious piece of jewellery. When her grandfather George V celebrated his Silver Jubilee in 1935, he gave both his granddaughters pearl necklaces. Among the collection Elizabeth owns today are two stunning necklaces - the 18th-century Queen Anne pearl necklace and the 50-pearl Queen Caroline necklace, both given as a wedding present from her father. Her favourite necklace for quiet days was her single-strand version, one of the first pieces she acquired, and very much in the English tradition, matching the timeless elegance of her treasured pearl and diamond studs. When it came to earrings, like her necklaces, the Queen had a love of pearls. She often chose a simple stud or pearl drop for her daily appearances. Day-to-day, the Queen often chose between two almost identical pearl earrings. The royal's favourite earrings for casual wear were the simple Queen Mary's Button Earrings, which featured a single pearl with a small diamond on top. Meanwhile she would wear the Ladies of Devonshire earrings for more formal day events, such as the Diamond Jubilee service or the Order of the Garter service, as well as for evening occasions. Queen Mary gave the Devonshire Earrings to her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, as a wedding present in 1947. President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, in front of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a summit meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization member nations in Madrid, June 29. Yonhap The Korean presidential office said Sunday there's "no change" in the plan to hold a Korea-Japan summit meeting this week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. A ranking presidential official made the remarks in a phone call with Yonhap News Agency, rejecting Japanese news reports on Sunday that the possibility of the summit meeting between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida remains uncertain. The presidential office announced last week the summit between Yoon and Kishida, the first summit between the two countries in nearly three years, has been agreed upon, and will be held on either Tuesday or Wednesday in New York. "I haven't heard that there's any change in matters related with the Korea-Japan summit agreed upon for the occasion of the U.N. General Assembly," the presidential official said. Another presidential official added the two countries have finished setting the time and the venue of the planned summit between Yoon and Kishida and only left details, such as agenda items, for final discussion. "A related announcement will be made naturally at the scene if (the summit) is finally determined," another diplomatic source said. Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin left for New York earlier in the day on a mission to accompany Yoon during the president's planned summit meetings on the fringes of the U.N. assembly. Park is also set to hold separate meetings with his counterparts from other nations. Sources said a plan to hold a meeting of the Korean, U.S. and Japanese foreign ministers is currently under discussion. Park could also separately meet with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi for bilateral talks. If a bilateral meeting between Park and Hayashi takes place, it will mark Park's third talks with the Japanese minister since the Korean top diplomat took office in May. (Yonhap) The wife of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has been pictured paying her respects to the Queen as she attended Westminster Hall this afternoon where the late monarch is lying in state. Olena Zelenska, who is representing her husband President Zelensky, was pictured shortly before 4.45pm with other members of the Ukrainian contingent. Dressed in all black, she wore a gold pin inspired by a rushnyk, a piece of fabric embroidered with traditional Ukrainian symbols, on her blazer. As she contemplated the solemn occasion, her expression was sombre and she bowed her head in respect. Ms Zelenska stayed in the hall for several minutes as members of the British public filed past below. Ms Zelenska was earlier spotted entering Westminster Hall, where the late monarch is currently lying in state She appeared alongside other members of the Ukrainian delegation to the UK First Lady Olena Zelenska (pictured with members of the Ukrainian delegation, right) appeared pensive as she attended the lying in state of Her Majesty at Westminster Hall Ms Zelenska's trip to Westminster Hall came ahead of her attending a Buckingham Palace reception this evening, hosted by King Charles. Her arrival in the UK had been hotly anticipated after it was confirmed that her husband, President Zelensky, would be remaining at home to lead the war effort. He will remain in Ukraine as his country continues to battle back Vladimir Putin's invading forces. After viewing the Queen's casket at Westminster Hall, Ms Zelenska had an audience with the Princess of Wales. The pair, both wearing long black dresses, sat either side of a fireplace on gingham armchairs with pink orchids on display in the background. Dressed in all black, she wore a gold pin inspired by a rushnyk, a piece of fabric embroidered with traditional Ukrainian symbols, on her blazer The wife of Ukraine's President Zelensky, Olena Zelenska, bows her head as she pays tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II Ms Zelenska was earlier spotted entering Westminster Hall, where the late monarch is currently lying in state Olena Zelenska looks reflective and sombre as she pays respect to Her Majesty who is lying in state at Westminster Hall Ms Zelenska looked sombre as she entered Westminster Hall to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth earlier today A line of foreign dignitaries entered Westminster Hall today, including French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, and US president Joe Biden and his wife Jill, ahead of the reception this evening. Dubbed 'the reception of the century', the Buckingham Palace event was attended by 1,000 VIPs. As well as senior members of the Firm, many international dignitaries were there, including US President Joe Biden, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau. Other guests included President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed and Colombia's First Lady Veronica Alcocer Gargia and Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva. The wife of Ukraine's President Zelensky, Olena Zelenska, spoke with the Princess of Wales this afternoon at Buckingham Palace The two women spoke during a Buckingham Palace meeting earlier today (pictured L-R: Princess of Wales, First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska) The First Lady (left) is in the UK representing her husband President Zelensky (right), who is remaining at home to lead the war effort Foreign royals also took part in the event, with King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden on the guest list among others. The royal couple were among the first monarchs to view the monarch lying-in-state at Westminster Hall. Putin, who has previously had an audience with the Queen, has not been invited, despite offering his condolences to the Royal Family last week. However, the guest list did feature a string of controversial strongmen, including Bolsonaro, who was filmed today giving a thunderous speech from the windows of the Brazilian Embassy in London to a cheering crowd waving the national flag. King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain looked dignified as they viewed the Queen's coffin lying-in-state on Sunday evening King Phillipe and Queen Mathilde of Belgiun look solemn as they pay their respects to Her late Majesty as she lies in state at WEstminster Hall King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden also arrived to pay their respects at Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral Wueen Silvia of Sweden arrived at Buckingham Palace with King Carl XVI Gustav to be hosted by King Charles III, after paying their respects to Her late Majesty in Westminster Hall earlier today King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands walked into Buckingham Palace with his wife Queen Maxima following just behind him And today the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia confirmed that Mohammed Bin Salman, known by the abbreviation MBS, had been invited to attend the funeral tomorrow. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the authoritarian ruler who has jailed hundreds of journalists and busily dismantled Turkish democracy, is also coming to the funeral. China has announced it will send its vice-president, Wang Qishan, but was barred by parliamentary leaders from the lying-in-state. Due to strained ties, the UK opted to invite ambassadors, not heads of state, from Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea. Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations excluded altogether following Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The Queen's distant cousin King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Queen Mathilde paid their respects to the late monarch at Westminster Hall on Sunday. King Philippe and the Queen share several common ancestors, including Franz, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who was the grandfather of Queen Victoria and the father of King Leopold I of the Belgians. The Belgian royal couple appeared with sombre expressions as they visited the Queen's coffin at her Lying-in-State. Queen Mathilde was wearing a textured jade coat with a silver ribbon brooch paired with matching silver pearl earrings. On Sunday King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Queen Mathilde appeared with sombre expressions as they visited the Queen's coffin at her Lying-in-State King Philippe is a distant cousin to Her Majesty and they share several common ancestors, including Franz, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who was the grandfather of Queen Victoria and the father of King Leopold I of the Belgians Meanwhile, King Philippe was wearing a dark navy suit with a crisp white shirt and a black tie. They are also related via King Christian IX of Denmark, known as the 'grandfather of Europe' due to his far-reaching family tree. The Queen is King Christian IX's great-great-granddaughter. Philippe is his great-great-great-grandson. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will attend Her Majesty's funeral service without their four children. Their daughter Princess Elisabeth, who will one day ascend the throne, last week represented her parents when she signed a book of condolence to the Queen in Brussels. The couple visited the Queen's coffin on Sunday as she was lying in state at Westminster Hall, while members of the public filed past Thousands have visited Her Majesty's coffin in Westminster Hall , which is draped in the Royal Standard and topped with the orb and sceptre as well as the Imperial State Crown People have lined up for hours at a time along the banks of the River Thames to get a chance to pay their respects to the late monarch. Pictured: Mourners standing in the queue to see the Queen's coffin on Sunday evening In a statement released shortly after the Queen's death, the couple said: '[The Queen] was an extraordinary personality. 'We will always keep fond memories of this great Lady who throughout her reign showed dignity, courage and dedication. 'Each of our meetings will remain forever etched in our memories. 'We extend our deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the British people. 'Rest in peace, Your Majesty, with your beloved husband.' Best friends who quit their jobs to pursue a men's swimwear brand have revealed how signing a deal with David Jones has seen them become one of the most popular swimming trunks on the market. Vacay Swimwear launched in early 2017 by founders Jordy Kallios, 27, and Corey Decandia, 28, from Adelaide, South Australia. The pair decided to start their own business after noticing a 'huge gap in the Australian market' for stylish and affordable men's swim shorts. Vacay Swimwear launched in David Jones in 2020 just before the Covid pandemic hit Australia. Vacay Swimwear launched in early 2017 by founders Jordy Kallios, 27, and Corey Decandia, 28, (pictured) from Adelaide, South Australia The pair decided to start their own business after noticing a 'huge gap in the Australian market' for stylish and affordable men's swim shorts 'Usually when a brand first signs the David Jones contract they are generally only tested in 10 stores. We were fortunate that the buyer believed in Vacay Swimwear and took a calculated risk with testing us in 25 stores,' Jordan told FEMAIL. 'Today we are stocked in all 45 stores throughout Australia and New Zealand and are currently the highest performing male swim brand stocked.' 'Vacay Swimwear has gone from strength to strength after we started ranging them at David Jones. The collections possess quintessential style with an Australian design backbone at a competitive price point, which is why I think our customers love it,' David Jones Menswear Buyer Briar Withers said. 'Our exclusive collaboration with Vacay, the Byron and Bondi swim shorts, will be launching later this Spring just in time for the warmer months ahead.' In the last financial year alone, the brand achieved its sales target of one million in revenue and the business has expanded from a small office to a huge warehouse space with employees. 'Seven figures doesn't come overnight - understanding your customer, remaining open to new ideas, producing the right content and continuing to learn, you can achieve your business goals,' Jordan said The colourful, stylish $79.99 swimwear is now stocked in major retailers including The Iconic, as well as online stores across Europe and Asia with plans to expand to the US. 'Seven figures doesn't come overnight - understanding your customer, remaining open to new ideas, producing the right content and continuing to learn, you can achieve your business goals,' Jordan said. Corey added: 'I think the lifestyle we as a brand portray creates such a strong brand identity for us, which is ultimately the life Jordan and I love to live... summer and travel! We have always kept this ideology as our core focus in everything we do. The business idea sparked during their European summer holiday in 2016 as they saw other men wearing bright, multi-coloured shorts - a style that the duo struggled to find back home 'I see a lot of brands get lost because they are trying to be too many things. We know who we are, the brand for the travelling man.' The business idea sparked during their European summer holiday in 2016 as they saw other men wearing bright, multi-coloured shorts - a style that the duo struggled to find back home. The pair previously told FEMAIL their achievements weren't an overnight success, but they have triumphed through continuous hard work and dedication to the brand. After returning home from their overseas trip, Corey and Jordy started designing and making shorts for themselves and a few friends. While both founders studied marketing at university prior to starting the brand, neither of them have a background in business or textiles. Today they are proud of what they have achieved over the short period of five years. In the last financial year alone, the brand has turned over $2.4million and the business has expanded from a small office to a huge warehouse space with employees 'We had no idea about manufacturing, dress making, sewing or what it takes to run a business, so there was a lot of trial and error at the start,' Jordy said. 'But we kept persisting and changing the sample pieces until we made the perfect fit that we wanted.' Jordy said the product development process took up to eight months to complete to ensure their swimwear met the highest possible market standards. Since the beginning of business to the present day, the pair design and lead the creative direction of the brand. Both Corey and Jordy have committed themselves full time to the business to grow the brand further and allow it to reach a maximum potential. The $79.99 shorts are quick drying, on-trend and can be worn at the beach, poolside or the bar The $79.99 shorts are quick drying, on-trend and can be worn at the beach, poolside or at the bar. Each print is named and inspired by the world's most iconic holiday destinations such as Bora Bora, Mykonos, Miami and Ibiza. In addition to the popular shorts, the brand now sell t-shirts, 100 per cent linen shirts and caps that compliment the shorts. Corey said the brand usually launches two drops per year to cater to both the Australian and European or American summer, and each release features new prints they haven't sold previously. Each print is named and inspired by the world's most iconic holiday destinations such as Bora Bora, Mykonos, Miami and Ibiza Eight months post-launch, Vacay Swimwear found themselves stocked on Australia's largest online retailer, The Iconic, followed by Asia's equivalent Zalora. 'We were so excited be stocked on a platform like The Iconic, because it was one of the goals we had from the start,' Corey said. The bright swim shorts can also be found in over 60 store locations around Australia, Indonesia and the Middle East. In August 2020 the South Australian brand was stocked across 25 David Jones stores - another milestone achievement to date 'There's no secret formula to success - it's all hard work, persistence and dedication,' Jordy said. Corey added: 'Knowing that we built the business from absolutely nothing and now the brand is globally recognised is an amazing feeling.' When asked what's next for Vacay Swimwear, Corey said they aim to continue to grow the brand internationally in the American and Middle Eastern markets. 'There's no secret formula to success - it's all hard work, persistence and dedication,' Jordy said. Corey added: 'Knowing that we built the business from absolutely nothing and now the brand is globally recognised is an amazing feeling.' 'Now that the world has officially opened up and travel is back on the cards, we are partnering with a large global hotel chain which is renowned in Europe and America - stay tuned as we have exciting plans up our sleeves. This is going to be huge.' World-famous bakery chain Cinnabon is finally opening its doors to a Sydney location at the end of 2022. Cinnabon has set its sights on the CBD's Darling Square after the franchise experienced major successes in its Queensland and Victorian locations. The popular American brand has earned its title for creating the 'world's greatest cinnamon roll' - as it prides itself on producing the classic treat in-store every 30 minutes. World-famous bakery chain Cinnabon is finally opening its doors to a Sydney location at the end of 2022 Cinnabon has set its sights on the CBD's Darling Square after the franchise has experienced major successes in its Queensland and Victoria locations Cinnabon presently has five outlets in Queensland and one in Melbourne, which only opened in 2021. 'It's a pretty sick location,' said Alby Lam, one of the directors of the franchise for Cinnabon in NSW and ACT. He told Broadsheet: 'We thought hard on where we'd have the first one - we didn't want to be hidden in a shopping centre, we wanted to be on the street.' Lam also revealed that the Darling Square store was just the beginning - and the brand is set to open fifteen more stores in New South Wales over the next five years. An additional Sydney location can also be expected as soon as 2023. The bakery's first Sydney store will be located on the corner of Harbour Street near Market City, and will house patrons outdoors Customers can now enjoy global favourites such as the classic cinnamon rolls, Caramel PecanBon, the Lemon Cheesecake Minibon, and more The bakery's first Sydney store will be located on the corner of Harbour Street near Market City, and will house patrons outdoors. Customers can now enjoy global favourites such as the classic cinnamon rolls, Caramel PecanBon, the Lemon Cheesecake Minibon, and more. The location's bakers will have the freedom to design their own versions of the classic cinnamon scrolls, or use the recipes from any Cinnabon location globally. The location's bakers will have the freedom to design their own versions of the classic cinnamon scrolls, or use the recipes from any Cinnabon location globally Sydneysiders have been flooding the brand's social media with excitement over the new Darling Square location. 'We really, really needed a Sydney location!' said one woman. 'I'm so excited!' 'I've been waiting for Cinnabon to come to Sydney for YEARS - I'm finally getting my wish!' He was first diagnosed with a migraine but doctors later realised he had a stroke His friend held him as he vomited into a bin and he was taken to hospital The father-of-two was at the airport when he lost his vision and mobility An army photographer has revealed how he survived a huge stroke aged 30 A fit and healthy army photographer has revealed how he 'felt a wave of impending doom' wash over him as he lost his vision and felt his body go numb when he suffered a massive stroke aged just 30. Jake Sims told FEMAIL doctors had believed his horrifying medical episode was caused by a migraine before they finally admitted him to an intensive care unit more than 24 hours after he arrived at hospital. Jake said his ordeal began at Canberra Airport where he was preparing to go on a work trip before suddenly feeling severely unwell. 'I called my wife to tell her I was dying,' he said of the major medical emergency. Jake Sims, 35, pictured here with wife Liz, son Hugo and daughter Eleanor, had a major stroke at Canberra Airport when he was just 30 years old Jake was in hospital for 25 hours before doctors realised he had a stroke - and not a migraine Jake said his feet began to feel heavy before he called his wife Liz. He was unaware his speech was slurred until she pointed it out to him. 'She told me to call my mate (also called) Jake who was meant to be on the same flight,' he said. His friend raced to his side and held him up as the right side of his body went numb and he vomited into an airport bin. Jake's friend then put him in the recovery position and called for help. 'I have no doubt his actions saved my life,' Jake said. Doctors still don't know what caused the major stroke as Jake has always been fit and healthy and was in peak physical condition. 'I had this weird out of body experience when my friend was holding me over the bin - I was just watching the whole scene from above,' he said. The young father, whose son Hugo was then just four months old, was rushed to hospital - but when he arrived medical teams assumed he had a bad migraine. Jake said his feet became heavy and he was swallowed by a wave of impending doom - so called his wife to tell her he was about to die 'I knew it wasn't a migraine, I have never had one before, but this was so bad I knew it wasn't normal.' Twenty-five hours later doctors rushed into his room and rolled him in his bed to the ICU, explaining that they had been wrong and he'd had a major stroke. 'My wife was with me, it was pretty awful being whisked away like that and finding out I had three blood clots in my brain.' The now 35-year-old is 'as good as new' but admits he thought he was going to die during the catastrophic episode and the days that followed. 'One of my biggest fears is dying young like my dad did,' he said. 'I thought that I was going to leave my newborn son without a father. Jake was in hospital recovering for four weeks - then he spent another seven months 'getting back to normal' at home 'I didn't want to do that, I know how hard it was to process my dad's death at 15, and for my siblings who were younger.' Jake spent four weeks in hospital, six months of sleeping 18 hours per day and a total of eight months grinding away at rehab. 'Rest was one of the biggest factors in getting better, but it was pretty scary lying there in hospital,' he said. He had lost the vision in his right eye, which had the potential to derail his career as a photographer, a job he lived and breathed. He also had to go through a lot of speech therapy to rebuild the pathways in his brain - and says there were moments where he would forget the names of his wife and son and even the name of everyday things - like the spatula. 'I was at a barbecue one day months later and couldn't remember the word for sausages. So I had to ask someone to bring the long delicious meat things from the kitchen,' he said. He said his right eye slightly droops in photos and sometimes he forgets what common things are called but he is otherwise 100 per cent five years on Jake is a back-country snowboarder and worked hard to get full function back so he didn't lose his ability to take part in his hobby Jake believes his dedication to therapy, which included 11 grueling sessions each week, led to his incredible recovery. 'I followed the advice ten-fold (and) saw improvements every day, small improvements but that was enough,' he said. One of the biggest motivators to getting better was his desire to be the best dad he could be, another was a return to his hobby - back-country snowboarding. 'I lost balance in my right side, and as an avid snowboarder that wasn't ideal, I was worried I would never be able to do that again. He said he still gets concerned when he gets 'stars in his eyes' or any of the other symptoms that could be related to stroke. Jake lost vision in his right eye when he had his stroke and had to learn how to see again - this made his brain tired and lead to him sleeping 18 hours each day 'Then I have to remind myself I am probably seeing stars as a side effect of working hard in training or something,' he said. 'I guess every young stroke survivor worries if it will ever happen again, or if they will ever "be normal again".' After eight months of intense rehab, Jake was declared 100 per cent physically fit and returned to his regular duties at work. He says he still sometimes forgets the names of things and his right eye droops slightly when he smiles, but otherwise life was back to normal. He and his wife went on to have a second child, Eleanor, and love 'living life to the max' with both their kids. 'I love my family so much, we go for adventures to the snow, do lots of hiking and camping,' he said. The dad said he and his family are now busy making memories and live life to the max What are the symptoms of a stroke? In a stroke, parts of the brain do not get the blood supply and oxygen they need, so brain cells and tissues become damaged and start to die. The body parts that are controlled by the damaged areas of the brain will be affected and show signs of stroke. The most common signs and symptoms of stroke are: facial weakness arm weakness difficulty with speech. Other symptoms of stroke that may occur include: weakness, numbness or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg on either or both sides of the body slurred speech or difficulty understanding loss of vision in one or both eyes sudden, severe headache or a change in pattern of headaches with no known cause loss of balance, dizziness. The signs and symptoms of stroke may occur alone or in combination. These can last a few seconds or even up to 24 hours and then disappear. Recognising stroke An easy way to recognise and remember the signs of stroke is to use the FAST test. If someone is showing these symptoms, immediately seek emergency medical treatment. Face: Check whether their facial features, such as their mouth, have drooped. Arms: Can they lift both arms? Speech: Are they having difficulty speaking, eg, slurring their speech? Can they understand you? Time: Time is critical if you see any of the above signs. Call emergency services immediately. Why is it crucial to catch it early? Stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, starving brain cells of oxygen and important nutrients, resulting in impacted areas of the brain dying. Early treatment for stroke is critical the longer a stroke remains untreated, the greater the chance of stroke-related brain damage. It is known that stroke patients have a greater chance of surviving and avoiding long-term brain damage if they arrive at the hospital and receive treatment with a clot-busting drug called TPA within 4.5 hours of the onset. SOURCE: Stroke Foundation Advertisement 'I always made the most of every spare moment but this has added to my mantra that you never get a moment back.' He joked that his wife - who was left to care for him when he couldn't do anything, as well as caring for their first-born - made him catch up on baby duties the second time around. 'I certainly got to catch up on my share of the nappies,' he said. The dad said he was scared his son Hugo would have to grow up without him Jake is sharing his story to help highlight the symptoms of stroke and the work of the stroke foundation. 'I was misdiagnosed as having a migraine, which potentially put me in more danger because if the clots moved then I could have died,' he said. He recently spent another happy Father's Day with his family and couldn't be happier. 'Father's Day used to be a sad time for me - because my dad died - but since having my own family and surviving stroke it is definitely a lighter day.' Olivia Arezzolo has opened up about her battle with anorexia - after struggling with the eating disorder for six years For years Olivia Arezzolo was a slave to her eating disorder - constantly wrestling her feelings of extreme hunger and 'not being allowed to eat'. The 31-year-old, from Sydney, said she was convinced she would be happier if she 'just got a little thinner' and 'got through another day without eating'. Speaking to FEMAIL, the sleep therapist said she was living with a 'cyclone' in her head - as her anxiety, eating disorder and extreme hunger wrestled for attention. 'I would sometimes even just have alcohol, even though it has more calories, just so that I would get a little drunk and forget that I was hungry,' she said. Most days she would exercise intensely in an effort to get even thinner or to forget about the ever present hunger pains and thoughts about food. 'If I made it through a day I was allowed to eat dinner, I could order whatever I wanted on the condition I never left the restaurant or meal feeling full,' she said. 'If I felt full that would be wrong. It would be really, really bad.' Olivia didn't realise how bad things were until she saw these photos of herself at the beach in Bali, taken in September 2019 Olivia now, pictured left, has managed to put on some weight - but more importantly has addressed her underlying mental health Olivia's first brush with anorexia started when she was just 15. Her parents were separating and she was devastated. She was also struggling because she felt her pain was going unnoticed - so decided to stop eating. 'I remember it clearly, I did want to be thin, I wanted to be emaciated,' she said. 'I thought if I was that thin then they would have to give me attention. They would have to see the pain I was in. You can't help but see it when someone gets that unwell.' By 19, Olivia was in hospital. She had reached her goal of complete emaciation and was so skeletal that she almost died. The recovery was long and slow but over the years Olivia began to feel normal again. 'I didn't think about eating, didn't worry about when I ate or what I ate, I had some really good years,' she said. Then when she was 25 things began to fall apart again. 'I was in an unhappy relationship and I felt so stressed with work, I just thought if I could lose a bit of weight, be a bit skinner then I would be happy,' she said. 'I lost weight and then I would plateau and then lose weight again,' she said. She is currently in Turkey where she continues to focus on her mental health and is slowly putting on weight But by the time she was 27 the situation was dire. 'People would ask me if I was OK, my family would pull me aside and ask what was going on and I would tell them I was fine,' she said. This time around she didn't want to be seen, she didn't want to be a burden - and the idea of her family and friends having to look after her was terrifying. 'I didn't want my friends to be afraid of me or for people to be analysing everything I was eating,' she said. She revealed she used to have a few drinks in order to forget about her extreme hunger She was also terrified of losing her credibility as a sleep therapist - a reputation she had worked tirelessly to build. 'I was scared people would question my professionalism or me as a person... that could be really problematic from a business perspective,' she said. But it all came to a head in September, 2019, when she saw pictures of herself enjoying a day on the beach in Bali. 'I looked like a bag of bones, I couldn't believe I looked like that,' she said. 'Even though I realised things were bad I wanted to heal in my own way. I went on lots of retreats but I was mentally in a bad way. 'It got to the point where I thought if I didn't get help I would end my own life. I knew after a previous attempt when I was a teenager that I didn't want that, that I was just trying to escape the intrusive thoughts.' Olivia said she thought if she continued to lose weight she would be happier - but her mental health deteriorated In February 2021 she sought professional help. 'I started therapy, because I recognised it was one of the things that helped me the first time, and we worked to slowly improve my mental health,' she said. That helped her understand it was normal to open up to her loved ones about her struggles, which led her to be more public about them. 'I realised that it was OK to be able to write a book, be on television, be a leading sleep expert all while going through my own health crisis,' she said. 'Because my eating disorder had no impact on how successful or unsuccessful I was at work - it was irrelevant there.' She also used to go to the gym and work out endlessly in an attempt to escape her thoughts She was also afraid to post about any weight gain or mental health improvements in case she went backwards. Once she opened up on social media she realised how important it was for her to share her 'darkness' so that others could feel more comfortable with their own. 'I realised how moving my story is, I have never had such engaging content,' she said. In one post she takes aim at the eating disorder which has ruled the last six years of her life. 'Hey anorexia, f**k off with these f**ked up beliefs and leave me to actually enjoy my life. Good try on trying to deceive me. You almost had me fooled,' she said. 'Thinness does not equate to happiness. Just like heaviness does not equate to happiness. I unsubscribe.' 'Thinness does not equate to happiness. Just like heaviness does not equate to happiness. I unsubscribe' Olivia's followers continue to ask for guidance which makes her confident to become the person to start the conversation around 'feeling OK'. The sleep therapist's work can be done from anywhere in the world, something she takes advantage of. She is currently in Turkey where she is continuing to heal. Part of that process includes continuing to put on weight and 'be OK with it'. She believes she is now in a beautiful space and is a 'completely different person' to the one who would wake up everyday hoping for 'it all to end'. 'I want other people to know they can do it too, that they should get some support and that they can get through it,' she said. Olivia has 37,000 followers on Instagram where she plans to continue to share about her impressive recovery. An Aussie tech whizz has shared a little-known iPhone hack for annotating screenshots and photos. In a viral TikTok video, Ramal, from Brisbane, explains how you can add perfectly neat shapes and symbols to images simply by holding your finger down for an extra second. 'Why has no one told me about this?' the 21-year-old said in the clip which has amassed more than eight million views. Scroll down for video Tech enthusiast, Ramal, from Brisbane, has wowed millions online after sharing a little-know iPhone hack that helps users draw perfect shapes on screenshots and pictures 'You know when you take a screenshot on your iPhone and you try to mark something on there but anything you mark looks like complete doggy doo doo because you have the dexterity of a cucumber?' he asked. 'Well apparently that's completely avoidable.' The tech enthusiast said iPhone users can add shapes to photos by tracing a rough outline and holding your finger down for a moment, before waiting for the device to 'automatically clean it up'. 'You can even do the same thing with lines and arrows as well. Hold it down and just like that, so much neater,' Ramal said. The function can be found in the editing tools when you take a screenshot as well as the 'mark up' option in existing photos. Ramal said iPhone users can add shapes to photos by tracing a rough outline but holding your finger down for a moment before finishing and the device with 'automatically clean it up' How to draw perfect shapes on iPhone screenshots Take a screenshot to your desired page on the iPhone. Press the power and volume up key to do so. Next tap on the floating thumbnail of the screenshot. You can scribble with your desired pen effect and colour by default on the screenshot. Now draw a rough circle and one you complete drawing it, continue to tap and hold on the point of completion. You will see the rough circle transforming into a perfect one. Similarly you can draw arrows, rectangles, smileys, and more and your iPhone will convert them into perfect shapes. Remember to draw the shape and once you completed it, hold it down to automatically transform into its perfect version. Source: tech.hindusantimes.com Advertisement Thousands of Ramal's 364,700 followers were wowed by the simple, 'life-changing' trick. 'Omg... I've had an iPhone for eight years and I still learn new tricks and hacks every day,' one fan wrote. 'Just tried it, it works omg!' another said and a third replied: 'This just changed my life'. 'It does all shapes too.., including hearts and stars I didn't know this,' a fourth added. 'It doesn't work if you take your finger off the drawing before pressing it down. Had to retry to get it right. Good tip,' another explained. The note was shared online with thousands slamming the mum for being 'lazy' She said anyone who parks there should 'accept' any damage her son causes The mum said their son, who has ADHD, could damage cars by throwing rocks It was from a neighbour who advised them not to park in a particular spot A parent's handwritten note left on their neighbour's car windscreen has sparked a lively debate online. Posting to Reddit an Australian resident shared a message left on her car from a parent warning her not to park her car in a particular spot as her son who has ADHD and autism could damage it. The mum said her son often draws on cars with markers and throws rocks of their apartment balcony and that she could 'only pre-empt so much' so anyone parked out the front of their home should 'accept' their vehicle could be damaged. A parent has been slammed online for leaving a note to their neighbour telling them not to park in front of their house or 'accept' damage done to their car by her 'destructive' ADHD son In the message, the parent described their son as 'impulsive and destructive' and said he has caused damage to cars since moving into the complex. 'He has drawn on my car with texta, thrown a few rocks across the front of complex and if a car was parked where this one is it would (have) smashed a window,' the message read adding the child has thrown 'numerous items' from their balcony. 'I know that I have been very vocal about cars parking out the front here and this is a huge factor. I, as a parent of a ADHD/ASD child, I can only pre-empt so much. Please only park here if you're willing to accept damage to your car.' Thousands in the comments were outraged by the 'infuriating' note with many criticising the 'lazy' parent saying they would still be liable for any damage caused to residents' cars. An Australian apartment dweller found the note on his windscreen which said the child had drawn on cars and thrown things from the balcony since moving in 'Doesn't matter if they feel like they've done everything they can, they're still on the hook for damages, even if a kid destroys something by accident. They're not exempt because he's ADHD and autistic,' one person wrote 'How does that absolve you of your parenting duties? You're the adult, you're supposed to be in charge. Control your weird kids, don't write bulls*** notes and think it's all good,' a second responded. 'Parent here to an unstoppable force of a kid. It's preventable. Most things are. Lazy parents are the problem,' a third commented. Poll Is the mum in the wrong? Yes No Is the mum in the wrong? Yes 2630 votes No 380 votes Now share your opinion However some were sympathetic towards the mum. 'Some days it would be easier to have a kid with any other disorder that people understand. Any solution that starts off with 'If the parents just' is just coming from people who haven't lived it,' one woman retaliated. 'Yes, there are s****y parents, which just makes it harder for people to recognise when there are true neurological issues at play,' she continued. The neighbour responded to the backlash saying he spoke to the woman and the pair had a 'decent chat for about 10 minutes'. 'I could see they weren't just projecting their problems onto us, and are genuinely trying to help their child. Context can be hard to read through paper,' he explained. 'We are all parents trying to do our best, and clear and effective communication is the best tool we have.' An Australian man has revealed how he bagged hundreds of dollars worth of Christmas gifts for free by using supermarket rewards schemes. James Wragg, 37, from Queensland, joined Woolworth's Everyday Rewards program in 2008, and saves for Christmas throughout the year. Customers who sign up to the Everyday Rewards scheme get points every time they shop, with those using the Bank of Christmas option only able to cash their points in December. 'The last couple of years I have saved an average of $200-$300 on grocery shopping,' James told Daily Mail Australia. James Wragg, 37, from Queensland, joined Woolworth's Everyday Rewards program in 2008, and saves for Christmas throughout the year 'Last year I also converted my savings into a phone purchase from BIG W that would have cost $549, but only cost $4 for postage thanks to the Everyday Rewards points I accumulated over a six month period.' James also puts cash away every month to make sure he has enough money in time for December. 'I would recommend beginning to save at least six months out from Christmas, especially for those bigger families - the sooner the better! 'I have been saving for Christmas since joining the Everyday Rewards program in 2008, as my goal is to save less in the later months of the year. 'It makes it easier long term on the wallet, with budgeting and of course on my bank account if I ensure I look for ways to save using points systems like Bank For Christmas,' he added. 'I start fresh every year, and try to put away $50 to $100 each week. The key is to stay consistent with your savings over a decent period of time to give yourself the best end of year shop possible.' Customers who sign up to the Everyday Rewards scheme get points every time they shop, with those using the Bank of Christmas option only able to cash their points in December (stock image) New research unveiled by Everyday Rewards to celebrate the launch of Bank for Christmas shows 75 per cent of the nation to be more excited than usual to celebrate silly season this year following two Covid Christmases. Around one in five Australians have already started prepping for Christmas, and almost half have started saving money, with $40million already banked by Everyday Rewards customers and more than 600,000 Everyday Rewards members who are taking advantage of the program's 'Bank For Christmas.' James said that the best way to prep for Christmas is to start early. 'Plain and simple - get it sorted early. Having set goals and targets for your savings well ahead of the silly season will help you plan out all your spending during the busier months. James (pictured) said that the best way to prep for Christmas is to start early 'Using saving promotions such as Everyday Rewards Bank for Christmas will help you get the most out of saving in advance. 'Another great tip is to keep an eye out for online sales earlier in the year so you're not breaking your bank closer to the big day - and make sure you're signed up to mailing lists like Woolies. 'I don't buy a lot of presents, mostly gift vouchers for my mum and some close friends - I'm a huge advocate of "it's the thought that counts". Allowing your friends and family the freedom of choice keeps your pockets fuller and your budget intact - everyone is happy that way! James top tips for prepping for Christmas Dont spend more than your budget allows A gift card is still a gift Planning your shopping on a physical list Get it sorted early Dont lose your head Advertisement 'Gift cards are a great way to let the receiver know you're thinking of them, but also allows them the freedom to choose for themselves. 'These are especially great for your pickier friends and family, no one likes seeing a returned present you spent time and effort on. The best part here is the predetermined pricing - you can't go over budget with a set amount! 'There are often points promotions for gift card transactions if you are an Everyday Rewards member, so keep an eye out for those!' And just like Santa, James says to 'check your list twice' when Christmas shopping. 'Planning your shopping on a physical list will help you out in the long term. 'It's all good and well to add items to your cart online, but having an old school Christmas list you can refer back to will keep you straight. 'Nothing better than the ol' faithful pen and paper, or the excitement you get ticking items off your list as you go on. And just like Santa, James says to 'check your list twice' when Christmas shopping (stock image) 'And don't spend more than your budget allows. Map out what you want to buy prior to actually spending any money. 'You can do this through looking at the relevant websites you need, or going in store and creating a list. Having an idea of your budget in advance will help you keep your Christmas spending under wraps (pun intended). Finally, James says to not lose your head. 'Remain calm, take deep breaths and focus on your tasks as needed. 'If you make the mistake of starting your shopping late and braving the shopping frenzy that is the week before Christmas, bring some headphones to block out the chaos. 'Keep your list in hand and your budget in front of mind - don't let yourself get dragged into the festive mess that is your local shopping centre on Chrissy Eve!' Best friends turned entrepreneurs have described how a love of vintage fashion has transformed into a million-dollar business with their wears being worn by the likes of Alessandra Ambrosio and Nina Dobrev. Vanessa Cave, 34, and Rose Madden, 32, are the proud owners of northern NSW-born store Nine Lives Bazaar, known for its eclectic prints and sustainable fabric choices. After hoarding vintage for years and years without any real purpose Vanessa and Rose decided to create an Etsy store and sell some of their favourite pieces at local village markets in Burleigh and Byron Bay. Vanessa Cave, 34, and Rose Madden, 32, are the proud owners of northern NSW-born store Nine Lives Bazaar (both pictured wearing the label) A number of famous faces including Nina Dobrev (left) and Alessandra Ambrosio (right) have worn the brand 'Our friend who had an established brand at the time mentioned we should start our own brand and that he would give us his contacts if in exchange we would style his office,' Vanessa told FEMAIL. 'What started as designs made from sourced fabrics from the markets in Bali, evolved into us working closely with textile designers to create our own custom printed garments, firstly producing them in Bali and now in China.' The name Nine Lives Bazaar is inspired by the colourful lives of generations that came before us, the mum-of-two said. The moniker comes from the notion that the collections are timepieces and talismans that will fall into nine (or more) hands. The name Nine Lives Bazaar is inspired by the colourful lives of generations that came before us, the mum-of-two said The moniker comes from the notion that the collections are timepieces and talismans that will fall into nine (or more) hands 'We love to dream about who this possession will be passed down to? How many date nights and weddings will it dazzle? What festival grounds will it strut upon?' She said. The pair released their first custom printed range in 2016 and in 2020, during the Covid pandemic, became a fully-fledged company. 'We've very much always designed statement garments that we want to own ourselves with our mantra in mind "more is more, less is a bore,"' Vanessa said. 'We're inspired a lot by vintage pieces - but this time around they are designed to fit and feel a whole lot better on the body. 'When we started the brand we were in our early 20s so the skirts were a lot shorter, the tops more cropped, jumpsuits were our go to and a whole lot of bell sleeves were the heroes of our collections. 'These days you will find a lot more flowy dresses, palazzo pants and button down shirts to accommodate our busy mum lives.' The pair released their first custom printed range in 2016 and in 2020, during the Covid pandemic, became a fully-fledged company Incredibly as the brand has grown, so has their ability to cater to an inclusive size range of six to 20 and represent those who have not been catered for by other similar brands. 'Since our humble beginnings we've grown a seriously engaged community of fellow lovers of locomotion, fiercely bold clothing and unapologetic expression - who just absolutely love what we do,' Vanessa said. 'Each collection launch receives an even more amazing response and sentiment than the last and they're always as excited as we are about what's to come next.' Their best-selling collection was Land of the Sun in 2020. Their best-selling collection was Land of the Sun in 2020 'It was just Rose and I then with newborn babies in tow working from home and we basically fell off our chairs when an entire colourway sold out within five minutes,' she said. 'We put it on pre order again that afternoon and again that sold out in five minutes.' With a growth rate approaching 200 per cent in the past two years Nine Lives Bazaar is gearing up for a busy next quarter with the release of its swimwear made from recycled fishing nets, bridal as well as unique accessories. Former People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Lee Jun-seok, center, leaves the Seoul Southern District Court, Sept. 14, after a hearing on an injunction suspending the enforcement of disciplinary measures against him based on the PPP constitution. Yonhap By Kwon Mee-yoo The ruling People Power Party (PPP) held an emergency ethics committee meeting, Sunday afternoon, and decided to take additional disciplinary measures against its former chairman, Lee Jun-seok. Lee has been under fire for his harsh words against President Yoon Suk-yeol as well as the party. He is also embroiled in a sexual bribery case and questioned by police Saturday for about 12 hours over allegations of receiving sexual services twice in exchange for favors in 2013. In July, the PPP held an ethics committee meeting and suspended Lee's party membership for six months over the bribery investigation, ultimately depriving him of his chairpersonship. Lee Yang-hee, chairperson of the PPP's committee, said a disciplinary procedure is now open over the former chairman's "insulting, reprehensive" words against the party members, which harmed the party's unity as well as prestige, after a three-hour meeting. It is unusual for a party to hold an emergency meeting on a weekend. The meeting came right after Lee was questioned by the police as well as President Yoon's departure for London for a three-nation trip including the United States and Canada. Lee has been consistently critical of the committee, claiming that it is making moves against him while the president is out of the country. "If you examine those people for a few months, they always do something when the president leaves the country or goes somewhere," Lee said during a radio program, Thursday, suggesting the possibility of additional disciplinary action against him as Yoon was scheduled to depart Sunday morning. Ahead of the ethics committee session, Sunday, Lee criticized the committee again on Facebook, blaming it for serving the interests of Yoon's close aides. "They will overplay things once again for the benefit of Yoon's supporters today," Lee wrote, Sunday. Lee Yang-hee, the ethics committee head of the ruling People Power Party, speaks during a press briefing ahead of an emergency meeting, concerning additional punitive measures against former party chairperson Lee Jun-seok, at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday. Joint Press Corps There have been few more influential newspaper proprietors than Lord Northcliffe, founder of the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror and owner of The Times and The Observer. His life story, told in the Andrew Roberts' biography The Chief, portrays a meticulous newspaper man with a passion for campaigning journalism. Roberts doesn't spare the warts but what shone through was The Chief's commitment to accuracy, careful reporting and never giving up. Newspapers are often deprecated for what they do. A public good: Assiduous journalism brought the fraudsters at fintech pioneer Wirecard crashing down and embarrassed German authorities The latest Economist parodies UK titles for 'Pravda' journalism in coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's death. A fuller reading reveals acres of material ranging from royal complicity in colonialism to criticism of that royal miscreant the Duke of York. Investigative and campaigning journalism is a public good. This paper's work on the disgusting prosecution of postmasters and postmistresses by top brass at the Post Office helped to reverse a grave injustice. Similarly, campaigns on fat-cat pay, private equity and foreign takeovers have drawn attention to unedifying failures in modern capitalism. The powerful role which financial journalism can and does play in cleaning up business is central to the documentary Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard, released by Netflix. The film tells the story of how assiduous FT journalism, backed by a determined editor Lionel Barber, brought the fraudsters at fintech pioneer Wirecard crashing down and embarrassed German authorities. It also demonstrated how easily serious investors, auditors and markets can be bamboozled if they don't want to believe something. Wirecard was, for Germany, the gateway to being a senior player in a high-tech world dominated by Silicon Valley. It was a shining enterprise which demonstrated that Teutonic capitalism was much more than just engineering what were pre-Tesla the world's best motor cars. In the pursuit of Wirecard's flaws FT reporters, marshalled by lead sleuth Dan McCrum, travelled to the Philippines and beyond. They established that revenues coming from the Pacific were a chimera. At each stage of their probe the FT team came up against formidable obstacles and intimidation. In 1990, when The Guardian (where I worked) was conducting an investigation into corrupt bank BCCI one of my colleagues was run off the pavement by an approaching car. During the Wirecard probe FT reporters' phones were tapped. Moreover, well-known legal firms sought to silence the FT for trying to bring down a huge company. In Germany politicians take a dim view of hedge funds and short-sellers who profit from firms' falling share prices. As this paper found in the financial crisis, the latter are often the smartest investors. In the investigation of Wirecard it was intrepid short-sellers, from New York to France, who provided the leads and route to the documents which brought the lender down. Skandal is not a slickly made docudrama in the tradition of The Big Short. And the over-familiar relationship between FT journalists and some unsavoury characters in the south of France who made millions of euros after receiving information that the paper would soon be publishing could raise eyebrows. In this case, however, the ends may well justify the means. There are some big takeaways for financial sleuths. The louder the complaints from PRs and lawyers, the more likely it is that you are getting closer to the truth. A 'tent city' has formed on pristine sand dunes at one of Sydney's most popular beaches, with locals living in fear of its homeless occupants, one of whom hurled rocks at a Daily Mail Australia reporter. Several rough sleepers living in the coastal scrub behind Dee Why Beach on the city's Northern Beaches have been vandalising property, stealing from passers-by and intimidating them, locals claim. Vast piles of rubbish, bikes and furniture have built up on the water's edge and locals are worried the homeless will leave Dee Why's reputation in tatters - and damage the delicate lagoon's ecosystem. They also claim some of the homeless occupants are posing as tradies while trying to take items from parked cars and watching beachgoers through binoculars before stealing their belongings. Daily Mail Australia attempted to visit 'tent city' but were verbally abused by one man who pelted rocks at a reporter and photographer. 'F*** off, get out of here... get that camera out of here,' he yelled. A tent city has been forming on the pristine sand dunes of one of Sydney's most popular beaches - with locals concerned over the behaviour of its occupants Pictures from the scene show rubbish strewn throughout the encampment with empty containers, baskets and miscellaneous items packed into the site Some of the residents of the homeless community have been living among the native banksia trees that line the beach for more than two years. Daily Mail Australia understands the group had been living at another location around the Dee Why Lagoon, but moved closer to the beach after a fire. They have occupied different spots around the water, before settling in the current dune area - sandwiched between a sandy coastal track and the beach - with swimmers and surfers just metres away. Photos taken by the Manly Observer show the area strewn with chairs, tents and waste. Ewan Lund, a barista at a beachfront cafe, said he was aware of rough sleepers but said they mostly keep to themselves. 'We know they're there, but you can't see them or the tents from the pathway,' he said. A mismatch of chairs, tables, eskies and crates make up the furniture throughout the rough sleeper's community nestled on Dee Why's sand dunes 'One time we had a guy come in and ask for money, but otherwise you never see them.' A concerned local, who didn't want to be named, said the homeless community had even targeted a pair of women who clean the beach each morning. 'Almost no one knows that they're there unless they've had issues with them. There has been council and police going there but they can't do anything and I think they prefer to have them contained there so they're not causing issues anywhere else,' the resident told the Manly Observer. 'Two ladies you see before sunrise rain or shine walk up and down Dee Why Beach collect every piece of rubbish. They do it out of love for the area. 'Apparently they came out of the camp and threatened the two ladies to go away for getting too close.' Aerial pictures show several campsites scattered throughout the brushland between Dee Why's beach and lagoon There are several bikes and scooters littered around the communities - with locals claiming they have been stolen It's believed the setup has been growing through the pandemic, with three settlements now established on the headland. Images from the scene show a mismatch of chairs, tables, eskies and crates being used as furniture in common areas of the tent city. Rubbish is strewn throughout the campsites, with plastic bottles and tubs lining the floor. There are baskets filled with clothes and other items throughout the community. Ewan Lund, a barista at a beachfront cafe, said he was aware of rough sleepers but said for the most they kept to themselves Sleeping bags can be seen along the ground of the common areas - which may suggest some people sleep outside as well as in tents There are sleeping bags placed along the sand which may suggest people are sleeping on the dunes as well as in tents. One of the tents has a green tarp hung over its roof, attempting to camouflage with its surroundings. There are several bikes, scooters and surfboards packed into the squatters camp - with locals say have been stolen from the nearby carpark. People have witnessed rough sleepers mining the area for unlocked cars and leftover belongings. There are three different campsites situated along the coastline - all within close proximity of beachgoers One campsite has seen people burrow into the sand and hang tarps over the dugout to create a canopy They say they have seen residents from the encampment pose as tradies in high vis vests to not arouse suspicion while attempting to take things from parked vehicles. One person said they witnessed the rough sleepers watching people who had gone into the water with binoculars, before stealing the possessions they left in towels on the sand. NSW Police said there had been no link between the rough sleepers and incidents in the area, but Northern Beaches Council confirmed they had attempted to make contact with those living on the dunes. 'Council is aware of individuals camping at Dee Why Lagoon and is in contact with NSW Police, Community Northern Beaches and Mission Australia who are providing outreach services to the people sleeping rough,' a Council spokesperson said. A pile of rubbish can be seen in one part of the tent city - including what appears to be a beer keg The tent city sits just beyond the beach's southern carpark - with locals saying its occupants can often be seen looking for belongings 'While protection of the Dee Why Lagoon Wildlife Refuge is a priority, Council is working on a balanced solution that manages environmental impacts while being sensitive to the wellbeing of those living in the area.' The council confirmed it could not force the rough sleepers from the dwelling. 'When dealing with people sleeping rough, Council operates in accordance with the Northern Beaches Homeless Persons Protocol. In implementing the Protocol, Council seeks to recognise the rights of homeless people as well as balancing the needs of public space and the environment. 'Council always treats these people with compassion and attempts to refer the individuals with a view to having them engage with appropriate supports.' Residents have complained to the council over the damage the rough sleepers are causing to the native environment Australian motorists are being forced to wait four years for a brand new Toyota LandCruiser due to 'unprecedented global demand', even though the most ordered style has been around for almost 40 years. The LandCruiser was Australia's fifth most popular vehicle in August, with 2,379 orders placed. Motorists wanting the four-wheel drive are even keener on an older, classic Japanese-built model - the 79 Series GXL ute - which has been in production since the mid-1980s. This old-style ute even outsold the latest 300 Series wagon which only went on sale late last year. The 79 Series GXL ute - with its shape dating all the way back to 1984 - was the most popular in the LandCruiser series with 493 of the dual cab version sold last month, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data showed. Buyers so are frustrated with waiting for a brand new one - nominally priced at $75,000 - that late-model second hand models are selling for upwards of $125,000. Australian motorists are waiting four years for a brand new Toyota LandCruiser even though the shape has been around for almost 40 years (pictured is a single cab 79 Series GXL) A Sydney Toyota dealer salesman told Daily Mail Australia the waiting time had stretched out to four years and, last month, they were instructed to stop taking orders for brand new models. 'We've got to stop taking orders because of the current wait time,' he said. 'At the time, we are unable to take orders.' A Toyota spokeswoman said it had been trying to get more stock sent to Australia. 'Demand for new vehicles is at unprecedented levels,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'In Australia, to support the strong demand, Toyota Australia has been continuing to working closely with our global production teams to secure as many vehicles for our market as possible, and minimise any impact. 'Wait times will vary depending on the model, variant and specification requirements of each customer. 'Due to the ever evolving nature of this situation Toyota dealers are best placed to continue to provide updates to our customers on delivery time frames for individual orders.' The Toyota website advises of long waiting times, with a shortage of computer chips and Covid supply restrictions hampering the production of new cars and making used cars more valuable. 'Due to the unprecedented global demand, we are currently experiencing extended wait times,' it said. The majority of new cars sold in Australia are SUVs with motorists overwhelming opting for a modern soft-roader like the Toyota RAV4 or Mazda CX-5, which are in the top 10 of monthly sales charts. But the heavy-duty Toyota LandCruiser, one of the more capable off-road machines, is consistently one of Australia's most popular cars. Despite having outdated features - from a long gear stick to sheet metal lining the door inside - motorists seem to like the no-nonsense reliability and the ability to travel anywhere in Australia. It still has a separate stick for the four-wheel drive transfer case, when most modern SUVs have an electronic rotary dial to switch between high or low ranges for off-roading. In an era where most cars have curves, this LandCruiser has straight lines and gutters above the doors instead of a streamlined exterior. The silver door handles look like something on a 1983 Toyota Corolla. The 79 Series GXL dual cab ute (pictured) - with a shape dating back to 1984 - was the most popular variant with 493 sold, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data showed The LandCruiser name refers to the sleek new 300 Series wagon, which only went on sale last year, and the 70 Series shape - which covers the old-style 79 Series ute. Australia's most popular cars in August 1. TOYOTA HILUX: 6,214 sales 2. FORD RANGER: 4,497 sales 3. TOYOTA RAV4: 2,482 sales 4. TESLA MODEL 3: 2,380 sales 5. TOYOTA LANDCRUISER: 2,379 sales 6. MAZDA CX-5: 2,325 sales 7. TOYOTA COROLLA: 2,115 sales 8. MITSUBISHI TRITON: 2,087 sales 9. HYUNDAI I30: 1,975 sales 10. ISUZU UTE D-MAX: 1,928 sales Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Advertisement This LandCruiser has been the most popular model in every month of 2022, even as queues formed for the latest 300 Series wagon. The 79 Series dual-cab GXL ute version has consistently outsold the more high-profile VX and Sahara models of the new LandCruiser. In 2022 so far, 3,985 of the 79 Series GXL have been ordered, compared with 2,387 for the latest VX and 2,066 for the Sahara. The old-style GXL work horse comes with a 4.5 litre V8 turbo diesel - producing a moderate 151 kilowatts of power - and a touchscreen radio but it still has a retro digital clock and an old-fashioned ignition key instead of a modern stop-start button. The GXL model nominally costs $75,600 new but late-model used examples are being listed for $125,000 on Carsales. The old-style ute was even more popular than the all-new 300 Series LandCruiser wagon, with 493 of the 79 Series GXL dual cab sold last month compared with 407 for the luxury VX model, which is priced from $121,772. The new-shape LandCruiser isn't available with a V8, with Toyota instead fitting them with a V6 twin turbo that is more powerful, with 227kW of power compared with 200kW for the V8 on the discontinued 200 Series. The 79 Series single cab GXL model - in an old shape - was the third most popular LandCruiser with 321 sold in August, with a nominal price of $73,050. This made it even more popular than the all-new 300 Series LandCruiser Sahara, with 319 of them sold despite its $139,832 price tag. The old-style GXL work horse comes with a 4.5 litre V8 turbo diesel - producing a moderate 151 kilowatts of power - and a touchscreen radio but it still has a retro digital clock and an old-fashioned ignition key instead of a modern stop-start button The 79 Series GXL ute LandCruiser has been the most popular variant in every month of 2022, even as queues formed for the latest 300 Series wagon (pictured). The dual-cab GXL has consistently outsold the more high-profile VX and Sahara models of the new LandCruiser The GXL model nominally costs $75,600 new but late-model used examples are being listed for $125,000 on Carsales (example pictured) The old-style LandCruiser is much more popular as a ute than as a wagon with 87 of them in this shape sold in August, not including seven troop carriers. By comparison, 1,166 of the utes were sold in both as single and dual cabs. Toyota markets the old-style LandCruiser as the 70 Series but the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data classifies the ute as the 79 Series and the wagons as the 76 and 78 Series. When this shape first went on sale in 1984 - to replace the much-loved FJ40 LandCruiser - new Australian cars still took leaded petrol and Bob Hawke was prime minister. The internet wasn't available to the public until almost a decade later. A Sydney Toyota dealer salesman told Daily Mail Australia the waiting time had stretched out to four years and last month, they were instructed to stop taking orders The old Land Rover Defender had been in production in the same shape from 1948 until 2016 but since 2018, the LandCruiser 70 Series has been the longest-running vehicle available in Australia. Toyota has been selling four-wheel drives since the debut of the BJ model in 1951. It was renamed the LandCruiser three years later, with 10million vehicles since sold worldwide. A 70th anniversary limited edition of the old-style LandCruiser was released in August last year but they quickly sold out. Former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack has opened up on being one of the last two Coalition MPs to wear a mask in parliament. Anthony Albanese instructed all Labor politicians to wear masks but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton left the decision up to individual MPs. Mask wearing on that side of the chamber peaked at seven in the first week of parliament after the May 21 election during Covid's winter surge. But by September, Mr McCormack, 58, and his Nationals colleague Andrew Gee were the only ones left, with no Liberals joining them. Former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack has opened up on being one of the last two Coalition MPs to wear a mask in parliament (pictured during question time at the last sitting) By September, Mr McCormack, 58, and his Nationals colleague Andrew Gee (circled) were the only ones left, with no Liberals joining them The former transport minister said he was following his interpretation of advice given to MPs by the serjeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives. 'The official advice that we were given as parliamentarians was to take every measure to protect ourselves and others,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'I appreciate that [Labor] members opposite are all wearing masks and I felt it was probably appropriate to do so too.' Mr McCormack said he agreed with Mr Dutton that it was a personal decision and he wouldn't criticise anyone for wearing one or not. 'But I think when we've asked the public to wear masks at certain times, there's an expectation that you will show leadership and do so when the advice to you suggests that you should,' he said of his own motivations. Compulsory mask wearing on planes was scrapped the day after parliament ended and Mr McCormack said he wasn't sure what he would do when it resumed on Friday. 'As the situation evolves, and it is almost on a daily basis, I'll reconsider what I need to do, based on the best advice,' he said. 'When we return it may well be different again... it may be that no one is wearing a mask. I'll weigh up the advice we're given and act accordingly.' None of the Coalition front bench wear a mask in parliament, including Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (right) and Nationals leader David Littleproud (centre) None of the Liberal Party members of the House were wearing masks during the last session He said Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, who doesn't generally wear a mask in parliament, was the only one who made a comment to him either way about it. 'She asked my why I was wearing it and I told her and she thought that was fair enough,' he said. Mr McCormack said he usually didn't wear a mask at the shops but always had one in his pocket and put it on if he saw someone coughing or if it was crowded. 'I can tell you I've whipped it out and put it on, just to be sure, particularly if it's a smaller store,' he said. 'There's not a a lot of people out in the public wearing masks in supermarkets and so on and I get everyone is weary and tired of it.' However, he said Australians needed to stay vigilant about Covid as the pandemic was not over and could surge again at any time. 'We've lost almost 14,500 people to Covid and a lot of people are still contracting it and have died and are dying from it, so it's still a concern,' he said. 'People need to continue to get vaccinated and there could be more, deadlier strains on the way, and that's a concern, but we as a nation have done reasonably well considering at one point there were predictions of 50,000 deaths.' Mr McCormack said he was yet to catch Covid and that was a factor in his decision to keep wearing a mask when his colleagues didn't. 'I'm not fearful of contracting Covid, obviously I don't want to get it - it affects people in different ways - I've just been lucky I haven't yet contracted it,' he said. He said he wasn't sure he hadn't had an asymptomatic case but had been tested so many times it would likely have shown up. The only time Mr Dutton (left) was photographed with a mask in parliament was at a Cancer Council lunch with Mr McCormack (right). This was also the photo Mr McCormack lamented as he was struggling with his mask so much it looked like a blindfold Doggedly adhering to mask wearing advice hasn't prevented him from criticism, however, starting with the first day of parliament when his mask broke and he was photographed bare-faced. 'The thing broke and I couldn't actually leave the chamber. My office receive a few calls saying well we're expected to wear masks (so why aren't you),' he said. The veteran politicians said he was also amused that in that first week he was criticised for pulling his mask down to interject. 'I can tell you want, there's been a lot of members who have done the same thing, including Labor senior ministers,' he said. Another time an embarrassing photograph was taken of him struggling to put one on, so much so it looked like he was wearing it as a blindfold. 'Even my wife mocked me for that one,' he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton shook hands at St Andrews Presbyterian Church during the traditional service before the opening of Parliament. Mr Albanese wore a mask but Mr Dutton did not Only seven Coalition MPs wore masks on the first day of parliament. Mr McCormack was criticised by his constituents for not being one of them, but revealed it was only because his mask broke Mr McCormack also noted it seemed incongruous that MPs wore masks in the chamber but there were hundreds of people in one room at the Midwinter Ball and other events and no one was. The difference between the prime minister and Mr Dutton's views on Covid were never more stark than the opening of parliament when they shook hands at the traditional church service with one mask between them. The only time Mr Dutton was photographed wearing a mask since then was when he and Mr McCormack attended a Cancer Council lunch that week. 'It was a health thing and I think everyone was wearing one so I think he thought if everyone else was wearing one he should too,' he explained. Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors have released images and details of a Russian 'torture chamber' they found in a newly liberated village. Officials said the grim basement in Kozacha Lopan, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, was where Russian forces tormented military and civilian prisoners. One image showed a Soviet-era military telephone which they claimed was used as the power source for a yellow wire which was connected to metal clips to electrocute prisoners during interrogation. The basement also had a room with prison-style bars. In recent days, testimonies have emerged from Ukrainians saying they were electrocuted, burned and beaten by Russian soldiers demanding the names and addresses of senior military figures in the region. Prosecutors have documented the atrocities, which included torture chambers as well as mass graves. They have so far exhumed more than 60 bodies of both soldiers and civilians from a burial site thought to contain at least 450 graves in a forest on the edge of Izyum in Kharkiv The Kremlin troops who were occupying Kharkiv, in the north-east of the country, have dropped their weapons and fled in the last couple of weeks after Ukraine's counter-offensive. The attack has rapidly retaken over 3,000 square miles of territory that was lost to Vladimir Putin's forces earlier this year. But the Ukrainian soldiers' joy quickly turned to grief as they uncovered evidence of Russian war crimes. Prosecutors have documented the atrocities, which included torture chambers as well as mass graves. They have so far exhumed more than 60 bodies of both soldiers and civilians from a burial site thought to contain at least 450 graves in a forest on the edge of Izyum in Kharkiv. Some bodies showed signs of torture, with their hands tied behind their backs and ropes around their necks, it was claimed. Others revealed injuries consistent with rocket or shelling attacks. The EU has called for an international war crimes tribunal to be set up to probe Russia's actions during its seven-month invasion. Following its hasty retreat on the battlefield, Russia has escalated its shelling of Ukrainian towns and cities from within its own borders President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of genocide in his TV address on Saturday and said it will answer for its crimes 'both on the battlefield and in the courtroom'. He added: 'More than ten torture chambers have already been found in the liberated areas in Kharkiv.' And a resident of nearby Kupyansk gave a horrifying account of the torture methods allegedly used on him. He said he was electrocuted for 40 minutes, adding: 'They shot me either with a pneumatic gun or a gas gun, I don't know I was in a bag. [People] were beaten with bats or iron pipes.' The EU has called for an international war crimes tribunal to be set up to probe Russia's actions during its seven-month invasion. Following its hasty retreat on the battlefield, Russia has escalated its shelling of Ukrainian towns and cities from within its own borders. Several deaths, including those of four doctors and a nine-year-old girl, were reported in the Kharkiv region. The UK's Ministry of Defence yesterday said Russia was 'prepared to strike in an attempt to undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government'. A newborn baby that died in jail less than two weeks after being born to her drug addicted mother never stood a chance. In death, the fragile little girl can still only be referred to as 'Baby A' - her name suppressed by a justice system that now pontificates on the merit of protecting the safety of her parents. It is a pseudonym as cold as the compassion shown to the newborn by a justice system still confused about what it's obligations to her life actually were. A bird's eye view of Melbourne's notorious Dame Phyllis Frost Centre. It houses some of Australia's worst female prisoners Babies are made to wait for treatment inside Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Melbourne. On Monday, Victorian Coroner John Olle began the important task required to not only answer that question, but work out how and why Baby A came to die in custody. The inquest comes almost three years after an investigation by Daily Mail Australia exposed the needless tragedy. 'Baby A' was just 12 days old when she died inside the dedicated 'Mothers and Children Units' at Victoria's Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in 2018. The jail houses some of the nation's deadliest women, including gangland matriarch Judy Moran and the 'Black Widow' serial killer Robyn Lindholm. Baby A had been born at the Sunshine Hospital on August 6. Her mother, who cannot be named, was in custody on remand throughout the pregnancy and had been under the care of midwives. At the time, she was taking methadone to manage her addiction to heroin and methamphetamines - the deadly drug known as ice. Baby A was born by C section after an attempt to induce her failed. She spent eight days in hospital, much of it in the special care nursery, where she was treated for jaundice and monitored for signs of methadone withdrawal. On August 14 mum and baby were allowed to live together at Dame Phyliss Frost despite concerns by medical staff that all was not well. The very next day Baby A was back at hospital after being assessed by the visiting midwife as having lost further weight and showing signs of jaundice. Baby A and her mother spent a further two nights together in hospital before again being discharged back to the prison despite the concerns of worried staff. She would be dead by the next morning. Why clearly struggling mums and newborn babies are allowed to live together in jail is not something the coroner will be investigating. It is only the circumstances surrounding Baby A's untimely death that is within his scope. Baby A's cause of death has been determined as SIDS category 2, which is a term used by experts for otherwise unexplained deaths of children aged under three weeks of age. Her mother had been in jail on drug charges and had a shocking history of drug abuse. Victorian health department child protection workers never wanted Baby A placed in Dame Phyliss Frost with her mother. Women live together in large groups inside the women's prison Dame Phyllis Frost Centre now contains a room that no other inmate dares sleep inside of. It is the room where a newborn baby died On May 20 the person responsible for the prison program emailed members of a steering committee, which included a Corrections Victoria representative, seeking their agreement to support the application. 'For reasons which are unclear' the email did not go to the child protection representative. Other members of the committee supported the application, as did the general manager of the jail after a meeting she had with Baby As mother on May 25. On May 30 Baby A's doom was sealed. While child protection workers eventually found out Baby A had been moved to jail, they failed to lift a finger to express concern. Counsel assisting the coroner Rachel Ellyard told the court it appeared there was 'acquiescence in the decision'. 'Certainly, it seems that later on, a belief that Child Protection knew of and approved the decision may have influenced the decision making of others,' she said. HOSPITAL STAFF AND BABY A'S DEMISE The coroner heard that the decision to discharge Baby A was made in the context of her mothers distress at the thought that Baby A might remain in hospital without her, and where Baby A was still underweight and medically compromised. The coroner was told those making or contributing to discharge decisions did not appear to consider Baby A was at any risk being discharged to her mothers care in prison and that they may have been influenced by a belief that there would be supports for them in the prison and that Child Protection had no concerns. Advertisement 'It appears on the evidence that there was a clear view that having her child with her in custody would be of great benefit to Baby As mother ... it is less clear what attention was given to the potential risks to Baby A or the particular needs she might have and whether they could be met in a prison setting.' Alarm bells had been ringing among hospital staff upon Baby A's birth. Her mother resisted advice from nurses and doctors about safe sleeping practices, preferring to hold her baby. Upon her first discharge, Baby A weighed 2550 grams, a 13.5 percent weight loss since birth and eight grams less than the last weight a day earlier. The weight loss was noted by nursing staff and drawn to the attention of the paediatric registrar, but the doctor who discharged her appeared unaware of the weight loss. Back in jail, Baby A was effectively at the mercy of her mother. The unit did not include supervision or support from a nurse or other trained professionals. Prison officers were not trained to provide support or supervision, and for the most part women were entirely responsible for the care of their infant, Ms Ellyard said. Dame Phyllis Frost Centre can hold 604 inmates and contains a dedicated unit for mothers and their children, from babies up to to pre-schoolers Within days Baby A was back in hospital. Again she was discharged despite the concerns of some hospital staff, who noted while she had gained a small amount of weight, was still well under her birth weight at 10 days of age. Hours later Baby A was dead. On Thursday, an inmate referred to as 'Alice' told the inquest that prison nurse Georgina Melody refused to assist the newborn after an inmate had been forced to administer CPR. 'The nurse just said "Oh I'm sorry". That was it ... she did not touch the baby,' Alice said. Alice had been the first inmate to hear Baby A's mother scream for help about 5.30am. 'Baby's not breathing,' the desperate mum shouted. While other mother's caged within the unit flew into a panic, Alice tried desperately to get prison guards to open the door and provide help. 'They kept hanging up on me,' Alice said. 'They said they'd called a code and said we'd just have to wait ... we didn't know what to do.' Alice said when prison staff became frustrated with her repeated calls they cut the intercom to the room. The court heard the prison guards stood by and watched as another inmate, referred to as 'Donna', performed CPR on the baby. 'They said they needed permission to open up,' Alice said. When prison staff finally entered the unit, Alice claimed they treated the hysterical mother with cold disregard. 'There was no comforting,' she said. 'Someone asked her where the baby had been sleeping.' Coroner Olle heard mothers sharing the unit had been warned to always ensure their babies slept in their cot - never in bed with them. It was a rule often ignored after the mothers were sealed within the unit at 7pm each night, Alice claimed. The inquest was told Baby A was spotted lying alone on her mother's bed just hours before she would die, although her mother maintains she had been sleeping in her cot. Inside Dame Phyllis Frost: Inmates were forced into lockdown for four days after a baby died in the dedicated Mothers and Children Units in August last year The coroner heard while Ms Melody refused to provide CPR to the baby, firefighters who later attended the unit worked frantically to try and revive her. Beth, not her real name, told the inquest inmates pleaded with the guards to 'open the f**king door'. 'Everyone was panicking,' she said. The young mother further claimed their babies were all but abandoned by their jailers after dark. 'At night it is quite difficult for us especially when the baby gets sick or has a temperature,' Beth said. 'We press the intercom, we wait for confirmation and then they need to do something, but at least it's half an hour or one hour they will bring Panadol for the kids and then log book and everything needs to be done - it's quite difficult - but this happens at night time.' Donna told the inquest Baby A had appeared fine on the night she would die. The court heard Baby A's mother had only returned from hospital that afternoon and went on a cleaning frenzy while holding her before going to bed. It was Donna who rushed to the baby's aid to perform CPR upon hearing her mother's cries for help. 'My maternal instincts kicked in,' she said. 'All of the other mums were just standing around.' Donna told the court she feared Baby A might already have been dead. 'There was no life. She felt like a rubber doll ... I could see the baby was gone. It was too late.' Inside a standard prison cell within the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre. A coroner is expected to investigate how a baby died within its concrete walls The inquest heard Baby A's mum had earlier expressed a desire to return from hospital with her baby despite fears from hospital staff that she was dangerously underweight. Alice claimed Baby A's mum had told her hospital staff had demanded her baby consume a full bottle of baby formula before they would allow her to go back to jail. When Baby A's mother became agitated, she was handcuffed to a bed, Alice claimed. The court heard the prison nurse's decision not to assist the baby shocked not only the baby's mother, but prison staff and investigators. In a gut wrenching impact statement, the baby's mother addressed her dismay at the alleged failure of her jailers to help. 'I still cannot understand why none of the staff did CPR or anything for the baby until the firefighters arrived,' she told the court. Multiple prison guards expressed similar concern about the nurse's alleged failure to provide assistance to the baby. 'I did not see the nurse perform any CPR on the child. I found this to be quite distressing to witness,' one guard said. 'I was surprised and distressed by this lack of action,' another said. A prison operation supervisor told the inquest he too was upset about Ms Melody's 'inaction' on the night. 'I was taken aback by the fact that nobody was giving medical treatment to the baby,' he said. The inquest continues. Yeshiva University has abruptly suspended student club activity in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this week that ordered the school to recognize - for now - an LGBTQ student group. In an email to students, university officials on Friday said that it 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 YU's religious freedom.' On Wednesday, the high court cleared the way for the LGBTQ group, YU Pride Alliance, to gain official recognition from the Jewish university in New York. The undergraduate group describes itself as 'a supportive space for all students, of all sexual orientations and gender identities, to feel respected, visible, and represented.' Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Managing Director of the Coalition for Jewish Values was surprised by the New York judge's decision: 'The NY judge was prepared to override the religious nature of the university and force what they now consider to be the American standard of acceptance of LGBT and promoting its activity as something to be celebrated by a campus organization' The Jewish school in New York City is refusing to formally recognize an LGBT student group because they say doing so would 'violate its religious values' Spokespeople for the university did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Saturday. By a 5-4 vote Wednesday, the justices lifted a temporary hold on a court order that requires Yeshiva University to recognize the group, even as a legal fight continues in New York courts. Two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, sided with the court's three liberal justices to form a majority. The disagreement among the justices appears to be mostly about procedure, with the majority writing in a brief unsigned order that Yeshiva should return to state court to seek quick review and temporary relief while the case continues. If it gets neither from state courts, the school can return to the Supreme Court, the majority wrote. The president of the university, Rabbi Ari Berman, said that faith-based universities have the right to establish clubs but only within its understanding of the Torah The case was being closely watched by other faith-based institutions. Following the ruling, the president of the university, Rabbi Ari Berman, said that faith-based universities have the right to establish clubs within its understanding of the Torah. 'Yeshiva University simply seeks that same right of self-determination,' he said. 'The Supreme Court has laid out the roadmap for us to find expedited relief and we will follow their instructions.' Berman also said the university's 'commitment and love for our LGBTQ students are unshakeable.' Nevertheless, a lawyer for the students said the university's action Friday was divisive and 'shameful.' 'The Pride Alliance seeks a safe space on campus, nothing more. By shutting down all club activities, the YU administration attempts to divide the student body, and pit students against their LGBT peers,' said the lawyer, Katie Rosenfeld. The university, an Orthodox Jewish institution in New York, argued that granting recognition to the Pride Alliance, 'would violate its sincere religious beliefs' The university's tactic, she said, 'is a throwback to 50 years ago when the city of Jackson, Mississippi closed all public swimming pools rather than comply with court orders to desegregate.' The university, an Orthodox Jewish institution in New York, argued that granting recognition to the Pride Alliance, 'would violate its sincere religious beliefs.' The club argued that Yeshivas plea to the Supreme Court was premature, also noting the university already has recognized a gay pride club at its law school. A New York state court sided with the student group and ordered the university to recognize the club immediately. The matter remains on appeal in the state court system, but judges there refused to put the order on hold in the meantime. Seventeen cats were killed at a Los Angeles pet hotel and a firefighter was injured early Saturday when a blaze ripped through a strip mall without any sprinklers. More than 120 firefighters were dispatched to the blaze in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles after a passerby reported the fire around 5:45 am, said Brian Humphrey, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson. The fire was confined to a few structures, but heavy smoke poured through adjacent businesses including the pet hotel called Cat Place LA, Humphrey said. 'Sadly, 17 cats perished at the scene. Two were rescued and saved,' said Humphrey, who added that firefighters tried to revive the stricken cats but were ultimately unsuccessful. There were no civilian injuries and the cause of the blaze was not known. The injured firefighter was taken to a nearby hospital and was expected to survive, Humphrey said. Seventeen cats died in a fire that spread to their pet hotel at a Los Angeles strip The felines were staying at the cage-free Cat Place LA pet hotel As 120 firefighters worked to combat the flames, one of them was left injured Officials said it took firefighters 70 minutes to fully extinguish the fire, with officials noting that 'none of the involved businesses were equipped with optional fire sprinklers.' The two cats that survived were given to the facility's owner and put in veterinary care. Their condition was not known, Humphrey said. According to the pet hotel's website, Cat Place LA is a 'luxury cage-free hotel exclusively for cats.' A GoFundMe page has been started for the business to raise $2,000 to help the owners of the facility. A message left with the pet hotel was not immediately returned. A GoFundMe page has been started for the business to raise $2,000 to help the owners Firefighters said they worked to try to resuscitate the cats, but to no avail. Pictured: Guests at the Cat Place LA enjoying a meal in the free roaming facility Two cats were saved from the fire and taken to vets. Pictured: a pair of cats enjoying hammocks at the pet hotel before the fire devastated it Mohammed Zulfi, the owner of tobacco shop in the strip mall, said he was devastated by the fire, which took out his store and others at the location. 'I work hard. It's gone, everything,' Zulfi told KTLA. 'My mind is not good right now. I'm very upset right now. You work hard and you don't have anything to do.' The Downing Street Chief of Staff - one of the most powerful men in Britain - has been interviewed by the FBI over an alleged conspiracy to bribe an American politician and influence an election. Mark Fullbrook, who is Prime Minister Liz Truss's closest advisor, has been spoken to as a witness in a US Department of Justice (DoJ) and FBI investigation involving a London-based businessman accused of bribing a US politician. Federal agents contacted their counterparts in the UK's National Crime Agency and Scotland Yard to arrange an interview with the 60-year-old advisor, who previously worked with Brexit-winning Australian election guru Sir Lynton Crosby. According to the Sunday Times, Fullbrook, who is married to former Tory MP Lorraine Fullbrook, has been co-operating as a witness with the FBI and has retained a top white collar US law firm. Fullbrook strongly denies any wrongdoing. Fullbrook's wife was elevated to the House of Lords by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019. Chief of Staff Mark Fullbrook, pictured leaving Number 10 on September 7, is co-operating with the FBI concerning an investigation into a Tory party donor who allegedly paid a $300,000 bribe to Puerto Rico's governor Fullbrook, who was working for Sir Lynton Crosby's CT Group at the time of the 2020 campaign, met with Mayfair based Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, who is central to the alleged bribery scandal. US prosecutors claim Herrera channeled the cash through Sir Lynton's firm Fullbrook, pictured, strongly denies any wrongdoing and is co-operating with the FBI US officials are investigating allegations that the London-based owner of a Puerto Rican bank, Bancredito, Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, also known as Julio Herrera, allegedly bribed island's then governor, Wanda Vazquez Garced, 62 US officials are investigating allegations that the London-based owner of a Puerto Rican bank, Bancredito, Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, also known as Julio Herrera, allegedly bribed island's then governor, Wanda Vazquez Garced, 62. Prosecutors claim Mayfair based Herrera Velutini, and former FBI agent, Mark Rossini offered the former governor a $300,000 bribe through Crosby's company to help with her failed re-election campaign in 2020 - a charge strongly denied by Fullbrook. Domestically, records held by the Electoral Commission show that a company founded by Herrera has donated 650,604 to the Conservative Party between December 2019 and June 2022. Federal prosecutors claim Herrera offered the bribe to Vazquez to sack her financial watchdog who was investigating his bank. The Tory party donor wanted to replace the public official with someone of his choosing. Prosecutors also said Herrera and Rossini attempted to bribe Vazquez's replacement, named as 'Public Official A' in court documents. Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced, pictured, is accused by the FBI of accepting the bribe Prime Minister Liz Truss appointed Fullbrook to run her successful Downing St campaign and then rewarded him by making him her chief of staff. Puerto Rico's current governor, Pedro Pierluisi, is not under investigation, authorities said. Vazquez, Herrera and Rossini have all been charged with conspiracy, federal programs bribery and honest services wire fraud, which, according to the US DoJ could lead to a 20-year jail term in a federal penitentiary upon conviction. Court records in the United States allege the Puerto Rican cash was paid through CT Group, the Australian-British lobbying firm founded by Sir Lynton Crosbie, who had employed Fullbrook as the company's chief global project officer. According to the Sunday Times, prosecutors have received hundreds of emails from Fullbrook relating to his work in the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan. Fullbrook strongly denies carrying out any work on behalf of Vazquez during her re-election campaign. Commenting on the investigation, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. said: 'The alleged bribery scheme rose to the highest levels of the Puerto Rican government, threatening public trust in our electoral processes and institutions of governance. 'The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable those who wrongly believe there is one rule of law for the powerful and another for the powerless. No one is above the rule of law.' US Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow said: 'The criminal actions of the defendants in this case strike a blow to the heart of our democracy and further erode the confidence of our citizens in their institutions of governance. 'Our resolve to bring to justice those entrusted by the public to serve with integrity and who violate that trust remains steadfast. Equally steadfast is our resolve to prosecute those who seek to use their wealth and power to enrich themselves at the expense of honest government. I commend the dedication and hard work of the law enforcement personnel and prosecutors in this case, as well as those individuals willing to come forward and cooperate.' Fullbrook, who ran Liz Truss's successful leadership campaign, addressed staff in Downing Street on Tuesday where he said his intention was to turn 'a two-year administration into a seven-year administration'. Whitehall insiders, according to the Sunday Times, said the investigation creates 'countless problems', with claims that Fullbrook might not be able to secure top-level security clearance. Following her first court appearance, Vazquez said: 'I have not committed any crime. They have committed a great injustice by filing these charges.' Herrera's attempts to bribe the current governor to end the audit of Bancredito were unsuccessful, authorities say, as his contact allegedly representing the governor was actually acting on behalf of the FBI. Two others pleaded guilty for their involvement in the scheme in March. Frances Diaz, former president and chief executive officer of Bancredito, conspired with Herrera and others to bribe the current governor, officials say. Meanwhile, another of Vazquez's campaign coordinators, John Blakeman, conspired with Herrera and Rossini to bribe Vazquez and with Herrera to bribe her successor, according to the Department of Justice. The two face up to five years in prison, though their sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled. Vazquez, as well as Herrara and Rossini, could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Stephen Muldrow said. In Vazquez's first appearance in court, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Puerto Rico Camille Velez-Rive ruled the former governor could be released on $50,000 bail on the condition she hand over her passport. A representative of Fullbrook said: 'Our client was not involved in the illegal conduct being alleged and is not being investigated in relation to it. 'He is merely a witness to it and has and is fully co-operating with the relevant US law enforcement authorities. Any allegation that he is unfit to hold the position of Chief of Staff is wholly untrue.' The representative stressed that Fullbrook 'had absolutely no knowledge of any alleged bribery or corruption when CT Group contracted to provide service to Julio Herrerara Velutini. They also said he did not carry out any work for Vazquez Garced, politician allegedly being bribed. Number 10 refused to comment on the story. Three people were killed on Saturday when two small planes collided in midair over Boulder County, Colorado, crashing into an open field and leaving two separate crash sites, local authorities said. Shortly before 9am, police 'received multiple emergency phone calls' from witnesses who saw the two aircraft collide about 30 miles north of Denver, the Boulder County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. Aerial footage shows the moment first responders arrived at the crash site where one of the planes laid wrecked in the middle of an open field, while the other landed in nearby trees. When first responders came across the site, both people onboard the plane were dead, police said. The pilot of the second downed plane, who was the sole occupant, also was dead when emergency crews reached the wreckage. Two small planes collided in midair over Boulder County, Colorado, on Saturday morning. Pictured: First responders arriving at the scene of one of the crashes One of the planes went down in a field, while the other, (above) crashed into nearby trees The plane in the field (above) had two occupants, both of whom died in the crash. The sole occupant of the second plane was also killed in the collision None of the victims were immediately identified. Sean Tufts, who called 911 as he watched one of the planes go down, noted there was no explosion from the crash. 'It looked like it was in trouble, [be]cause planes don't go straight down,' Tufts told KDVR. 'There was no fire ball, nothing, it just crumpled.' Cary Hayes, who lives across from where one of the planes crashed on Niwot Road, said she heard the crash from her home and learned what happened from a neighbor who witnessed it. 'It's scary. It's super scary,' Hayes told KDVR. 'It happened right across the street from my house.' The two aircraft were a Cessna 172 and a Sonex Xenos, the National Transportation Safety Board said as it investigates the cause of the crash None of the three victims from the crash were immediately identified The two aircraft were a Cessna 172 and a Sonex Xenos, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement, adding that investigators are probing what led up to the accident. The Sonex Xenos is a lightweight aluminum, homebuilt aircraft, according to the company's website. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a single-engine airplane that seats four. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the planes collided near the Vance Brand Airport, a general aviation airport in Longmont, Colorado. The southern coast of Jeju Island brims with high waves, Sunday, as Typhoon Nanmadol approaches the country from the south. Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan Just two weeks after Korea reeled under Typhoon Hinnamnor, a super typhoon that hit the southern parts of the country, another large-scale typhoon was headed northbound. The typhoon was expected to impact Jeju Island and the southern regions of Korea but it veered off eastbound earlier than previously forecast, moving farther away from Jeju, according to the KMA on Sunday evening. But the typhoon was still expected to maintain its intensity until late Sunday, generating heavy rain and strong winds. Typhoon Nanmadol arrived some 10 kilometers southeast of the Japanese prefecture of Kagoshima as of 7 p.m. on Sunday, with wind speeds peaking at 49 meters per second. The typhoon's eye was about 430 kilometers south of Jeju Island's southern Seogwipo City and Busan. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast the typhoon's eye to reach some 520 kilometers southwest of Osaka and turn eastward Monday morning around 6 a.m., putting most of Japan directly under its influence. Korea's central disaster safety control authority increased the level of warning against Nanmadol from Level 1 to Level 2 at noon on Sunday. The authority expanded the caution as the typhoon's impact on the country was forecast to grow to its maximum around midnight. The typhoon's intensity was expected to continue as "very strong" with wind speeds between 44 m/s and 53 m/s. But by Monday morning, the intensity is expected to be reduced to "strong" with wind speeds between 33 m/s and 43 m/s. Jeju weather officials had issued warnings against strong winds and high waves in the southern ocean on Sunday. But as the typhoon shifted east earlier than expected into Sunday, the authority called off the warnings past noon the same day. But the entire Jeju region was still expected to experience strong winds until Monday morning. Fishing vessels are docked at Seogwipo Port on Jeju Island, Sunday, to take shelter from Typhoon Nanmadol. Yonhap The typhoon shut down eight of nine maritime travel routes connecting Jeju to other nearby islands and put 11 out of 12 ships out of service. Some 1,000 fishing vessels at the island's ports have been docked and one of seven trekking routes on Mount Halla has been banned from entry. After forming in the ocean off the Philippines on Sept. 13, Nanmadol developed into a typhoon the following day and started moving north with a "weak" intensity and wind speeds of between 17 m/s and 24 m/s. The intensity grew to very strong on Sunday morning. President Yoon Suk-yeol told his officials to remain wary of Nanmadol as he stepped on the presidential jet Sunday morning to leave for the U.K., his first stop on a weeklong official trip. Yoon instructed Interior Minister Lee Sang-min to prepare the country for the approaching typhoon, according to Lee Jae-myeong, the vice-spokesperson of the presidential office. With much of the country's essential industrial infrastructure still recovering from the impact of Hinnamnor, including a POSCO steel plant in North Gyeongsang Province, the president ordered the interior minister to "thoroughly prepare for the typhoon at all costs as the country has been under threats from back-to-back natural disasters." President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, shakes hands with Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, before boarding the presidential jet to leave for the U.K., Sunday. First lady Kim Keon-hee is on the right. Yonhap Another 260 will get $1,000 a month for 12 months and 300 will get $50 stipends to complete surveys to help see how the program is working The program will be divided into three groups with 260 receiving $6,500 upfront then $500 a month for 12 months The program, which in total will cost around $9million, is seeking to help around 820 people, but the $2million provided by the city will fund around 140 people The participants will be chosen at random but will largely be women, transgender and non-binary individuals Denver has allocated $2million from the American Rescue Plan Act to fund the program, which will be run by the Denver Basic Income Project Denver is set to provide 140 homeless transgender and non-binary people with $12,000 in no-strings-attached cash to help lift them out of destitution - and combat the squalid encampments and soaring crime rates plaguing the Mile-High City. The city has allocated $2million from the American Rescue Plan Act to fund the program, which will be run by the Denver Basic Income Project to mainly get women, transgender and non-binary people housed. The total program, which will cost up to $9million, is seeking to help around 820 people, but the $2million provided by the city will fund around 140 people. The rest of the money will be raised through charitable foundations, including the Colorado Health Foundation and the Denver Foundation, Denver Basic Income Project founder Mark Donovan told Axios Denver. Around 4,700 households are experiencing homelessness in Denver as of January 2022. The participants - which will mainly be women, transgender and gender non-confirming individuals - will be chosen at random after applying and will more than likely begin receiving payments starting in November, according to ABC 7 Denver. Denver Basic Income Project founder Mark Donovan (pictured) and his team will provide 820 homeless people with money. 520 of them will receive $12,000 each over the course of a year as part of a study to see if a basic income system would help with housing and mental health 'The pandemic has had a really big impact on the state of homelessness in our community that we've seen increased numbers of families seeking shelter, as well as, an increase number of women using our shelter system,' Angie Nelson, deputy director of Housing Stability and Homelessness Resolution, told ABC 7. The program is divided into three different groups, with 260 receiving $6,500 up front and then getting $500 a month for 12 months; another 260 will receive $1,000 a month for 12 months; and the control group of 300 will get a $50-a-month stipend to complete surveys. All participants will also get a free cell phone and a year of service. In addition, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless will track how people use the money, as well as help participants get the things they need - such as furniture and kitchen supplies - and places to stay. Denver has around 4,700 households experiencing homelessness The program is divided into three different groups, with 260 receiving $6,500 up front and then getting $500 a month for 12 months; another 260 will receive $1,000 a month for 12 months; and the control group of 300 will get a $50-a-month stipend to complete surveys Nelson said some of the participants will come from those already using the city's shelter services, but they cannot have severe mental health or substance issues, according to Axios Denver. 'The Denver Basic Income Project is an opportunity to explore how the philanthropic community and the private sector can augment public support for those living in poverty, particularly our unhoused neighbors, and extend that hand up to stability,' Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said in a statement. The point of the program is to study whether or not the income will provide people with housing stability and better mental health. The University of Denver's Center for Housing and Homelessness Research will conduct the research. However, the study's results will not be known until 2024. Donovan expects around 100 cities to join in on the program by the end of the year. 'It's a growing movement,' Donovan told Axios Denver. 'The reason that there is so much activity is it's working.' Denver follows Chicago and Los Angeles, which have already launched universal basic income programs. Chicago is distributing $30million among 5,000 participants in $500 monthly installments. Los Angeles launched a program in August, giving a 1,000 participants $1,000 a month for three years. Critics of of the programs worry the free money will lead to people taking advantage of the system and lazier workers. Angie Nelson, deputy director of Housing Stability and Homelessness Resolution, said that some of the participants will derive from those already using the shelter system. Participants will also be largely women, transgender and gender non-confirming individuals However, a study conducted by Vox, found otherwise. Since 1982, Alaskan citizens have received between $1,000 to $2,000 annually from the Alaska Permanent Fund, which has wiped out extreme poverty, according to Vox. When economists researched employee behavior with the stipends, they found 'the dividend had no effect on employment.' Other countries like Canada, Brazil, and Germany have also tried a basic income program throughout different time periods. A man went berserk while wielding an axe in a New York McDonald's - and it was all caught on camera. The video, shot at the Delancey Street McDonald's on Manhattan's Lower East Side, begins midway through an argument between a black man and a group of people who were dining-in at the restaurant. A brawl then breaks out in which several individuals are seen attacking the suspect, identified as Michael Palacios, 31, who is then pushed up against a garbage can - he remains relatively static but smirking throughout. He appears to accept his blows, but it soon becomes clear he has other ideas in mind. A dispute at a New York McDonald's turned physical, with the three men smacking and punching Palacios who stands, apparently unaffected by the assault Michael Palacios, 31, then puts down his backpack and removes an axe, which he uses to threaten his attackers Video on social media shows the axe-wielding man going on a rampage inside a McDonald's on Delancey Street on the Lower East Side After the punches subside, Palacios walks around, takes off his backpack out of which he pulls an axe which he begins wielding in the air and threatens those around him. The three others with whom he had been fighting with quickly run for cover with some hiding in a disabled toilet, while others run to the back of the restaurant in the hope of escaping. But the aggressor appears to have a score to settle and begins using his axe to destroy furniture causing thousands of dollars of damage. He is seen throwing the ax down against several of the restaurants tables which are smashed into tiny pieces. He also slams the axe against a glass panel which shatters immediately on impact. Palacios can be seen smashing up the furniture of the McDonald's including a glass panel Patrons at the branch of McDonald's cowered as they were threatened by the axeman Palacios also turned his attention to other diners in the restaurant The man then takes time to threaten those with whom he had been fighting with earlier shoving the axe in their faces, although not actually hitting any of them with it. Nevertheless, those who are faced with a madman holding the weapon are understandably scared and attempt to reason with him, urging him to calm down. 'Bro, please! You better chill!,' pleaded one man. Palacios then went over to one woman who appeared stunned shouting 'Don't be afraid of me, be afraid of him!' Palacios could be seen approaching those he was fighting with and threatening them with the axe The suspect also punched other people, knocking one man off his chair Palacios appeared extremely angry as he threw his axe down hard onto the furniture The anger on display is significant as the axman continues to smash up tables and then punches another of the diners who is sitting at his table with his girlfriend, knocking him to the floor. Other diners in the restaurant appear to be completely powerless in their attempt to stop him from doing further damage. Eventually the man feels he has made his point and simply grabs his backpack, his bicycle and walks out of the restaurant. Incredibly, nobody was hurt in the incident, according to the NYPD. Palacios has been charged with criminal mischief, three counts of menacing and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. On Saturday, Palacios appeared to be bragging about the encounter on his Instagram. One woman attempted to prevent the pair getting physical. Smashed glass is seen all around Palacios then walked out with his axe and bike - as if nothing had happened Palacios appeared to be bragging about the encounter on his Instagram on Saturday, pictured a photo he posted of the incident before his rampage Palacios is often pictured with his bike and his backpack on his social media Palacios is pictured in a photo from his Instagram profile with his bike The incident is the latest in a number of violent episodes at New York City's McDonald's. In July, a McDonald's worker was pepper sprayed in what appeared to be an attempted robbery in Brooklyn. Last month, a fight over cold french fries led to the shooting of a McDonald's worker in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The horrific scenes come despite NYC Mayor Eric Adam's vow to crackdown on crime in the city, which is up nearly 40 percent from last year. New Yorkers have been growing weary over the latest spike in violence and crimes on the city streets and subways - as well as the widespread looting and physical altercations in many neighborhoods. Vagrancy has also been on the rise in the city, with Adams ordering wave after wave of officers to take down homeless encampments throughout the city since March. Parts of the city are said to have become '24-hour drug and sex dens' as delinquents take to the streets to deal and do drugs. In Manhattan's trendy Chelsea neighborhood, children have allegedly become exposed to nudity, sex acts and drug use while business owners deal with constant break-ins. Some residents they are begging city officials and the police department to do something. In May, photos and video of the men lying on Park Avenue between East 115th Street and East 116 Street outside a popular marketplace showed men casually using needles to inject drugs into their arms. The men were seen sitting underneath the railway surrounded by bags of their belongings and an overturned Citi bike, and photos of the block the following day show even more men shooting up drugs at the site. The latest incidents come weeks after a thug slashed a stranger in the stomach in an unprovoked attack in Midtown Manhattan. The assailant, who has not been identified, was walking on 135 West 36 St in New York when he attacked the 34-year-old victim from behind - leaving them with a deep abdominal wound. Recently, a woman leaving her job at IHOP in the city's Gramercy area was murdered in an execution-style killing by the father of one of her children. Imani Armstrong was shot in the heart on a street corner near Union Square. Clarkson Wilson, 44, was arrested for the heinous crime. He faces murder charges as well as two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. One man who entered the store with the cart left the Lululemon store filling the basket with clothing Seven men were pictured at the same spot taking drugs together in East Harlem in May One of the men removed his shoe so he could inject his foot in order to get high at the small but popular marketplace Two men were pictured on May 28 taking drugs out in the open in East Harlem's La Marqueta marketplace In August, New York City's most prolific criminal, with 167 arrests on his record, appeared in court after being caught stealing 48 items worth $450 from an Upper East Side Rite Aid. DailyMail.com cameras were at Manhattan Supreme Court as Jamel Pringle, 39, was notably denied bail for the first time despite New York's woke bail reform laws. Police had previously joked that, due to the controversial laws that only offered bail for serious offenses, Pringle had amassed 'frequent flier miles.' Pringle has one felony conviction, 88 misdemeanors and another 39 citations for failing to appear in court. The next closest offender in New York City has just 101 arrests. In February, Pringle was arrested on an early Monday morning for taking 48 items worth over $430 from a Rite Aid on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on New York City's Upper East Side. Horrifying surveillance footage shows the victim, 52, crumpling to the floor as he is attacked from behind And posh stores in the city's West Village and SoHo have also become rampant with thieves in recent months - including when a gang of seven were recorded calmly walking out of Lululemon with $30,000 worth of gear. They entered the store on 14th Street and 9th Avenue with empty carts and laundry bags while the guard casually glanced over as they grabbed piles of clothing on August 16. The brazen robbers, targeting the posh West Village neighborhood, rushed out of the store with their finds - without being apprehended by the security guard. Store surveillance footage showed the thieves walk in and out the store around noon - looting thousands of dollars worth of merchandise as the seemingly unbothered guard, dressed in a white shirt and black tie, stood by. But violence is also on the up in NYC. A warped 'knockout' game which sees violent criminals punch strangers for fun is feared to have made a comeback in the crime-ridden city. Almost 20 of the violent and apparently motive-less knockout game incidents have been reported to the NYPD so far this year, including a Bronx man who almost died after being punched to the ground outside a restaurant. An unprovoked attack caught on camera on Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan's premier shopping district The assailant in south Brooklyn's Kings Plaza Mall plants his left foot and wallops his target squarely in the left cheek The victim appeared to be knocked out standing and fell to the ground without bracing for impact Other knockout game victims include a 36 year-old man filmed being knocked out cold after being whacked over the head at a Brooklyn mall, and a 74 year-old woman slapped to the sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan earlier last month. Most notably, convicted sex offender and reputed 'Born To Kill' gang member Bui Van Phu was caught on surveillance video knocking a man out cold in a senseless attack outside a Bronx restaurant. On August 12, 2022, just before 11 p.m. black and white surveillance camera footage shows Jesus Cortes, 52, standing outside the Fuego Tipico Restaurant on East 188 Street, congregating with family. Out of nowhere, Phu, who was convicted of a gunpoint rape of a 17-year-old girl in 1994, is seen on the video winding up behind Cortes and slugging him in the side of the head. Cortes, who never saw the punch coming, crumples to the sidewalk, fracturing his skull. Doctors induced a coma to help with the swelling and after a dicey few weeks, he was finally taken off a respirator. The Ford Foundation, the charitable arm of the Ford Motor Company, has announced that it is shutting down it's racial equity fellowship program that is designed to create opportunities for minorities in academic leadership positions, in a new statement. The foundation said that it is moving money into 'movement-building work,' but did not provide specifics. The organization's president, Darren Walker, said in a statement on September 16 that the charity had come to the decision to shut down the Ford Fellowships at the National Academies program by 2028. Walker said that there is too much money in racial equity programs and that the group is looking to expand in other areas. He noted that philanthropic support for education is the second highest funding category for philanthropy in the US today. Ford Foundation President Darren Walker Walker said that there is too much money in racial equity programs and that the group is looking to expand in other areas. Walker was one of eight recipients of the 2017 W.E.B. DuBois Medal at Harvard in 2017 President of the Ford Foundation Darren Walker (2nd from the left) noted that philanthropic support for education is the second highest funding category for philanthropy in the US today. Walker pictured posing for a photo with Indigenious people from around the world at the Forests For Climate Panel Event at Ford Foundation on April 21, 2016 in New York City Elton John, Darren Walker (middle), and David Furnish (right) pose with the award onstage during the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 17th Annual An Enduring Vision Benefit in 2018 The program was launched in November 2015 as a way to help to create diversity in in leadership positions in higher education, as well as putting money towards academic research. According to the program's website, the fellowships seeks 'to increase the diversity of the nations college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity.' Walker cited a litany of achievements in his statement, including spending nearly $1 billion on the project, where he also stated: 'This was a painful sacrifice, but a necessary one.' He added: 'To be clear, no one is declaring victory for diversity and equity in higher educationnot in the United States, not around the world.' Walker also said: 'We must hold higher-education institutions accountable for the persistent lack of diversity in tenured and leadership positions, despite a robust pipeline of diverse, talented scholars.' In launching the racially sensitive initiative in 2015, Walker said that the foundation felt the need to move away from other areas of academic philanthropy because other charities, such as the Gates Foundation, were so heavily invested in schemes promoting education. Walker goes on to make reference to 2020 and the 'the backdrop of Americas historic reckoning with racial inequality,' a likely reference to the Black Lives Matter protests that engulfed the nation following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The Ford Foundation, the charitable arm of the Ford Motor Company, was established in 1936, It's headquarters, shown here, are located in Midtown Manhattan Just this week, the foundation announced it's plan to provide $1 million in order to fight disability discrimination in higher education He said that those protest and riots led to the foundation seeking 'to further increase our funding for racial justice advocacy across all of our program areas.' Again, no specifics were provided about what programs the money will be diverted towards. The fellowships will continue as normal through 2023 and will welcome fewer and fewer applications until 2028 as part of its sunset plan. Just this week, the foundation announced it's plan to provide $1 million in order to fight disability discrimination in higher education, reports Forbes. The grant was made to the American Association of People with Disabilities. The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization with assets currently valued at $16 billion. Since 1936, it has worked with people in the areas of social change worldwide, 'guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement,' the organization says on its website. It is headquartered in New York, and the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Walker became president of the Ford Foundation, one of the largest foundations in the U.S., in 2013. He came in with a vision to shape the organization's in part through funding the arts. To symbolize that mission, Walker arranged to sell the foundations art collection of works almost exclusively from white male artists. Starting in 2017, the collection displayed at the foundations buildings was rebuilt with some 350 works of newer artists, many of whom are people of color, women and queer people. Controversially in October 2021, Walker was behind the foundation's decision to divest from fossil fuels. He said that 'Going forward, the foundation says it will invest its energy portfolio in alternative and renewable energy, and funds that 'address the threat of climate change, and support the transition to a green economy.' Those walking off a trail, swimming in a waterway or conducting research in a park could face hefty fines under new rules. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' new rules, which have been slammed as 'nanny state' by the opposition, would apply to more than 50 parks across the state. These changes are broken down in the proposed Metropolitan and Regional Parks Regulations, as many of Victoria's regulations will expire in March of next year. Rules in metropolitan parks were deemed 'outdated' and regional parks were believed to be 'unregulated for recreational use'. Victorians walking off a park trail, conducting 'intrusive research' or filling up a chainsaw could face hefty fines under new park regulation proposals (pictured, woman exercising at Albert Park Lake) The changes are being proposed by the Victorian government and as current regulations in metropolitan parks are deemed 'outdated' and regional parks are 'unregulated for recreational use'. (pictured, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews) Changes include a fine of up to $924 for walking off a park trail, which is set out by the land manager. Victorians conducting 'intrusive research' at a park such as a scientific study, could be hit with a $1,472 fine. Intrusive research is defined in the proposals as interfering 'with wildlife, soil, rocks, vegetation or visitors or that contravenes any regulation applying to the park'. Those wanting to swim in a body of water at a park will require a permit unless that waterway has been clearly designated for swimming. Rock climbers, abseilers, hanggliders and paragliders will also need to get a permit unless an area has been designated for it. Crown land managers will determine what areas of a park are permitted for activities such as walking, swimming, or rock climbing. Filling up a chainsaw with fuel or oil will also be a finable offence of $1,840. Victorians must not fill up a chainsaw while collecting firewood unless the chainsaw is on an impermeable surface. Protections have also been applied to rocks and natural features at a park, with fines issued to those who park on, remove, or deface rocks, plants, and trees. Swimmers will be banned from certain waterways and billabongs at parks unless they have a permit (pictured, woman relaxing by the water at Venus Baths Grampians National Park in Victoria) Rock climbers, abseilers and other adventure-seekers will need to get a permit unless an area or park has been designated for the activity (pictured, rock climbers at Mount Arapiles in Victoria) A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio told The Australian the changes are being made to preserve the natural habitat and heritage of parks. 'The regulations do not restrict any activities that are currently allowed and will only be used to restrict an activity if it is necessary to protect the environment, cultural heritage and safety,' she said. Victorian shadow minister for the environment James Newbury claimed the measures were too restrictive on those wanting to engage in an activity at a park. 'Instead, Labor takes a nanny-state approach and has repeatedly taken extreme measures which lock land away from the community,' he said. 'Conservation relies on the community being involved and invested in the future of our unique lands.' The government's proposals are in the approval process and will be implemented between late September and early October. A high ranking member of the Alameddine crime network has died in a gym shortly after fleeing Australia for Turkey. But Murat Galasi, 33, wasn't killed in an ambush outside, like so many gangsters who've met their demise before or after pumping iron. Instead, he is believed to have died of heart attack while going a little too hard during a workout in Istanbul on Friday. Alameddine member Murat Galasi (right) died in a gym in Turkey on the weekend with rapper Ay Huncho (left) posting a tribute on Saturday Galasi (pictured) was a 'smart operator' who fled to Turkey amid Sydney's gang war Galasi previously escaped an attempt on his life when he was shot in the leg in December 2021 in one of the most disgraceful attacks of Sydney's gang war. He was with four men outside a gym in Prospect when they were fired upon, with bullets from the brazen drive-by shooting piercing the wall of a daycare centre and missing a toddler by inches. On Saturday, Alameddine associate Ali Younes, better known by his rapper persona Ay Huncho, took to Instagram to share a tribute to Galasi. 'My beautiful big brother, my heart hurts, I'm lost, I love you so much... this life isn't going to be the same without you,' he wrote. Galasi fled the country just two weeks earlier after reports spread through Sydney's underworld a 'big money' contract was placed on him. 'He headed off recently, on the usual path over to Turkey and Lebanon,' a source told the Daily Telegraph. 'He's a very smart operator, particularly when compared to some of his friends, so you'd assume he's read the room and gotten out of Sydney, and I don't think you can blame him.' Four men duck for cover after being peppered with bullets on their way to entering World Gym on November 29 Footage shows bystanders working to stem the bleeding after the man, aged in his 30s, suffered injuries to his leg Galasi was among several figures who were the subject of serious crime prevention orders by NSW Police in 2021 in an effort to reign in feuding gangs. He was listed in the orders as a senior member of the Alameddine crime network. His death echoes that of former Lone Wolf bikie boss Erkin Keskin who fled Sydney for Turkey and died shortly after in March this year. The ex-Turkish soldier was among Australian law enforcement's top targets and considered one of the biggest importers of drugs into Australia. He has become an unlikely Royal mascot after a heartwarming TV appearance with the Queen so both Charles and William were delighted to spot Paddington Bear among the mourners yesterday. The new Monarch and his son stopped to greet him during an impromptu walkabout among those who had been queuing overnight to see the Queen lying-in-state. The bear was presented to the Royals by owner Yela Alvarado, who had spent the night cosying up to her furry friend as she waited to pay her respects and temperatures dropped to a chilly 10C (50F). Ms Alvarado, 63, was with fellow Peruvian Wende Hernandez. She said: 'We've been queuing since 1am. We wanted to bring Paddington because he's from Peru and we are also from Peru. 'King Charles stopped to say how he's always spotting Paddington, and Prince William was so humble. He was very excited when he heard we were from Peru.' The bear's recent popularity stems from a television sketch in which he appeared with the Queen during her Platinum Jubilee. Yela Alvarado queued up to pay her respects to the Queen with fellow Peruvian Paddington Prince William gave the bear's paw a squeeze as he stopped with his father for an impromptu walkabout among those who had been queuing overnight to see the Queen lying-in-state Ms Alvarado was among the army of ordinary people on the South Bank who had been queuing for hours. Cheers rang out as Charles and William suddenly appeared. 'Are you tired?' Rachel Burridge, 55, a travel agent from Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, asked the Monarch. 'No, but I bet you are,' the King said with a smile. Nicolene Atkinson, a nurse from Lincoln, told him she had waited for eight hours but didn't regret a second. 'He thanked me, and said how much his mother would have appreciated it.' And he told Denise Derbyshire, a 69-year-old NHS breast-screening worker: 'It's worth it when you get there. She would have been very touched by all this.' Ms Alvarado spent the night cosying up to her furry friend as she waited to pay her respects and temperatures dropped to a chilly 10C (50F) She also got to meet the new King, who she said commented on how he's 'always spotting Paddington' William also charmed the crowd, stopping to talk to Amanda O'Donoghue, 54, a transport worker, also from Bishop's Stortford. She told the Prince: 'Give the corgis a squidge from me!' He said: 'I saw them the other day and they are being very well looked after.' He added: 'I can't believe the scale of this queue. There are people from everywhere.' Earlier in the day, after a reception and lunch at Buckingham Palace, the King and the Prince of Wales had met emergency service workers at the Metropolitan Police Service Special Operations Room. The crowds were certainly thrilled by the Royal presence. As Ms O'Donoghue said: 'We came for the Queen. What we got was the new King, and the one after him as well. 'That's King Bingo. Kingo. And who doesn't love that?' The worlds leading medical journal has conceded that the Covid pandemic could have been sparked by a laboratory leak and admits that the virus may have been engineered by scientists. It might seem a statement of the obvious in calling on global bodies to intensify efforts to determine if Covid-19 came from a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan or crossed over from animals infected with a bat virus. But this is a remarkable turnaround for the 199-year-old Lancet, which printed an infamous article condemning suggestions of a lab leak as conspiracy theories. However, the journal which says the world should take seriously both main hypotheses has also suggested the virus could be linked to laboratories in the US, provoking fears it is still promoting Chinas cause rather than good science. The worlds leading medical journal has conceded that the Covid pandemic could have been sparked by a laboratory leak and admits that the virus may have been engineered by scientists Certainly the landmark report of the Lancet commission into Covid-19 raises many issues, including the alleged stifling of scientific debate, the role of experts and the disturbing fear the West may be kowtowing to Chinas dictatorship. This inquiry which concludes that the World Health Organisation and many world leaders reacted too slowly was intended to be the authoritative probe into the pandemic. It points out there are two pathways of emergence for the strange coronavirus that appeared in late 2019: through a natural spillover event from nature, or from research-related activities. It is known some diseases, such as the 2003 Sars epidemic, were traced to zoonotic transmission (from animals to humans), although no proven animal host has been found for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid -19. We also know that China covered up early cases, silenced doctors, resisted outside inquiries, hid key data and was carrying out high-risk experiments in maximum bio-security laboratories that specialised in research into bat coronaviruses in Wuhan. Yet this inquiry by The Lancet now attacked by the strangely aggressive zoonotic lobby that dismisses any suggestion of a lab leak has been dogged by controversy. Soon after the virus emerged, the journal published one of the most notorious scientific statements in recent history: a note by 27 experts attacking conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-19 does not have a natural origin. This influential letter played a critical role in silencing scientific, political and media discussion of any idea that the pandemic might have begun with a lab incident. This ended after The Mail on Sunday revealed in April 2020 that the US-funded research at her lab in Wuhan focused on bats caught 1,000 miles away in Yunnan province However, it later emerged that it was drafted by British scientist Peter Daszak, a long-term collaborator with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which was researching bat coronaviruses despite known safety issues at the lab. Daszak is the 357,000-a-year president of EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based group that funnelled funding from the United States to his friend Shi Zhengli, the Wuhan virologist known as Bat Woman for her work collecting samples from bats. This ended after The Mail on Sunday revealed in April 2020 that the US-funded research at her lab in Wuhan focused on bats caught 1,000 miles away in Yunnan province. Daszak and allies responded furiously while continuing to denounce the lab-leak hypothesis as a conspiracy theory although data shows the Wuhan scientists, working with EcoHealth Alliance, found close relatives to the pandemic virus in Yunnan bats. Dr Richard Horton, the Lancets editor-in-chief, who has twice been honoured by Beijing, tweeted in June 2020: Peter Daszak rejects conspiracy theories about the origins of Covid-19: and he knows more than most about coronaviruses. Despite conflicts of interest, Daszak was invited to join the WHOs origins inquiry in China and to head a Lancet commission investigation alongside five of his fellow signatories, before being dumped after an outcry following my revelations. Last October, The Lancet finally published an alternative view in which 16 scientists castigated Daszak for imparting a silencing effect on scientific debate. Jeffrey Sachs, the commissions chairman and celebrity economist, caused a stir at a conference this year by saying he was pretty convinced Covid came out of US lab biotechnology, not out of nature a stance misquoted and promoted by Chinese officials. It is known some diseases, such as the 2003 Sars epidemic, were traced to zoonotic transmission (from animals to humans), although no proven animal host has been found for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid -19 His commissions report fuels this fire. It states that independent researchers have not yet investigated the US laboratories engaged in the laboratory manipulation of Sars-CoV-like viruses before adding nor have they investigated the details of the laboratory research that had been under way in Wuhan. It might sound bonkers to point the finger of blame for a possible lab leak in China at the US. Yet there are justified concerns that Western funding bodies and scientists are tied to the risky research. And as one respected scientist told me, perhaps the Chinese government is looking for a path to admit to a lab accident while sharing blame with the US. We know scientists in Wuhan were involved in collaborative projects funded by Washington and co-ordinated through EcoHealth Alliance, engaging in gain of function experiments that can potentially boost the infectivity of coronaviruses and were first conducted by Western scientists. Grant proposals have even been found that included proposals to insert a furin cleavage site into bat coronaviruses. This feature, which allows Sars-Cov-2 to enter more efficiently into human cells, is not found in similar coronaviruses. And we have seen via Freedom of Information requests, leaks, books and investigative articles how some Western scientists privately feared the virus might have been engineered and the research part-funded by the US but dismissed such ideas as they apparently led efforts to shut down debate. Key to these concerns are the two most influential scientists in America presidential adviser Dr Anthony Fauci and Dr Francis Collins, then head of the major US funding body along with Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust in Britain, which has funded at least one study involving the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Farrar, along with two Wellcome colleagues, was among the signatories to that Lancet statement in February 2020, as well as co-ordinating another influential paper that appeared in Nature Medicine, stating the authors do not believe any type of laboratory-based scenarios is plausible. Despite conflicts of interest, Daszak was invited to join the WHOs origins inquiry in China and to head a Lancet commission investigation alongside five of his fellow signatories, before being dumped after an outcry following my revelations This statement emerged following a confidential teleconference hosted by Farrar at the request of Fauci, which was joined by Collins and Sir Patrick Vallance, Britains chief scientific adviser. This newspaper obtained 32 emails about their discussions under Freedom of Information laws but officials blacked out almost every word. It took more than a year to winkle out that Farrar and each of the five authors of the Nature Medicine statement had expressed private fears over either the viruss engineering or a secret store of novel coronaviruses held in Wuhan. It has been depressing to see how scientists aided by journals with ties to China, weak politicians and patsy media have apparently closed ranks, allowed documents to be redacted, obstructed investigations, withheld information and smeared those seeking the truth on our ages most significant health issue. So this Lancet report deserves some credit for setting out the stark facts on the origins of Sars-CoV-2 and for saying both natural and research-related spillovers remain plausible causes of the pandemic based on our current knowledge. Yet how strange that this simple statement is still controversial, such is the issues toxicity thanks to the deceptive actions of China and its shameful allies in the West. A war veteran of 96 who saw the Queens grandfather lying in state in 1936 was one of the last mourners to join the accessible queue before it permanently closed yesterday. Frank Wells was born six days before the Queen in April 1926 and travelled from his home in Worthing, West Sussex, to pay his respects. He told The Mail on Sunday: It feels like we grew up together, so I was determined to get here. Wheelchair user Frank Wells, 96, travelled from his home in Worthing, West Sussex and was one of the last mourners to join the accessible queue before it permanently closed yesterday Frank, who uses a wheelchair, arrived in Westminster with his close friend Nick Beadnell an hour before the queue reached full capacity at 4.30pm. Officials told us that we would be waiting six hours and I was ready to turn around, but Frank was not giving up, said Nick, 66. Frank, who is partially sighted, said he planned to use memories of George Vs lying-in-state to help him make sense of the outlines inside Westminster Hall. I was nine when I saw the Queens grandfather lying in state. I remember queuing for hours and as a young boy it felt like an extremely long time. 'This queue feels very similar. People are very friendly, and it just shows how quickly you make friends. He was captured by Germans in the fall of France and was a thorn in their side One person in particular, Birendranath Mazumdar, stood out he was Indian Yesterday, in the first part of the Mails serialisation of historian Ben Macintyres gripping new book about Colditz, we told how the infamous PoW camp was a hot bed of snobbery and bullying among its British inmates. Today we tell the shameful story of the captured British Indian officer abused, humiliated and even left out of escape plans. In September 1941, a fresh batch of prisoners arrived to join the British contingent of officers at Colditz castle, the formidable fortress in Nazi Germany where troublesome prisoners-of-war were locked up. One in particular stood out among all the white faces. He was Indian. Birendranath Mazumdar was a surgeon, and a very good one. Born into the high noon of the British Raj, well educated, with elegant manners and fastidious tastes, he spoke English with a refined accent as well as Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, French and German. He had been educated at elite schools modelled on the English system and brought up to observe a code of honour that was Victorian British in tone: duty, loyalty, morality, sincerity. Mazumdar sounded and behaved like an Englishman, but to many Englishmen he did not look like one. Among Indians, he was a figure of respect, even grandeur, an educated, high-caste Hindu from a rich family; but to the majority of white men, he was just another Indian. He had left India in 1931 for London, intent on becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. To succeed, you have to be ten per cent better than the others, he was warned. Birendranath Mazumdar sounded and behaved like an Englishman, but to many Englishmen he did not look like one He was proud, funny, ambitious, occasionally obstreperous, solemn and conflicted: a product of two distinct, entwined and increasingly incompatible cultures. Most notably, as a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and radical Subhas Chandra Bose, he believed in Indian independence. Yet despite his opposition to the British Empire, when war was declared in 1939 he joined up, volunteering for the Royal Army Medical Corps. Despatched to France with the rank of captain, he was the only non-white officer in the corps and the only Indian officer in the British Army. He was captured by the Germans in the fall of France and quickly made himself a thorn in their side. When a German officer ordered him to have his head shaved before delousing, he refused, saying that in Hindu culture you only shave your head when your father or mother dies. He was dragged off to the barber and then to a solitary cell. He kept up his defiance for his fellow prisoners, complaining of inadequate medical supplies and insufficient food behaviour that mystified the Germans. You are an Indian, they told him. Why should you care if a few Tommies die? But Mazumdar was persistent, and as his relations with the Germans worsened, he was shuttled from one PoW camp to another, more than a dozen in all a difficult customer, and an anomaly. His attentive medical care and willingness to confront the Germans ought to have endeared him to his fellow inmates, but he was always a creature apart, treated with suspicion, and occasionally outright discrimination. The other prisoners called him Jumbo, after a Victorian elephant that was once the star attraction at London Zoo. It was a nickname he detested but could not shift. The prisoners may have assumed that Jumbo was an Indian elephant, and attached the name to the sole Indian prisoner. In fact, Jumbo was an African elephant, but in the eyes of certain white people, elephants, like Indians, were all the same. Mazumdar was persistent, and as his relations with the Germans worsened, he was shuttled from one PoW camp to another, more than a dozen in all a difficult customer, and an anomaly. Pictured, Colditz Castle To the Germans, though, this man treated by his own side as an outcast represented an opportunity. They set about trying to persuade him to switch sides. He was asked to make a radio broadcast encouraging Indians to join a new military unit to fight the British and hasten the end of the Raj. He refused all their overtures, and as a result was sent to Colditz. From the start he was treated differently, allocated a top bunk at the back of the upper attic in the British quarters, which meant that if he needed to urinate in the night, he woke room-mates by clattering in clogs across the wooden floor, and endured a flurry of curses. He naturally gravitated towards the only other person of colour in the castle, a half-Indonesian officer in the Dutch East Indies army. That alliance of outsiders only seemed to compound his unpopularity. But his major problem was that word had spread that, though the Indian doctor may be anti-German, he was also anti-Raj. This raised suspicions that he would be tempted to make common cause with his captors. There were murmurings that he was a spy, and fellow prisoners avoided him. The high-caste Indian had become untouchable. The most serious consequence of this was that he was excluded from the camps primary topic of conversation: escape. When he brought up the subject with the Senior British Officer (SBO), saying he would like to be considered in escape attempts, the suggestion was greeted with derision. With your brown skin? he was told. It was difficult enough to evade capture in Germany with a white face, said the SBO, let alone a brown one. The Germans kept nagging away, trying to turn him. One day, he was summoned to a meeting at Colditz with another Indian, dressed in the field grey uniform of the German Wehrmacht and wearing the leaping tiger badge of the Indian National Congress. He was a member of the Tiger Legion, a 1,000-strong unit of Indian soldiers enlisted by Chandra Bose, the Indian nationalist who had now thrown his hand in with the Nazis on the grounds that any enemy of the British was a friend of his. Having been smuggled out of India by the Germans, Chandra Bose was now in Berlin and the visitor brought an invitation to Mazumdar to meet him there. Word quickly spread through Colditz that Mazumdar was being taken to meet the Indian quisling raising an army to fight the British in the Far East. Most assumed that the Indian doctor had already switched sides, confirming their suspicions of disloyalty. We never expected to see him again, said one. On the morning of his departure, Mazumdar was cleaning his teeth in the washrooms when someone remarked loudly: That bloody Mazumdar is a spy, hes going to Berlin. Mazumdar turned in a cold fury. I give you five minutes to withdraw this accusation, he said. When the 6ft 2in Guardsman refused, they squared up and 5ft 7in Mazumdar floored his accuser with a right hook and jumped on top of him. He made his journey to Berlin in a first-class train compartment and was ferried in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes to meet Chandra Bose, who invited him to come and fight for the freedom of India, our Motherland. Mazumdar replied that he had pledged an oath of allegiance to the King: I have given my word of honour and cannot go back on this. They took a leisurely lunch. Chandra Bose described meeting Hitler a few weeks earlier; the Fuhrer had offered a U-boat to take him to Bangkok, from where the Indian revolution could be directed. He said he had recruited hundreds of Indians from the British Indian Army, but not one commissioned officer. Mazumdar could be the first. Mazumdar was torn. Joining Chandra Bose would win him his freedom, not just from the confines of Colditz but the racial prejudice that redoubled the misery of imprisonment. He was an admirer of Bose and flattered that this great man should try to recruit him. But he was also insistent: I am opposed to the British rule in India but I have sworn an oath of allegiance to Britain. He only had to say the word and he would soon be the senior medical officer of an army fighting for Indian freedom. It was a painfully tempting vision. Word quickly spread through Colditz that Mazumdar was being taken to meet the Indian quisling raising an army to fight the British in the Far East. Pictured, Colditz Castle But to take that step would be to exchange integrity for freedom, and that he could not do. In the end he rejected Chandra Boses offer and returned to Colditz in a grimy third-class railway carriage. There was no doubt in my mind I had done the right thing, he reflected. He believed that, having so clearly shown where his loyalties lay, the other British officers must accept him now. But back in Colditz, he faced fresh mockery. Didnt he want you after all? they jeered. His decision to reject Chandra Boses offer did not change the way he was seen by other officers. Instead, it widened the gulf. With life in Colditz now worse for him than ever, he decided he had to get out. He discovered that the Germans had set up a handful of camps in occupied France containing only Indian prisoners, mostly soldiers of the British Indian Army captured in North Africa. The security at such places was well below Colditz standards. If he could get himself transferred there, he stood a better chance of escape. He asked the Kommandant for a transfer, insisting he had a right to be imprisoned with compatriots; he pretended to be vegetarian, claiming the camp food was a violation of his religion. Nothing worked. So he went on hunger strike. This was the tactic Gandhi used in pressing his demands for an end to British rule in India, most recently on February 10, 1943, when, after being detained without charges by the British, he began his 15th such protest, insisting he would eat nothing until he was released. Two days later, Mazumdar launched his hunger strike, reasoning the Jerries will not find it very good propaganda in the Far East if news gets around they have allowed an Indian to starve to death. He then took to his bed, declaring he would consume nothing but water and a little salt until the Kommandant relented and moved him to another camp. Food was the second most widely discussed topic in Colditz, after escaping. The idea that a prisoner might voluntarily forgo nourishment struck the others as bizarre. The British officers mocked him Jumbo is doing a Gandhi but the little doctor just smiled and said: I know what I am doing. We shall see what we shall see. The Germans were initially surprised by this one-man protest, then mildly amused, and finally deeply alarmed. After a week of starvation, Mazumdar had lost half a stone. By the end of the second week, he was too frail to leave his bed, but he remained resolute. His eyesight was starting to fail and his heart rate was dropping yet he continued to smile, reiterating: We shall see what we shall see. Messages flew between Colditz and Berlin, and on day 16 of his fast, the German army blinked. A message arrived from headquarters: Dr Mazumdar should cease forthwith his hunger strike and prepare to leave the camp as soon as he has regained his strength. With life in Colditz now worse for him than ever, he decided he had to get out. Pictured, Colditz Castle He had won and he was the hero of the hour. The other inmates instantly forgot how poorly they had treated him in the past. As he emerged from his bed and out into the courtyard, weak and gaunt but grinning broadly, he was greeted with loud cheers. People who had shunned him now declared they had always liked him. They plied him with food to build up his strength. The Guards officer who had accused him of spying and ended up being pummelled on the washroom floor now apologised and invited Mazumdar to stay with him and his family after the war. On February 26, 1943, a year and a half after arriving at Colditz, Mazumdar walked out of the front gates, heading for France and leaving behind the camp that had held such misery for him not from the Germans but his own side. But Mazumdars war was far from over. After a week in a fetid Indian camp in south-west France, he was loaded on to a train with a group of prisoners. With the help of two Indian sappers, he levered out the carriage window and, while the train was moving, jumped through and out. With a broken finger, he set off south on foot, hoping to cross the Pyrenees into neutral Spain. French peasants provided food, clothing and directions. But in a small village near Toulouse, his luck ran out. I foolishly enquired from an old Frenchman the whereabouts of a bridge, he recalled. The man led him to the police station. Mazumdar was handed to the Germans and his first contact with the Gestapo. He was interrogated and badly beaten, but he refused to reveal the names of the French civilians who had helped him. The Gestapo seemed to know all about his meeting with Chandra Bose. Well give you one more chance to join us, they said. Im not doing anything of the sort, he replied. So they beat him again. Mazumdar assumed the Gestapo would eventually run out of patience and kill him. At best, they might send him back to Colditz. Instead, he was taken to a camp for colonial prisoners, where 500 captive Indians were guarded by a garrison of French-Algerian troops under German command. As the only commissioned officer, he was the most senior soldier in the place. I had joined my compatriots, he wrote. I had reason to be pleased, but I was determined to get away, come what may. He began planning his next escape attempt sawing through the bars on a window and scaling a 20ft outer wall topped with broken glass, before he was seen in a floodlight beam and forced to give himself up. Then, with a friend he had made, a Trooper Dariao Singh, he broke out of the camp again, gouging through a wall at dead of night, crawling under barbed-wire fences and climbing over the gate. As dawn broke, they hid in a clump of bushes, waited for nightfall, and agreed a plan: they would make for the Swiss border, walking only during the hours of darkness. The trek across France by Mazumdar and Dariao Singh is one of the great untold stories of the Second World War: two unmistakably Indian soldiers trudged more than 500 miles in six weeks through Nazi-held territory. All along the way, they had sought help in remote peasant cottages and been offered shelter. No one turned them in to the Germans. Near the frontier, they knocked on the door of a farmhouse. It was opened by an elderly woman, who ushered the famished men inside and sat them down to a meal of bread, cheese and wine. She offered to find them a guide to take them across the Swiss frontier, which was a few miles away. And so, after three years of captivity, the Indian doctor was finally free. His trials, though, were not. To begin with, his time in neutral Switzerland was good. He went back to work as a doctor, treating the ailments of the various Allied servicemen who had reached there after escaping from Germany. The British had set up a social club in Montreux, where he played billiards and bridge. He even started a love affair, with a young Swiss woman named Elianne. Yet an air of suspicion still surrounded him. The British authorities remained deeply distrustful of his contact with Chandra Bose, who was now in Japanese-occupied Singapore, recruiting more Indian soldiers for his army of liberation and establishing, with Japanese support, the Provisional Government of Free India. MI5 set up a special unit to investigate Indian subversion, and a file was opened on Dr Mazumdar. He was summoned to see a senior army officer, who, like him, had escaped to Switzerland, for what felt like an interrogation. Mazumdar described his visit to Berlin, pointed out that he had turned down every invitation to collaborate, and then tried to change the subject. The officer duly reported back that Mazumdar did not want to talk about Chandra Bose, and this was enough to mark him out as a potential traitor. Some British officers who had served in India regarded Mazumdar with particular mistrust, referring to him as a Bengali Baboo, a pejorative term for an Indian perceived as over-educated and uppity. They made it clear they did not want him in their social club. He was also warned off about having a white girlfriend. Eventually, a colonel one who was convinced he understood the Indian mind and did not like what he thought he saw in Mazumdars spotted an opportunity to bring the Indian doctor down a peg. Many of the escaped prisoners were suffering from eye conditions, and to establish a better diagnosis Mazumdar ordered an ophthalmoscope, an expensive magnifying tool with a light to see inside the eye. Obtaining a chit from the senior medical officer, he bought it with petty cash. A day later, he was summoned to see the colonel, who, with a torrent of expletives, accused him of theft, claiming he had embezzled the money intended to buy the ophthalmoscope. Mazumdar pointed out that he could produce the brand-new instrument as proof, but the colonel had by now launched into a furious diatribe about Indian corruption and the reasons why that country would never be ready for independence. Both men were now on their feet, shouting. Finally Mazumdar exploded: The difference between you and me, Colonel, is this: you have lived in my country for 25 years and you cant speak one of its languages. I have lived in your country for 15 and speak five languages, including yours. Mazumdar was placed under house arrest in a hotel to await court martial on a charge of stealing. I had nobody to help me, he wrote. A prisoner-of-war for four years, the Indian doctor had escaped only to find himself a prisoner once more, but now in British custody. If and when he made it back to Britain, MI5 would be waiting for him. Mazumdar was held for four months under house arrest awaiting trial on charges of embezzlement. In November 1944, he was transferred to Marseilles, and put on a troop ship to England. Back in Woolwich barracks in London and now identified as Suspect Z/240 in a file labelled Indian Subversion he was summoned to the War Office. The MI5 officer who conducted the cross-examination wrote: Z/240 was very hard to deal with. He disliked being interviewed and expressed the opinion that he was being subjected to treatment that no British PoW had to put up with. Reluctantly, Mazumdar described again the failed attempts to recruit him in Berlin. The interviewer concluded that Mazumdar posed no security threat and deserved credit for remaining loyal. Yet the odour of suspicion clung to him. It seems impossible Z/240 has forgotten as much as he pretends, the MI5 officer added in his report. He was discharged from military service in 1946. By then, Chandra Bose was dead: his Indian National Army had fought the British in Burma, and then surrendered with the Japanese. The following year, India won its independence and Mazumdar might have returned to the country of his birth, no longer under British rule. Instead he chose to stay in England. He married and worked as a GP until his retirement. Before his death in 1996, he made a series of tape recordings describing his wartime experiences as a result of which, his incredible story can at last be told. Ben Macintyre 2022 Prior to the challenge, DeSantis quipped that Newsom was opposing his immigration tactic because his 'hair gel is interfering with his brain function' California Gov. Gavin Newsom has challenged Ron DeSantis to a debate over his decision to send 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard - just as the Florida governor doubles down on sending more migrants to Democratic 'sanctuary cities.' Earlier this week, DeSantis mimicked his Texas and Arizona counterparts in sending over groups of migrants to Democrat-led cities up north in protest of the Biden Administration's border policies. Newsom and other Democratic leaders have slammed the move as playing with people's lives, with the California governor going so far as to call for kidnapping charges against DeSantis. On Saturday, Newsom also reached out on Twitter to challenge DeSantis to a debate ahead of the midterm elections. 'Hey @GovRonDeSantis, clearly you're struggling, distracted, and busy playing politics with people's lives,' Newsom tweeted on Friday. 'Since you have only one overriding need - attention - let's take this up & debate,' Newsom said in response to a tweet from Dan Rather asking CNN to set up a debate between the two governors. 'I'll bring my hair gel. You bring your hairspray,' he added, referring to DeSantis' quip earlier that day that Newsom's 'hair gel is interfering with his brain function' when the California governor criticized his actions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (left) challenged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) to a debate over his decision to fly 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard. DeSantis said his state is ready to commit $12 million to fly more migrants to Democrat-led cities up north Newsom's challenge comes as DeSantis continued to defend flying the migrants over to Martha's Vineyard and said his state has a $12 million budget ready to relocate more immigrants up north, CNN reported. 'These are just the beginning efforts,' DeSantis said in a news conference on Friday. 'We've got an infrastructure in place now. There's going to be a lot more that's happening.' The Florida governor said he may even collaborate with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who began the wave of busing thousands of migrants to New York City, Seattle and Washington D.C. DeSantis has accused critics of his move 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.' The Republican also disputed claims that the migrants didn't know where they were being sent to, saying his office made them sign a waiver and provided maps of Martha's Vineyard. 'It's obvious that's where they were going,' he said, adding, 'It's all voluntary.' DeSantis defended his actions and claimed that the migrants knew exactly where they were going and voluntarily signed up for the trip Pictured: A group of 50 migrants enjoyed Venezuelan dishes at the military base after Martha's Vineyard declared an emergency over the group's arrival About 150 National Guard members were called in to transport the migrants from the island to the Cape Cod Military base 32 miles away Along with Newsom, DeSantis has received much criticism from the left over his actions. 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.' Even former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chimed in, calling the transportation of the migrants 'inhumane' and likening it to 'human trafficking.' Migrants who were relocated from Martha's Vineyard to the Joint Base Cape Cod received a warm meal. Pictured: A mom carrying her kids to be bussed off to the base 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 Despite the allegations levied against DeSantis, the majority of migrants who were sent over to Massachusetts appeared to just be happy to be given shelter and food. The migrants, most of whom are from Venezuela, are currently being housed in the Joint Base Cape Cod after Martha's Vineyard issued an emergency order and called in about 150 National Guard troops to help relocate the immigrants. Lisa Belcastro, homelessness director of the island, claimed that the affluent area has a 'housing crisis.' 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. The issue comes after Abbott sent 101 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 more migrants to President Biden's 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. Afghans take to streets protesting against U.S. decision on Afghanistan's assets Xinhua) 09:48, September 18, 2022 Kabul, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Afghans gathered in front of the former Afghanistan Human Rights Commission office in capital Kabul Saturday to protest against the U.S. recent announcement regarding transferring a part of Afghanistan's national reserves to a trust in Switzerland, calling the full release of the assets. Holding placards and banners, the protesters chanted anti-U.S. slogans, blaming the United States for the ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan. The protesters demanded the immediate, full release of Afghanistan's central bank reserves. "Today, we protest in front of the Human Rights Commission building. U.S. should immediately unfreeze Afghanistan's money," LaLa Agha, one of the organizers, told Xinhua. Rafeuallah, another participant, who is a shopkeeper, said, "U.S. should immediately return our money." The protesters issued a declaration at the end of the demonstration, accusing the U.S.-led forces of war crimes and atrocious killing of innocent Afghan men, women and children. In the declaration, protesters also asked for the immediate and full unfreezing of the more than 9 billion U.S. dollars and trial of soldiers who have committed war crimes. Following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led forces from the Asian country, Afghanistan's assets worth more than 9 billion U.S. dollars were frozen by the United States as part of its sanctions on the new rulers of the war-torn country. The U.S. government announced Wednesday that the 3.5 billion USD of Afghan central bank reserves it had frozen will be transferred to a newly-established "Afghan Fund" in Switzerland. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) By Archana Ravichandradeva Twenty-six years of armed conflict in Sri Lanka ended in 2009, when government forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). During the final five months of the war, an estimated 40,000 to 169,796 Tamil civilians were killed or disappeared, largely due to government shelling. While these disappearances or deaths remain in the global consciousness, the Sri Lankan military's horrific war rapes and sexual mutilation of Tamil women and girls have become increasingly forgotten by the international community. South Korea takes a strong stance against conflict-related sexual violence and should use its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council to insist on accountability for Sri Lanka's conflict-related sexual violence and other international crimes. The upcoming session on Sri Lanka at the Council is an important opportunity for South Korea to advocate for these overlooked victims. Witness testimony and Sri Lankan soldiers' own trophy photos and videos are evidence of the military's sexual violence. On several occasions in early 2009, a witness observed at least 200 bodies at a government hospital mortuary, mainly Tamil women and girls, bearing significant signs of sexual mutilation. Photos and videos taken by soldiers provide graphically compelling evidence that women were raped, sexually assaulted and sexually mutilated, and in many videos, soldiers are making lewd comments about their bodies. The military's sexual violence against Tamils, and impunity, has been entrenched during and after the armed conflict, as documented in "No Trials, Only Tribulations for Tamil Victims of Sri Lanka's Conflict-related Sexual Violence," a recent report by the Tamil human rights group, People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL). The report tracks emblematic incidents of wartime sexual violence and postwar rapes and sexual exploitation as well as the rare instances of legal action. Since the end of the war, victor's justice has meant that the government has never held nor will ever hold any military or political masterminds accountable for allegations of international crimes, including acts of sexual violence. This situation is unacceptable for all the victims and survivors. To address this, the Human Rights Council should call for the establishment of an international criminal justice mechanism to deliver justice to Sri Lanka's victims. It should include robust witness protection and psychosocial support to ensure that people can safely testify. Protecting and supporting victims and witnesses is particularly crucial given the notorious difficulties in documenting, let alone prosecuting, sexual violence due to stigma and the fear of reprisals. Tamil rape survivors and deceased victims' families need confidence-building measures from the Council. They need a mechanism that will bring their abusers to justice. Further evidencing the need for an international solution, PEARL's report found that in 40 years, only a handful of cases of war rapes of Tamils proceeded to or passed the charging stage in the highly politicized domestic courts. Only one case, that of a high school student who was gang raped and killed in 1996, yielded convictions, and some believe the outcome was a smokescreen to hide the otherwise systemic impunity. In the postwar period, the government has rewarded military commanders with high-ranking government positions or ambassadorships with attached diplomatic immunity. Such immunity has shielded defendants from prosecutions in foreign courts under the principle of universal jurisdiction. In the highly militarized former warzone, which hosted one soldier for every two civilians in 2017, security forces continue to victimize Tamils, putting women and girls at high risk for sexual violence. In detention centers, security forces have sexually tortured actual or perceived members or former LTTE members since the 1980s, suggesting what the U.N. called an "institutional policy within the security forces." These Tamils are often victims of the discredited Prevention of Terrorism Act (1979), which the government has long weaponized against Tamils to enable arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, followed by custodial physical and sexual torture. The only permanent international criminal mechanism, the International Criminal Court (ICC), to which South Korea is a party but Sri Lanka is not, does not have jurisdiction over Sri Lanka. An international criminal justice mechanism established by the U.N. Human Rights Council could investigate allegations of all international crimes, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, and prosecute those most responsible. By supporting this mechanism, South Korea can help close the impunity gap in Sri Lanka and send a strong message across Asia: war rapes matter and victims and survivors will get the justice they deserve. Archana Ravichandradeva is the executive director of People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL). She is a lawyer by profession and has practiced management-side labor and employment law in Toronto, Canada. Princes Andrew, Harry and Princess Beatrice could lose their 'stand-in status' if King Charles makes counsellors working members of the Royal family. The Duke of York, Duke of Sussex and Princess Beatrice may not be able to stand in for the King if he proceeds with plans to amend the law so that counsellors of state are all working royals. The monarch's spouse and the four adults next in line can take the role of counsellors of state for official business as part of the 1937 Regency Act. During Queen Elizabeth's reign, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of York took on these roles. The monarch's spouse and the four adults next in line can take the role of counsellors of state for official business as part of the 1937 Regency Act With Camilla now Queen Consort, she can be included in this role, alongside Princess Beatrice who has moved up the line of succession. However with Princes Andrew, Harry and Princess Beatrice all non-working royals, it is understood that the King is looking to change the law. He may bring his siblings Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, and Prince Edward, the Earl of Sussex, forward to become official stand-ins, The Telegraph reported. This would mean that the role of counsellor of state is no longer based on the line of succession. As a result, Prince William, heir to the throne, may need to be formally given this role instead of relying on the traditional pattern. Princes Harry and Andrew could lose their 'stand-in status' if King Charles limits the counsellor role to working members of the Royal family Princess Beatrice is one of three non working royals who could currently stand-in for the King Counsellors of state, who act on behalf of the monarch when they are incapacitated or travelling overseas, are rarely called upon. But in May this year, the then Prince Charles stood in for the Queen for the State Opening of Parliament, alongside his son, Prince William. The law requires two counsellors to be present in place of the monarch. The King would be required to change the law through Parliament and could be done through the Regency Act if the King asks MPs to consider his request. The late Queen previously used this act to make Prince Philip Regent if their child acceded to the throne before their 18th birthday. A fired-up Stan Grant has vented his frustration at being unable to speak up about ongoing Aboriginal issues in the wake of the Queen's death. The veteran journalist, who is of Aboriginal heritage, said he felt 'asphyxiating anger' at being forced to remain silent out of respect for the late monarch. 'We aren't supposed to talk about colonisation, empire, violence about Aboriginal sovereignty, not even about the republic,' he wrote in an opinion piece for the ABC. A fired-up Stan Grant has vented his frustration at being unable to speak up about ongoing Aboriginal issues in the wake of The Queen's death The veteran journalist, who is of Aboriginal heritage, said he felt 'asphyxiating anger' he has been forced to remain silent out of respect for the late monarch 'I'm sure I am not alone amongst Indigenous people wrestling with swirling emotions.' The ABC, which employs Grant as its international affairs analyst, also looked at the dark side of The Queen's reign. Grant's piece was one of the national broadcaster's top two stories on Sunday, both of which criticised the monarchy - breaking with the media's otherwise respectful observance of the mourning period. 'Queen Elizabeth's empire is a shadow of its former might - but its damage can't be undone,' the first headline read. The second was the opinion piece written by Grant airing his frustration with the headline: 'As my colleagues have worn black in mourning for the Queen, I've wrestled with asphyxiating anger and I'm not alone'. Grant said he was 'wrestling with swirling emotions' wanting to speak up on Aboriginal issues but being told it was not an appropriate time. 'Everyone from the prime minister on down has told us it is not appropriate,' he said. The ABC, which employs Grant as its international affairs analyst, also looked at the dark side of The Queen's reign Grant turned his attention to the latest push by prime minister Anthony Albanese to introduce an Indigenous Voice to Parliament The death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted a number of high-profile Aboriginal Australians to criticise her 70 year reign Grant touched on the racism experienced by his family and witnessed first-hand. He recalled stories from his mother who grew up poor in regional NSW and almost missed out on seeing the Queen during her 1954 visit. His mother could not afford socks and almost missed out on a day trip with her school because of it - but managed to borrow her brother's pair just in time. Grant shared stories of his grandfather being tied to a tree, his aunts and uncles being taken to welfare homes and his family living in poverty. 'The girl with no socks got to see the Queen, while her family and other black families lived in poverty that the Crown inflicted on them,' he wrote. 'Living homeless in a land that had been stolen from them in the name of the Crown.' Grant turned his attention to the push by prime minister Anthony Albanese to introduce an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. 'Australians will likely vote in a referendum for a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but what good would that voice be if at times like these it is reduced to a whisper?' he wrote. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament is proposed to be an elected body of First Nations representatives enshrined in the constitution that would advise the government on issues affecting them. Indigenous NRLW star Caitlin Moran was also served a one-game ban after appearing to celebrate the Queen's death in a since-deleted Instagram post Indigenous Australian newsreader Narelda Jacobs (pictured) called on Britain to apologise for its colonisation of First Nations people following the death of Queen Elizabeth II The Queen's death has prompted high-profile Aboriginal Australians to criticise her 70-year reign. She was head of state during the Stolen Generation and before Aboriginal Australians were finally recognised as citizens at the 1967 referendum. The AFL sparked backlash after announcing it would not observe a minute of silence for The Queen's death during the AFLW Indigenous Round out of sensitivity. Indigenous NRLW star Caitlin Moran was also served a one-game ban after appearing to celebrate the Queen's death in a since-deleted Instagram post. Indigenous Channel 10 newsreader Narelda Jacobs called on Britain to apologise for its colonisation of First Nations. Doubts were raised last night over whether Liz Truss will press ahead with a new Royal Yacht amid mounting claims that the family themselves do not want it. Government sources told The Mail on Sunday that members of the Royal Family were not pushing for a successor to Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997. The sources said that it was felt that a new vessel costing hundreds of millions of pounds was simply not in keeping with King Charless view of a slimmed-down Monarchy. The claims come hard on the heels of reports that a source close to the Royal Household speaking before the death of the Queen had said that the then Prince Charles and Prince William had no interest in a new yacht. The Royal Yacht Britannia on its final voyage in Portsmouth in 1997 before it was decommissioned Before he left office, Boris Johnson launched a 200 million National Flagship project to seek a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia. However, concerns have been voiced over whether the expense could be justified with the cost-of-living crisis deepening and the war in Ukraine. During the Tory leadership campaign, Ms Truss said she backed the idea of a new Royal vessel but wanted private-sector money to help bear the cost. A source close to the Royal Household said last year: No one at the Palace wants this vessel . . . Charles doesnt want it. William has no interest in it. However, four years ago, Charles reportedly said that the Royal Yacht Britannia had been an important part of representing Britain abroad. Designed to be the Queens floating residence as she travelled the world, Britannia was launched in 1953. It covered more than a million miles on 968 state visits. The Queen's coffin will be retrieved after it is lowered into St Georges Chapels Royal Vault so that it can be reburied later with Prince Philip and her parents. On Monday, the late monarch's coffin will be transported from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle's St Georges Chapel after her state funeral. There, her oak casket will be slowly lowered into the Royal Vault by an electric lift in a Committal Service joining the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin. Later that evening, at 7.30pm, the King and other Royals will attend a burial service for both the Queen and Prince Philip in King George VI Memorial Chapel. On Monday, the late monarch's coffin will be transported from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle's St Georges Chapel after her state funeral. Pictured, the coffin in Westminster Hall Both coffins will be lifted from the Royal Vault, and transferred to the small chapel. This will not be televised, but instead be a private moment for the royal family, with Princes Andrew, Edward and Princess Anne expected to attend. There, the Queen will be laid to rest alongside her husband, her parents, George VI and the Queen Mother, and where the ashes of her sister Margaret are interred. It will be the first time in 20 years that the tomb's black Belgian marble stone ledger is moved. In the Memorial Chapel, the two coffins will be lowered 18ft before one is placed on top of the other in a supportive metal frame. The Queen's final resting place will be the King George VI Memorial Chapel, in Windsor 'No burial in the Royal Vault has been permanent for nearly a century,' Professor Aidan Dodson, author of British Royal Tombs told The Sun. 'Its more of a funerary waiting room. So, long after the TV cameras have been switched off, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will return to the surface before finally being laid to rest.' He added that the final resting place at King George VI Memorial Chapel will 'signal the end of an era'. We have almost reached the day when we must confront, in all its depth and majesty, the finality of our late Queens death. For many who mourn, it is not until the actual funeral that the full force of bereavement strikes. Until then, we sometimes postpone the hard truth in busy activity. And in the ceremonies, spectacles, processions, proclamations and the great national expression of love and loyalty that has surrounded the lying-in-state, we have perhaps protected ourselves from the feeling of irrecoverable loss that must eventually come. Tomorrow the long, sad days bring us to the edge of the tomb, to the last lament and to the chilly beginning of a new era, whose nature we cannot know, except that it will be very different from the 70 years that went before. Shakespeare, as so often, has fitting words for the new generation as they contemplate the vast events through which Elizabeth II so gently guided us, and as the last of the wartime generation, including our Queen, walk slowly off into the twilight, leaving the rest of us to manage for ourselves: The oldest hath borne most; we that are young/ Shall never see so much, nor live so long. Mail on Sunday: The best way we can honour the Queen is to emulate her In a way, let us hope that we shall not see so much: the withering away of an empire, the dramatic transformation of our landscape, even a change in how we speak our own language, so that recordings of the Queen made at the start of her reign now sound impossibly archaic. By any standards, her life was extraordinarily long. It began when the battleship and steam train remained in the vanguard of modernity, and urgent news came by telegram. It ended in the age of gene-editing and the smartphone. And yet here we still are, one of the most civilised, prosperous, peaceful and well-ordered societies in the world, in no small part thanks to the stability and order brought about by the wisdom of the Queen who has now gone. How can we best commemorate her? There are discussions about conferring a title on her, perhaps Elizabeth the Good. There will no doubt be monuments and statues. But surely the best way of remembering her life, and of keeping her in memory, is to emulate her, from the very top of our society to the very bottom. Her virtues at first sound quiet, even meek: silence when speech is not necessary, restraint at all times, a temper kept when it could have been lost, a life lived modestly rather than extravagantly, a constant recognition that goodness and courage are to be found among all classes. But we must hope for these virtues (and those of us who pray should pray for it) in our new King, who will tomorrow perhaps find himself more alone than ever before in his life. We must long for them from our politicians, our Civil Service, our educational institutions, our courts and our police. So very much depends on how the men and women in those positions conduct themselves. However, we should also nurture and encourage these virtues in ourselves, in all we do and think and say. For Elizabeth II taught us, in her long decades on the throne, the enormous strength that lies in many things our noisy, urgent, fevered age has tended to forget or scorn patience, thrift, modesty, civility, gentle humour and plain good manners. As we contemplate and mourn the enormous gap that our late Queen has left in our national life, we can now see that these things added together are as mighty as an army with banners. And our best memorial to her will be to adopt the virtues she maintained when it would have been so easy to lay them aside. A Louisiana State University senior was found shot dead in her bullet-riddled car in Baton Rouge on Friday. Allison Rice, 21, of Geismar, was found inside her car around 2.30am on Friday on Government Street near railroad tracks. Her car reportedly had six bullet holes in it. Rice had reportedly been out with friends prior to the shooting and got stuck behind a train only a few miles away from campus when she attempted to make a U-turn and someone started shooting, according to WWLTV. A Government Street resident said the gunshots were muffled by the passing trains, but he was still awoken by the violent sound around 2.15am. 'The train, it sort of muffled out the shots, but you knew they were gunshots,' the resident, who did not give his name, told The Advocate. Police have not identified a suspect or a motive for the shooting yet. Allison Rice, 21, of Geismar, was found dead inside her car around 2.30am on Friday on Government Street near railroad tracks. Her car reportedly had six bullet holes in it Rice had been out with friends prior to the shooting and got stuck behind a train only a few miles away from campus when she attempted to make a U-turn and someone started shooting Neighbor Floyd Normand told WWLTV that that area has a 'lot of problems.' 'Youve got people doing things they should not be doing, stuff like that. Im trying to stay focused, stay out of that life, and be in my house. When night falls, I try to be in my house,' he told the outlet. Local businessman Russ Turner said he didn't hear about the shooting until later that morning when he opened up his shop. All that was left behind was broken glass, but he wasn't surprised another person was shot. 'People get killed around here every month, it seems,' Turner told The Advocate. Police responded to the scene around 2.30am and all that was left later that morning was a pile of broken glass (pictured) Rice, a marketing major, was remembered by her school, which said in a statement: 'The LSU community is saddened to hear of senior Allison Rice being killed overnight.' The 21-year-old was gearing up for an internship and had recently left her job at The Shed BBQ in Baton Rouge, where she worked with her two brothers. The Shed Owner Luke Forstmann told WAFB: 'She was one of our first employees. She was always bright, smiley, and bubbly. She was a staple here. 'We were just talking the other day, she had an internship lined up. She had such an amazing, bright future, and everything was on the up and up and she was about to graduate. This is so senseless and devastating.' Rice reportedly liked to make new drink and food recipes at the restaurant, her former boss Chez Ciccone told The Advocate. Her aunt Susie Rice Granier described the young woman as a 'free spirit' and said she loved to sing and dance. 'The loss of a child, you can never get over that. The holidays are coming up. Its going to be sad. Its going to be really sad,' Grainer told The Advocate. She and her husband were driving to their son's military base when they got the call and Grainer told the outlet the pair 'just stopped at the stop sign and cried.' 'That's all we could do,' she told The Advocate. Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston also said her 'heart goes out to the family.' Rice was a marketing major at Louisiana State University and had been preparing for an internship Rice's aunt Susie Rice Granier described the young woman as a 'free spirit' and said she loved to sing and dance She had recently left her job at The Shed BBQ in Baton Rouge, where she worked with her two brothers (pictured together) The Shed Owner Luke Forstmann (pictured) said she was one of the first employees and was a 'staple' at the establishment 'This senseless violence is completely unacceptable and Baton Rouge Police officers are thoroughly investigating to bring the perpetrator to justice,' she said in a statement. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy also expressed his grief, and said he is 'devastated to learn about the tragic passing of LSU senior Allison Rice, whose life was taken in a senseless act of violence.' Rice's death is the 74th this year in the East Baton Rouge Parish, according to The Advocate. The senior's death also comes after a string of crimes LSU students have been facing lately. On August 19, another student was shot during an attempted robbery. A few days later, two separate kidnapping cases happened on campus. According to the FBI, Baton Rouge has one of the highest homicide rates in Louisiana. New Orleans holds the number one spot. In fact, analysis of 2022 homicide data ranks New Orleans as the US murder capital, overtaking St. Louis, Missouri. In the first six months of 2022, New Orleans recorded 41 murders per 100,000 population. The city is struggling with its lowest police staffing level in modern history amid a crisis of officer morale. The police budget, however, 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. The New York City Department of Education has axed 850 teachers and classroom aides on top of the 1,300 employees who took one year's unpaid leave. It means that almost 2,000 school employees will have been fired for failing to comply with vaccine mandate imposed last October. Of the 1,300 who went on leave for a year, 450 agreed to show proof of vaccination by September 5. The rest are 'deemed to have voluntarily resigned.' The New York City Department of Education has axed 850 teachers and classroom aides after they refused to show proof of getting the COVID vaccine (file photo from November 2021) The 450 who received a shot, consisting of 225 teachers and 135 paraprofessionals, are now 'returning to their prior schools or work locations,' DOE officials told The New York Post. About 1,950 staffers have now been terminated from the department since the vaccine mandate was introduced on October 29, 2021. New York City Mayor Eric Adams never lifted the vaccine mandate for city schools despite other cities and states dropping such requirements as the CDC relaxed its covid guidelines. Despite protests, in total, the City has fired more than 2,600 municipal workers who were not fully vaccinated. Pictured, municipal workers of the city marched against vaccination mandate last October In total, the City has fired more than 2,600 municipal workers who were not fully vaccinated. One teacher, Rachelle Garcia, told The Post how she had worked as a school teacher in Brooklyn for 15 years including in-person during the pandemic. Garcia refused to get vaccinated and took leave after her requests for a religious exemption were denied. 'I really put my eggs in one basket, hoping and praying that at the last minute our mayor would turn everything around in time for me to go back to work,' she said. 'I'm angry, I'm hurt, to be cast aside like I was nothing. Because I couldn't give a proper goodbye to my students, other teachers told me they kept asking, "When is Ms. Garcia coming back?" That made me cry so much.' Dozens of New York City teachers staged a protest last October as the COVID-19 vaccination mandate went into effect Last October, dozens of New York City teachers staged a protest as then-Mayor Bill de Blasio's COVID-19 vaccination mandate went into effect, spurring some 18,000 educators to get inoculated just before the deadline. Protesters held signs that read 'Resist medical tyranny!' and 'My body, my choice' in front of a Department of Education building in downtown Brooklyn. One protester held a sign comparing anti-mandate demonstrators to Rosa Parks, the civil rights icon who refused to sit in the back of the bus in the segregated South in the mid-1950s. Almost one year on, Mayor Adams had publicly scolded office workers criticizing them for staying 'home in your pajamas all day.' Adams said the continuation of remote work was worsening the citys income divide. Protesters held signs that read 'Resist medical tyranny!' and 'My body, my choice' in front of a Department of Education building in downtown Brooklyn in October 2021 "Time to come back." Im really happy to hear corporate leaders starting to say that, Adams said after Labor Day. A number of Wall Street banks had been pushing for a return to the office since last year with the calls growing stronger leading some to loosen their Covid-19 restrictions. Goldman Sachs requires its 10,000 New York City employees to come into the office five days a week with workers no longer needing to wear masks or test for covid in order to come into their offices. The new CDC guidelines state individuals no longer need to quarantine if theyve been in close contact with somebody who has COVID-19 and no longer recommends social distancing. Individuals who do not have symptoms or those whose symptoms are improving can end their isolation after five days, according to the new guidelines. Levi Johnson was stabbed outside a Goodlife gym at Mansfield on Monday Kyle Martin was arrested with girlfriend at Warwick home, Brisbane, on Saturday The fourth and final man accused of stabbing a Comanchero bikie associate to death outside a gym has been charged after a late night craving for Hungry Jacks blew his cover. Kyle Martin, 24, was arrested with his 24-year-old girlfriend after police surrounded a house on Albion Street at Warwick at 9.45pm on Saturday. He is the latest person to be charged with murder after Levi Johnson, 23, was ambushed at a Goodlife gym car park in Carindale on Monday. Thomas Friedrich Myler, 35, Stuart Galloway and Luke Thomas Moore, both 34, are the other three people who have been arrested over the attack. Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said police will allege Martin stabbed Johnson six times during the attack. Kyle Martin, 24 (pictured), was arrested with his 24-year-old girlfriend after police surrounded a property on Albion Street at Warwick at 9:45pm on Saturday Levi Johnson, 23, was ambushed at a Goodlife gym car park in Mansfield on Monday Thomas Friedrich Myler, 35, Stuart Galloway and Luke Thomas Moore, both 34, are the other three people who have been arrested over the attack (pictured, police at the scene on Monday) 'It will also be alleged, that even after that time, one member of the four that has already been charged continued to assault the deceased,' he said. 'This is a disgraceful act, it is a brutal assault, it is a coward assault.' Police allege the men are part of a gang called 13 Kings and that one of the men stabbed Mr Johnson to get accepted into a bikie club. 'At this stage there will be some matters out before the court, with respect to motive. I can't go into that in detail (as) we are in the sub-judice period,' he said. 'But certainly some thought processes around the commission of this offence may go to inclusion on the mind of at least one of these accused, of getting into a motorcycle group upon the commission of this crime.' Supt Massingham said a vehicle associated with Martins girlfriend was identified and tracked to accommodation in Warwick. Police managed to track down Martin after following his girlfriend who went for a short drive to get takeaway from Hungry Jacks. 'That food was sufficient for two people and was paid in cash,' Supt Massingham said. 'It was at that time I was confident we had our wanted person.' Martin is believed to have made plans to leave the state and head for Western Australia. Thomas Friedrich Myler, 35 (pictured), Stuart Galloway and Luke Thomas Moore, both 34, are the other three people who have been arrested over the attack Up to 200 police and 60 detectives had been working around the clock over the last week to find the men allegedly responsible for the attack (pictured, blue tarp at Mansfield carpark on Monday) Martin will appear at Ipswich Magistrates Court on Monday while his girlfriend will continue to assist police with their inquiries. She has not been charged/accused of any wrongdoing. Up to 200 police and 60 detectives had been working around the clock over the past week to find the men allegedly responsible for the attack. Martin's arrest was a day after Myler was taken into custody following a police raid at a home on Skinner Avenue at Wellington point on Friday. Brisbane regional crime coordinator Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said police would allege he buried guns at another property just before the arrest. 'We were able to get assistance from PolAir and a short time after that a vehicle, a Mazda 323, left this (Wellington Point) address,' he said. 'That vehicle has been taken to an address in Chandler, where we believe the wanted person... buried a number of firearms on a property.' Myler is understood to have had a falling out and split up with Martin following the stabbing. CCTV footage released by police on Friday allegedly shows Kyle Martin (pictured), 24, at the Carindale shopping centre before the attack 'It would appear from some words that were spoken tonight by this man (Myler) that that relationship is somewhat fractured and that's obviously something we will be looking at in the coming days,' Superintendent Massingham said. Myler has been charged with murder, unlawful possession of motor vehicle, enter premises, authority required to possess explosives and drive vehicle not fitted with interlock. His matter was briefly mentioned before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday and the case has been adjourned until October 4. His girlfriend has not been charged by police and remains in questioning. Two cars boxed in Mr Johnson's vehicle before four men got out and started smashing his windows on Monday. Mr Johnson ran away but two men caught up with him nearby, and he was stabbed multiple times. 'It certainly is something that was ferocious, it happened extremely quickly and they were indeed passionate about completing their task,' superintendent Massingham said. Air New Zealand has mocked Qantas for getting beaten to the punch on launching a direct flight from Auckland to New York. The long-haul flight, which commenced take-off at Auckland Airport on Saturday, takes just over 16 hours to reach John F Kennedy International Airport. It's the latest in a series of long-haul flights being brought forward by airlines across the globe that offsets the need to stop in another airport for refuelling. Air New Zealand has commenced long-haul flights from Auckland Airport (pictured) to JFK Airport in New York The feat from Air New Zealand is a win for the airline over Qantas, who won't be launching long-haul flights to New York from Australia until June next year. 'I'm not surprised by Qantas,' chief executive Greg Foran said at Auckland Airport in preparation for his airline commencing their first flight to New York. 'Why wouldn't they? At some point under their Project Sunrise they would like to be able to go direct, they just don't have the metal to be able to do that at this stage They don't actually have a plane at this stage that can do the distance. 'So trying to set something up is something that makes sense. We compete with them in almost every route so, welcome them on. Competition is good, and we will give them a good wave when we pass them in the skies.' Air New Zealand has three long-haul flights scheduled every week from Auckland to New York City on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The flight is one of the longest routes in the world. The Kiwi has three long-haul flights scheduled every week from Auckland to New York City (pictured). It will take just over 16 hours to reach John F. Kennedy International Airport Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said that he 'wasn't surprised' that Qantas was attempting the same route but joked that the Kiwi airline would be giving their Australian rival 'a good wave when we pass them in the skies' (pictured, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce) The route is one of the quickest, simplest ways for Australians to head to New York before Qantas launches its own flights in 2023. It will take Australians on the east coast about 20 hours in total to get to JFK Airport. Those flying in from Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne will have a three to four-hour flight to Auckland followed by the long-haul journey. By comparison, most regular trips from Sydney to New York take between 24 and 27 hours on average. Mr Foran said the feat was an extraordinary milestone and one the Kiwi airline had been working on for four years. He explained that Air New Zealand would be upgrading their cabin service and the 'on-board experience' so passengers are comfortable for the journey and arrive in New York 'feeling refreshed'. The Prime Minister also met with the newly appointed Conservative UK Prime Minister Liz Truss Mr Albanese went to Green Park to lay a wreath and signed a book of condolences for the Queen He arrived on Saturday with his partner, Jodie Haydon, and a group of 10 'everyday Australians' Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has had an audience with King Charles III in London Advertisement Prime Minister Anthony has met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London, but has not changed his mind on Australia becoming a republic. He also had a meeting the UK's newly appointed Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss and on Sunday will refer to a famous 1988 meeting between the Queen and former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Mr Albanese would not say what was discussed in the private audience due to royal protocol keeping all meetings strictly confidential, but hinted that climate change was part of his discussion. The King has frequently spoken about the dangers of climate change for decades, and is well known for his support of environmental issues. The discussion between King Charles III (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) was kept secret due to 'protocol', but Mr Albanese hinted that they discussed environment issues, including climate change 'I'm not going to discuss any of that detail, protocol requires that, but King Charles of course has been on the record of his views over a very long period of time about environmental issues and including about climate change,' Mr Albanese said. Mr Albanese described meeting the King as 'a warm gathering' and that 'this is a time of respect, that is what is required here'. Asked if the palace meeting was awkward, given his republican views, he said: 'I don't find it difficult at all'. 'It's about respect to Queen Elizabeth and her extraordinary service over 70 years, the fact she continued to serve with extraordinary diligence and commitment and sense of duty is reflective of her generation as well, they gave so much in the post war period,' he said. Mr Albanese said it was a 'great honour' to officially relay his and Australia's condolences for the death of The Queen to King Charles. He told reporters the door was always open for the Royal Family to come to Australia. 'As the Australian head of state he is always a welcome visitor and he always has been to Australia,' he said. 'I do intend to have further discussions with King Charles.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the official book of condolences at Lancaster House in London PM Anthony Albanese's partner Jodie Haydon was among the dignitaries signing the book of condolences at Lancaster House in London Mr Albanese also lauded The Queen in a touching tribute speech for transcending barriers while maintaining a special bond with Australia. The late monarch was a unifying force throughout her 70-year reign, the PM said in an address at an Australia House Commemorative Luncheon in London on Saturday. 'Even as history continued to shape us, and the bond between our two nations evolved, the affection and respect in which we held Her Majesty remained unchanged, undiminished,' he said. 'The Queen transcended barriers. You could be a republican, and still feel nothing but regard for her.' During a visit to Australia in 2000, months after Australia held a republic referendum, The Queen expressed her deep connection to the nation. The revered monarch said she 'felt part of this rugged, honest, creative land' and has 'shared in the joys and the sorrows, the challenges and the changes that have shaped this country's history'. The Queen seems unmoved as Australia's then prime minister Bob Hawke leaps up when his horse wins the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the Canberra Races In a second speech at Australian High Commission on Sunday, Mr Albanese will recall The Queen had 'one of the most Australian experiences of all' in sitting next to then-prime minister Bob Hawke at the races in 1988 when his horse was winning. 'The photograph of these two connoisseurs of the turf in that moment is a perfect study in balance The Queen sitting serenely, Bob going off like a firecracker in a suit,' Mr Albanese will say. 'Bob was criticised, but as he later reflected: "I took great pleasure a little later in pointing to an image of the Queen showing similar exultation when one of her horses won in England."' He also hailed the monarch's loyalty and unwavering commitment to royal life. 'She celebrated our good times, and stood with us in our times of trial, bringing sympathy and comfort when it was so badly needed,' Mr Albanese said. Anthony Albanese will meet King Charles III and new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss during his stay in London, cementing Australia's important links with Great Britain Soon after touching down, Mr Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon laid a floral tribute, a small bouquet of white flowers, at Green Park in Westminster. 'It's a great honour to be representing Australia here,' he said. 'Quite clearly, what we can see all around us is the affection in which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was held by people here in the United Kingdom but also of course in Australia and right around the Commonwealth.' The PM arrived in London with his girlfriend and a party of 10 'everyday Aussies' including current Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott, who have also been invited to the funeral. Mr Albanese said his visit was about 'commemorating a life well-lived'. He went straight to Green Park early on Saturday to lay his wreath among the thousands of bouquets which have been building throughout the city since the Queen's death was announced on the evening of September 8. PM Anthony Albanese arrived in London with girlfriend Jodie Haydon and a party of 10 'everyday Aussies' (pictured) including Dylan Alcott (centre), who have also been invited to the funeral 'Paying our respects to Her Majesty,' Mr Albanese said as he shared a photo at Green Park alongside Ms Haydon. 'May she rest in eternal peace.' Later, Mr Albanese was one of a handful of world leaders who sat down with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss. Because the British Government is in a formal mourning period, there were no press conferences or statements from either side about the meetings, but Mr Albanese described it as 'very positive'. 'It was one that didn't go into a great deal of detail. It was about the condolences, an opportunity to express condolences leader of government to leader of the UK government,' he said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also revealed on Sunday that he'd arrived and went straight to London's Green Park early on Sunday to lay a wreath among the thousands of bouquets (pictured with his partner, Jodie Haydon) Downing Street has framed Anthony Albanese's impending conversation with the new Tory PM Liz Truss (pictured) as a chat rather than formal bilateral talks 'We'll continue to engage in the future. The economic relationship is very important. As you know, there was a trade agreement between Australia and the UK. 'That needs to be progressed through our parliamentary systems and we're both very conscious of that. 'The AUKUS arrangement is important as our alliance partners along with the United States. But the defence relationship with the United Kingdom, of course, goes back a very long, long way. 'And I'm sure that the relationship between Australia and the UK can be strengthened even further in the future,' he said. Australian Monarchist League chairman Philip Benwell said Charles has always kept a special place in his heart for Australia, particularly after spending time in regional Victoria in the 1970s. 'King Charles has committed himself to following in the footsteps of his late mother and to likewise dedicate himself to the service of his people,' he said. 'He will always make time to meet with his Australian Prime Minister, and the gathering for the funeral of the late Queen offers an opportunity for this.' Mr Albanese is also scheduled to have talks with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau. Anthony Albanese will view the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall and sign the official condolence book at Lancaster House before a brief audience with King Charles (pictured) at Buckingham Palace 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 Leaked Government documents revealed plans for world leaders to travel en masse in a bus to Westminster Abbey for Monday's 8pm (AEST) service, rather that using private cars. British and US officials have since played down the prospect of US President Joe Biden having to travel on a bus into central London. Japanese Emperor Naruhito is expected to be among those travelling to the funeral on the shuttle. According to Politico, the 62-year-old and other visiting royals will be bussed to the service under strict Foreign Office guidance. The website reported Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and the Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima would also be put on a shuttle bus. Some embassies have reportedly made as-yet unsuccessful efforts to request exceptions to the Foreign Office guidance. A Number 10 spokeswoman refused to comment on the arrangements for individual dignitaries but accepted they will 'differ depending on the needs of the different leaders'. New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern was one of the first world leaders to pay her respects in London on Friday, while the prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina touched down on Thursday afternoon. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill will be able to take the armoured Beast to the Queen's funeral next week while other world leaders will be asked to take the shared bus, as is standard protocol Jacinda Ardern 'shares the sorrow' of King Charles as she prepares to meet Royal Family and new PM Liz Truss New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda 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. 'I'll simply share the sorrow that New Zealand has and pass on our deepest condolences,' she 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.' Ms Ardern, who said she is planning to attend the Queen's lying in state at Westminster Hall before 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.' Advertisement 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. Mr Biden is expected to arrive this evening and French president Emmanuel Macron, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian president Sergio Matarella and Canada's Justin Trudeau are among other notable attendees. The US presidential plane, known as Air Force One, tends to land at Stansted Airport on visits to Britain in order to avoid disruption at Heathrow. It's highly unlikely the president will be on board the shuttle bus with other dignitaries. Instead, he will likely travel by his armoured vehicle dubbed 'The Beast' while he's in the capital. The custom-built Cadillac is said to have eight-inch thick doors, run-flat tires, bulletproof glass, its own oxygen supply, a couple of pints of the president's blood and a completely sealed interior to ward off a chemical attack. It is estimated to weigh between seven and nine tonnes. 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 Floral Tributes are left at Green Park next to Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II before her funeral preparations get underway Mourners form a massive queue near Tower Bridge this morning as they wait to see the Queen lying-in-state Mourners queueing at Tower Bridge in central London this morning as they wait to pay their respects to the Queen 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. The official capacity of Westminster Abbey is 2,200 people, and it is expected to be full. The public will be able to watch the service live through television streams. Mr Albanese will join members of the Royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey at 11am on Monday (8PM AEST). 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. People wake up after a night spent at a makeshift campsite set up along The Mall as temperatures plunge By Jason Lim Two things happened this past week one in Korea and one in the U.S. that brought to life interesting insights into how folks make sense of their worlds. First, in Seoul, a 28-year-old female employee of Seoul Metro was killed by a 31-year-old former male colleague who had stalked her for a long time. The perpetrator had to quit work last October after facing allegations of stalking, harassment, and voyeurism against the victim. The court rejected a request for an arrest warrant last October because it determined that there was little risk of the perpetrator fleeing. However, the victim had to file a police complaint again this past January because he continued stalking her. He killed the victim the day before he was set to be sentenced. Tragically, the court apparently didn't consider in its arrest warrant decision the risk of the stalker harming the victim. This brutal crime happened in the context of a rise in sociopolitical tension between young men and women in Korea. Although Korea is still plagued by the lowest gender equality rating among the OECD countries, there is a rising, collective resentment by young men in Korea over the perceived advantages that women purportedly enjoy that tilt the playing field in their favor, a dynamic that has played a significant role in recent national elections. At the same time, several high-profile stalking murders by men against women lent credence to the accusation that authorities are just not taking violence against women seriously enough (cue, the refusal to grant an arrest warrant in the latest case). A Seoul city council member walked into this minefield with a verbal grenade. Councilman Lee Sang-hoon from the ruling party was quoted as saying, "The perpetrator reacted violently in a variety of ways because the victim wouldn't reciprocate his positive feelings towards her he is a young man who is just 31 years old. He must have worked and prepared hard in his own way to get employed by Seoul Metro regardless of the perpetrator or the victim, their parents' hearts must be broken." Lee is being rightfully pilloried for his insensitive remarks. Most criticize them as empathizing more with the male perpetrator rather than the female victim due to some misguided sense of male chauvinism. While true, I also view his remark as a window to his underlying worldview that is more parent-centric than anything else. He comes off looking at child-rearing like an attempt in project management that has unfortunately breached its timeline because of some unforeseen accident. The brutal killing is a mere externality that derailed all the efforts that have been put into reaching that all-important milestone: a desirable job. This naturally leads to Lee's concern about how the perpetrator's parents must be suffering. That this logical leap isn't questioned illustrates the underlying assumption in Korean society that regards a child to be not only an extension but a possession of the parents to own and manage. Second, in the U.S., the release of the preview of the upcoming remake of the much loved "Little Mermaid" featuring Halle Bailey, a Black actress, triggered a swarm of criticism that the central character of Ariel shouldn't be played by Bailey since it's not "accurate." Glossing over the fact that the Little Mermaid is not real but a product of Hans Christin Anderson's imagination, some argued that the Little Mermaid should be white since Anderson was Danish; the Little Mermaid should be white because it's based on a European tale; the Little Mermaid should be white because of tradition. After all, the original Disney animation featured a white, red-haired Ariel. While I can't think of a bigger waste of time than arguing the appropriate human racial classification for an imaginary character of a species that never existed, I also wonder what underlying assumptions are driving the obvious discomfort that some feel over this casting choice. This discomfort isn't too far different from what we have witnessed since the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media giants. Despite their instant, global reach, we have seen social media lead to a clumping of people, politics, opinions, truths, and even facts. All of us has a certain mental taxonomy of how the world should be classified and ordered. We also have a specific mental understanding of how the world should work. We have a mental calculator of what or who's worth and how much privilege and comfort our efforts should buy us. We then take these mental constructs and project them upon the world as a sense-making framework. And we desperately need the world to make sense. We can't deal with the mental chaos and confusion if what we see doesn't fit neatly into our mental framework, which is a constructed amalgam of our assumptions, biases, preconceptions, and the like of how the world and people should behave. Words like tradition or heritage are masks for the cultural frameworks that allow for our mental constructs to be hugged and feel catered to. The first law of social media is that the birds of a feather flock together. Actually, we've seen them clump together into a sticky, incestuous mess. The real tragedy is that clumped birds can no longer ascend into the sky; clumped humanity can no longer soar into the future. Jason Lim (jasonlim@msn.com) is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture. Advertisement The National Weather Service warned of 'angry' seas in Alaska as typhoon Merbok devastates the state with historic flooding along coastal communities. The NWS said Saturday that the typhoon has continued to 'produce a potentially historic and long-duration storm surge, and damaging high winds across southwestern and western Alaska.' Gov. Mike Dunleavy has since declared a state of disaster over the storm as hundreds have been moved to shelters and the tide level in Nome reached more than 10 feet by the afternoon. No deaths or injuries have been reported so far. Dunleavy said the state has already begun assessing the damage and will move quickly because the roads in the area begin to freeze over in October, giving officials little time to provide adequate aid to the areas that need it most. 'We're going to move as quickly as we can to provide relief, to provide recovery, and to provide the essentials that people need,' he said. 'We don't have a lot of time.' The governor also said that the state was on the lookout for a new typhoon that formed over Japan on Saturday, which could bring another storm to Alaska by the following week. Merbok is expected to bring heavy rainfall and high winds until Sunday morning, with the NWS stating that it will take the sun three hours to set over the massive storm system. Alaska's west coast faces heavy storm surges and historic flooding as typhoon Merbok devastates the area. Pictured: Two men walking through a flooded street in Nome The National Weather Service said the storm was so massive it would take the sun about three hours to set over it The city of Nome received many flood warnings, with the NWS warning boats to stay docked amid a 'very angry sea' The city of Golovin fared no better as streets became inundated, with the storm expected to last until Sunday night Streets bordering the Bering Sea quickly became flooded as emergency personnel were called to service the areas Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the state will act quickly to assess the damage and provide recovery to the coastal cities as officials face a time crunch over freezing roads come October Dunleavy issued a state of disaster, but noted that no injuries or deaths were reported as of Saturday According to AccuWeather reports, Merbork brought wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph to the Alaskan coastline, toppling trees, damaging roofs and causing several power outages throughout towns in the region. AccuWeather also warned of 'life-threatening conditions' for fishing operations in Alaska, warning small boats to stay in port as sea levels rose and grew unruly in Nome. In the town Hooper Bay, rising flood waters caused about 110 people to take shelter in the local high school. In a video from the high school posted on Facebook, Hooper Bay resident Judy Bunyon, 64, described the storm as the worst she's ever seen since her childhood days. Hooper Bay Storm 9/16/22 for archival purposes. Stay safe out there warriors Posted by Hooper Bay School on Saturday, September 17, 2022 The roads in Hooper bay were completely flooded on Saturday morning, forcing citizens to evacuate One Hooper Bay resident who made it safely to the high school said it was the worst storm she's ever seen Pictured: A home by the Snake River near Nome is flooded and rocked off its foundation The massive storm has brought wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph to the western cities of Alaska on Saturday Debris littered the roads across the coastal cities, where freezing roads could hinder recovery efforts come October The State's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities have been monitoring the conditions of the storm and will assess the damages once the storm passes. Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, issued a similar statement and said officials were mostly worried about low-lying zones near the coast. Zidek told the New York Times that the state faced unique challenges in battling the storm's effects as cities along the coast are few and spaced out miles apart, leaving the state to make difficult decisions to avoid having emergency personnel scattered. 'We really have to take a wait-and-see approach before we deploy the limited resources that we have,' Mr. Zidek said. 'Alaska is a different animal.' The mini-convention center in Nome, home to the finish line of the famous Iditarod sled dog race is pictured flooded Pictured: Flood waters from the typhoon reaching the homes in the city of Golovin on Saturday morning The NWS said some parts of the state were experiencing the worst flooding in almost 50 years, with the impacts of Merbok expected to beat out the devastating 2011 Bering Seas Superstorm, which caused $24 million in damages and killed one person. Officials have said there have been no reports of injuries yet as of Saturday afternoon. The storm is expected to subside by Monday, with parts of Fairbanks and Anchorage forecasted to see rain into Sunday night. Rap star Ludacris' longtime manager, Chaka Zulu, has been charged with murder in relation to a June shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead Rap star Ludacris' longtime manager, Chaka Zulu, has been charged with murder in relation to a June shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead. Zulu, whose real name is Ahmed Obafemi, was wounded and rushed to the hospital along with two others, who were also hit by gunfire in the parking lot of a shopping center in the Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead. Artez Jamil Benton, 23, from DeKalb County, was killed. Benton was a recent graduate of Young Harris College, a private college located in the mountains of North Georgia. The shooting erupted following an argument, although it's unclear what the dispute was about. Investigators looking into the killing identified Zulu, co-CEO of Disturbing Tha Peace Records, as a suspect. He surrendered to police on Tuesday and was was booked into the Fulton County jail on four charges, including murder, aggravated assault, simple battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was then released on $200,000 bail according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Music manager Chaka Zulu (right) pictured, left, with his most famous client Ludacris, was also shot and wounded in the June shooting It is the first arrest in the case since the shooting occurred earlier this summer. Benton's family had pleaded for answers in the man's killing. Artez Benton, 23, was killed in the shooting, which erupted after an argument in a strip mall parking lot 'We just want justice for Artez,' Arteria Benton, his older sister, told The AJC. 'That's the main thing we want. So if you see something, say something please.' Days after the shooting, celebrities took to social media to wish Zulu a speedy recovery. 'Prayers for Brother Chaka Zulu,' Roots frontman Questlove posted on Twitter. The June murder took place in the 2200 block of Peachtree Road, a popular area in the upscale neighborhood that is dotted with shops and restaurants. Zulu's attorney, Gabe Banks released a statement in defense of his client on Saturday evening. 'Mr. Chaka Zulu, a beloved son of the City of Atlanta, is disappointed in the Atlanta Police Department's decision to bring charges against him surrounding the shooting that occurred in June 2022. Chaka Zulu, left, and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges are pictured together in March 2007 Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges and Chaka Zulu (right) are pictured in April 2015 'A close review of all of the evidence, including the surveillance footage and eyewitness interviews, reveals that Mr. Zulu was attacked and jumped from behind by a gang of at least four individuals and was forced to defend himself after this gang repeatedly stomped, punched, and kicked him while he was on the ground in a defenseless posture. 'Mr. Zulu was shot in the back during the shooting and nearly lost his life, and is still recovering from the nearly fatal injuries he sustained that evening. Mr. Zulu was at his place of business that night and had every right to defend himself. In an attempt to save his life, Mr. Zulu lawfully discharged his weapon in self-defense, a weapon that he is licensed to carry,' the statement went on. 'Mr. Zulu remains confident that his name will be cleared of all charges through the judicial process. It is not lost on Mr. Zulu that someone lost his life, but had Mr. Zulu not lawfully defended himself, Mr. Zulu would have been killed that night.' The scene of where the shooting took place in the parking lot in the block of 2200 Peachtree Road Days after the shooting, celebrities took to social media in order wish Zulu a speedy recovery Zulu began his independent record label 'Disturbing tha Peace Records' in 1998 together with his brother Jeff Dixon and Christopher 'Ludacris' Bridges. The record label, now a subsidiary of Def Jam, was designed to give musicians from the 'Dirty South' an opportunity to shine after being ignored by major labels, with Ludacris being the first artist represented. The city of Atlanta has been plagued with escalating violence, with more than 80 homicides so far this year. Atlanta's total number of reported homicides jumped 60% from 2019 to 2020 - then again just slightly last year. In 2022, the city is outpacing last year's numbers. Buckhead, meanwhile, is Atlanta's wealthiest neighborhood, and is trying to secede from the city over its soaring violent crime. Daniel Andrews's government will invest $1.5 billion to rebuild a major hospital and rename it in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The premier announced on Sunday the money would be spent on improving the Maroondah Hospital, in Melbourne's east, if Labor wins the next election. The Liberal opposition a day earlier pledged $400 million if it was voted into power. Queen Elizabeth holds a special place in the hearts of Victorians,' Mr Andrews said. 'A re-elected Andrews Labor Government will rebuild and expand Maroondah Hospital before renaming it in Her Majesty's honour.' Daniel Andrews has vowed he will invest $1.5billion to rebuild a major hospital and rename it in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth I The premier announced on Sunday the money would be spent on improving the Maroondah Hospital, in Melbourne's east, if Labor wins the next election The Queen Elizabeth II Hospital would boast new operating theatres, day procedure facilities and specialist care spaces. A larger medical imaging unit and a new emergency department would also be included in the rebuild. Two six-storey in-patient towers will also be constructed and have the room to hold an additional 200 beds and 9,000 more patients would be able to be treated. 'The whole hospital is essentially being rebuilt,' Mr Andrews said. The rebuild is expected to cost $1.5 billion and begin in 2025 before finishing in 2029, with 2,500 jobs created by the major upgrade. Mr Andrews slammed the $400 million pledge by the opposition as too small. 'That's why we're going to build the Queen Elizabeth II hospital for what it costs more than a billion dollars,' he said. 'They didn't really make a commitment to revamp Maroondah, they made a commitment to half do-it. 'Queen Elizabeth holds a special place in the hearts of Victorians,' Mr Andrews said '(The opposition is) not particularly relevant to what we're announcing today and they showed that with the absolute inadequacy of the commitments that they made yesterday.' Under the opposition's promise, the new hospital will include big-ticket items such as a new emergency department, ICU and critical care unit, an enhanced cancer centre, extra operating suites and a bigger staff car park. Details of the refurbishment and expansion will be worked through with the hospital's operator Eastern Health and the local community. 'We're going to increase the capacity here by another 100 beds, so take that up to over 420 beds,' opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said on Saturday. 'That will include capacity to improve the mental health services, intensive care, general surgical (and) general medical capacity in this hospital.' Puerto Ricans braced for severe wind and extreme rain as Tropical Storm Fiona bore down amid expectations it would grow into a hurricane before striking the U.S. territorys southern coast Sunday afternoon. Forecasters said 'historic' levels of rain were expected to produce landslides and heavy flooding, with up to 20 inches forecast in isolated areas. 'Its time to take action and be concerned,' said Nino Correa, Puerto Ricos emergency management commissioner. Fiona was centered 150 miles southeast of Ponce, Puerto Rico, about 75 miles southeast of St Croix, late Saturday. It had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was moving west-northwest at 8 mph. This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Fiona in the Caribbean on Saturday A man sits in front of a beach watching as the waves break before the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona in San Juan, Puerto Rico Tropical Storm Fiona is moving through the northeastern Caribbean. It will produce flooding rain and strong wind gusts in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Fiona could become a hurricane when it is near Puerto Rico on Sunday Hurricane warnings have been issued for the island of Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic It was expected to become a hurricane on Sunday and into Sunday night, as it moves near Puerto Rico. A storm is considered a Category 1 hurricane when sustained windspeeds reach 74 mph or greater. The storm was forecast to pummel cities and towns along Puerto Ricos southern coast that are still recovering from a string of strong earthquakes that hit the region starting in late 2019, with several schools still shuttered and debris to be removed. More than 100 people had sought shelter across the island by Saturday night, the majority of them in the southern coastal city of Guayanilla. With Fiona due just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a deadly Category 4 storm that hit on September 20, 2017, anxiety levels ran high across the island. People boarded up windows and stocked up on food and water. 'I think all of us Puerto Ricans who lived through Maria have that post-traumatic stress of, `What is going to happen, how long is it going to last and what needs might we face?' said Danny Hernandez, who works in the capital of San Juan but planned to weather the storm with his parents and family in the western town of Mayaguez. He said the atmosphere was gloomy at the supermarket as he and others made sure they were well-stocked before the storm hit. A forecast of where the heaviest rain may fall on the forecast path of the tropical cyclone It's unlikely that Fiona will ever become a threat to the U.S. mainland Residents attach protective plywood to a window of their home in preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona, in Loiza, Puerto Rico Jose Ortiz installs metal storm shutters in his restaurant in preparation for the arrival of tropical storm Fiona and its heavy rains in Lajas, Puerto Rico A man stands in front of a beach before the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona in San Juan Tropical Storm Fiona off the coast of Puerto Rice as seen by satellite on Saturday evening 'After Maria, we all experienced scarcity to some extent,' he said. Many Puerto Ricans also were concerned about blackouts, with Luma, the company that operates power transmission and distribution, warning of 'widespread service interruptions.' Puerto Ricos power grid was razed by Hurricane Maria and remains frail, with reconstruction starting only recently. Outages are a daily occurrence, and fires at power plants have occurred in recent months. Maria, in September 2017, caused the largest blackout in U.S. history. Abner Gomez, a spokesman for LUMA Energy, said the storm will cause outages, 'But we will be ready to respond.' 'The same thing that happened during Maria is not going to happen here,' Gomez said. During the category 5 storm, 1.5 million customers lost electricity with 80% of power lines knocked out. Jetsabel Osorio stands in her house damaged five years ago by Hurricane Maria before the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona Residents prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona, in Loiza, Puerto Rico on Saturday People fill gas tanks in preparation for the arrival of tropical storm Fiona and its heavy rains in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico Employees of a dentist office install metal storm shutters in preparation for the arrival of Fiona A sign that reads in Spanish 'no gas' is seen at the entrance of a gas station Puerto Ricos governor, Pedro Pierluisi, said he was ready to declare a state of emergency if needed and activated the National Guard as the Atlantic hurricane seasons sixth named storm approached. 'We should not underestimate this storm in the least. The government is active and prepared to respond to the emergency.' He added, 'We expect that during the night, the winds and rain will intensify,' and 'we all want the (electric) service to improve, but now what is important is the response, that we are prepared.' Authorities have opened about 80 shelters and closed beaches and casinos, and residents were urged to seek shelter. 'What worries me most is the rain,' said forecaster Ernesto Morales with the National Weather Service in San Juan. Fiona was predicted to drop 5 to 10 inches of rain over eastern and southern Puerto Rico, with as much as 20 inches in isolated spots. Fiona threatened to dump up to to 20 inches of rain in parts of Puerto Rico as forecasters placed the U.S. territory under a hurricane watch Jetsabel Osorio stands in her house damaged five years ago by Hurricane Maria before the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona in Loiza People fill gas tanks in preparation for the arrival of tropical storm Fiona and its heavy rains An employee of a dentist office installs metal storm shutters in preparation for Fiona A man stands near a beach before the arrival of Tropical Storm Fiona. People are bracing for potential landslides, severe flooding and power outages Boats sit secured to mangroves as tropical storm Fiona approaches in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico 'Hurricane conditions are expected across portions of Puerto Rico Sunday and Sunday night, and are possible across the U.S. Virgin Islands (Saturday night) and Sunday,' NHC said. It was forecast to swipe past the Dominican Republic on Monday and then northern Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands with the threat of heavy rain. It could threaten the far southern end of the Bahamas on Tuesday. A hurricane warning was posted for the Dominican Republic's eastern coast from Cabo Caucedo to Cabo Frances Viejo. Fiona previously battered the eastern Caribbean, killing one man in the French territory of Guadeloupe when floods washed his home away, officials said. The storm also damaged roads, uprooted trees and destroyed at least one bridge. In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Lester dissipated Saturday afternoon after making landfall to the south of Acapulco on Mexicos southwestern coast. Tropical Storm Madeline formed farther out in the Pacific, but forecasters predicted it would not pose any threat to land as it moved away from Mexico. A man carries containers to fill with water amid water shortages due to daily protests against high gasoline prices and crime, and to stock up for Storm Fiona approaching in the Caribbean region, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti A photo shows mud and debris on a beach in Basse Terre, after the Storm Fiona hit the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. One death was reported in the French territory A photo shows a flooded road in Basse Terre,in the French territory of Guadeloupe A photo shows a damaged road in Basse Terre Chris Minns has been forced to apologise after comparing sexual assault figures to smoking in a since-deleted tweet. The NSW Labor leader intended to highlight the rising rate of violence against women, but prompted backlash for his poor phrasing. 'A woman in NSW is more likely to be sexually assaulted than to smoke. Unacceptable,' he tweeted. Chris Minns has been forced to apologise after comparing sexual assault to smoking in a since-deleted tweet The NSW Labor leader had intended to highlight the rising rate of violence against women on Friday The tweet was made after the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research released its data for June revealing sexual assaults rose in NSW. Mr Minn's tweet immediately sparked backlash from voters who took issue with him comparing sexual assault to smoking. Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor labelled it 'irresponsible'. 'Smoking is a choice. Being sexually assaulted is not,' she tweeted. Mr Minns deleted the tweet an hour-and-a-half after posting, and apologised. 'Obviously it was meant to highlight the high rates of sexual assault in the community,' he said. 'But in retrospect, it wasn't a good comparison. Lesson learned and of course I apologise for that.' Mr Minn's tweet immediately sparked backlash from social media users who took issue with him comparing sexual assault to smoking (stock image) Sexual assault reports increased 15 per cent over the past five years with 6,967 cases recorded in the past 12 months. The number of attacks also doubled per capita since 1993. Apprehended violence order breaches also increased by 10 per cent with 21,769 reported over the past year. Around one in four Australian women, or 23 per cent, have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of their partner. The 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found only 13 per cent of women smoke. ABC star Stan Grant's mother almost missed out on seeing The Queen during her first royal visit to Australia because she couldn't afford socks. The veteran journalist said his mother Betty Grant lived outside of Coonabarabran, in regional north-west NSW, when The Queen toured the country in 1954. He said his mother grew up poor and almost missed out on a school trip to Dubbo to see Her Majesty because of a strict dress code enforced by her school. Students at the time were required to wear socks and his mother didn't have any - so she had to borrow the same pair her older brother wore on his trip the day before. Stan Grant has recalled the time his mother almost missed out on seeing The Queen during her first royal visit to Australia because she couldn't afford socks The veteran journalist said his mother Betty Grant was outside of Coonabarabran, in regional north-west NSW, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia in 1954 'Socks were a luxury. Clothes and shoes were shared among a dozen siblings,' he wrote in an opinion piece for ABC. 'Mum's older brother had made the royal trek a day earlier and met mum at the back fence between the primary and high schools and threw his socks over.' Grant reflected on the poverty and racism his family experienced in the 1900s as he opened up on the unfair treatment of Aboriginals in white Australia. He admitted the ill treatment and ongoing issues in the community had prevented him from joining the rest of the country to mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth II. 'I have watched as others have worn black and reported on this historic event, participated in this ritual mourning. And knowing I cannot,' he wrote. 'They come to this with no conflict. I cannot.' He shared stories of his grandfather being tied to a tree by police, his aunts and uncles being taken to welfare homes, and his family living in poverty. 'The girl with no socks got to see the Queen, while her family and other black families lived in poverty that the Crown inflicted on them,' he wrote. Grant said he felt 'asphyxiating anger' at being forced to remain silent on Aboriginal issues out of respect for the late monarch. 'We aren't supposed to talk about colonisation, empire, violence about Aboriginal sovereignty, not even about the republic,' he wrote. A fired-up Stan Grant has vented his frustration at being unable to speak up about ongoing Aboriginal issues in the wake of The Queen's death The veteran journalist, who is of Aboriginal heritage, said he felt 'asphyxiating anger' he has been forced to remain silent out of respect for the late monarch 'I'm sure I am not alone amongst Indigenous people wrestling with swirling emotions.' The ABC, which employs Grant as its international affairs analyst, also looked at the dark side of The Queen's reign. Grant's piece was one of the national broadcaster's top two stories on Sunday, both of which criticised the monarchy - breaking with the media's otherwise respectful observance of the mourning period. 'Queen Elizabeth's empire is a shadow of its former might - but its damage can't be undone,' the first headline read. The second was the opinion piece written by Grant airing his frustration with the headline: 'As my colleagues have worn black in mourning for the Queen, I've wrestled with asphyxiating anger and I'm not alone'. Grant said he was 'wrestling with swirling emotions' wanting to speak up on Aboriginal issues but being told it was not an appropriate time. He said everyone from the prime minister down told Indigenous Australians it was not appropriate to talk about colonial history during mourning for The Queen. The ABC, which employs Grant as its international affairs analyst, also looked at the dark side of The Queen's reign Grant turned his attention to the latest push by prime minister Anthony Albanese to introduce an Indigenous Voice to Parliament The death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted a number of high-profile Aboriginal Australians to criticise her 70 year reign Indigenous NRLW star Caitlin Moran was also served a one-game ban after appearing to celebrate the Queen's death in a since-deleted Instagram post Grant turned his attention to the push by prime minister Anthony Albanese to introduce an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. He said enough Australians voting in a referendum to create one was likely, but it would be no use if it was silenced at time like this. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament is proposed to be an elected body of First Nations representatives enshrined in the constitution that would advise the government on issues affecting them. The Queen's death has prompted high-profile Aboriginal Australians to criticise her 70-year reign. Indigenous Australian newsreader Narelda Jacobs (pictured) called on Britain to apologise for its colonisation of First Nations people following the death of Queen Elizabeth II She was head of state during the Stolen Generation and before Aboriginal Australians were finally recognised as citizens at the 1967 referendum. The AFL sparked backlash after announcing it would not observe a minute of silence for The Queen's death during the AFLW Indigenous Round out of sensitivity. Indigenous NRLW star Caitlin Moran was also served a one-game ban after appearing to celebrate the Queen's death in a since-deleted Instagram post. Indigenous Channel 10 newsreader Narelda Jacobs called on Britain to apologise for its colonisation of First Nations. During a campaign stop in New York City on Friday, the Republican nominee for governor in the Empire State, Lee Zeldin, called for a probe into sitting Gov. Kathy Hochul's apparent dodgy dealings. In 2021, Hochul's administration inked a deal to buy 52 million Covid-19 Carestart tests for $637 million. At the same time, the state of California made a similar purchase but paid 45 percent less than New York, according to the Albany Times Union. The report says that the price increase was because Hochul went through a campaign donor's company to facilitate the purchase. Whereas California went straight through the manufacturer, AccessBio. The middleman company involved in the deal is named Digital Gadgets, which is based in northern New Jersey. The company was founded in 2007 by Brooklyn native Charlie Tebele. In this election cycle, Digital Gadgets has donated $300,000 to the governor's campaign. Republican candidate Lee Zeldin (right) told the media on Friday: 'Kathy Hochuls approach to this job is one of selling access in a way that even Andrew Cuomo would never even think of. This crosses all sorts of lines. And it must be investigated' The official line from Gov. Kathy Hochul's office is that the governor was unaware that Digital Gadgets was a campaign donor Digital Gadget was founded in 2007 by Brooklyn native Charlie Tebele, pictured here Zeldin, who is currently in the House of Representatives, is taking on Hochul in the November general election and has the backing of Donald Trump. His campaign made headlines last month when a man walked on stage during one of Zeldin's events with supporters and tried to stab him. Zeldin was unhurt and his attacker was arrested. Tebele, along with family members, donated $70,000 prior to the contract being awarded and then another $227,000 after the deal went through. Zeldin told the media during an appearance in Manhattan: 'Kathy Hochuls campaign receives $300,000 from a donor, and then going around and circumventing New Yorks competitive bidding laws, they end up agreeing to an over $600 million contract, paying over twice the going rate.' Zeldin warned that it's not the first time that Hochul has engaged in such behavior. He said: 'Kathy Hochuls approach to this job is one of selling access in a way that even Andrew Cuomo would never even think of. This crosses all sorts of lines. And it must be investigated.' Zeldin added: 'There are so many aspects of this $600 million COVID deal that I absolutely would not have signed off on.' The official line from Hochul's office is that the governor was unaware that Digital Gadgets was a campaign donor when the contract was awarded. Digital Gadgets said that the higher price was due to the timing of the deal with the supplier, which came three weeks before California's deal. Digital Gadgets offered to sell 26 million tests to New York State at a rate of $13 per test on December 20, the deal was approved on December 21 Zeldin appears during New York's Republican gubernatorial debate at the studios of Spectrum News NY1 on June 20, 2022, in New York The company said in a statement, via spokesman John Gallagher: 'The company made nowhere near $286 million in profit and any implication to the contrary is misleading and willfully disregards the fact that Digital Gadgets paid more per unit for AccessBio tests than the state of California did because of the size and the date of the order, risked hundreds of millions of dollars in capital costs to fill an order of this size, incurred millions of dollars in costs to charter aircraft and cover overtime for employees over Christmas and New Years, and then also had to meet the States subsequent requirement for tests to have an extended expiration date requiring the additional sourcing of materials.' Digital Gadgets offered to sell 26 million tests to New York State at a rate of $13 per test on December 20, the deal was approved on December 21. On January 4, another 26 million tests were ordered through Digital Gadgets. Hochul's behavior was also questioned by state assembly Minority Leader William Barclay. The Republican from Oswego, New York, said in a statement: 'This is negligence, incompetence or blatant corruption maybe all three. Either way, it demands answers.' He went on: 'Where are the Legislatures investigative bodies? Where is the attorney general? The governor needs to be held accountable. The longer her political allies stay silent, the more this looks like Democrats covering up for one of their own.' The executive director of government watchdog group, Reinvent Albany, John Kaehny, told the New York Post that his group is expecting a federal investigation into Hochul's behavior. He said: 'Yes, New York was in a crisis, but so was the rest of the country, and other states and the federal government paid nowhere near what New York did for the same test.' While state senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt told the Post: 'Even though she promised an open and transparent administration, this apple didnt fall far from the corrupt Cuomo tree.' Senior fellow for health policy at the Empire Center for Public Policy Bill Hammond told the Times Union: 'The price is just way off the map, and we still havent heard anything close to a convincing explanation for why the price was so high, and why the Hochul administration not only accepted a price that was so high, but made this their primary supplier.' He continued: 'If the tests were being sold to another state at the same time at a better price New York should have been able to get something closer to that price, even if the state was snapping up the last tests available.' Recently, Hochul, has upped her attacks on Republicans and told some to 'go back to Florida.' She also attacked DeSantis at an event marking the Holocaust by saying: 'I just want to say to the 1.77 million Jews who call New York home: Thank you for calling New York home. Dont go anywhere or to another state. Florida is overrated.' New York is one of the Democrat states actively protecting abortion rights ahead of the crucial midterms. Australia has quickly rejected a call from Ukraine to ban Russian tourists to hit back at Vladimir Putin's invasion invasion. Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko also said Australia should reopen its embassy in Kyiv and claimed Russians 'hate Australia'. Four eastern European countries - Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - have already banned Russians from taking holidays in their nations. 'Russian people are accountable for this war... So they have to bear the responsibility,' Mr Myroshnychenko said. Australia has rejected a Ukrainian call to ban Russians from taking holidays in Australia. Pictured is a plane of the Russian national carrier Aeroflot But acting Prime Minister Richard Marles, filling in while Anthony Albanese is in the UK for The Queen's funeral, said it should be the Russian Government, not its people, that was punished. 'This is not something we are considering at the moment, but we are very much a part of the global base of sanctions against the Russian regime,' he said. Ambassador Myroshnychenko claimed the vast majority of Russian people supported the invasion and they hated Australia for its democratic values. 'If you analyse what Russia is saying here in Australia - and I'm following several Russian-speaking groups they just hate Australia,' he said. 'They think you are just a pawn of Washington... I just don't think (Russian tourists) should be visiting.' Mr Marles said Australia was committed to supporting Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia almost seven months ago, in the 'protracted conflict'. Forty Australian-built Bushmaster military vehicles have already been sent to Ukraine's battlefields, with another 20 set to follow. 'Our objective is to empower Ukraine itself to be able to be at the centre of however this is resolved. This needs to be resolved on their terms,' Mr Marles said. Australia has said that Vladimir Putin and the Russian state should face punishment over the invasion of Ukraine, not ordinary Russians At a meeting in the central Asian state of Uzbekistan, Mr Putin was told by Chinese premier Xi Jinping that he was concerns over the war, after Ukraine retook 8,000sqkm of territory. Mr Marles said though there was a 'degree of humiliation' for Russia about how the invasion was going, this would not hamper China's territorial ambitions. 'I see them meeting in Uzbekistan as another step in a growing relationship, to be honest, between Russia and China,' he said. 'That is part of the landscape of strategic circumstances that we have to face.' Mr Marles added that 'China will be watching this, as I guess we all are'. A witness to a fatal car crash that killed a teenage driver has described the horrific scene as the victim's mother screamed in anguish. The red Toyota Yaris smashed into a tree on Somerset Drive in Mudgeeraba, on the Gold Coast, after leaving the road around 9.15pm on Saturday. The 18-year-old driver died at the scene while a 17-year-old passenger was rushed to hospital and another 17-year-old boy was uninjured. A local who was one of the first witnesses at the scene heard the vehicle hit the tree near her home and ran outside towards the wreckage. A witness to a fatal car crash (pictured) in Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast has described the horrific scene from hearing the vehicle hit the tree to the screams of the 18-year-old driver's mother (Courier Mail) 'There was a massive bang and I ran out onto the road and saw the smoking wreckage,' she told the Courier Mail. She explained how the Yaris was 'fully wrapped around the tree' and that the two teenage passengers exited the car soon after the crash. 'There was blood all over the front seat and the two male passengers climbed out of the car and were in complete shock. They sat on the median strip dazed and confused,' she said. The car was making a loud whirring sound as the driver, who was still alive at this point, had his foot still pressed on the accelerator. The witness ran back inside her home and immediately phoned for an ambulance. Upon returning to the crash scene, she heard a scream from a woman who was revealed to be the boy's mother. 'She was just yelling no, no, no over and over again. I assume it was the boy's mother. The one who died,' she said. The victim's parents returned to the scene on Sunday, sweeping up glass from the windshield and putting down flowers. The witness said she saw 'eight or nine crashes at the same spot' since living on Somerset Drive, including one crash where a driver plowed through her fence. A guardrail was installed after residents voiced their concerns over the number of car accidents in the street. The resident revealed she had witness 'eight or nine crashes' outside her home on Somerset Drive (pictured) A 17-year-old passenger in the Yaris was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition after the crash on Saturday night. Another 17-year-old boy was not physically injured. The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the incident. Witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage of the crash is urged to contact police. Thousands of Australians wrongly believed they were being scammed when they received a text message from their power company warning of an outage. Residents of Western Australia shared the text online to warn each other of the text message from electricity supplier Western Power - even though it was legitimate. A link to details of the supposed outage, an obvious grammatical error, and the company's name being shortened to 'WesternPwr' all seemed like dead giveaways. The message told the receiver: 'We're sorry about the unplanned power outage in the (sic) your area. 'The cause is currently under investigation and the estimated restoration time is currently 11am,' it said, without saying what day at 11am. However, Western Power confirmed the message was in fact legitimate and the link led to its outage updates page, so its concerned customers had nothing to worry about. 'This text doesn't appear to be scam, the link goes direct to the Western Power outages map (we regularly send text messages to customers impacted by unplanned outages),' the company said. 'It's just in a compressed URL format rather than a direct link as there are character limits to SMS messages.' Residents of Western Australia shared the text online to warn each other of the scam pretending to be electricity supplier Western Power The alarm over the legitimate text comes amid warnings from authorities over SMS scams. Authorities have urged people to be wary of texts after victims reported losing $2.6 million in the first seven months of this year. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission deputy chair Delia Rickard said it was important to independently verify suspicious messages. 'We are warning Australians to be very wary of messages from unknown numbers,' she said. 'Scammers will stop at nothing to get your personal details or money.' Further probe needed over solar panel funds A government probe has found that the previous Moon Jae-in administration's renewable energy project was hit by widespread irregularities and wasted taxpayers' money. Last week, the Office of Government Policy Coordination under the prime minister announced findings that 261.6 billion won ($187.5 million) was misappropriated under the project. The discovery was based on a sample investigation of 12 local autonomy units out of a total 226. The Moon administration spent 12 trillion won on the entire renewable energy project by mobilizing the electricity industry infrastructure fund raised by setting aside 3.7 percent of the public's power bill payments. The office said that 2,267 cases of irregularities were found. The estimated misappropriated sum accounted for 12.5 percent of the 2.1 trillion won provided to the 12 local units for the project. Of the total cases, 1,406 projects worth 184.7 billion won were related to bank loans extended illegitimately to those who set up solar panels or other renewable energy devices. The detected cases appear to be the tip of the iceberg. We call for thorough investigations into the entire local autonomy units to get to the bottom of the irregularities. It is also necessary for the government to recoup the misappropriated money from illegal recipients. It is also urgent to confirm if there were any corrupt ties between local officials and the recipients. Those found responsible for corruption should be subject to harsh punishment. We have to ask why such large-scale and widespread misappropriation took place. The fundamental problem could have arisen from the Moon government's reckless and hasty push for the expansion of renewable energy amid its controversial nuclear energy phase-out policy. A lack of preparation and oversight was blamed for the irregularities and the waste of money. President Yoon Suk-yeol condemned the misappropriation cases. "It's deplorable that taxpayers' money, which should be spent on supporting the welfare of struggling citizens, was used for corrupt acts by cartels with vested interests," he said. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also deplored the findings by saying that it was as if the money was poured into a bottomless pit. The findings are shocking and dumbfounding, given the size and scope of the misappropriation. Typical methods of the irregularities included inflating construction costs and falsifying documents to get loans illegally for projects. Many solar panel operators were also found to have struck contracts with unlicensed companies. Solar panels are banned from being installed on farmlands, so some operators ignored the ban by disguising their farmlands as breeding grounds for mushrooms or insects. It is regrettable that renewable energy's share of the nation's entire power generation mix edged up by only a small margin from 4.8 percent in 2016 to 7.5 percent in 2021. The Moon government also failed to create jobs in the renewable energy sector despite the large project. Only Chinese solar panel makers benefited by selling their products for the project. The Yoon administration should strive to prevent a recurrence of such irregularities. Increasing renewable energy's share is imperative to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Therefore it is urgent to pursue energy transition in a transparent and accountable way. Advertisement King Charles III met the rebellious Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda at Buckingham Palace today just days after he threatened to hold a republican referendum to ditch The Crown and remove Britain's monarch as the Commonwealth country's head of state - ahead of the 'reception of the century' for 1,000 VIPs including world leaders and foreign royals tonight. The new sovereign smiled and waved at well-wishers who cheered him as he was driven through the palace gates in the state Rolls-Royce this afternoon. After meeting Prime Minister Liz Truss in the 1844 Room at 12.15pm, Charles shook hands with Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, who has renewed efforts to stage a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years of the Queen's death. The King and Queen Consort Camilla will tonight host hundreds of dignitaries, from world leaders including US President Joe Biden, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau to senior members of the British royal family, ambassadors from almost all nations, and foreign royals including Japan's Emperor Naruhito and the Kings and Queens from Holland, Norway and Spain. Most dignitaries are also expected to view the Queen's coffin in the ancient heart of Parliament after being given a VIP timeslot - raising the prospect that mourners who have queued through the night will pay their respects with leaders of the free world. However, guests asked to wear lounge suits and morning dress rather than ball gowns and white tie as would be expected at a usual state event at the King's London home. They will arrive at 6pm for drinks and canapes in the Buckingham Palace picture gallery and state apartments. And reports suggest that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were 'uninvited' to a state reception for world leaders and foreign royals this evening. Mr Biden, who flew in late last night, said that the Queen 'defined an era' after she reigned for a record-breaking 70 years. Australia's anti-monarchy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who viewed the lying-in-state and met Charles yesterday, told Sky News Australia that the Queen was 'a constant reassuring presence'. There was also a private audience at Buckingham Palace for Ms Ardern, which like Australia and 12 other Commonwealth realms now counts Charles as its sovereign. King Charles III with Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuba Gaston Browne in Buckingham Palace King Charles III receives Prime Minister Liz Truss in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace King Charles III receives Prime Minister Liz Truss The King met with the Prime Minister in the 1844 Room in Buckingham Palace King Charles smiled as he was driven through the gates of Buckingham Palace King Charles smiling and waving at well-wishers as he arrives at Buckingham Palace King Charles arrive at Buckingham Palace ahead of a grand reception of 1,000 VIPs Well-wishers cheered and waved at the monarch as he was driven in the state Rolls-Royce to the palace King Charles III passing well-wishers as he arrives at Buckingham Palace US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive at Stansted on Air Force One last night Britain's King Charles III speaks with Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, as he receives realm prime ministers in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace yesterday Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Trudeau pay respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Hall French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will be heading to London for the event Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are expected at the Buckingham Palace reception The discussion between King Charles III (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) was kept secret due to 'protocol', but Mr Albanese hinted that they discussed environment issues, including climate change Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren (clockwise from front centre) the Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Princess Eugenie, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall hold a vigil Members of the public pay their respects as they pass Queen Elizabeth II's flag-draped coffin Police are seen in Westminster as they secure the area between Westminster Hall and Buckingham Palace London braces for Queen's funeral: Hundreds of mourners camp out on Mall with TWO MILLION set to descend on capital to pay their respects with crowds 8ft-deep lining roads inside TWELVE-mile 'ring of steel' London is bracing for two million people to descend on the city to watch the late Queen Elizabeth's state funeral on Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow as 10,000 police officers prepare to instigate a 12-mile 'ring of steel' as part of the largest-ever security operation in the UK. The funeral is expected to be the most-watched event ever televised, with tens of thousands expected to line the streets to say goodbye to the Queen, who reigned for more than 70 years before passing away at Balmoral last Thursday. Police are preparing a 'ring of steel' around central London to protect the royal family and hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries at the event, which takes place tomorrow morning. Around 10,000 officers will be on duty along the funeral procession route alone to control the crowds, which are expected to be up to eight feet deep in some places. Those intending to travel to or be in the capital on Monday are being warned to expect major travel disruption, with London's public transport expected to be 'much busier' than normal. Hundreds of thousands of people are thought the be on their way to London today, with trains, roads and airports all expected to be hit by high passenger numbers. Road closures and Underground station closures will be in place from early tomorrow morning. Meanwhile hundreds of people are already camping out along the funeral route, including along The Mall and outside Westminster Palace. And 22-miles of barriers as well as public viewing stands have been erected along the funeral procession route. It comes as tens of thousands of people continue to queue to see the Queen lying in state, with the queue expected to close within hours. Advertisement It is thought Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle received an invitation to the event, hosted by King Charles and the Queen Consort, earlier in the week. But the couple are now unlikely to attend after officials at Buckingham Palace insisted the reception was for working royals only, it is understood. The confusion over Harry and Meghan's invitation points to issues with communication between the Californian-based couple and the Royal Family, according to the Daily Telegraph. It follows an apparent U-turn over Harry's right to wear military uniform despite being a non-working royal. The Palace is understood to have intervened to allow Harry to wear his regalia to a 15-minute vigil at Westminster Hall yesterday. Harry had previously said he would wear a morning suit to all the funeral events. The funeral of the only monarch most Britons have known involves the biggest security operation London has ever seen. Mayor Sadiq Khan says tomorrow's state funeral is an 'unprecedented' security challenge, with hundreds of thousands of people packing central London and a funeral guest list of 500 emperors, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and other leaders from around the world. 'It's been decades since this many world leaders were in one place,' Mr Khan said. 'This is unprecedented ... in relation to the various things that we're juggling.' 'There could be bad people wanting to cause damage to individuals or to some of our world leaders,' he told The Associated Press. 'So we are working incredibly hard - the police, the security services and many, many others - to make sure this state funeral is as successful as it can be.' Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the 'hugely complex' policing operation is the biggest in the London force's history, surpassing the London 2012 Olympics. 'Our response here in London will be proportionate, it will be balanced, and officers will only be taking action where it is absolutely necessary,' he said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said the goal was to keep the event safe, 'and try to do it in as unobtrusive a way as possible, because this is obviously a solemn occasion.' More than 10,000 police officers will be on duty Monday, with London officers supplemented by reinforcements from all of Britain's 43 police forces. Hundreds of volunteer marshals and members of the armed forces will also act as stewards along the processional route. They are just the most visible part of a security operation that is being run from a high-tech control center near Lambeth Bridge, not far from Parliament. Street drains and garbage bins are being searched and sealed. Tomorrow there will be police spotters on rooftops, sniffer dogs on the streets, marine officers on the River Thames and mounted police on horseback. Flying drones over Central London has been temporarily banned, and Heathrow Airport is grounding scores of flights so that aircraft noise does not disturb the funeral service. Authorities face the challenge of keeping 500 world leaders safe, without ruffling too many diplomatic feathers. Presidents, prime ministers and royalty will gather offsite before being taken by bus to the abbey - though an exception is being made for Mr Biden, who is expected to arrive in his armored limousine, known as The Beast. Another challenge is the sheer size of the crowds expected to gather around Westminster Abbey and along the route the coffin will travel after the funeral, past Buckingham Palace to Hyde Park. From there it will be taken by hearse about 20 miles to Windsor, where another 2,000 police officers will be on duty. The Queen is due to be interred in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle alongside her husband Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99. King Charles arrives at Buckingham Palace Road closures on Monday include The Mall, Whitehall, Chelsea Embankment, Victoria Embankment and Kensington Road Police officers patrol the area around Westminster, including Westminster Hall, and Buckingham Palace Armed police are deployed in the capital as UK forces step up their presence in the city Police and military personnel secure the area around Buckingham Palace ahead of the state funeral Selfies are taken along The Mall ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral Joe Biden and Jill Biden leave London Stansted airport with their motorcade ahead of the funeral Members of the public view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Harry and Meghan's children Archie, 3, and 15-month-old Lilibet were left at home in America as Sussexes have attended vigils for the Queen this week, reports say The whereabouts of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children remained unknown last night in the final hours before the Queen's funeral. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been at the vigil in Westminster Hall this week, Archie, 3, and 15-month-old Lilibet are believed to have remained behind in America. According to reports, they have been at the couple's home in Montecito, California under the care of nannies and the Duchess's mother Doria Ragland. The grandmother, the only member of Meghan's family to have attended the royal wedding, was seen out alone in Los Angeles on Friday. Harry and Meghan had been on a whistlestop tour of the UK and Germany lasting less than a week and had been due to fly back to the US on the day the Queen died, Thursday 8 September. The two small children joined the late Queen at a private lunch in Windsor around the around the time of Lilibet's first birthday in June, according to Omid Scobie, the author who is close to the Duke and Duchess. Advertisement Police are deploying more than 22 miles of barriers in central London to control the crowds, and transit bosses are preparing for jam-packed stations, buses and subway trains as 1million people flood the ceremonial heart of London. Subways will run later than normal and train companies are adding extra services to help get people home. While many will be mourning the queen, support for the monarchy is far from universal. Police have already drawn criticism for arresting several people who staged peaceful protests during events related to the queen's death and the accession of King Charles III. Mr Cundy said it had been made clear to officers that 'people have a right to protest.' The final day of the Queen's lying in state is set to take place, while a minute's silence will be held later to mourn her death. The late monarch's coffin will remain in Westminster Hall for the public to view until 6.30am on Monday, ahead of the state funeral in Westminster Abbey, with Sunday likely to be the last chance to join the queue. Tens of thousands of mourners are still queueing for at least 13 hours on the final day of Her Majesty's lying-in-state at the Palace of Westminster before her coffin is removed from public view at 6.30am tomorrow, the morning of her state funeral at Westminster Abbey. At 8pm, the country will observe a one-minute silence to remember the Queen, with people invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils. It will come shortly after the Queen Consort pays a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her 'wonderful blue eyes' and saying: 'I will always remember her smile.' Camilla, in pre-recorded words on the BBC, will speak of how Queen Elizabeth II was a 'solitary woman' in a male-dominated world. She will add: 'I can't remember anyone except the Queen being there.' There will also be a service of reflection near Falkirk, Scotland at 7.30pm. The DCMS has said the historic occasion will be shown on giant screens in various locations across the UK - from London's Hyde Park to Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland. Around 125 cinemas will also be screening the event - along with Sky News, ITV and the BBC for people watching from home. On Saturday evening, the Queen's eight grandchildren together staged a heart-rending evening vigil around their beloved Granny's coffin. The Prince of Wales, at the head of the coffin, with his brother the Duke of Sussex at the foot, both in the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform, stood with their heads bowed in her honour in sombre silence in the vast Westminster Hall. Members of the public stand in the queue in the early hours of the morning, near Tower Briddge, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. The 'Elizabeth Line' will close today Future king William was flanked at the corners by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips. Harry was between Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with 18-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn - the Queen's youngest grandchild who is just 14 - at the middle on either side of the coffin. The grandchildren, invited by the King, had wanted to pay their respects as their parents had done the evening before. William and the King also went on a walkabout in the afternoon to greet mourners in the queue for the lying in state, after Charles was given a tour of the Metropolitan Police Service Special Operations Room. Hundreds of people in line at Lambeth, south London, cheered and applauded, with William and Charles shaking scores of hands and the prince discussing how long people had waited and whether they were able to keep warm. A fed-up passenger who had to make 30 calls to fix a booking blunder says he will never fly Qantas again after the airline then slugged him with a $718 mystery charge. Robert Manning, 55, spent more than nine hours on the phone with the carrier after he tried to book a return flight from Sydney to Adelaide for his wife and son on August 28 with leftover credit from a cancelation. The simple domestic leg quickly turned into a two-week long nightmare when the booking system refused to accept the retired telecommunications executive's purchase. Qantas would not give him credit for his son's ticket claiming he had taken the flight that never left. 'They said the system had your son as flying,' Mr Manning told Daily Mail Australia. 'I said unless he is Superman he didn't fly anywhere.' Robert Manning, 55 (pictured with wife), spent more than nine hours on the phone with the carrier after after he tried to book a return flight from Sydney to Adelaide his wife and son on August 28 with leftover credit from a cancelation. A fed-up passenger who had to make 30 calls to fix a booking blunder has lashed out at Qantas after the airline then slugged him with a $718 mystery charge. Pictured: Qantas staff pictured 'I just wanted what I had paid for already. 'I was prepared to pay a little bit of difference because fuel prices had gone up. But five days and multiple phone calls later the issue was still not resolved. He was shuffled back and forth from Qantas customer service representatives to the airline's Facebook Messenger system until finally the cost discrepancy was supposedly resolved on September 2. But shortly after he noticed two unexplained charges on his bank statement for $115.44 and $603.38, adding up to $718.82. 'With a debit card you shouldn't be able to put a charge against because it is not an arbitrary credit limit - it's real money,' he said. Two unexplained charges on his bank statement for $115.44 and $603.38, adding up to $718.82. Robert Manning says he will never fly Qantas again after a nightmare experience with the airline 'My wife went shopping and they said 'your card's been declined'. 'So, she had to go into our savings account and bring the money back over. 'What gives Qantas the right to do that? 'What if we lived week-to-week and we had to buy the groceries or pay the kid's doctor bill or whatever and a hold was put on there by mistake. 'Theoretically, it should have been blocked.' Mr Manning thinks because it was a major corporation such as Qantas his bank ANZ just accepted the charges. It took a week of further phone calls to both the airline and the bank to get the money back. During the long hours he spent of the phone with Qantas representatives Mr Manning said he got frustrated but managed not to lose his cool. Mr Manning has flown on hundreds of flights and estimates he has spent millions for himself and staff with the iconic Aussie airline Something that helped put the frustrating ordeal into perspective was his recent battle with liver failure at the end of last year that left him in a coma. 'One woman in a Qantas centre said 'I can't hold here forever' and I said 'I can and you can't hang up on me until I decide the call's over',' Mr Manning said. 'She said 'do you think you've got the patience?' and I said 'I've been in a coma for two weeks this is a walk in the park'. Mr Manning has flown on hundreds of flights and estimates he has spent millions for himself and staff with the iconic Aussie airline. However lifetime Silver Member says he will 'never fly with the airline again' and has already cancelled a $3500 ticket to the US on October 15. He says the airline has become so big they've 'lost the spirit' of what they once were. A spokesperson for Qantas told news.com.au the airline has since reached out and apologised to Mr Manning. 'This was an error made by an operator during a complex booking process and we are investigating what went wrong and how we can make sure it doesn't happen again,' they said. 'The charge was an authorisation only, not a payment, and we contacted Robert's bank to release the funds back to his account as soon as possible. The funds have now been returned.' But Mr Manning denies Qantas ever actually apologised to him by phone as they claimed both to news.com.au and in an email. Advertisement Prince Harry has reportedly been left 'devastated' and after the Queen's 'ER' initials were removed from the shoulder of his military uniform as he held vigil by her coffin - after Prince Andrew was allowed to keep the royal cypher. The Duke of Sussex, 38, is said to have considered wearing a morning suit to avoid embarrassment as the monarch's eight grandchildren carried out a sombre guard of honour inside Westminster Hall last night. William and Harry, both dressed in military uniform, stood at either end of their grandmother's coffin. They were joined by cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn. Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, had previously been prevented from wearing military uniform this week as he is no longer a working royal. He was granted permission by King Charles to wear the livery for the vigil inside the Palace of Westminster. However, the Duke of Sussex is understood to have been devastated to find his grandmother's initials had been stripped from the shoulder of his uniform, The Sunday Times reports. The initials were not removed from Prince William's uniform. Harry's despair is understood to largely centre around Prince Andrew, who is also no longer a working royal, having retained the initials on his vice-admirals uniform as the Queen's children held a vigil on Friday night. The Duke of Sussex was a Personal Aide de Camp of the Queen and, as a result, had previously worn the cypher. But it was among the posts he resigned when he stepped down from royal duties and moved to California. The 'ER' initials are traditionally only worn by those 'in service' of the monarch, and so the absence of the cypher is thought to be down to dress regulations as opposed to a direct snub of the prince. But such was his despair, Harry is said to have considered wearing a morning suit as they were leaving in order to avoid the embarrassment last night. A friend told the newspaper: 'He is heartbroken. To remove his grandmothers initials feels very intentional.' Prince William (left) wore the ER initials on the shoulder of his military uniform last night, but the cypher was removed from that of Prince Harry's Prince Andrew, who is also no longer a working royal, retained the initials on his vice-admirals uniform as the Queen's children held vigil on Friday Prince Harry pictured with the ER initials on the shoulder of his military uniform as he attended the Founder's Day Parade at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in June 2019 William and Harry stood either end of the Queen's coffin as her grandchildren held vigil last night, while mourners continued to file past The eight sombre grandchildren pictured arriving at Westminster Hall last night, led to the coffin by the Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex Mourners watched as the vigil was held for the Queen in Westminster Hall by her eight grandchildren on Saturday evening Prince Harry pictured arriving to attend a vigil as they pay their respects to the coffin of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth last night Mourners continued to file past the Queen's coffin as the royal cousins stood beside their late grandmother's coffin on Saturday night It comes amid hopes of reconciliation between the brother's following the Queen's death, with the princes standing side by side as they walked behind her coffin as it was moved to lie in state at the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday. It was a poignant moment that drew comparisons to walking behind the coffin of their mother Princess Diana at her funeral in 1997. That came after William and Harry put on an an unexpected united front with their respective wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle during a walkabout outside Windsor Castle on Saturday. But sources close to the brothers are understood to have said there has been 'no meaningful rapprochement' as of yet. They joined other royals for dinner at Buckingham Palace as they received the Queen's coffin at Buckingham Palace this week. However, conversations between the two are still largely via aides than direct contact, despite the close proximity of their Windsor homes. As Harry was driving with Meghan as he celebrated his 38th birthday on Thursday, they had a chance encounter with William as the Prince of Wales was returning home after collecting his three children from school. The brothers initially drove past each other, before stopping, reversing and winding down their windows for a chat. But while William understands the interest in the relationship with his brother, he is 'solely focused' on honouring the Queen. Harry closely followed his brother as they led the Queen's grandchildren to hold the vigil by the Queen's coffin last night. Prince William was wearing the Blues and Royals, No.1 Uniform, The Garter Sash, The Garter Star, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and RAF Pilot Wings. Harry, meanwhile, was wearing the Blues and Royals, No.1 Uniform, KCVO Neck Order and Star, Afghanistan Operational Service Medal, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and Army Pilot Wings. The Prince of Wales (right) and the Duke of Sussex before holding a vigil beside the coffin of their grandmother Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren arrived in Westminster just before 6pm where they will hold a 15-minute vigil Meanwhile, a source close to Harry said being back in his brother's company again had at times been 'uncomfortable' and 'difficult' this week. And reconciliation is said to remain difficult while Harry's memoir and the Sussexes Netflix documentary linger over the Royal Family. It comes as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex found out they were 'uninvited' to a Buckingham Palace state reception for world leaders and foreign royals tonight by reading press reports, sources claim. Harry and Meghan were initially invited, but the invitation was later rescinded on the basis that the reception is only for working royals. It comes as London is bracing for two million people to descend on the city to watch the Queen's state funeral on Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow. The funeral is expected to be the most-watched event ever televised, with tens of thousands set to line the streets of the capital to pay their final respects to the monarch. Police, meanwhile, are preparing a 'ring of steel' around to protect the Royal Family and the hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries who have arrived in London for the service. Around 10,000 officers will be on duty along the funeral procession route alone to control the crowds, which are expected to be up to eight-feet deep in some places. Members of the public hoping to travel to attend the funeral are being warned to expect major travel disruption, with London's public transport expected to be 'much busier' than normal. A shocking video shows the moment 'all hell broke loose' in a fight in Manchester Airport over 'lost luggage' as two men threw punches at each other next to the baggage carousel. The incident happened at quarter past midnight this morning, Sunday September 18, in Terminal Two after the delayed 10.20pm KLM flight from Amsterdam landed in Manchester at 11.45pm. Passengers who were already frustrated by the delay began to viciously attack one another after they were told their luggage was still in Amsterdam by a member of staff. The staff member said there had been a ground staff strike at Amsterdam Airport - but passengers had thought all was well until they landed in Manchester and were waiting by the carousel to pick up their bags and go home. A shocking video shows the moment 'all hell broke loose' in a fight in Manchester Airport over 'lost luggage' The dramatic video shows fellow passengers desperately trying to restrain those involved - as shouts of 'stop it!' and 'enough!' can be heard The incident happened at quarter past midnight this morning, Sunday September 18, in Terminal Two after the delayed 10.20pm KLM flight from Amsterdam landed in Manchester at 11.45pm The dramatic video shows fellow passengers desperately trying to restrain those involved - as shouts of 'stop it!' and 'enough!' can be heard. The brawl shows the two men repeatedly try to strike one another as they run through the terminal. Holidaymakers were handed a piece of paper telling them that 'unforeseen operational challenges' meant that their luggage could not be offloaded in a 'timely manner'. They were given a QR code to report their lost baggage, and were told it would be delivered to their addresses - but it did not specify any timings for the return. The passenger who took the video - and asked to remain anonymous - told MailOnline: 'It was a nightmare. Everyone was exhausted and getting angry. It was dramatic and people were getting scared. Holidaymakers were handed a piece of paper telling them that 'unforeseen operational challenges' meant that their luggage could not be offloaded in a 'timely manner' at Manchester Airport (Picture: file image) 'It isn't nice to see people fighting and we were just waiting for our suitcases. 'All hell broke loose. There were people fighting and so people started running. It was crazy. 'We all had to deal with it as there was zero security or staff around to help.' The witness said passengers had started shouting at the member of staff and accused him of lying, before they turned on each other to throw punches. They added that the flight was almost full, meaning that around 200 passengers were without their bags. The witness filming already knew their luggage hadn't made it to the UK as their Apple AirTag said it was still at the airport in Amsterdam. The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi condemned Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's controversial invitation to the Queen's funeral. She said his presence at Her Majesty's state funeral would 'stain her memory' - a sentiment echoed by activists who say allows Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, known as MBS, is trying to 'whitewash' his human rights record. The Prince 'approved' the murder and dismemberment of Mr Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, a declassified CIA report alleged. He vehemently denies the claims and said recently that that the journalist would not be among his top 1,000 targets to kill, 'if that was how we did things'. MBS is one of the more than 500 foreign dignitaries and heads of state invited to mourn Queen Elizabeth II during the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday. A cast of controversial statesmen were invited to the affair including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia confirmed on Saturday that MBS was travelling to London but did not disclose the details of his visit. Officials have not confirmed the Prince will attend the funeral, but it is probable given this trip is marks his first visit to Britain since Mr Khashoggi's slaying. Approximately 2,000 people are expected to attend the Queen's service on Monday, including world leaders, VIPS and members of other royal families. The televised funeral is expected to be watched by 4.1 billion people and analysts predict 2 million others will flock to the capital for the event. The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi condemned Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's (pictured in July) controversial invitation to the Queen's funeral Hatice Cengiz (right) criticised the Saudi's ruler's invitation to the funeral, arguing he was using a time of mourning to 'seek legitimacy and normalisation.' She is pictured with her fiance Jamal Khashoggi (left) Mr Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, criticised the Saudi's ruler's invitation to the funeral, arguing he was using a time of mourning to 'seek legitimacy and normalisation.' 'The Queens passing is a truly sad occasion,' she told The Guardian. 'The crown prince should not be allowed to be part of this mourning and not be allowed to stain her memory and use this time mourning to seek legitimacy and normalisation.' Her claims were echoed by advocacy groups across the UK who allege Her Majesty's death is not the time for 'authoritarian dictators' to try and 'rehabilitate' their image. 'The UK simply should not be welcoming dictators from states renowned for their atrocious human rights records,' Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said. The Prince 'approved' the murder and dismemberment of Mr Khashoggi (pictured) at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, a declassified CIA report alleged. He vehemently denies the claims and said recently that that the journalist would not be among his top 1,000 targets to kill, 'if that was how we did things' 'Although the leaders of Russia and Syria have rightly not received invitations to attend the Queens funeral, it sends a clear double standard to then welcome notorious Gulf despots such as King Hamad and Mohammed bin Salman, who continue to preside over appalling violations against those who dare to speak out in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.' Activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the UK-based director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, reiterated his colleagues claims, saying: 'Authoritarian dictators should not use the Queens death as an opportunity to try to rehabilitate their image while they escalate repressive campaigns in their countries.' Similarly, UK-based Campaign Against the Arms Trade slammed Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies for 'using the Queen's funeral as a way to - in their words - "whitewash" their human rights records,' BBC reported. In a report earlier this week, CNN Arabic claimed MBS would not be attending the funeral, citing his 'fragile ego' as likely having played a role in his decision. Abdullah Alaoudh, a Washington-based Saudi dissident, told the TV network that MBS would be 'seated behind other powerful figures' at the event, which he would allegedly bother him. 'MBS wants full acknowledgement of his power, his existence, of getting in the front row,' Mr Alaoudh argued. 'He cares a lot about these symbols and does not want to be humiliated.' Additionally, world dignitaries have been asked to jump on shuttle buses to Westminster Abbey, as is standard protocol, instead of using state limousines or carriages. The only exception appears to be US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill will be able to take the armoured Beast to the Queen's funeral. Some embassies have reportedly made as-yet unsuccessful efforts to request exceptions to the Foreign Office guidance. MBS is one of the more than 500 foreign dignitaries and heads of state invited to mourn Queen Elizabeth II (pictured in 2013) during the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday Approximately 2,000 people are expected to attend the Queen's service on Monday, including world leaders, VIPS and members of other royal families. Members of the public are pictured filing past the Queen's coffin as it lies in state at Westminster Abbey on Sunday The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Myanmar reportedly did not get an invite to the Queen's funeral but a number of controversial figures including Erdogan and Bolsonaro are coming to London for the service. Chinese President Xi Jinping was invited but is not expected to attend. He instead sent Vice President Wang Qishan to attend on his behalf, Chinas Foreign Ministry confirmed to The Wall Street Journal on Saturday. Several British lawmakers, alleging they were 'greatly concerned' by the invitation to President Xi, penned a letter to the House of Commons calling for the invitation to be rescinded. They also strongly criticised China for its treatment of the largely Muslim Uyghur community. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi also declined his invitation to attend the service. India will instead by represented by President Droupadi Murmu, according to The Guardian. PM Modi had delivered a speech on the day of the Queen's death - hours before her illness was known - urging India to shed its colonial ties during a ceremony to renamed a street that had honoured George V. The leader did however call UK Prime Minister Liz Truss two days after Her Majesty's death to issue his condolences. The Queen's grandchildren (clockwise from front centre) Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Britain's Princess Eugenie of York, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Princess Beatrice of York, Britain's Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall hold a vigil 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 Saturday The televised funeral is expected to be watched by 4.1 billion people and analysts predict 2 million others will flock to the capital for the event. He Majesty's coffin, draped in the Royal Standard and adorned with the Imperial State Crown, is pictured Lying in State inside Westminster Hall on Sunday Members of the public, wrapped in blankets, walk in line along The Queens Walk near Tower Bridge waiting to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lays in state within Westminster Hall on Sunday Her Majesty's close friend Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the billionaire ruler of Dubai, is yet to confirm if he will attend. Before her death, Her Majesty was under pressure to ditch him after the High Court found he was responsible for illegal UK hacking of his wife's phone. A senior judge concluded that Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the horse race-loving friend of the Royal Family and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, committed a 'total abuse of trust and indeed an abuse of power'. The court found that he previously orchestrated the kidnap of his runaway daughter Princess Shamsa from Cambridgeshire in 2000. He also allegedly abducted her sister Princess Latifa when she too tried to flee. Princess Latif's best friend Tiina Jauhiainen told MailOnline last week that the ruler of Dubai must be snubbed by Buckingham Palace and the British Government along with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud. She said: 'I don't think a person with his reputation should be invited to the Queen's funeral. 'I hope we are not going to be seeing MBS [what the Crown Prince is colloquially known as] either.' The Sheikh has yet to confirm if he will attend the funeral on Monday. US President Joe Biden is expected to pay tribute to the Queen today by joining the thousands who have walked past Her Majesty's coffin in Westminster Hall. Mr Biden is among a stream of world leaders to have arrived in the UK this weekend for the Queen's funeral on Monday. His presidential plane, known as Air Force One, touched down at Stansted Airport in Essex last night to be greeted by a small party. This included Jane Hartley, US ambassador to the UK, and Jennifer Tolhurst, the Lord Lieutenant of Essex. The US President and his wife, Jill, were then seen being whisked away in their presidential car dubbed 'The Beast'. Mr Biden is today set to be among those world leaders to take up an invitation to witness the Queen's lying-in-state in Westminster Hall. He is also due, along with other world leaders and international royals, to join King Charles for a reception this evening. Although Liz Truss is also set to attend tonight's reception, the Prime Minister's scheduled talks with Mr Biden in Downing Street today have been cancelled. Number 10 said Ms Truss and the US President would instead hold a 'full bilateral meeting' at the UN General Assembly in New York kkn Wednesday. Joe Biden, pictured with his wife Jill, is among a stream of world leaders to have arrived in the UK this weekend for the Queen's funeral on Monday The US President is expected to pay tribute to the Queen today by joining the thousands who have walked past Her Majesty's coffin in Westminster Hall Mr Biden's presidential plane, known as Air Force One, touched down at Stansted Airport in Essex last night after which he was greeted by a small party The US President and First Lady were then seen being whisked away in their presidential car dubbed 'The Beast' New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was one of the first world leaders to arrive in London, paid her respects with a solemn appearance in Westminster Hall on Friday. Mr Biden and the First Lady had tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle in June last year to become the 13th US president Her Majesty had met during her 70-year reign. Following the Queen's death on 8th September, Mr Biden said Her Majesty's legacy would 'loom large in the pages of British history, an in the story of our world'. He added how the Queen had 'defined an era' and hailed her as 'a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy'. The US President also paid tribute to the Queen's 'solidarity' after the 9/11 terror attacks 'when she poignantly reminded us that "grief is the price we pay for love"'. Despite strict Foreign Office guidance for international guests attending the Queen's funeral, it has emerged that Mr Biden will not be expected to join others on a bus to Monday's event. Mr Biden and the First Lady had tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle in June last year to become the 13th US president Her Majesty had met during her 70-year reign Around 500 guests representing nearly 200 countries and territories are due to be in attendance at the funeral. Leaked Government documents have revealed plans for global dignitaries to travel en masse in a shuttle bus to Westminster Abbey for Monday's service, rather than using private cars. But British and US officials have since played down the prospect of Mr Biden having to travel on a bus into central London. They suggested the US President would still be able to use his armoured vehicle - 'The Beast' - while travelling in the capital. It has been claimed that Emperor Naruhito will be among those travelling to the funeral on a bus. 'The Beast' is the name given to the armoured limosuine that transports US presidents. The custom-built Cadillac is said to have eight-inch thick doors, run-flat tires, bulletproof glass, its own oxygen supply, a couple of pints of the president's blood and a completely sealed interior to ward off a chemical attack. It is estimated to weigh between seven and nine tons. An international tribunal for Russian war crimes must be established after new mass graves were found in Ukraine earlier this week, the EU presidency has declared. 'In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent,' said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic which holds the European Union's rotating presidency. 'We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals... I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression,' he announced. The appeal follows the discovery of around 450 graves outside the recently liberated city of Izyum in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region. Some of the exhumed bodies showed signs of torture and authorities have uncovered several buildings which appear to have been used as torture chambers by Russian soldiers and FSB agents. 'More than 10 torture chambers have already been found in various cities and towns liberated in Kharkiv region,' Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky last night, describing the discovery of electrical implements for torture. 'That's what the Nazis did. This is what Ruscists do. And they will be held accountable in the same way - both on the battlefield and in courtrooms,' he promised. It comes as a British Ministry of Defence (MoD) intelligence update claimed that Moscow has stepped up its rocket attacks on civilian infrastructure as its troops flee from the Kharkiv region. Forensic technicians dig a grave in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum, eastern Ukraine on September 16, 2022 Ukrainian officials have uncovered 450 new graves at just one burial site near Izyum after recapturing the eastern city from the Russians last weekend Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has called for a special international tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes in Ukraine. 'In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent,' he said Flimsy wooden crosses are seen at a burial site in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum, on September 17, 2022 Zelensky paid a surprise visit to Izyum in Kharkiv region after the city was recaptured and witnessed the devastation left behind by the retreating Russian forces This photograph taken on September 14, 2022 shows a destroyed Russian tank and armoured personnel carriers on the outskirts of Izyum, Kharkiv Region, eastern Ukraine Head of Kharkiv regional administration Oleg Synegubov said yesterday that '99 per cent of bodies that were exhumed showed signs of a violent death'. 'There are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs, and one person is buried with a rope around his neck,' Synegubov told readers on the Telegram messaging app. The Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said there were 'probably more than 1,000 Ukrainian citizens tortured and killed in the liberated territories of the Kharkiv region', though this number has not yet been verified. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the mass graves likely provided more evidence that Russia is committing war crimes Ukraine, while French President Emmanuel Macron described what had happened in Izyum as 'atrocities'. The United Nations in Geneva has said it hopes to send a team to determine the circumstances of the deaths, much like it did roughly five months ago after the Russian army, driven out of Bucha near the capital Kyiv, left behind hundreds of corpses of civilians. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen confirmed earlier this week she wanted Russian President Vladimir Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the British MoD claimed in its latest intelligence updated that Russia has increased its rocket attacks on civilian infrastructure this past week, likely in an attempt to undermine the morale of Ukrainian citizens and local governments even as Putin's forces retreat from Kharkiv. 'Russia has launched several thousand long-range missiles against Ukraine since 24 February 2022. However, in the last seven days, Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate military effect,' the update read. 'As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government.' President Putin however denied that his forces had been routed in eastern Ukraine and yesterday claimed his troops were continuing to take territory in the Donbas while speaking at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan. Pictured: A destroyed Russian MT-LB armoured personnel carrier burning in a field on the outskirts of Izyum Vladimir Putin, speaking after a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan, said his Donbas offensive is still 'moving forwards' after recent humiliating defeats in the Kharkiv region The MoD claimed in its latest intelligence updated that Russia has increased its rocket attacks on civilian infrastructure this past week in an attempt to undermine the morale of Ukrainian citizens 'Our offensive operation in the Donbas is not stopping. They're moving forward - not at a very fast pace - but they are gradually taking more and more territory,' Putin said, in what were his first comments since his army collapsed and fled from the Kharkiv region of Ukraine last weekend. On Friday, a smiling Putin warned of a 'more serious' response if the Ukrainian counterattacks continue to gain ground. 'The Kyiv authorities have announced that they have started an active counter-offensive operation. We'll see how it goes and how it ends,' he said with a smirk in the Uzbek capital of Samarkand. In light of the threat, US President Biden warned Putin to avoid using nuclear weapons as his forces are beaten back in Ukraine or face 'consequences.' In a preview for this Sunday's 60 Minutes, interviewer Scott Pelley asked the president what words he would have for his Russian counterpart if he is considering using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in the Ukraine. Biden responded: 'Don't. Don't. Don't. You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II.' When Pelley pushed the president for America's response should Putin cross the line, Biden declined to comment on a specific plan, only saying that the US would act if nuclear weapons are put into play. 'It'll be consequential,' Biden said. '[Russia] will become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been.' This is the shocking moment police officers are pelted with bottles on another night of violence in Leicester, with two men having been arrested for the 'serious disorder'. The footage shows a chaotic scene in Green Lane Road, east Leicester, with police separating the two sides of an 'unplanned protest' as they shout for people to get back and go home. Bottles were being thrown from one side to another, and officers in the middle ground acting as a physical barricade from the two sides were in the firing line as they tried to keep the peace. Several reports of violence and damage were made to police while a video circulating allegedly shows a man pulling down an Om flag outside a Hindu Temple on Melton Road in the city. Section 60 stop and search powers were made available to police and two men were arrested, one on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and another on suspicion of possession of a bladed article. They remain in police custody. There has reportedly been a continued string of violence in Leicester which is said to be between 'young Muslims and Hindus'. Another clip circulating online shows a similar police division, reportedly between Hindus and Muslims, during the daytime, with officers holding batons as they maintain space between the two groups on a residential street in Leicester. This is the shocking moment police officers are pelted with bottles on another night of violence in Leicester, with two men having been arrested for the 'serious disorder' The startling footage shows a chaotic scene in Green Lane Road, east Leicester, with police separating the two sides of an 'unplanned protest' as they shout for people to get back and go home Dispersal powers and stop search powers were earlier authorised, allowing officers to stop and search anyone where they believe that serious violence might take place. The dispersal order, in place until 6am, also gives police powers to ask people to leave a certain location and not return for 48 hours. Additionally, it authorises officers to return those under 16 to their homes. Rumours that a mosque in the city was attacked were earlier quashed by police. Just a small minority of Hindu extremists in #Leicester who are causing trouble & taunting the Muslims did u say? Theyre out in their hundreds then play victim online afterwards. The police told Muslims it was all under control but clearly NOT! This is the reality on the ground. pic.twitter.com/qk67GFvml4 Majid Freeman (@Majstar7) September 17, 2022 Another clip circulating online shows a similar police division, reportedly between Hindus and Muslims, during the daytime Officers are seen holding batons as they maintain space between the two groups on a residential street in Leicester They said: 'We've seen reports on social media that a mosque is being attacked. Officers on the ground have confirmed this is not true. Only share information on social media that you know to be true.' In a statement, Leicestershire Police said in the early hours of this morning: 'Parts of East Leicester experienced serious disorder yesterday evening (Saturday 17 September) into this morning (Sunday) when large crowds formed after groups of young men began an unplanned protest. 'We had additional officers in the area who became aware of a large group of men travelling towards Green Lane Road, Leicester. 'Officers attempted to engage with the group and remain with them whilst additional officers were called in. They sought to keep actions lawful but regrettably, the situation led to disorder. 'Officers attended in large numbers with a view to keep people safe. Dispersal and stop and search powers were authorised to assist officers in restoring calm to the area. Under Section 60 stop search powers, a large number of people were searched. Bottles were being thrown from one side to another (one officer nearly hit is pictured), and officers in the middle ground acting as a physical barricade from the two sides were in the firing line as they tried to keep the peace Police are pictured forming a physical barricade as they shout at protesters to get back and leave the scene on Green Lane Road in east Leicester 'Several incidents of violence and damage have been reported to the police and are being investigated. We are aware of a video virculating showing a man pulling down a flag outside a religious building on Melton Road, Leicester. 'This appears to have taken place while police officers were dealing with public disorder in the area. The incident will be investigated. 'Two arrests were made - one man on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and one man on suspicion of possession of a bladed article. They remain in police custody. 'We are continuing to call for dialogue and calm with support from local community leaders. We will not tolerate violence or disorder in our city. Message from Temporary Chief Constable Rob Nixon. We're taking control of the situation in @LPEastLeics, numerous officers and resources are on the ground, and we are calling for calm. pic.twitter.com/hhLOqFMfHn Leicestershire Police (@leicspolice) September 17, 2022 'A significant police operation will remain in the area in the coming days.' Last night before the situation got out of hands, temporary chief constable Rob Nixon said in a video shared to Twitter: 'We've had numerous reports of an outbreak or disorder in parts of the east Leicester area of the city. 'We have officers there, we are taking control of the situation, additional officers are en route... dispersal and stop search powers have been authorised. 'Please do not get involved, we are calling for calm.' Advertisement The fragile truce between Prince William and Prince Harry was laid bare last night after they decided not travel in the same car after guarding the Queen's coffin together with 'no meaningful rapprochement' between the feuding brothers and their wives, it was claimed today. The Prince of Wales went home from Westminster Hall with his eldest cousin Peter Phillips - who has acted as a 'buffer' between the siblings at UK events since they fell out including at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral last year. Prince Harry left Parliament in a limousine with Zara Phillips - whose retired rugby star husband reportedly called the Duke of Sussex a 'b***end' at the Platinum Jubilee as insiders claimed he has found it 'uncomfortable' and 'difficult' to be so close to William while in Britain for the past fortnight. A report by The Sunday Times' Roya Nikkah claims the brother are no closer to 'mending' their fractured relationship despite spending more time in close proximity this week than they have in years. Ms Nikkah claims they even bumped into each other on Harry's 38th birthday on Thursday - but only spoke through a car window - in one of a number of 'awkward moments' since the Queen's death - where they have stayed just a few hundred yards apart in the grounds of Windsor Castle. William and Harry appeared with their wives to inspect flowers a week ago before walking behind the Queen's coffin at Westminster and then guarding Her Majesty's casket in Westminster Hall last night. One friend of the estranged brothers said: 'The joint appearances take effort. There was an understanding that 'we need to show solidarity', not just 'we need to do this because it's our duty'. But I don't think it goes much beyond that. There have been some awkward moments this week. I definitely don't get the sense of any deeper meaningful rapprochement or a sense that this is it: things will be mended.' Harry's memoirs remain an ongoing tension. One source said: 'We know there are other things that will come out in the future that will be very damaging.' Prince William left Westminster Hall with his cousin Peter Phillips - a buffer between him and Prince Harry in recent years - as sources claimed the siblings are no closer to mending their relationship Prince Harry and Zara Tindall depart from a vigil around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, in Westminster Hall yesterday. William and Harry's brief meetings this week have been 'awkward' and 'uncomfortable' for both men, it was claimed today William and Harry stood either end of the Queen's coffin as her grandchildren held vigil last night, while mourners continued to file past Prince William, second right, Kate, Princess of Wales, right, Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, second left, leave after they paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall Prince William, Prince of Wales, Kate, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wave to members of the public at Windsor Castle Prince Harry 'left "heartbroken" after Queen's 'ER' initials were stripped from military uniform he wore to coffin vigil' Prince William (left) wore the ER initials on the shoulder of his military uniform last night, but the cypher was removed from that of Prince Harry's Prince Harry has reportedly been left 'devastated' and after the Queen's 'ER' initials were removed from the shoulder of his military uniform as he held vigil by her coffin - after Prince Andrew was allowed to keep the royal cypher. The Duke of Sussex, 38, is said to have considered wearing a morning suit to avoid embarrassment as the monarch's eight grandchildren carried out a sombre guard of honour inside Westminster Hall last night. William and Harry, both dressed in military uniform, stood at either end of their grandmother's coffin. They were joined by cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn. Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, had previously been prevented from wearing military uniform this week as he is no longer a working royal. He was granted permission by King Charles to wear the livery for the vigil inside the Palace of Westminster. However, the Duke of Sussex is understood to have been devastated to find his grandmother's initials had been stripped from the shoulder of his uniform, The Sunday Times reports. The initials were not removed from Prince William's uniform. Harry's despair is understood to largely centre around Prince Andrew, who is also no longer a working royal, having retained the initials on his vice-admirals uniform as the Queen's children held a vigil on Friday night. The Duke of Sussex was a Personal Aide de Camp of the Queen and, as a result, had previously worn the cypher. But it was among the posts he resigned when he stepped down from royal duties and moved to California. The 'ER' initials are traditionally only worn by those 'in service' of the monarch, and so the absence of the cypher is thought to be down to dress regulations as opposed to a direct snub of the prince. But such was his despair, Harry is said to have considered wearing a morning suit as they were leaving in order to avoid the embarrassment last night. A friend told the newspaper: 'He is heartbroken. To remove his grandmothers initials feels very intentional.' Advertisement Harry and Meghan have been away from their children in California for two weeks after their pseudo-royal tour of Europe was tragically extended by the Queen's death. The Sussexes have been in Frogmore Cottage throughout with the Wales's in Adelaide Cottage, around 400ft apart as the crow flies. On Thursday Harry celebrated his birthday - and was in a car with Meghan when he reportedly bumped into his older brother as they drove around the Windsor estate. William was returning from the school run with George, Charlotte and Louis. After passing each other The Sunday Times claims both men stopped, and apparently reversed back towards each other. But they stayed in their cars, choosing to wind down their windows and chat for a while. A source close to Harry said that the contact with his brother had been 'uncomfortable' and 'difficult' for them both - but 'everybody is trying their best'. Another insider claimed that Harry's brushes with his brother made him feel a 'twinge' of regret 'about what could have been' and left him feeling that 'it didn't have to be this ugly' between them. A friend of the Sussexes says: 'They are very sensitive to how everything is happening and very much see the bigger picture, not just from a personal point of view but from the family's point of view. Meghan is not afraid of throwing in a hand grenade here and there, but there are no toys being thrown out of the pram now. Their view is: 'Let's get on and do it we'll be where we need to be and we won't be where we don't need to be.' William is 'solely focussed on the Queen' not repairing the relationship with his brother - sources told Ms Nikkah. The Duke of Sussex, 38, is said to have considered wearing a morning suit to avoid embarrassment as the monarch's eight grandchildren carried out a sombre guard of honour inside Westminster Hall last night. William and Harry, both dressed in military uniform, stood at either end of their grandmother's coffin. They were joined by cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn. Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, had previously been prevented from wearing military uniform this week as he is no longer a working royal. He was granted permission by King Charles to wear the livery for the vigil inside the Palace of Westminster. However, the Duke of Sussex is understood to have been devastated to find his grandmother's initials had been stripped from the shoulder of his uniform, The Sunday Times reports. The initials were not removed from Prince William's uniform. Harry's despair is understood to largely centre around Prince Andrew, who is also no longer a working royal, having retained the initials on his vice-admirals uniform as the Queen's children held a vigil on Friday night. The Duke of Sussex was a Personal Aide de Camp of the Queen and, as a result, had previously worn the cypher. But it was among the posts he resigned when he stepped down from royal duties and moved to California. The 'ER' initials are traditionally only worn by those 'in service' of the monarch, and so the absence of the cypher is thought to be down to dress regulations as opposed to a direct snub of the prince. But such was his despair, Harry is said to have considered wearing a morning suit as they were leaving in order to avoid the embarrassment last night. A friend told the newspaper: 'He is heartbroken. To remove his grandmothers initials feels very intentional.' It comes amid hopes of reconciliation between the brother's following the Queen's death, with the princes standing side by side as they walked behind her coffin as it was moved to lie in state at the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday. It was a poignant moment that drew comparisons to walking behind the coffin of their mother Princess Diana at her funeral in 1997. That came after William and Harry put on an an unexpected united front with their respective wives Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle during a walkabout outside Windsor Castle on Saturday. But sources close to the brothers are understood to have said there has been 'no meaningful rapprochement' as of yet. Prince Harry pictured with the ER initials on the shoulder of his military uniform as he attended the Founder's Day Parade at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in June 2019 They joined other royals for dinner at Buckingham Palace as they received the Queen's coffin at Buckingham Palace this week. The Queen's eight grandchildren - including Prince Harry in his military uniform - stood by her coffin in her honour as she lay in state in Westminster Hall as weeping mourners filed past tonight. Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren Prince William, the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, arrived just before 6pm where they held a 15-minute vigil. Brothers William and Harry - both dressed in uniform - stood guard at the Queen's lying in state in Westminster Hall on Saturday evening as a stream of mourners filed past after queueing for hours. Prince 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 said the King decided his youngest son could wear uniform for the vigil. Despite being a former Army officer, Harry has been in civilian dress for official events this week, including walking behind the Queen's coffin on Wednesday. On Saturday evening, Prince Harry was wearing the Blues and Royals, No.1 Uniform, KCVO Neck Order and Star, Afghanistan Operational Service Medal, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and Army Pilot Wings. Prince William was wearing the Blues and Royals, No.1 Uniform, The Garter Sash, The Garter Star, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals and RAF Pilot Wings. The brothers were joined in their silent tribute around the coffin by cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn. The young royals, led by Prince William, were in position at the top of the grand committee staircase in the corner of the vast hall at 5.58pm. At 6pm, the tapping which signifies the changing of the guard sounded and William began walking down the steps, one at a time, followed by Harry, then Beatrice and Eugenie side by side, Louise and James side by side, and Zara and Peter also side by side. Silence fell as members of the public looked on, with the only sound being the grandchildren's footsteps on the stone. Prince William was positioned at one end of the coffin, facing the north entrance, while Harry was positioned at the opposite end, facing the area of the hall where thousands of people have entered over the last few days. The Prince of Wales stood with his hands clasped in front and his head bowed. Louise and James's parents, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, looked on from a platform facing the coffin. Members of the public continued to file past while the Queen's grandchildren stood guard, with some women wiping tears away from their face as they left the hall. At 6.15pm, the tapping sounded and the grandchildren ended their vigil. Prince William led the group away from the coffin, followed by Zara and Peter, Louise and James, Beatrice and Eugenie, and finally Harry. Queen Elizabeth II 's grandchildren (clockwise from front centre) the Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Princess Eugenie, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall hold a vigil The eight sombre grandchildren arrived at Westminster Hall where they performed a vigil at the Queen's coffin Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren arrived in Westminster just before 6pm where they will hold a 15-minute vigil Prince William bows his head as he stands beside his grandmother's coffin in Westminster Hall The Prince of Wales (right) and the Duke of Sussex before holding a vigil beside the coffin of their grandmother The Queen's eight grandchildren carried out a vigil at her coffin on Saturday evening in the Palace of Westminster The Queen's four grandchildren stand around her coffin during their own vigil, similar to the one held by their parents on Friday Mourners watched as the vigil was held for the Queen in Westminster Hall by her eight grandchildren on Saturday evening ## CCTV has captured the terrifying moment a car lost control and hurtled into a petrol bowser before the vehicle flipped and trapped the driver inside. The man behind the wheel remains in a critical condition in hospital following the crash at an Ampol service station in Melbourne's southeast early Sunday morning which could have ended in disaster. The hatchback can be seen in the footage speeding around a bend in Oakleigh South when it suddenly veers off the road and crashes into a metal barrier before hurtling towards the pumps. The vehicle flipped several times and landed on its roof. Miraculously, the 24-year driver managed to eventually crawl from the wreckage covered in blood, despite serious injuries. Shocked residents woken by the crash revealed how the driver and his mother who rushed to the scene before emergency responders arrived had begged them to not to call police. CCTV captured the moment a man lost control of his car and crashed into a petrol bowser, which could have ended in tragedy had the service station been open 'It was a big bang, I've never seen such an accident in my life,' Farzana Lucky told Nine News. 'He was totally covered in blood, he was really badly injured.' 'They were saying, 'no police please, just ambulance.' He was rushed to the Alfred Hospital with upper body injuries, where he remains in a critical but stable condition. He's yet to speak to police. His smashed-up hatchback was towed from the scene shortly afterwards. The crash caused extensive damage to the petrol bowser, which contained a small amount of fuel but no power, which minimised the risk of an explosion. Staff spent Sunday cleaning up debris strewn all over the scene. It also took out the petrol station's entire fuel system, which left the family business unable to operate for much of the day. The hatchback flipped several times (pictured) before landing on its roof, forcing the bloodied and badly injured driver to crawl from the wreckage 'It was very scary, the first thing I thought of was the safety of the person inside the car,' owner Ahmad Dhemani said. 'These pumps are very expensive, I was lost for words.' The latest setback for the service station comes several weeks after the business was robbed by thieves who stole up to $10,000 worth of cigarettes. Staff and neighbours are extremely grateful it petrol station was closed at the time and that the pumps were turned off. 'The first thing I was thinking was 'that could have been my home,' Ms Lucky said. Residents woken by the crash who rushed to the scene (pictured) were urged by the driver and his family to not call police Mr Dhemani told Seven News: 'Especially at night when this sort of accident happens when everyone's sleeping and there's a big fire, it would have been a big problem.' Police confirmed it is investigating the single vehicle crash which occurred on Coora Road shortly after 4am on Sunday. Separate CCTV 100 metres further up the road also captured a speeding car shortly before the crash. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has CCTV or dash cam is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong / Yonhap By Kim Hyun-bin Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and is expected to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, according to industry officials, Sunday. Lee arrived in the U.K. and is known to be engaged in business activities at present. Initially, he was scheduled to meet with U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss as a special envoy to the president and ask for cooperation in hosting the World Expo 2030 in Busan, but the scheduled meeting was postponed after the death of the Queen Elizabeth II. Industry officials believe Lee will likely attend the funeral of the late queen accompanying President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is arriving in the U.K. Monday (local time). Samsung Electronics established a U.K. sales company in 1984 and has maintained a special relationship with the British royal family. The late queen delivered a congratulatory speech at the completion ceremony of Samsung Electronics' Wynyard Appliances Factory in England in 1995, greeting late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee. It was a very unusual occurrence for the queen to give an official speech at a foreign corporate event. In 2006, Samsung Electronics was selected as the U.K.'s royal TV supplier, and now it is providing not only TVs but also household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and air dressers. In May of this year, Samsung Electronics also acquired the "Queen Royal Warrant," the most prestigious certification awarded by the British royal family in the field of home appliances. Recently, attention is also focused on the acquisition of ARM, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the design-based application processor (AP) market. With the acquisition of ARM, Samsung will be able to secure the world's best semiconductor design and production technology. Samsung Electronics has consistently revealed the possibility of large-scale acquisitions. Samsung Electronics Co-Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee recently attended IFA 2022 in Germany and mentioned that large-scale acquisitions "are in consideration to broadly secure future growth engines" and added that "a considerable part of it is in progress." Meanwhile, Lee visited Mexico and Panama during the Chuseok holiday, inspecting local businesses and carrying out public relations activities to support the bid for World Expo 2030 to be hosted in Busan. After completing the U.K. trip, Lee is expected to visit the U.S. and perform his last overseas schedule before attending his trial on Sept. 22. The vice chairman is expected to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the second foundry plant being built in Taylor City in the U.S. state of Texas. A row has broken out after Michael Sheen criticised King Charles III for visiting Cardiff on the same day as a medieval tradition celebrating the last native Prince of Wales. The 53-year-old actor faced some backlash on social media after he called the King and Queen Consort's trip on Owain Glyndwr day as 'insensitive' and 'insulting'. On September 16 1400, a 15-year uprising against English rule started and was spearheaded by Owain Glyndwr. The revolt is considered to be the last Welsh war of independence and Glyndwr has since been viewed as a figurehead of Welsh nationalism. However one Welsh Twitter user wrote: 'At the risk of insulting some of my fellow Welsh countrymen, no-one I know has ever heard of Owain Glyndwr day. Sounds like it's being used as a wilful insult the other way round.' Another added: 'I don't share your views on Welsh independence and despite being a proud Welsh woman of nearly 50 years of age I've never heard of Owain Glyndwr day before this year. I'd still like to express my admiration for the way you voice your argument, and for your principles.' Actor Martin Sheen (pictured) noted that the visit by the new King and Queen Consort could be seen as 'insensitive' as it fell on September 16 - an important historic date for Wales Some Twitter users disagreed with Michael Sheen's rebuttal of the King and Queen Consort's visit to Wales on the nation's historic day In the video footage, which has garnered more than 1m hits, Mr Sheen said there 'is more than one story in these isles. There is more than one tradition, there is more than one history.' The actor explained: 'September 16 is the day that many people here in Wales celebrate Owain Glyndwr, who was the last native Prince of Wales, self-proclaimed'. Describing the period of time since her death at Balmoral, he said it had been 'extraordinary' and 'very 'emotional', an 'era defining period of time'. 'I offer my sincerest sympathy to Charles and his family on the loss of their mother, grandmother, and to everyone who's feeling such depth of emotion and a sense of that loss,' he said, noting that Her Majesty had been a 'fixed point' for so many people. Glyndwr led a rebellion against the English crown in 1400, to 'not only to free his nation but to create his nation', Michael explained. He added: '[The rebellion] was eventually crushed, and that was the last time Wales had a native Prince of Wales.' The tradition of naming a Prince of Wales was started by King Edward I, who named his son Prince Edward Prince of Wales, in a move Michael described as 'a sort of symbolic act of rebuke or punishment and humiliation'. 'And so this day, September 16, is important to many people in Wales,' he said. 'Because it marks the moment where Glyndwr claimed the title of the Prince of Wales again'. He said the two things - the King's visit and Owain Glyndwr day - are 'clearly connected'. King Charles (pictured) met members of the public as he left Cardiff Castle yesterday while in Wales as part of his tour of the four nations 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 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 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort waved as they arrived to receive a Motion of Condolence at the Senedd in Cardiff today Michael explained: 'To choose September 16 to come to Wales having only a short time ago proclaimed that he had created his son William as the new Prince of Wales and to choose this day September 16 to come here as his first visit as King seems full of meaning.' If it had been done purposefully, he added, it could seen as 'insensitive to the point of insulting'. He continued: 'If it was done without realising the significance of the date, then one does wonder what being Prince of Wales for so long actually meant if you're not aware of what that day means.' He added he wanted to add his voices to those of others who were noting the 'irony' of traditional Welsh celebrations being cancelled to accommodate an English monarch visiting. 'I hope it's not a declaration of intent, because that would be very concerning,' he said. King Charles announced last week that Prince William, 40, and his wife Kate Middleton, 40, would become the new Prince and Princess of Wales. The royal couple released a statement following the announcement in which they spoke of their 'deep affection' for Wales, having made their first family home in Anglesey. Nancy Pelosi appeared to lobby for a new ally in the Eastern European region as demonstrators waving American flags gathered in Yerevan, Armenia on Sunday calling for western support during the Speaker's visit to the Russian-ally nation. The Democratic House Speaker cried and wiped away several tears at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex during a wreath-laying ceremony honoring those killed by Ottoman Turks. The House passed a resolution officially recognizing the mass killings as a genocide and President Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to declare the events as such. Despite its ties to Russia, supporters gathered in Yerevan on Sunday to wave American and Armenian flags in support of the U.S. delegation's visit. Pelosi in remarks in Armenia on Sunday condemned the 'illegal' border attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenia and used her visit to the Russian-ally nation to pledge Americans support for its sovereignty in a continued push for world-wide democracy. A congressional delegation led by the House Speaker, and includingRepresentative Anna Eschoo, Jackie Speier and Frank Pallone, arrived in Armenia Saturday. Pelosi noted in a tweet ahead of the visit that the four lawmakers 'have been proud and longtime champions of Armenia and we look forward to productive meetings to strengthen our partnership with the Republic of Armenia.' Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan earlier this week resulted in more than 200 hundred deaths on both sides. But the delegation's visit came amid a cease-fire that has held for three days. State Department spokesperson Ned Price released a statement on a call that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Sunday. 'Secretary Blinken welcomed a halt to recent hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan,' Price said. 'He urged President Aliyev to adhere to the ceasefire, disengage military forces, and work to resolve all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan through peaceful negotiations.' Pelosi cast her trip to Armenia as an attempt to strengthen support for what she cast as a beacon of democracy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dries a tear as she participates in a wreath-laying ceremony Sunday at the monument honoring victims of mass killings by the Ottoman Turks in Yerevan, Armenia Video showed demonstrators waving American and Armenian flags in Yerevan, Armenia on Sunday as they called for western support despite the nation's ties to Russia Demonstrators with American and Armenian flags gather outside the locations where Pelosi delivered her joint remarks in Yerevan on Sunday to show support for the U.S. delegation and call for help from western nations as they face attacks from Azerbaijan Pelosi (left) and the Head of Armenian National Assembly Alen Simonyan (right) lay flowers at the monument during a three-day cease-fire with Azerbaijan Major protests in the centre of Yerevan today amid US Speaker Nancy Pelosis historic visit to Armenia. Demonstrators waving American flags and calling on Western nations for support. pic.twitter.com/xy0bOA7odP Gabriel Gavin (@GabrielCSGavin) September 18, 2022 The country is a sliver of land the size of the state of Maryland and is wedged between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Iran, Speaking in the ancient city of Yerevan, Armenia this weekend, Pelosi said her trip had significance following the 'illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory' that triggered border clashes in which hundreds were killed. 'We strongly condemn those attacks,' Pelosi said beside Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan, who last week expressed unhappiness with the response of a Russian-led military alliance to Yerevan's request for help. Pelosi, who angered China with a trip to Taiwan last month, said it was clear that the border fighting was triggered by Azeri assaults on Armenia and that the chronology of the conflict should be made clear. The fighting 'was initiated by the Azeris and there has to be recognition of that,' Pelosi said. Pelosi's remarks drew an unusually strong rebuke from Baku, which said she was endangering the peace in the Caucasus. 'The unsubstantiated and unfair accusations leveled by Pelosi against Azerbaijan are unacceptable,' the foreign ministry said in a statement. Pelosi appeared to be vying for a new ally in the region with her visit to Armenia, which has ties to Russia. During the wreath laying at the Armenian Genocide monument, the House Speaker was seen crying and wiping away tears. It comes after the U.S. officially recognized the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks as a genocide While leading a congressional delegation to Armenia, Pelosi pledged American support for the Russian-ally's sovereignty and praised the nation for what she cast as a beacon of democracy. Pictured: Pelosi speaks during a press conference in Armenia during a joint press conference on Sunday, September 18 Pelosi speaks with Sumonyan on Sunday after fighting near the border earlier in the week lead to the death of more than 200 from Armenia and Azerbaijan 'This is a serious blow to the efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,' the ministry said, casting Pelosi's remarks as 'Armenian propaganda'. Such a definitive apportioning of blame for the conflict goes beyond what the U.S. State Department has so far said in public. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns over the fighting and called for calm but did not assign blame. Armenia said Azerbaijan shelled at least six Armenian settlements inside the border shortly after midnight on Sept. 13, attacking civilian and military infrastructure with drones and large calibre guns. Yerevan said it was unprovoked aggression. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, rejects those claims. Baku says Armenian sabotage units tried to mine Azeri positions, prompting soldiers to respond. Armenia says that narrative is Azeri disinformation. Russia, which repeatedly condemned Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, considers the Caucasus as its own sphere of influence and bristles at what it casts as U.S. meddling in the region. Moscow though, is preoccupied by the war in Ukraine which has triggered the biggest confrontation with the West since the height of the Cold War. Russia is Armenia's major military ally, has a military base in northern Armenia and peacekeepers along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh, over which Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in 2020. President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia had enough resources to mediate in the conflict. The latest fighting ended after a Russian-brokered ceasefire. But after appeals for help, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance of former Soviet republics that includes Armenia but not Azerbaijan, decided on Tuesday to dispatch a monitoring mission. Pelosi looks on as she visits the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex in Yerevan, Armenia on Sunday, September 18, 2022 Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Simonyan said he was dissatisfied with the response, likening the CSTO to a pistol that did not shoot bullets. Speaking beside Pelosi, U.S. Representative Frank Pallone said the United States wanted to do whatever it could to be more supportive of Armenia's security. The United States, Pelosi said, was listening to Armenia about what its defense needs were and said Washington wanted to help and support Armenia in what she cast as a global struggle between democracy and autocracy. 'We should be using our influence, our leverage showing that Armenian democracy and sovereignty is a priority,' Pelosi said. 'The velvet revolution was cheered globally.' Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rose to power in 2018 after anti-government protests referred to as Armenia's Velvet Revolution. Pelosi said it was interesting that Armenia was disappointed by the response from Russia. 'It is interesting that they were disappointed they got fact finders and not protection from that relationship and we'll see what happens next,' she said. Pelosi holds her hand over he heart as she pays respect in front of a wreath after the House passed a resolution formally recognizing the killing of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide On Twitter Saturday, Pelosi tweeted about her trip to Armenia. 'Today, I am leading a Congressional delegation to Armenia to highlight the strong commitment of the United States to security, economic prosperity, and democratic governance in Armenia and the Caucasus region,' the California Democrat posted. The trip followed Representative Adam Schiff's resolution passing that formally recognized the killing of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. President Joe Biden also acknowledged the Armenian Genocide becoming the first president to formally do so. 'It is the moral duty of all to never forget: an obligation that has taken on heightened urgency as atrocities are perpetrated around the globe, including by Russia against Ukraine,' Pelosi added in a Twitter thread on the trip. She continued: 'Our Congressional delegation's visit to Armenia is a powerful symbol of the United States' firm commitment to a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Armenia, and a stable and secure Caucasus region.' Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, today denied he had been 'leant on' to allow Chinese officials to attend the Queen's lying-in-state at Westminster Hall. There has been confusion over whether any Chinese representatives would be allowed to view Her Majesty's coffin following Beijing's sanctioning of MPs and peers last year. It had previously been suggested that Chinese officials would not be allowed access to the parliamentary estate ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday. This is despite other foreign dignitaries being invited to attend the lying-in-state. In response, China's foreign ministry suggested Britain was failing to show 'proper manners to guests'. With the threat of a diplomatic row breaking out, parliamentary sources have now suggested that - should a Chinese delegation wish to attend the lying-in-state - they would be allowed to do so. China's Vice-President Wang Qishan is set to attend the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday on behalf of the country's President Xi Jinping. Senior Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a leading critic of China, suggested 'enormous pressure' had been put on Sir Lindsay and Lords Speaker, Lord McFall, to avert a dispute with Beijing. But Sir Lindsay this morning denied those claims as he insisted a parliamentary ban on China's ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, and other accredited Chinese diplomats remained in place. This suggested that, should Vice-President Wang wish to attend Westminster Hall ahead of Monday's service, he would be allowed to do so as a representative of China's head of state - but Ambassador Zheng and other formal Chinese diplomats are still not welcome in Parliament. In September last year, China's ambassador was banned from attending an event in Parliament in retaliatory action for Beijing's sanctioning of MPs and peers. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, today denied he had been 'leant on' to allow Chinese officials to attend the Queen's lying-in-state With the threat of a diplomatic row breaking out, parliamentary sources have now suggested that - should a Chinese delegation wish to attend the lying-in-state - they would be allowed to do so China's Vice-President Wang Qishan is set to attend the Queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday on behalf of the country's President Xi Jinping Senior Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith reacted with fury to the news that Chinese representatives would be allowed to attend the Queen's lying-in-state Sir Lindsay told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show: 'I can say nobody has been leaning on me at all. Far from it. 'My view remains the same that we would not welcome a reception in Parliament and that's when I stopped the ambassador and accredited Chinese from coming into the House of Commons. 'Let's be clear, to hold a reception in the House of Commons when MPs and a peer have been sanctioned is not acceptable. 'My view remains the same and nothing has changed. 'But this is not about the politics of a moment, this is about the grief that we all share rather than being overshadowed. 'But as I say - I'll repeat again - the sanction against those accredited officials remains in place and will remain so. 'There is a very easy answer - lift the sanction, we can also then look to see whether we should have a reception in Parliament. But this is not going to happen at the moment.' Sir Iain, a former Conservative leader, had reacted with fury to the news that Chinese representatives would be allowed to attend the Queen's lying-in-state in Westminster Hall. 'Its clear and obvious that the Establishment leant on the Speakers to give way,' the ex-Cabinet minister told the Telegraph. 'The people that win at the end of the day, are the Chinese Communist party which is a brutal, dictatorial and anti-human rights organisation and all weve done is given them another victory. 'It looks like appeasement is back, alive and well in the British Establishment. A Foreign Office source denied the claim, telling the newspaper: 'The Government did not put pressure on the Speaker.' It has been suggested that questions about access to Westminster Hall during the Queen's lying-in-state has been complicated by the fact that jurisdiction over the space is shared between the Lord Great Chamberlain who is appointed by the monarch and the speakers of the Commons and the Lords. A number of MPs have criticised the invitation to China's President Xi to the Queen's funeral, which comes just 18 months after the Commons declared that Uighurs and other minorities in China's Xinjiang region are being subjected to genocide. China last year sanctioned a string of MPs - including Sir Iain - and peers over their condemnation of the country's actions in Xinjiang. The President of Armenia has copped flak for disrespecting the Queen as he took photos and chatted to aides during a visit to see her lying-in-state in Westminster Hall this morning. Vahagn Khachaturyan, an ally of warmongering Russian president Vladimir Putin, was seen bowing at the late monarch's coffin as one of his lackies snapped some pictures on his mobile phone. Bystanders meanwhile claimed the Armenian leader was loudly rabbiting on to his entourage as they trundled along the VIP walkway and down to the floor where Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is lying. His actions flew in the face of strict rules in the 1,000-year-old chamber which forbid the taking of photos or videos and call for quiet, respectful behaviour. Khachaturyan was seen in June of this year sharing a warm embrace with Putin at a Russian economic conference even as war raged across the border in Ukraine. Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan is snapped by a member of his entourage as he stands at the foot of the Queen's coffin The Queen's coffin lies on a dias on the floor of Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster Bystanders claimed the Armenian leader (left) was loudly rabbiting on to his entourage as they trundled along the VIP walkway to the floor where Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is lying Members of the public pay their respects as they pass the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, Lying in State inside Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster in London on September 18, 2022 President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan is seen embracing President of Russia Vladimir Putin in June One attendee at Westminster Hall told The Sun: 'There were hundreds of people in that hall - no one was speaking. Only him. Yap, yap, yap, yap. He clearly planned to have his photo taken. 'He and his aide hold back as the group in front passes the coffin... He knows the rules and would have been told before he went in.' Another angry source said: 'Everyone has managed to follow those rules to the very letter - apart from this one individual.' It is unclear whether Khachaturyan, who remains a close ally of the Kremlin despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, will join other world leaders at the Queen's funeral tomorrow. Putin himself was not invited amid the near total collapse of Russia-UK relations amid the war in Ukraine. Representatives from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Belarus and Myanmar are also barred from attending funeral proceedings, due to these nations' poor diplomatic ties with the UK. Other nations such as North Korea and Nicaragua have been permitted to send ambassadors to attend the funeral, but heads of state are not authorised to make the trip. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III (lying-in-state pictured today) Members of the public in the queue between Westminster Bridge and Lambeth Bridge in London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state on Sunday September 18, 2022 Meanwhile, President Joe Biden will be one of hundreds of foreign dignitaries in attendance at the funeral proceedings tomorrow after arriving into London on Saturday night. He will be joined by the likes of Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and French President Emmanuel Macron. Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman will also attend, sparking controversy amid their respective nation's poor human rights records. Monday has been declared a public holiday, and the funeral will be broadcast to a huge television audience and screened to crowds in parks and public spaces across the country. Thousands of police officers from around the country will be on duty as part of the biggest one-day policing operation in London's history. A Canadian high school teacher has sparked controversy after pictures emerged of her wearing large breast prosthetics while teaching students. Kayla Lemieux, a Manufacturing Technology teacher at Oakville Trafalgar High School in Ontario, has been pictured online taking classes while wearing the huge prosthetics, which stretch her clothing and stick out prominently. Ms Lemieux, who began transitioning from being male to a female a year ago, has gone viral online after students took photos and videos of the teacher, seemingly without her knowledge. In response, the high school has doubled down and defended their employee, writing to parents and explaining why they support Ms Lemieux's gender expression, Reduxx reports. The school is said to be expecting protests when it opens on Monday since the photos went viral. In a statement to parents, the school said: 'As a school within the Halton District School Board (HDSB), Oakville Trafalgar High School recognizes the rights of students, staff, parents/guardians and community members to equitable treatment without discrimination based upon gender identity and gender expression. 'We strive to promote a positive learning environment in schools consistent with the values of the HDSB and to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all students, staff and the community, regardless of race, age, ability, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, cultural observance, socioeconomic circumstances or body type/size.' Kayla Lemieux is a Manufacturing Technology teacher at Oakville Trafalgar High School in Ontario Some students have recorded images of the trans teacher at Oakville Trafalgar High School in Ontario, Canada and put them on social media: pic.twitter.com/QzsFtqauZq Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) September 17, 2022 During one class, Ms Lemieux was filmed operating machinery while wearing her large prosthetics She was pictured wearing a top and shorts while teaching a 'shop' class to high school students Images emerged of her online, thought to be taken by students while she was teaching them Students photographed the teacher on their phones and shared the images, with many online saying Ms Lemieux's prosthetics are not appropriate for a school The high school issued this statement to parents, website Reduxx reported Although some on social media were supportive of the alternative body shape created by Ms Lemieux, many disagreed that it was appropriate in a school setting. One user online described her prosthetics as 'hilarious'. They wrote: 'I'm sorry but this is hilarious and nothing you can say will change my mind.' But several others said that the presentation of femininity was 'misogynistic'. Another wondered whether the prosthetics meant she has 'the largest bust in Canada'. The school pointed out to parents that it is subject to the Ontario Human Rights Code, which protects gender identity and expression as human rights. HDSB Chair Margo Shuttleworth told the Toronto Sun that staff are looking at 'going through creating a safety plan' to ensure the Oakville Trafalgar High School teacher's security as they prepare for potential protests when the school opens for classes Monday. 'This teacher (who teaches shop) is an extremely effective teacher,' said Shuttleworth. 'All the kids really love being in the class.' The school is expecting protests and anti-protests when the school opens tomorrow. MailOnline has contacted Oakville Trafalgar High School for comment. Advertisement It is unlikely to rain as crowds say farewell to Her Majesty tomorrow at the state funeral, although there will be cloudy skies, the Met Office has said. Final preparations are underway for Queen Elizabeth's state funeral at Westminster Abbey tomorrow, which is due to begin at 11am as the world will watch on to mourn the beloved monarch. The Met Office said the weather would be cloudy, with temperatures hitting 17C, but rain would be unlikely to fall. Conditions will stay the same after the hour-long service when the Queen's coffin makes the 1.5-mile journey from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch for the public procession at 12.15pm. At 1pm Her Majesty will be transported by State Hearse to the Long Walk in Windsor. It is unlikely to rain tomorrow as the Queen's state funeral begins at 11am in Westminster Abbey (pictured on Friday), the Met Office has said Temperatures dropped as low as 4C for those waiting in line overnight from Southwark Park to see the Queen as she lies in state at Westminster Hall on Friday and early on Saturday morning. Pictured: People in the queue this morning with blankets Some sunshine will break through the clouds in Windsor in Berkshire later in the day, with temperatures hitting 17C as the Queen is laid to rest in the Royal Vault in St George's Chapel in Windsor at 7.30pm. Rachel Ayers from the Met Office said: 'There may be some isolated mist and fog patches at first, most likely in the west. 'It will be cloudy in the far northwest with patchy rain at times, otherwise it will be another mainly dry day with sunny spells; though some cloud will bubble up later with a few isolated light showers in places. 'Light winds in general though it will be a breezy day in the far northwest. 'Chilly start, though by day temperatures will be near normal.' Rehearsals (pictured yesterday) have taken place over Saturday and Sunday to make sure that everything is in place for the funeral Palace officials have extended the route of the Queen's final journey from Westminster Abbey on Monday - the site of her funeral between 11am and 12pm - to Windsor Castle, her final resting place, to enable more people to bid her farewell. First the Queen's 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 George's Chapel. Final preparations are underway for tomorrow's funeral, as 2,000 VIPs - from world leaders Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Jacinda Ardern to royals including Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and the Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima - have arrived throughout the weekend. The Met Office said the weather would be cloudy, with temperatures hitting 17C but rain would be unlikely to fall. Pictured: Police officers rehearsing for the funeral on Thursday Rehearsals have taken place over Saturday and Sunday to make sure that everything is in place for the Queen's State Funeral, which will be the biggest show of pomp, pageantry and majesty seen in the modern age. World leaders and royalty from across the globe are flying in to pay their respects. They will be joined by hundreds of charity representatives and members of the public honoured for their civic duty who have secured places in the 2,000-strong congregation at Westminster Abbey. Temperatures dropped as low as 4C for those waiting in line overnight from Southwark Park to see the Queen as she lies in state at Westminster Hall on Friday and early on Saturday morning. The official lying-in-state will come to an end at 6.30am tomorrow, after four clear days, as tens of thousands have travelled to London to glimpse the Queen's coffin and pay their respects. Conditions will stay the same after the hour-long service when the Queen's coffin makes the 1.5-mile journey from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch for the public procession at 12.15pm Those in the queue tonight will see a warmer night, staying dry with lows of 13C. The Department for Culture, Digital, Media and Sport has now told people not to join the queue as a final decision is made about when it will close for good. The Queen's eight grandchildren held a moving vigil around her coffin last night, as the official lying-in-state nears its end. Around a million people will line the streets of London tomorrow to witness historic scenes of breathtaking pomp and splendour, punctuated by historic moments of sorrow and solemnity, as Her Majesty's coffin is transported from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. The Queen's coffin will then be transported by a spectacular procession from the abbey to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, before she is carried by State Hearse to Windsor. There, she will be lowered into the Royal Vault at St George's Chapel, where she will join her beloved husband the Duke of Edinburgh and parents King George VI and the Queen Mother, and where her sister Princess Margaret's ashes are interred Prince William, Prince Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, arrived just before 6pm to hold a 15-minute vigil as members of the public filed past. Brothers William and Harry were both dressed in uniform as they stood guard by their grandmother's coffin in Westminster Hall. During the one-minute national silence at 8pm tonight in memory of the Queen most of the country will avoid rain with temperatures around 16C in the capital and Windsor. The Queen's eight grandchildren held a moving vigil around her coffin last night, as the official lying-in-state nears its end. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II 's grandchildren (clockwise from front centre) the Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Princess Eugenie, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall Ms Ayers said: 'Sunday is a cloudier picture across the UK than Saturday, though southern areas will see some bright or sunny spells to start. 'Scattered showers will affect the Midlands northwards at times throughout the day, particularly across northern Scotland and Norfolk where showers are feeding in from the North Sea. 'Staying cool in the east but temperatures near average elsewhere and locally feeling warm in any sunny spells in the far south. 'Top temperatures will be around 19C.' New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today insisted she doesn't 'have any intent of instigating' the process of her country becoming a republic. The premier reiterated her belief that New Zealand would ditch the monarchy 'over the course of my lifetime' but suggested she would not front a push to do so. Ms Ardern is in London this weekend ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday. On Friday she attended Her Majesty's lying-in-state at Westminster Hall. She hailed the response of the British public to the Queen's death, describing it as 'the most fitting tribute'. In line with strict Foreign Office guidance, many world leaders attending the Queen's funeral are expected to share a shuttle bus to the Westminster Abbey service tomorrow. But while some capitals are claimed to have made pleas to exempt their leaders from having to arrive en masse - rather than in private cars - Ms Ardern said she didn't think the request warranted 'too much fuss' and made 'good sense'. Jacinda Ardern reiterated her belief that New Zealand would ditch the monarchy 'over the course of my lifetime' but suggested she would not front a push to do so The New Zealand PM insisted the transition from Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III would not be 'jarring' for her country Ms Ardern said she didn't think the request for global leaders to share a bus to the Queen's funeral tomorrow warranted 'too much fuss' and made 'good sense' King Charles is now New Zealand's head of state following his mother's death. Although Ms Ardern insisted the transition from Queen to King would not be 'jarring' for her country, she predicted there would 'continue to be an evolution' in New Zealand's relationship with the monarchy. She told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show: 'I think even the Queen herself has observed and acknowledged the evolution over time in our relationships. 'My observation is that there will continue to be an evolution in our relationship. I dont believe it will be quick or soon, but over the course of my lifetime.' Pressed on how and when this might happen, New Zealand's PM said: 'We have complex arrangements, the Treaty of Waitangi a very important founding document for Aotearoa, New Zealand, signed between Maori and the Crown. 'This is why its not a process I have any intent of instigating, but if and when it does occur, it will take time, and it will need to be very carefully worked through.' Ms Ardern's insistence that she would not lead a push for New Zealand to become a republic following the Queen's death contrasts with other Commonwealth countries. Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne has declared his intention to hold a referendum on whether to become a republic and remove King Charles as monarch within three years. Prominent anti-monarchists in Australia, including Greens party leader Adam Bandt, also called for a move towards republicanism within hours of the Queens' death Commenting on the transition between Queen Elizabth II and King Charles III, Ms Ardern described how the new monarch was 'well known' in New Zealand and 'shares many passions and interests that New Zealanders do'. She added: 'I think that means that that relationship already exists. Its a transition, but its not a jarring transition for New Zealand.' New Zealand's PM also reflected on her experience of attending the Queen's lying-in-state at Westminster Hall on Friday. 'The sheer silence of that space is, I think, one of the things that makes it so moving,' she said. 'But, alongside that, observing as you do that you're standing there alongside members of the public who have queued and waited as much as twenty plus hours to be there, to share that same moment you're having. 'Amongst everything else, I think the thing I will take away from this period is just the beauty of the public's response. 'The kindness that you see from members of the public, the patience, the camaraderie. 'That has been, for me, the most moving tribute of all has been the public response of the British people.' Describing how ,much of London has come to a halt following the Queen's death, Ms Ardern added: 'To see it just stand still, but do so so poetically, is a very moving thing to witness. 'But it's also the most fitting tribute I can think of. The Queen was here for her people, and now her people are there for her.' The mother of the 13-year-old autistic boy whose arm was allegedly broken by a school staffer said that the incident happened in a room, known as the 'crisis room,' an area children go to calm down when upset, and said the room, has no cameras. But, the Robert E. Peary school in Ridgewood, Queens insists that the injury the boy sustained happened during a fall in the school hallway. The boy's mother, Joan Aslarona told DailyMail.com, that once doctors at Mount Sinai Queens examined her son's injury, they told her it could not be from a fall in the school's hallway, as the school was claiming, and then they called the authorities. The boy was later transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan to be treated by a pediatric orthopedist. According to the X-ray obtained by DailyMail.com, the bones in the boy's left arm was badly displaced and two of the bones were sheared. Aslarona said that when the school learned of her son's severe injury, they changed their story again, saying that 'he fell after being hit by a pole in the school's hallway.' In a photo provided to the Daily Mail, Joan Aslarona's son is seen with his left arm in a cast and sling after an incident at his Queens public school where he said a staffer broke his arm The boy was taken to Mount Sinai Queens Hospital and Aslarona said that is when she was informed by the doctor that her son arm's was not broken from a fall in the hallway, as the school claimed. 'The doctor was very upset and called the authorities,' she said The X-ray that shows the injury of the bone that was sheared in two different areas in the boy's left arm. The boy's mother said her son is left-handed and was unable to use his hand for months A photo of the Robert E. Peary school in Ridgewood, Queens. The school insists that the injury the boy sustained was when he fell in the school hallway, and later said his broken arm was a result of falling in the school hallway after hitting a pole 'I am devastated. This is my son's second home and is his safe place,' Aslarona said. 'I am shocked this happened by an adult.' Aslarona is filing a civil rights claim in Queens Superior Court against the individual paraprofessional for deprivation of her son's rights and the Department of Education,' family's Attorney Andrew Carboy told DailyMail.com. 'In our investigation, we have learned that it is difficult to obtain any information from the Department of Education. As you see, the DOE will not even share basic details, such as the name of the staff member, with the family. The school would not even meet with the family,' Carboy said. He added: 'Ms. Aslarona decision to file this application was forced by this stonewalling.' Aslarona shared the horror her son endured at the hands of a staff member at the Robert E. Peary school in Ridgewood, Queens April 7, 2022. She said that her son was playing with some type of electronics device and when time was up and it was time to stop playing, she said that her son may have gotten upset. He was then taken into the school's crisis room by the paraprofessional, a room children go to calm them down when they get upset. But, the room has no cameras, and that was when she believes her son was injured. 'I don't know why there aren't any cameras in that room and there are no cameras in the school hallway where the school said my son fell,' she said. A picture of the accident report where the Robert E. Peary school claimed that the autistic child suffered an arm injury running in the hallway A page from a Queens Court filing where Joan Aslarona took legal action against the school over the injury her son sustained Aslarona said her son suffers from autism with ADHD and is high-functioning. District 75 where he attends has many children who are non-verbal, but she told DailyMail.com that her son can speak --something that he has been able to do since he was very young. 'Many students are not able to communicate but my son is more verbal. He told us the story of what happened and his story hasn't changed.' 'My son is not a liar,' she said. 'It is going to be my son's words against the adults.' After the school called Aslarona, the grandmother rushed her grandson to Queens Mount Sinai hospital, and she left her job and rushed over to the hospital. 'The doctor said his arm was badly displaced and sheared in two places and his injury wasn't from a fall in the hallway. The doctor was very upset and told me she was calling the authorities.' Aslarona said that once the school learned that her son's arm was fractured the school changed their story again, and said that 'he fell in the hallway and hit a pole.' 'My son is very charismatic, fun-loving, high energy and smiles all the time. Since the accident he isn't the same boy,' she said. Two weeks after the incident, he returned to the school but was scared to go back and then was terrified when he saw the paraprofessional that allegedly injured him. 'He is still working at the school my son sees him,' she said. The family's attorney said that they are in the process of filing a Notice of Claim and obtain the name of the staff member and sent DailyMail.com the affirmation that was filed in Queens Superior Court. 'We have taken the extraordinary step of seeking a court order to identify, by full first and last name, the staff member involved,' Carboy said. 'Ordinarily, this information would not be a secret. We cannot understand why it is being hidden, here.' He said that family initially did not want to file suit but finally made the decision based on the school's lack of cooperation. Aslarona said that her son has been a student at the school since first grade and had never had any issues before with any of the teachers or the paraprofessionals. She didn't want to move him out of the school because this is his last year at the school. In the court filing, Aslarona said: 'At no time since the incident has the staff of Public School 75Q offered to meet with me. Other than advising, initially and by phone, that A.H. 'fell' and injured himself, the staff of Public School 75Q have provided zero information about the incident.' She added: 'Worse, to date, personnel of respondents have refused to identify the complete name of the paraprofessional, notwithstanding my requests to both the principals office and the childs regular teacher,' she said, in part. In September, her son started the eight grade and will be graduating in the spring before heading to high school. 'I told the school I am not moving him. I told them to remove the staff member immediately,' she said. On September 8, the first day of school, when she discovered the para professional was still at the school she was saddened and outraged. She said when she asked her son how his first day of school was, her son said: 'He [the paraprofessional] is there with a kid he is not hurting.' The family's attorney told DailyMail.com that this should not have happened 'under any circumstances and said the 'DOE is a very difficult organization to get information from.' 'As you can see the parent of an injured child cannot even get basic information about what happened to her own son,' Carboy said. 'The goal of his public education is to help Joan's son live with his disability and be part of society and the way the school treated him was as if he wasn't a member of society.' This is the disturbing moment a pregnant woman and her colleague were shot dead by a group armed robbers. Footage shows the thugs running into a shop in Manaus, Brazil and chasing Vanessa Araujo de Carvalho, who was seven-months pregnant, before gunning her down in the store's bathroom. Shop worker Jania Simplicio tried to hide but lifted her ahead above the counter as a second gangster stormed in and pointed his pistol at her. CCTV film shows Ms Simplicio pleading with the gangster before he opened fire and shot her twice. One of the gunmen, dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt and a blue cap ran out of the black vehicle and into the shop. Later footage shows the same gangster pointing his pistol at Vanessa Araujo de Carvalho, who was seven-months pregnant, before gunning her down in the bathroom Another robber dressed in a black t-shirt and cap ran out of the car before bolting into the store. After entering he aimed his weapon at a worker who tried to hide behind the counter The robber in the blue cap was pictured running into the shop passed a red motorbike and chasing Vanessa Araujo de Carvalho The second gun man (pictured right) with two hands on his weapon and a sheet of paper under his lift arm before aiming at a shop worker. The elderly woman (centre) stood still as the atrocity unfolded Two other customers - a man and an elderly woman - watched as the atrocity occurred on 10 September. Paramedics rushed Ms Carvalho and Ms Simplicio to hospital but they later died from their serious injuries. Ms Carvalho's seven-month unborn child was removed by an emergency caesarean section but died two days later due to complications. Before the massacre Hudson Reis de Oliveira, 40, remains in critical condition after being shot four times by the robbers outside the shop. The three gunmen bolted out of a Fiat Siena with their faces partly visible on sections of the video footage. The motives behind the crime in Brazil are unclear but Specialised Homicide and Kidnapping Police Unit are continuing to investigate the shootings. Liz Truss is considering plans to slash taxes for people who live and work in new 'investment zones' around Britain, it has emerged. The Prime Minister, who is putting together a mini-Budget to be announced on Friday, entered Downing Street with a promise to kickstart the economy and transform Britain into an 'aspiration nation'. In her first efforts to boost sluggish economic growth, Ms Truss is set to order Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to oversee a tax-cutting bonanza on Friday. This is due to see Ms Truss follow through on her promises to reverse the hike in National Insurance and halt a planned increase in Corporation Tax. It has also been suggested that Mr Kwarteng could bring forward a 1p cut in the basic rate of income tax, which his predecessor Rishi Sunak had planned for 2024. In addition, according to the Sun on Sunday, Ms Truss's and Mr Kwarteng's fiscal stimulus will see the announcement of new 'investment zones'. The newspaper reported these ultra low tax and low regulation parts of Britain could also see personal taxes - such as National Insurance or income tax - cut for those who live and work in these areas. Number 10 is said to be considering the plans with those Cabinet ministers in favour of the proposals believing it would kickstart growth in deprived areas, create jobs and help the Tories in their 'levelling up' mission. The PM, who is putting together a mini-Budget to be announced on Friday, entered Downing Street with a promise to kickstart the economy and transform Britain into an 'aspiration nation' In her first efforts to boost sluggish economic growth, Liz Truss is set to order Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to oversee a tax-cutting bonanza Businesses that move to and invest in the new zones - likened to Mr Sunak's 'freeports' agenda but with 'rocket boosters' - are set to have their taxes slashed and be freed from red tape, such as planning restrictions and environmental regulations. It is hoped this could accelerate house building and infrastructure projects. Friday's mini-Budget will come at the end of a week in which Ms Truss will strive to relaunch her premiership. She had only been PM for little more than 48 hours before the Queen's death plunged the country into a period of national mourning. After Her Majesty's funeral tomorrow, Ms Truss is set to head to New York for the United Nations General Assembly where she will hold a string of meetings with fellow world leaders, such as US President Joe Biden. Her Government is then due to announce action on energy costs for businesses on Wednesday, outline action to tackle the NHS backlogs on Thursday, and launch their fiscal stiumulus on Friday. MPs will then head away from Westminster for the Labour and Tory party conferences. Officials of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gangneung City pose for a photo after Gangneung won the bid to host 2026 Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress over Taiwan at the LA Convention in the U.S., Saturday (local time). By Lee Kyung-min Korea will host the 2026 Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, the transport ministry said Sunday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the eastern city won its bid to hold the international event over Taiwan at the LA Convention in the U.S., Saturday (local time). Held every year, the ITS World Congress is the largest international exhibition and academic conference in the transport community. Seoul held the event in 1998 and Busan hosted it in 2010. Countries in three regions the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific take turns holding the event following a vote from ITS Board of Director countries. The first event took place in 1994 in Paris, France. The ministry selected Gangneung as a candidate city in 2020, and has since spent 36 billion won ($25 million) over the past two years to improve overall transport and city infrastructure. Also advancing the efforts was a team of public-private sector officials including those from the foreign ministry, municipal governments of Gangneung and Gangwon, Korea Expressway Corp., ITS Association, Hyundai Motor, SK, KT, and LG. The 32nd ITS World General Assembly will be held in 2026, attended by 100 countries, It wil offer academic sessions, exhibitions, latest transport technology demonstrations and business consultations. Over 60,000 participants from around the world are expected to take part. Korea's ITS technologies will be shared with its global peers in Gangneung, the perfect venue where leading Korean firms will be able to seek overseas expansion backed by government assistance and promotional efforts. Among the technologies are incorporating smart city solutions and Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) and autonomous driving, key ways to bolster effective city planning and management. C-ITS is used to enhance transport safety via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications. "The ITS World Congress is expected to generate 372.9 billion won in economic value, and create over 2,000 jobs," the ministry said in a statement. "Gangneung is the city with a capability of holding large global events, a strength highlighted by its rich tourism resources. The event will elevate the standing of not only the city, but also the country on the global stage," it added. The husband of a high-powered New Hampshire senator currently up for reelection played a crucial role in the mishandling of a sexual abuse scandal at an elite private school, an independent investigation has revealed. The probe, carried out by Florida law firm Holland & Knight, found that Tom Hassan, husband of Sen. Maggie Hassan, failed to properly handle allegations of misconduct at Phillips Exeter Academy while serving as its principal. According to the report, published in 2018 amid an investigation into the claims aired by multiple students but unseen until now, Hassan knew about the misconduct from Richard Schubart, one of his teachers at the elite boarding school, but kept quiet about it for several years. A former student first aired the claims against Schubart, now 76, in 2011, forcing then-principal Hassan to retire the then-married teacher, who admitted to engaging in a sexual relationship with the then student in the 70s and 80s. However, going against school protocol, Hassan - whose wife was then campaigning to be the state's governor - did not tell fellow board members of Schubart's indiscretion, and allowed the aging history professor to retain 'emeritus status,' attending school events and still participating in student life. For the next four years, Tom Hassan would keep quiet about his friend's criminal behavior - with the school even awarding him a prestigious award and his wife appointing him to the leadership team of her successful 2012 gubernatorial run. It was not until another student claimed Schubart had sex with her as a student and other school officials became aware of the misconduct that the school severed ties with the senior, and enlisted Holland & Knight to carry out an investigation. Roughly three years later, the report's authors discerned that school leadership failed to establish an effective protocol for students to raise complaints - and slammed the response of Hassan's administration as 'ineffective' and 'incomplete.' Tom Hassan (right), the husband of a high-powered New Hampshire senator and former Gov. Maggie Hassan (left) played a crucial role in the mishandling of a sexual abuse scandal at an elite private school in New Hampshire, an investigation has now revealed Rick Schubart (pictured), a long-time teacher at an elite New Hampshire boarding school Phillips Exeter Academy, admitted to sexual misconduct with students in the 1970s and 1980s The Holland & Knight report panned this lack of protocol in their report, which the attorneys said was to blame for the two accusers' claims falling on deaf ears. 'Reflective of this absence of protocol was that some individuals who experienced different forms of sexual misconduct at various points were not able to seek assistance or, when they sought assistance, were not treated consistently or fairly,' the report reads. It added that Hassan's neglect to share Schubart's revelation with the proper authorities upon first learning of his misconduct in 2011 fit a pattern of the posh school's staff 'failing to respond to' similar misconduct, and even allowing it to continue. 'Emerging from these systemic deficiencies was a pattern of PEA failing to respond to, investigate, and communicate internally regarding reported misconduct in an effective and appropriate manner and, in certain circumstances, failing to report misconduct to the appropriate authorities,' the previously unseen document reads. Hassan, the husband of the then soon to be New Hampshire governor, was principal when the first allegation surfaced - and had served as the school's vice principal since 2001. He was forced to resign once the allegations from the two former students - who have elected to remain anonymous - came to light, and only after The Boston Globe enquired about the two cases. Months after admitting to Hassan to having a sexual relationship with the first student, Schubart and his wife were both appointed to leadership committees on Sen. Hassan's 2012 gubernatorial campaign - after the teacher was nudged into retirement. In March 2012, months after admitting to having a sexual relationship with a student, Schubart was appointed to the Hassan campaign's Rockingham County Steering Committee, the Washington Free Beacon reported in 2016. At the time, in early 2016, the school - which counts Ulysses Grant, Rockefellers and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg among its famous former students - had not informed its alumni nor the public of the accusers' claims, until the press got wind of the story. In a letter to the prestigious school's alumni, the school said Schubart, who taught history for 38 years, admitted to sexual misconduct in both cases. He did not comment on the claims. He says he sought to balance the victim's privacy with the need to protect the community. The probe, carried out by Florida law firm Holland & Knight, found that Hassan, failed to properly handle allegations of misconduct at Phillips Exeter Academy while serving as its principal But the victim, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Globe that she was speaking out so other potential victims 'know they are not alone.' The woman said she had gone to Schubart for advice one night during her senior year at the school in 1977 and he had kissed her. The encounter led to the pair developing a sexual relationship that lasted several months. 'After learning of the second allegation, I knew the situation was worse than I realized,' she told the newspaper. 'At least one other young woman might have been devastated as I was, and I am no longer willing to remain silent.' The school's principal Lisa MacFarlane, who was appointed in January of 2015, told the Globe - whose investigation into the widespread sexual abuse carried out by priests in the Catholic Church has been turned into an Oscar-winning film - that the school's response was insufficient and apologized. 'Our primary focus was to protect the privacy of the victim,' she said. She acknowledged that it should have been to aim for 'better transparency' and 'accountability'. 'Had we done so, we would have arrived at a better outcome for both the victim and the entire Exeter community,' she added. The school said it reported both allegations against Schubart to police, but the outcome of the investigations remains unclear. Although forced to retire, Schubart, who was the president of The Association of Boarding Schools in the 1990s, was able to receive a leadership award in 2012. He remained a trustee at the Bronx Preparatory Charter School until September 2014. Hassan served as PEA's assistant principal between 2001-2008 and principal between 2008-2014. Throughout his tenure as principal, the report said his administration's response to complaints of inappropriate conduct by staff members was 'ineffective' and 'incomplete.' And Schuabart's case is not the first controversy the school has faced. Drama teacher Larry Bateman was arrested for charges of possession and distribution of child pornography in 1992. The school fired him immediately and during his trial, it emerged that he had secretly filmed students in bathrooms and bedrooms. He was later sentenced to five years in prison. Advertisement The decision to exclude Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from tonight's 'reception of the century' at Buckingham Palace is 'beyond bonkers', it was claimed today. A friend of the couple claims that the Sussexes will feel 'excluded' after they were apparently 'uninvited' to a state event for 1,000 world leaders and foreign royals attending the Queen's funeral tomorrow. It is thought Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle received an invitation to the event, hosted by King Charles and the Queen Consort. But the couple are now unlikely to attend after officials at Buckingham Palace insisted the reception was for working royals only, it is understood. A friend of the Sussexes told The Sunday Times: 'It is beyond bonkers if they're not there. Everyone is coming in from around the world to pay their respects to the Queen.' The confusion over Harry and Meghan's invitation points to issues with communication between the Californian-based couple and the Royal Family, according to the Daily Telegraph. It follows an apparent U-turn over Harry's right to wear military uniform despite being a non-working royal. Prince Harry has reportedly been left 'devastated' and after the Queen's 'ER' initials were removed from the shoulder of his military uniform as he held vigil by her coffin last night - after Prince Andrew was allowed to keep the royal cypher. The source said today that the flip-flopping over uniform and the Buckingham Palace reception could make him feel as if 'the majority of the operation is against you. It's hard nobody likes to feel like they're being excluded.' A friend of the Sussexes have said it is 'bonkers' if the couple were uninvited from tonight's Buckingham Palace reception The King, pictured with Liz Truss today, will host 1,000 VIPs attending the Queen's funeral tomorrow King Charles III met Britain's new Prime Minister Liz Truss as he arrived at Buckingham Palace, where he and Queen Consort Camilla will host the 'reception of the century' for 1,000 VIPs including world leaders and foreign royals this evening - as the nation holds a minute's silence for his late mother the Queen on the eve of her state funeral. The new monarch smiled and waved at well-wishers who cheered him as he was driven through the palace gates in the state Rolls-Royce this afternoon. Charles then held a reception with the Prime Minister in the 1844 Room at 12.15pm, before he and Camilla will tonight host hundreds of dignitaries, from world leaders including US President Joe Biden, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau to senior members of the British royal family, ambassadors from almost all nations, and foreign royals including Japan's Emperor Naruhito and the Kings and Queens from Holland, Norway and Spain. Most dignitaries are also expected to view the Queen's coffin in the ancient heart of Parliament after being given a VIP timeslot - raising the prospect that mourners who have queued through the night will pay their respects with leaders of the free world. However, guests asked to wear lounge suits and morning dress rather than ball gowns and white tie as would be expected at a usual state event at the King's London home. They will arrive at 6pm for drinks and canapes in the Buckingham Palace picture gallery and state apartments. And reports suggest that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were 'uninvited' to a state reception for world leaders and foreign royals this evening. Mr Biden, who flew in late last night, said that the Queen 'defined an era' after she reigned for a record-breaking 70 years. Australia's anti-monarchy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who viewed the lying-in-state and met Charles yesterday, told Sky News Australia that the Queen was 'a constant reassuring presence'. There was also a private audience at Buckingham Palace for Ms Ardern, which like Australia and 12 other Commonwealth realms now counts Charles as its sovereign. King Charles smiled as he was driven through the gates of Buckingham Palace King Charles smiling and waving at well-wishers as he arrives at Buckingham Palace King Charles arrive at Buckingham Palace ahead of a grand reception of 1,000 VIPs Well-wishers cheered and waved at the monarch as he was driven in the state Rolls-Royce to the palace King Charles III passing well-wishers as he arrives at Buckingham Palace US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive at Stansted on Air Force One last night Britain's King Charles III speaks with Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, as he receives realm prime ministers in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace yesterday Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Trudeau pay respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Hall French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will be heading to London for the event Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are expected at the Buckingham Palace reception The discussion between King Charles III (left) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) was kept secret due to 'protocol', but Mr Albanese hinted that they discussed environment issues, including climate change Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren (clockwise from front centre) the Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Princess Eugenie, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall hold a vigil Members of the public pay their respects as they pass Queen Elizabeth II's flag-draped coffin Police are seen in Westminster as they secure the area between Westminster Hall and Buckingham Palace London braces for Queen's funeral: Hundreds of mourners camp out on Mall with TWO MILLION set to descend on capital to pay their respects with crowds 8ft-deep lining roads inside TWELVE-mile 'ring of steel' London is bracing for two million people to descend on the city to watch the late Queen Elizabeth's state funeral on Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow as 10,000 police officers prepare to instigate a 12-mile 'ring of steel' as part of the largest-ever security operation in the UK. The funeral is expected to be the most-watched event ever televised, with tens of thousands expected to line the streets to say goodbye to the Queen, who reigned for more than 70 years before passing away at Balmoral last Thursday. Police are preparing a 'ring of steel' around central London to protect the royal family and hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries at the event, which takes place tomorrow morning. Around 10,000 officers will be on duty along the funeral procession route alone to control the crowds, which are expected to be up to eight feet deep in some places. Those intending to travel to or be in the capital on Monday are being warned to expect major travel disruption, with London's public transport expected to be 'much busier' than normal. Hundreds of thousands of people are thought the be on their way to London today, with trains, roads and airports all expected to be hit by high passenger numbers. Road closures and Underground station closures will be in place from early tomorrow morning. Meanwhile hundreds of people are already camping out along the funeral route, including along The Mall and outside Westminster Palace. And 22-miles of barriers as well as public viewing stands have been erected along the funeral procession route. It comes as tens of thousands of people continue to queue to see the Queen lying in state, with the queue expected to close within hours. Advertisement The Palace is understood to have intervened to allow Harry to wear his regalia to a 15-minute vigil at Westminster Hall yesterday. Harry had previously said he would wear a morning suit to all the funeral events. The funeral of the only monarch most Britons have known involves the biggest security operation London has ever seen. Mayor Sadiq Khan says tomorrow's state funeral is an 'unprecedented' security challenge, with hundreds of thousands of people packing central London and a funeral guest list of 500 emperors, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and other leaders from around the world. 'It's been decades since this many world leaders were in one place,' Mr Khan said. 'This is unprecedented ... in relation to the various things that we're juggling.' 'There could be bad people wanting to cause damage to individuals or to some of our world leaders,' he told The Associated Press. 'So we are working incredibly hard - the police, the security services and many, many others - to make sure this state funeral is as successful as it can be.' Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the 'hugely complex' policing operation is the biggest in the London force's history, surpassing the London 2012 Olympics. 'Our response here in London will be proportionate, it will be balanced, and officers will only be taking action where it is absolutely necessary,' he said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said the goal was to keep the event safe, 'and try to do it in as unobtrusive a way as possible, because this is obviously a solemn occasion.' More than 10,000 police officers will be on duty Monday, with London officers supplemented by reinforcements from all of Britain's 43 police forces. Hundreds of volunteer marshals and members of the armed forces will also act as stewards along the processional route. They are just the most visible part of a security operation that is being run from a high-tech control center near Lambeth Bridge, not far from Parliament. Street drains and garbage bins are being searched and sealed. Tomorrow there will be police spotters on rooftops, sniffer dogs on the streets, marine officers on the River Thames and mounted police on horseback. Flying drones over Central London has been temporarily banned, and Heathrow Airport is grounding scores of flights so that aircraft noise does not disturb the funeral service. Authorities face the challenge of keeping 500 world leaders safe, without ruffling too many diplomatic feathers. Presidents, prime ministers and royalty will gather offsite before being taken by bus to the abbey - though an exception is being made for Mr Biden, who is expected to arrive in his armored limousine, known as The Beast. Another challenge is the sheer size of the crowds expected to gather around Westminster Abbey and along the route the coffin will travel after the funeral, past Buckingham Palace to Hyde Park. From there it will be taken by hearse about 20 miles to Windsor, where another 2,000 police officers will be on duty. The Queen is due to be interred in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle alongside her husband Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99. King Charles arrives at Buckingham Palace Road closures on Monday include The Mall, Whitehall, Chelsea Embankment, Victoria Embankment and Kensington Road Police officers patrol the area around Westminster, including Westminster Hall, and Buckingham Palace Armed police are deployed in the capital as UK forces step up their presence in the city Police and military personnel secure the area around Buckingham Palace ahead of the state funeral Selfies are taken along The Mall ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral Joe Biden and Jill Biden leave London Stansted airport with their motorcade ahead of the funeral Members of the public view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Harry and Meghan's children Archie, 3, and 15-month-old Lilibet were left at home in America as Sussexes have attended vigils for the Queen this week, reports say The whereabouts of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children remained unknown last night in the final hours before the Queen's funeral. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been at the vigil in Westminster Hall this week, Archie, 3, and 15-month-old Lilibet are believed to have remained behind in America. According to reports, they have been at the couple's home in Montecito, California under the care of nannies and the Duchess's mother Doria Ragland. The grandmother, the only member of Meghan's family to have attended the royal wedding, was seen out alone in Los Angeles on Friday. Harry and Meghan had been on a whistlestop tour of the UK and Germany lasting less than a week and had been due to fly back to the US on the day the Queen died, Thursday 8 September. The two small children joined the late Queen at a private lunch in Windsor around the around the time of Lilibet's first birthday in June, according to Omid Scobie, the author who is close to the Duke and Duchess. Advertisement Police are deploying more than 22 miles of barriers in central London to control the crowds, and transit bosses are preparing for jam-packed stations, buses and subway trains as 1million people flood the ceremonial heart of London. Subways will run later than normal and train companies are adding extra services to help get people home. While many will be mourning the queen, support for the monarchy is far from universal. Police have already drawn criticism for arresting several people who staged peaceful protests during events related to the queen's death and the accession of King Charles III. Mr Cundy said it had been made clear to officers that 'people have a right to protest.' The final day of the Queen's lying in state is set to take place, while a minute's silence will be held later to mourn her death. The late monarch's coffin will remain in Westminster Hall for the public to view until 6.30am on Monday, ahead of the state funeral in Westminster Abbey, with Sunday likely to be the last chance to join the queue. Tens of thousands of mourners are still queueing for at least 13 hours on the final day of Her Majesty's lying-in-state at the Palace of Westminster before her coffin is removed from public view at 6.30am tomorrow, the morning of her state funeral at Westminster Abbey. At 8pm, the country will observe a one-minute silence to remember the Queen, with people invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils. It will come shortly after the Queen Consort pays a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her 'wonderful blue eyes' and saying: 'I will always remember her smile.' Camilla, in pre-recorded words on the BBC, will speak of how Queen Elizabeth II was a 'solitary woman' in a male-dominated world. She will add: 'I can't remember anyone except the Queen being there.' There will also be a service of reflection near Falkirk, Scotland at 7.30pm. The DCMS has said the historic occasion will be shown on giant screens in various locations across the UK - from London's Hyde Park to Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland. Around 125 cinemas will also be screening the event - along with Sky News, ITV and the BBC for people watching from home. On Saturday evening, the Queen's eight grandchildren together staged a heart-rending evening vigil around their beloved Granny's coffin. The Prince of Wales, at the head of the coffin, with his brother the Duke of Sussex at the foot, both in the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform, stood with their heads bowed in her honour in sombre silence in the vast Westminster Hall. Members of the public stand in the queue in the early hours of the morning, near Tower Briddge, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. The 'Elizabeth Line' will close today Future king William was flanked at the corners by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips. Harry was between Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with 18-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn - the Queen's youngest grandchild who is just 14 - at the middle on either side of the coffin. The grandchildren, invited by the King, had wanted to pay their respects as their parents had done the evening before. William and the King also went on a walkabout in the afternoon to greet mourners in the queue for the lying in state, after Charles was given a tour of the Metropolitan Police Service Special Operations Room. Hundreds of people in line at Lambeth, south London, cheered and applauded, with William and Charles shaking scores of hands and the prince discussing how long people had waited and whether they were able to keep warm. A high school in Stoke-on-Trent has been accused of turning into a 'military camp' as new uniform rules meant pupils were put into isolation rooms and missed lessons. The crackdown at Moorside High School in Werrington has targeted make up, banned skirts being made of the wrong material and focuses on footwear - saying shoes must not look like trainers or have embellishments. Parents said their children are being treated like 'caged animals' and that they cannot learn in such a strict environment. Children have spent their school hours sitting in a waiting room and missing classes as they have waited for their parents to be called. Headteacher Darryn Robinson said the uniform changes were part of 'raising standards within the school' and were to create 'a source of pride'. Moorside High School in Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, has been accused of turning into a 'military camp' after a uniform crackdown A diagram of banned shoes and skirts was given out to parents before the start of the new school year. Mother Tracey Turley said the footwear rules meant her daughter had to wear a 10 pair of shoes from Primark, which gave her blisters and meant she was in 'agony'. But her child, who only had her first day of school on Wednesday, September 7, still had to spend time in isolation because the material of her skirt didn't fit requirements - even though she had already missed out on valuable learning time due to hospital appointments. Tracey said: 'I've gone and bought the only thing I could find that matches the requirements. 'They're going to be uncomfortable while she's trying to learn. My child says she's already got blisters and has asked for plasters. 'Surely I have a choice to put my children in something is in their best interests. Her uniform is totally spot on but she's sitting in agony because her shoes are rubbish.' A diagram of banned shoes and skirts was given out to parents before the start of the new school year The ex-police worker said the nature of the rules mean she now wants to take her children out of the school. Moorside High School website says it hopes 'to provide a consistent, respectful, honest and enjoyable environment where pupils, through self belief, can aspire to be the best they can be'. The school says it aims to make pupils 'successful learners', 'confident individuals' and 'responsible citizens'. Another parent said her son, who is in year eight, was told he could wear his Clarks shoes that share a resemblance to Nike Air Forces. But the footwear has now been banned and her son has been put in isolation. The 36-year-old mother from Werrington said: 'They are there for an education - they are not there to be treated like caged animals. 'They are putting them in isolation rooms and not letting them mix with their peers at lunch breaks or anything. 'There's been a hall full of children in isolation. If something is not broken, don't fix it. 'We've never looked at a Moorside pupil and thought they look really scruffy.' Mother Tracey Turley sent an exhausted selfie to her friend after finally finding her daughter a pair of shoes that meet the uniform requirements Headteacher Darryn Robinson said: 'Our uniform creates a sense of identity and community for our pupils. These changes represent a wider part in raising standards within the school as well as continuing to create a source of pride. The uniform policy has not changed. 'The school communicated clear guidance on all aspects of the uniform and worked with parents, guardians and pupils from June last year to prepare for this September. 'Changes were made in June following consultation with parents with final adjustments made this September to avoid additional cost implications for families. 'We have worked closely with families to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. Students in school are provided with appropriate work, linked to their curriculum at all times. 'We continue to work closely with families to ensure the highest expectations and outcomes for our learners.' Putin's war in Ukraine has thus far proven to be a total failure, according to the head of Britain's armed forces, after thousands of Russian troops were driven out of Kharkiv last week. Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg this morning, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin painted a bleak picture of Russian prospects in Ukraine and what this means for the Kremlin chief. 'Putin is failing on all of his military strategic objectives. He wanted to subjugate Ukraine - that's not going to happen,' Radakin said. 'He's under pressure, his problems are mounting, his forces are thin on the ground... at a strategic level, this is a failure for Putin and Ukraine is fighting to maintain their integrity and to gain more of their country back,' he added. The British admiral's comments come as the EU presidency called for an international tribunal for Russian war crimes to be established after new mass graves were found in Ukraine earlier this week. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the defence staff, appearing on the BBC1 current affairs programme 'Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg' Pictured: A destroyed Russian MT-LB armoured personnel carrier burning in a field on the outskirts of Izyum Ukrainian soldiers ride a top of infantry fighting vehicles in Novoselivka, on September 17, 2022, following a major victory amid a series of counteroffensives last week Forensic technicians dig a grave in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum, eastern Ukraine on September 16, 2022 Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has called for a special international tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes in Ukraine. 'In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent,' he said 'In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent,' said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic which holds the European Union's rotating presidency. 'We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals... I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression,' he announced. The appeal follows the discovery of around 450 graves outside the recently liberated city of Izyum in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region. Some of the exhumed bodies showed signs of torture and authorities have uncovered several buildings which appear to have been used as torture chambers by Russian soldiers and FSB agents. 'More than 10 torture chambers have already been found in various cities and towns liberated in Kharkiv region,' Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said last night, describing the discovery of electrical implements for torture. 'That's what the Nazis did. This is what Ruscists do. And they will be held accountable in the same way - both on the battlefield and in courtrooms,' he promised. Head of Kharkiv regional administration Oleg Synegubov said yesterday that '99 per cent of bodies that were exhumed showed signs of a violent death'. 'There are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs, and one person is buried with a rope around his neck,' Synegubov told readers on the Telegram messaging app. The Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said there were 'probably more than 1,000 Ukrainian citizens tortured and killed in the liberated territories of the Kharkiv region', though this number has not yet been verified. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the mass graves likely provided more evidence that Russia is committing war crimes Ukraine, while French President Emmanuel Macron described what had happened in Izyum as 'atrocities'. Ukrainian officials have uncovered 450 new graves at just one burial site near Izyum after recapturing the eastern city from the Russians last weekend Zelensky paid a surprise visit to Izyum in Kharkiv region after the city was recaptured and witnessed the devastation left behind by the retreating Russian forces Flimsy wooden crosses are seen at a burial site in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum, on September 17, 2022 This photograph taken on September 14, 2022 shows a destroyed Russian tank and armoured personnel carriers on the outskirts of Izyum, Kharkiv Region, eastern Ukraine Meanwhile, the British MoD claimed in its latest intelligence updated that Russia has increased its rocket attacks on civilian infrastructure this past week, likely in an attempt to undermine the morale of Ukrainian citizens and local governments even as Putin's forces retreat from Kharkiv. 'Russia has launched several thousand long-range missiles against Ukraine since 24 February 2022. However, in the last seven days, Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate military effect,' the update read. 'As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government.' President Putin however denied that his forces had been routed in eastern Ukraine and yesterday claimed his troops were continuing to take territory in the Donbas while speaking at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan. Vladimir Putin, speaking after a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan, said his Donbas offensive is still 'moving forwards' after recent humiliating defeats in the Kharkiv region The MoD claimed in its latest intelligence updated that Russia has increased its rocket attacks on civilian infrastructure this past week in an attempt to undermine the morale of Ukrainian citizens 'Our offensive operation in the Donbas is not stopping. They're moving forward - not at a very fast pace - but they are gradually taking more and more territory,' Putin said, in what were his first comments since his army collapsed and fled from the Kharkiv region of Ukraine last weekend. On Friday, a smiling Putin warned of a 'more serious' response if the Ukrainian counterattacks continue to gain ground. 'The Kyiv authorities have announced that they have started an active counter-offensive operation. We'll see how it goes and how it ends,' he said with a smirk in the Uzbek capital of Samarkand. In light of the threat, US President Biden warned Putin to avoid using nuclear weapons as his forces are beaten back in Ukraine or face 'consequences.' In a preview for this Sunday's 60 Minutes, interviewer Scott Pelley asked the president what words he would have for his Russian counterpart if he is considering using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in the Ukraine. Biden responded: 'Don't. Don't. Don't. You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II.' When Pelley pushed the president for America's response should Putin cross the line, Biden declined to comment on a specific plan, only saying that the US would act if nuclear weapons are put into play. 'It'll be consequential,' Biden said. '[Russia] will become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been.' El Paso's Democratic mayor said Sunday that he is only busing migrants to New York City to help them get to their final destination as critics pointed out the hypocrisy in the left condemning Republicans for doing the same thing. Mayor Oscar Leeser said migrants aren't coming to the U.S. just to land in his border city, but instead are looking to go to other places in the country potentially where they have family or other sponsors. 'The people are not coming to El Paso,' Leeser said. 'They're coming to America.' He said that authorities in El Paso speak to migrants and ask them where they want to go before 'we will take them and help them get to their destination.' 'That's been really important that we don't send anyone where they don't want to go,' he added in an interview with ABC's This Week on Sunday morning. 'We make sure we help them.' 'We put them on buses with food and make sure they get to their destination and make sure that we always continue to greet and treat people like human beings.' Leeser's explanation comes despite criticism from Democrats after GOP Governors in Texas, Florida and Arizona bussed and flew migrants to other cities after illegally crossing into the U.S. El Paso has so far sent 51 buses with 2,365 migrants to New York City since August 23 and seven more buses left on Saturday toward the Big Apple. The Democratic city, according to Fox News, signed a contract worth up to $2 million with the bus company to continue the transportation of migrants. El Paso's Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser (above) defended sending 28 busloads of migrants to New York City, claiming that his city is helping illegal border hoppers to get to their preferred destination 'The people are not coming to El Paso. They're coming to America,' Lesser told ABC This Week on Sunday. 'We don't send anyone where they don't want to go... We put them on buses with food and make sure they get to their destination'. Pictured: Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, board a bus to New York City at the Migrant Welcome Center in El Paso, Texas on September 16 Earlier this week a report noted that sending 28 buses had cost more than $600,000. Republican Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona have bused migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago, Illinois. GOP Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida flew migrants from his state last week to the luxury Martha's Vineyard island off the coast of Massachusetts. After the latest stunt, Lesser insisted that he is not sending migrants to places they do not want to go and instead is working to make sure they get to their desired destinations. Lesser and his Democrat government in El Paso have been sending migrants to the sanctuary city for weeks and asking the Biden administration to front the bill. The Texas border city has dispatched at least 28 charter buses filled with migrants to the Big Apple since August 23, at a cost of more than $600,000, KFOX-TV reported this week. City officials say that they expect the buses to be paid for by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of a quarterly reimbursement process covering emergency food and shelter for migrants. The buses arranged by El Paso have escaped the intense criticism heaped on GOP Governors Abbott and DeSantis, whom the White House accused of treating migrants as 'chattel' and 'political pawns.' GOP officials say they're keen to give liberal sanctuary cities an insight into the strain uncontrolled illegal immigration is bringing to border communities. Conservatives were quick to point out the apparent double standard, with radio host Bruce Hooley tweeting: 'Another example of, 'When Democrats do it, it's perfectly fine.'' Leeser's city has dispatched at least 28 charter buses filled with migrants to New York City since August 23 A charter bus that took a group of migrants from El Paso to New York City in August is seen above. The city has been arranging voluntary transit for migrants through free bus rides Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin observed: '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,' he added. Abbott has been sending buses to New York, Chicago, and DC, including to the vice president's doorstep, and this week DeSantis dispatched a plane with 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard, the wealthy Massachusetts island. The White House has decried the Republican governors' efforts, saying the migrants, mostly from Venezuela, were being used in a political stunt. 'These were children. They were moms. They were fleeing communism. And what did Governor DeSantis and Governor Abbott do to them? They used them as political pawns, treated them like chattel,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing on Friday. She said: '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.' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing on Friday that Abbott and DeSantis used migrants 'as political pawns, treated them like chattel' Three new buses arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan early on Saturday (above). They are also thought to be from Texas, but Abbott didn't immediately comment Representatives for Abbott and DeSantis did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com on Saturday afternoon. Since April, Abbott's state government in Texas has transported more than 11,000 migrants by bus to Democrat-controlled states and cities, including 8,000 to DC and 2,500 to New York City. At least 600 migrants from Texas have also been transported to Chicago since late August. El Paso has been struggling to cope with an influx of migrants crossing the border illegally, mostly from Venezuela, that has overwhelmed local shelters and Border Patrol processing facilities. Earlier this week, nearly 1,000 migrants had been dropped off to sleep on the streets of El Paso, without access to basic sanitation facilities. To alleviate the surge, the El Paso City-County Office of Emergency Management has been arranging voluntary transit for migrants through free bus rides, mostly to New York City, at least since June, according to the Texas Tribune. 'OEM has sponsored and provided transportation services for migrants out of El Paso, which is reimbursable through FEMA,' Deputy City Manager Mario D'Agostino told the outlet. 'OEM has sponsored charter buses to include a recent transport to New York City, this was the preferred destination for those without any means to travel,' added D'Agostino. A migrant bus from Texas arrives at the Port Authority terminal in New York on August 29 As well, the Biden has long been quietly chartering buses and plans to move migrants from the border to onward destinations, an apparent contradiction that Carine Hajjar noted in a Wall Street Journal opinion essay on Friday. 'The White House calls Mr. Abbott's busing 'shameful,' but the Biden administration appears to be doing the same thing,' wrote Hajjar. On the other side, critics of Abbott and DeSantis say that the Republican governors are misleading migrants, after reports emerged that many who were flown to Martha's Vineyard were told they would be offered housing and jobs in Boston. 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.' Speaking on Thursday, 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.' A family has launched legal action against holiday giant TUI after they were struck down with severe vomiting and diarrhoea during a five-star luxury break to Mexico. Katie Richards, 33, and her husband Ashley, 34, travelled to the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort and Spa in Cancun with their six-year-old daughter and other relatives in July. The couple was celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary but the trip went south when many of the family allegedly began falling seriously ill. The family claims the buffet food, including chicken, at the resort appeared to be undercooked and they even found a maggot in the salad. They also reported seeing flies, cats, birds and raccoons around the food, some of which was not chilled and was served with dirty cutlery. The couple claims they were left bed bound for three days and most of the family reported they were still suffering symptoms following their return to the UK. They have now instructed lawyers to investigate their case and begun legal proceedings against tour operator TUI UK. Katie Richards, 33, (left) and her husband Ashley, 34, (right) have launched legal action against holiday giant TUI after they were struck down with severe vomiting and diarrhoea during a five-star luxury break to Mexico. They are picture with their daughter Ruby (centre) The couple travelled to the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort and Spa in Cancun (pictured) with their six-year-old daughter and other relatives in July Katie, a nurse, and Ashley, a sales executive, arrived at the resort on July 20 but Katie began to feel unwell six days later, suffering from severe gastric illness. Within three days, Ashley, their daughter Ruby and nephew had also fallen ill, with Ashley bed-bound for part of their ruined trip. Holidaying with them were Katie's parents, Alison Whitmore, 60, a primary school administration assistant, and Philip Whitmore, 61, a former chef. Alison and Philip started to feel unwell on July 28 and by the following day, both had diarrhoea and complained of tiredness, sweating and stomach pains. The family reported still feeling ill after having returned to the UK on August 3. Katie and Ashley, of Derby, both lost weight as a result of the ordeal and went to see their GP while Alison and Philip have also spoken with a doctor. Philip even tested positive for Cyclospora - a pathogen that can be contracted by drinking unclean water or eating food that has not been cooked or washed properly. The family claims the buffet food, including chicken, at the resort appeared to be undercooked and they even found a maggot in the salad. They also reported seeing flies, cats, birds and raccoons around the food, some of which was not chilled and was served with dirty cutlery. The family is pictured on holiday Katie said: 'When we landed in Mexico, we were looking forward to two weeks of sun and relaxation. 'Ashley and I had honeymooned in the Riviera Maya area, and we had such a fantastic time back then that we agreed to bring our daughter on holiday on our ten year anniversary. 'Sadly, our trip was nothing like that. Instead, most of us spent most of the second week unwell. 'I recall some of the food, including chicken, appeared undercooked and was served lukewarm. 'New food was added on top of the existing buffet and some items were totally dried out and inedible. 'I also noticed that salad, yoghurts and cottage cheese weren't kept chilled, and the cutlery and crockery were often dirty or stained. 'We also saw a lot of flies around the food, as well as cats, birds and raccoons hanging around. 'I even found a maggot in the salad one evening. It's really not the standard you expect from a five-star hotel. The couple claims they were left bed bound for three days and most of the family reported they were still suffering symptoms following their return to the UK She added: 'The worst part was seeing most of the family become ill and distressed and there being nothing we could do about it. 'It's more than a month since we got back and we're still not 100 per cent, which indicates how ill we were. 'While there's nothing that can be done to change what we've been through; we just want some answers as to how this happened in the hope it might help stop it happening to others.' Philip, also from Derby, said: 'I was shocked when I was told by the doctor that I had Cyclospora and learned about how it can be contracted. 'I did not expect to visit a five-star hotel and contract such an illness. 'Being a retired chef with 40 years of professional catering experience, I did notice some concerning issues around food hygiene as the holiday went on, but I never thought that most of my family would become so unwell.' TUI, in a statement to Mail Online, said they were 'very sorry to hear about the Richards familys experience at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort and Spa in Mexico.' The travel agency also noted 'we regularly audit all of our hotels in respect to health and safety, including hygiene' Nadhia Akthar, the specialist international serious injury solicitor at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said: 'Katie, Ashley and their family were really looking forward to their holiday in Mexico. 'It was a time for the whole family to get together for a holiday abroad following the restrictions placed by Covid while also celebrating a special occasion. 'Our clients understandably have many questions regarding their illness and we're now investigating these. 'If, during the course of our investigations, any issues are identified, it's vital that lessons are learned to help prevent other holidaymakers from falling ill in the future.' TUI, issuing a statement to Mail Online on Sunday, said: 'Were very sorry to hear about the Richards familys experience at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort and Spa in Mexico. 'As this is now a legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. Wed like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of our hotels in respect to health and safety, including hygiene.' No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing The tourist was taken to St. Luke's hospital and remains in stable condition The incident occurred on NYC's Upper West Side at approximately 3.30am as the man returned form a party A tourist from Denmark was shot in the back in New York City's Upper West Side on Sunday morning after refusing to turn over his cell phone to the robber, police say. The man was on his way home from a party when he was apprehended by the gunman at 3.30am at West 103rd Street and West End Avenue in Manhattan's Upper West Side. The unidentified male robber demanded money from the man and then his cellphone. When the Denmark resident attempted to deny the shooter of his demands and walk away, he was shot in the back. 'He just kept walking and the guy shot him,' a police source reportedly said. The scene from NYC's Upper West Side where a tourist from Denmark was shot in the back after walking away from a robber The tourist was apprehended by the unidentified male gunman, who demanded money and his phone, but the tourist denied him Originally from Argentina, the victim was transported to St Luke's hospital in stable condition The man, who was born in Argentina but is a resident of Denmark, was taken to St. Luke's hospital in stable condition. There were no immediate arrests and the investigation is ongoing, according to the NYPD. New Yorkers have grown weary over the latest spike in violence and crimes on the city streets, as well as the widespread looting and physical altercations in many neighborhoods. The widespread crime problem has not been limited to any area, with neighborhoods that were previously seen as safe now riddled with crime. In Manhattan's trendy Chelsea neighborhood, children have allegedly become exposed to nudity, sex acts and drug use while business owners deal with constant break-ins. Frustration is growing among residents as overall crime is up a dramatic 35.31 percent since last year. Approximately 11,737 robberies have been reported as of September 4 - about 3,318 more in comparison to the same time last year. Meanwhile, 10,500 burglaries have been reported, which is about 2,600 more than in 2021. Felony assaults are also up by 18.2 percent, with grand larceny leading the way in the uptick of crime with more than 10,000 cases reported in comparison to last year. The city has also recorded a 39 percent rise in robberies and a 21 percent rise in aggravated assaults. There was a massive cop exodus from the NYPD this year, according to the New York Post, with 2,465 police officers filing to leave the department 42 percent more than the 1,731 who exited at the same time last year. Advertisement An impressive country estate that is twice the size of Gibraltar and comes with its own island, 13 different properties and several stunning beaches has gone on the market for 10.5million. The Tayvallich Estate includes an 811-acre private island, 13 properties, a boat house, two jetties and several stunning beaches. It is on a little-known peninsula in Argyll on the Scottish west coast and totals more than 3,300 acres, which can be sold as a whole or split into smaller lots. Estate agents Strutt & Parker, who are handling the sale, described it as a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'. The picturesque estate incorporates some of the most geologically and ecologically important landscape in Scotland, subject to three different Special Areas of Conservation and five different Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). An impressive country estate that is twice the size of Gibraltar and comes with its own island, 13 different properties and several stunning beaches has gone on the market for 10.5million The Tayvallich Estate features a range of properties on a peninsula in Argyll, on the Scottish coast, covering over 3,300 acres Estate agents Strutt & Parker, who are handling the sale, described it as a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' The Tayvallich Estate includes 'Danna Island' - a 811-acre private island, 50 miles from the coast of Northern Ireland It covers the majority of the Tayvallich peninsula, which is rich with cultural history - including church remains dating from the eighth century. Danna Island has been described as the 'jewel in the crown' of the estate. It includes three properties, a range of farm buildings and a stunning barrel-vaulted boathouse, woodland, grazing land and over 6km of coastal frontage with two jetties, beaches and several smaller uninhabited islands. There is no principal mansion house on the estate but there are 13 houses and cottages, currently occupied by employees and used as short term holiday lets. The biggest property is Coshandrochaid House, which is occupied by the current owners when they are in residence. The two-storey contemporary house was completed in 2011 on the site of an old stone farm building, reusing much of the original stone. There are 13 houses and cottages, currently occupied by employees and used as short term holiday lets, on Danna Island The estate has outstanding views over the southern end of the peninsula It comes with over 6km of coastal frontage with two jetties, beaches and several smaller uninhabited islands It has outstanding views over the southern end of the peninsula. There are also a number of ruins and run down buildings that could provide development opportunities, subject to planning permission. With islands, peninsulas and sea lochs, Argyll has thousands of miles of coastline and is world-renowned for its sailing. The stunning estate has a number of opportunities for planning permission and renovation The picturesque estate incorporates some of the most geologically and ecologically important landscape in Scotland, subject to three different Special Areas of Conservation and five different Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) With islands, peninsulas and sea lochs, Argyll has thousands of miles of coastline and is world-renowned for its sailing Robert McCulloch, head of Strutt & Parker's Estates & Farm Agency in Scotland, said: 'The Tayvallich Peninsula is like no other I've seen on the market in the past two decades' He continued: 'With four separate bodies of water forming its coastline, and comprised of a cluster of islands of varying size, the estate's landscape is one of undulating topography liberally cloaked with native woodland' The estate agents said that they expect to have a busy autumn as buyers rush to make their enquiries The Northern Irish coast is less than 50 miles from Danna so is accessible for sailing from the estate. Robert McCulloch, head of Strutt & Parker's Estates & Farm Agency in Scotland, said: 'The Tayvallich Peninsula is like no other I've seen on the market in the past two decades. 'With four separate bodies of water forming its coastline, and comprised of a cluster of islands of varying size, the estate's landscape is one of undulating topography liberally cloaked with native woodland. It is a truly exceptional place. 'For buyers to have the opportunity to purchase lots ranging from a 1,700-acre estate on a tranquil and verdant peninsula to an 811-acre self-contained island is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We expect a busy autumn of enquiries.' Advertisement French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have been spotted in Westminster walking around 'incognito' in sunglasses and trainers to see the queue and share the pain of the British people before changing into formal attire to visit Westminster hall. Mr Macron, who is seldom seen out of his trademark blue suit, was seen in a more understated dark navy jacket, charcoal grey trousers and black trainers alongside his wife, who dressed in a similar fashion. French press reported he was going 'incognito' to gauge the mood of the British public before changing back into his more formal wear. The pair donned sunglasses and trainers as they strolled through central London, flanked by aides and security guards as they viewed the queue of people waiting to see the Queen, who is lying-in-state before funeral ceremonies tomorrow. The French president and his wife then changed into more formal wear before visiting the Queen at the historic Westminster Hall. After paying their respects to the late monarch, the French President and First Lady will join King Charles and scores of other world leaders and royals for a reception at Buckingham Palace, where they will present the new king with a book of pictures celebrating the Queen's visits to France. 'From her coronation on, she knew and spoke with all of our presidents. No other country had the privilege of welcoming her as many times as we did,' Macron said last week in a tribute to the queen, whose last official visit to France took place in 2014. People from all walks of life and from around the world have been filing past in a constant, emotional stream, many queuing overnight to see Her Majesty. French President Emmanuel Macron (C-L) and his wife Brigitte Macron (C-R) arrive at Westminster Hall to pay their respects to Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II in London, Britain, 18 September 2022. The queen's funeral will be held on 19 September, following four days of lying in state inside Westminster Hall Mr Macron, who is seldom seen out of his trademark blue suit, was seen in a more understated dark navy jacket, charcoal grey trousers and trainers alongside his wife, who dressed in a similar fashion France's President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster Royal guards stand by Queen Elizabeth II's flag-draped coffin lying in state on the catafalque at Westminster Hall on September 18, 2022 in London, England The Queen's coffin lies on a dias on the floor of Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster The Macrons donned sunglasses as they strolled through central London, flanked by aides and security guards King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are preparing to host up to 1,000 VIPs at the Buckingham Palace reception this evening. Those expected to attend include US President Joe Biden, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, alongside European royalty and senior members of the British royal family, Most are expected to view the Queen's coffin, which will lie in state until tomorrow morning, in the ancient heart of Parliament today after being given a VIP timeslot. But the list of dignitaries also includes a string of controversial strongmen, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was filmed today giving a thunderous speech from the windows of the Brazilian Embassy in London to a cheering crowd waving the national flag. And today the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia confirmed that Mohammed Bin Salman, known by the abbreviation MBS, had been invited to attend the funeral. He is set to hold talks with British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Sunday evening, but his presence at the Queen's funeral tomorrow sparked outrage after Saudi agents brutally murdered and dismembered jounralist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. China has also announced it will send its vice-president, Wang Qishan, to the funeral. Due to strained ties, the UK opted to invite ambassadors, not heads of state, from Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea. Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations excluded altogether following Putin's invasion of Ukraine. President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and his wife Michelle Bolsonaro pay their respects inside Westminster Hall President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at London Stansted Airport, in Stansted, Britain, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's presence at the Queen's funeral tomorrow has sparked outrage amid his nation's poor human rights record The President of Armenia copped flak earlier today for disrespecting the Queen as he took photos and chatted to aides during a visit to see her lying-in-state in Westminster Hall. Vahagn Khachaturyan, an ally of warmongering Russian president Vladimir Putin, was seen bowing at the late monarch's coffin as one of his lackies snapped some pictures on his mobile phone. Bystanders meanwhile claimed the Armenian leader was loudly rabbiting on to his entourage as they trundled along the VIP walkway and down to the floor where Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is lying. His actions flew in the face of strict rules in the 1,000-year-old chamber which forbid the taking of photos or videos and call for quiet, respectful behaviour. Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan is snapped by a member of his entourage as he stands at the foot of the Queen's coffin Members of the public pay their respects as they pass the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, Lying in State inside Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster in London on September 18, 2022 President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan is seen embracing President of Russia Vladimir Putin in June Khachaturyan was seen in June of this year sharing a warm embrace with Putin at a Russian economic conference even as war raged across the border in Ukraine. One attendee at Westminster Hall told The Sun: 'There were hundreds of people in that hall - no one was speaking. Only him. Yap, yap, yap, yap. He clearly planned to have his photo taken. 'He and his aide hold back as the group in front passes the coffin... He knows the rules and would have been told before he went in.' Another angry source said: 'Everyone has managed to follow those rules to the very letter - apart from this one individual.' It is unclear whether Khachaturyan, who remains a close ally of the Kremlin despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, will join other world leaders at the Queen's funeral tomorrow. Police have made two more arrests after a 17-year-old boy was badly wounded and subsequently died in Greater Manchester. Callum Riley was found with serious injuries in Heywood, Rochdale, on Saturday morning. Greater Manchester Police arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of murder and detained a 23-year-old woman on suspicion of assisting an offender. Meanwhile two other men, aged 18 and 33, were arrested by the force yesterday and remain in custody. Callum Riley was found with serious injuries in Heywood, Rochdale, on Saturday morning Police were called out to the scene on Athol Drive, Heywood, Rochdale on Saturday morning Forensic teams work at the scene on Saturday morning after a 17-year-old died from serious injuries A 21-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released and faces no further action. Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand said: 'Our thoughts remain with Callum's family, who we are liaising with via a specially trained officer. 'Our investigation is very much ongoing and we are continuing to appeal for information. 'Officers from the Rochdale district will be providing a visible presence in the coming days to reassure members of the public - anyone with concerns can approach them.' Police said before Callum was found another man had asked for help from people in a nearby property. Officers also sent out their condolences to the teenager's family while urging anyone with information to come forward and contact police quoting 723 17/09/22 or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. By Lee Kyung-min Korea's trade minister and top trade negotiator have reaffirmed the importance of cooperation in trade and supply chain issues with the country's peers on a recent visit to countries in the Asia-Pacific regions, the trade ministry said Sunday. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang and the country's top trade negotiator, Ahn Duk-geun, attended a meeting of economic ministers at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Siem Reap, a town in northwestern Cambodia, from Sept, 16 to 18 (local time). The three-day meeting was the first face-to-face event, three years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the 10 ASEAN member states and other partners were able to resume constructive dialogue in the midst of fierce economic competition around the world, the ministry said. Ahn met with trade authorities of the Philippines, New Zealand and Australia for strengthened cooperation in key minerals procurement and trade issues. Among the joint visions Korea shared with its peers included fine-tuning a mid- to long-term development plan to advance Industrial capabilities. He also sought support for Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan. Lee and Ahn agreed to strengthen ties following the 2009 Korea-ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA), as underpinned by cooperation in industrial technology, digital and climate change concerns and establishing the effective utilization and implementation of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). RCEP is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations, including 10 ASEAN countries, Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Many ASEAN members shared the progress of the Technology Advice and Solutions from Korea (TASK) project led by five countries and agreed to launch joint research programs to better prepare a long-term vision for official development assistance (ODA) in the industrial and energy sectors. ODA refers to government aid specifically targeting the economic development and welfare of developing countries. "The government will continue to maintain close relations with key trade partner countries to better navigate global uncertainties brought on by supply chain issues and geopolitical volatilities," the ministry said in a statement. They will join King Charles and other world leaders and royals for a reception at Buckingham Palace tonight Macrons will present the new king with a picture book celebrating the Queen's visits to France over the years Comes as French President Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte were spotted walking through London Biden touched his hand to his heart and snapped off a quick salute in a quiet tribute to late monarch US President has paid respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state in the Palace of Westminster Advertisement US President Joe Biden has paid his respects to the late Queen at Westminster Hall today before recalling how the late monarch reminded him of his own mother. President Biden and First Lady Jill were seen standing on a VIP balcony looking down at the Queen's coffin this afternoon which is under constant guard and draped in flags. The American president touched his hand to his heart and appeared to snap off a quick salute to the late monarch in a gesture of respect, before continuing on through the hall. He later travelled to Lancaster House where he signed the book of condolence, and told reporters that he would remember how the Queen treated everyone with 'dignity' and her 70 years of service. Biden's visit came moments after French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte were spotted making their way to the Palace of Westminster. Mr Macron, who is seldom seen out of his trademark blue suit, was seen in a more understated dark navy jacket, charcoal grey trousers and black trainers alongside his wife, who dressed in a similar fashion. The pair donned sunglasses as they strolled through central London, flanked by aides and security guards. After paying their respects to the late monarch, Biden and Macron will join King Charles and scores of other world leaders and royals for a reception at Buckingham Palace, where they will present the new king with a book of pictures celebrating the Queen's visits to France. Elizabeth's body has been lying in state at the historic Westminster Hall since Wednesday, and people from all walks of life and from around the world have been filing past in a constant, emotional stream, many queuing overnight. The American president touched his hand to his heart and appeared to snap off a quick salute to the late monarch in a gesture of respect, before continuing on through the hall President Biden and First Lady Jill (right), along with US Ambassador Jane Hartley (left) were seen standing on a VIP balcony looking down at the Queen's coffin, which is under constant guard and draped in flags The President later travelled to Lancaster House, where he signed the book of condolence for Her Majesty, and told reporters fondly of how she reminded him of his mother US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive for a reception at Buckingham Palace being hosted by King Charles III this evening Biden is seen top left looking down on the Queen's coffin, as members of the public pay their respects to Her Majesty from the floor of Westminster Hall U.S. President Joe Biden arrives in London in presidential motorcade following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, September 18, 2022 French President Emmanuel Macron (C-L) and his wife Brigitte Macron (C-R) arrive at Westminster Hall to pay their respects to Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II in London, Britain, 18 September 2022. The queen's funeral will be held on 19 September, following four days of lying in state inside Westminster Hall Mr Macron, who is seldom seen out of his trademark blue suit, was seen in a more understated dark navy jacket, charcoal grey trousers and trainers alongside his wife, who dressed in a similar fashion Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan (pictured centre) was seen as part of his country's delegation at Westminster Hall this evening. President Xi Jinping was invited to attend but has not done so Royal guards stand by Queen Elizabeth II's flag-draped coffin lying in state on the catafalque at Westminster Hall on September 18, 2022 in London, England The Queen's coffin lies on a dias on the floor of Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster. It will remain in place until tomorrow morning, when it will be moved for her funeral at Westminster Abbey The Macrons were seen donning sunglasses as they strolled through central London today, flanked by aides and security guards Mr Biden had pulled up to Westminster in his famed armoured limousine, a 1.3 million stretch Cadillac nicknamed 'The Beast', where he was met by large crowds of people who cheered his arrival and greeted by Black Rod Sarah Clarke. The couple were joined by the US ambassador to the UK, Jane Hartley, who bowed her head as she paid her respects to Her Majesty. Later at Lancaster House he spoke warmly of the late monarch, saying: 'To all the people of England, to al the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you're fortunate to have had her [The Queen] for 70 years, we all were. The world was better for her, we all were.' He added the Queen had reminded him of his own mother with 'the way she touched when she leaned over, the way she had that look "Are you ok? Anything I can do for you? What do you need?". Wagging his finger he joked: 'And also, "make sure you do what you're supposed to do".' Mr Biden spoke warmly of the Queen and said she treated people with 'dignity', and that the world was lucky to have her 70-year reign. Here he is pictured with Her Majesty at Windsor Castle in June last year The president was joined by his wife and the US Ambassador on the VIP balcony (pictured left) at Westminster Hall as he paid tribute to the late monarch After attending Westminster Hall President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden (pictured) signed the book of condolence at Lancaster House Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine, was pictured paying her respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall earlier today Joe Biden with his mother Catherine, pictured together in 2008 The president said the Queen treated people with 'dignity', adding: 'I talk about my mother and father, [they] thought that everyone, no matter who they were, no matter what their station, no matter where they're from, deserved to be treated with dignity. 'And that's exactly what she [Her Majesty] communicated, just the way she walked by her staff, just the way she acted. And I think what she gave is a sense of, maybe above all, the notion of service. 'We all owe something, there's something in our capacity to do, that can make things, not just the world, but your neighbourhood better, your household better, your workplace better. 'And that's what she communicated to me anyway and it was an honour to meet her.' Earlier today President Emmanuel Macron of France was seen with his wife Brigitte walking through London with his security detail. When questioned by a French reporter the head of state said he was visiting the queue of people waiting to get into Westminster Hall 'to share the pain of the British'. Emmanuel Macron est arrive a #Londres ou il se balade incognito. Il remonte la file dattente et declare partager la peine des Britanniques pic.twitter.com/xUvZpL2Ch5 Pierre-Louis Caron (@pierloucaron) September 18, 2022 It comes ahead of a reception at Buckingham Palace being hosted by King Charles II and Queen Consort Camilla this evening, with up to 1,000 VIPs expected to attend. Those expected to be there include US President Joe Biden, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, alongside European royalty and senior members of the British royal family, Most are expected to view the Queen's coffin, which will lie in state until tomorrow morning, in the ancient heart of Parliament today after being given a VIP timeslot. But the list of dignitaries also includes a string of controversial strongmen, including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was filmed today giving a thunderous speech from the windows of the Brazilian Embassy in London to a cheering crowd waving the national flag. And today the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia confirmed that Mohammed Bin Salman, known by the abbreviation MBS, had been invited to attend the funeral. He is set to hold talks with British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Sunday evening, but his presence at the Queen's funeral tomorrow sparked outrage after Saudi agents brutally murdered and dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. China has also announced it will send its vice-president, Wang Qishan, to the funeral. He was pictured attending Westminster Hall this evening as part of the Chinese delegation, amid criticism from some MPs that an invitation was extended to the authoritarian nation. Members of the delegation were pictured wearing face masks with the Chinese flag printed on them as they made their way along the VIP balcony in the palace. Due to strained ties, the UK opted to invite ambassadors, not heads of state, from Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea. Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus are among a small group of nations excluded altogether following Putin's invasion of Ukraine. President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and his wife Michelle Bolsonaro were among the world leaders to pay their respects inside Westminster Hall President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in the UK yesterday and were pictured above getting off a plane at London Stansted Airport yesterday Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's presence at the Queen's funeral tomorrow has sparked outrage amid his nation's poor human rights record The President of Armenia copped flak earlier today for disrespecting the Queen as he took photos and chatted to aides during a visit to see her lying-in-state in Westminster Hall. Vahagn Khachaturyan, an ally of warmongering Russian president Vladimir Putin, was seen bowing at the late monarch's coffin as one of his lackies snapped some pictures on his mobile phone. Bystanders meanwhile claimed the Armenian leader was loudly rabbiting on to his entourage as they trundled along the VIP walkway and down to the floor where Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is lying. His actions flew in the face of strict rules in the 1,000-year-old chamber which forbid the taking of photos or videos and call for quiet, respectful behaviour. Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan is snapped by a member of his entourage as he stands at the foot of the Queen's coffin Members of the public pay their respects as they pass the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, Lying in State inside Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster in London on September 18, 2022 President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan (left) is seen embracing President of Russia Vladimir Putin in June. His behaviour in Westminster Hall today was criticised by some bystanders Khachaturyan was seen in June of this year sharing a warm embrace with Putin at a Russian economic conference even as war raged across the border in Ukraine. One attendee at Westminster Hall told The Sun: 'There were hundreds of people in that hall - no one was speaking. Only him. Yap, yap, yap, yap. He clearly planned to have his photo taken. 'He and his aide hold back as the group in front passes the coffin... He knows the rules and would have been told before he went in.' Another angry source said: 'Everyone has managed to follow those rules to the very letter - apart from this one individual.' It is unclear whether Khachaturyan, who remains a close ally of the Kremlin despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, will join other world leaders at the Queen's funeral tomorrow. The VIP time slots given to visiting heads of state and foreign dignitaries comes as hundreds of thousands of people queue spend hour after hour lining up to see Her Majesty. Since Wednesday many had patiently stood in line as they wait to pay their respects, with the queue snaking its way through central London for more than four miles past numerous landmarks including the Tate Modern, the London Eye and Tower Bridge. Later today officials will stop more people from joining the queue as they look to clear the line before the Queen's coffin is moved in tomorrow's funeral procession to Westminster Abbey, where her funeral is being held tomorrow morning. Westminster Hall will close at 8.30am, with the doors of Westminster Abbey opening at 8am. The funeral service will begin at 11am. The service, which will be shown live on the BBC and ITV, as well as 150 cinemas in the UK, is expected to be seen by as many as 4.1billion people worldwide. After the service at Westminster Abbey the Queen's coffin will be moved to Windsor where there will be a committal service tomorrow evening. The wife of Ukraine's President Zelensky spoke with the Princess of Wales this afternoon after travelling from her war-torn homeland for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. Kate held an audience at Buckingham Palace with the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, who is expected to lead representation for Ukraine at the funeral tomorrow. The pair, both wearing long black dresses, sat either side of a fireplace on gingham armchairs with pink orchids on display in the background. Ms Zelenska was earlier spotted entering Westminster Hall, where the late monarch is currently lying in state, just minutes before US President Joe Biden also arrived to pay his respects. She was pictured shortly before 4.45pm with other members of the Ukrainian contingent, dressed in all black and wearing a golden brooch on her chest. As she contemplated the solemn occasion, her expression was sombre and she bowed her head in respect. Ms Zelenska stayed in the hall for several minutes as members of the British public filed past below. She made the journey to the UK after her husband took time out from organising his country's fightback against Russia to sign a book of condolence for the Queen. The wife of Ukraine's President Zelensky, Olena Zelenska, spoke with the Princess of Wales this afternoon at Buckingham Palace Ms Zelenska was earlier spotted entering Westminster Hall, where the late monarch is currently lying in state The UK's ambassador in Kyiv, Melinda Simmons, said she was 'deeply honoured' by the president's gesture 'given all else that is happening in (Ukraine) at this time'. Ms Zelenska's arrival in the UK had been hotly anticipated after it was confirmed that her husband, President Zelensky, would be remaining at home to lead the war effort. He will remain in Ukraine as his country continues to battle back Vladimir Putin's invading forces. Putin, who has previously had an audience with the Queen, has not been invited, despite offering his condolences to the Royal Family last week. A line of foreign dignitaries entered Westminster Hall today, including French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, and US president Joe Biden and his wife Jill. Ukraine has pushed Russian forces back and made major gains in the east of the country in recent weeks, forcing Russian troops to regroup to protect its remaining held land. Russia was left reeling by the shock offensive in the east, as Ukraine pulled off a great tactical manoeuvre to convince Putin it was planning an attack in the south. The cities of Izyum, Kupyansk and Vovchansk, which formed the staging post for Russia's attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and contain key railway lines to get ammunition and other supplies to its soldiers, are now under Ukrainian control. Ms Zelenska looked sombre as she entered Westminster Hall to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth Kyiv's rapid advance has now slowed as Russian troops regroup and try to re-establish a frontline, with fighting said to be ongoing around Lyman, Rubizhne, Lysychansk and Severodonetsk. In the newly freed village of Chkalovske in the Kharkiv region, Svitlana Honchar said the Russians' departure was sudden and swift. 'They left like the wind,' Honchar said Tuesday after loading cans of food aid into her car. 'They were fleeing by any means they could.' Some Russians appeared to have been left behind in the hasty retreat. 'They were trying to catch up,' she said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena have presented a united front since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The President took time out of organising his country's war effort to sign a book of condolences for the Queen It was not yet clear if the Ukrainian blitz, which unfolded after months of little discernible movement, could signal a turning point in the nearly seven-month war. In its latest update on the situation in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it is unclear whether Russia's frontline forces have adequate reserves or morale to withstand another concerted Ukrainian assault in eastern parts of the country. Despite the superb performance of Ukrainian armed forces, President Zelensky said it was too early to say the tide of the war was turning, and that the outcome hinged on the swift delivery of foreign weapons to his country. Ms Zelenska appeared alongside other members of the Ukrainian delegation to the UK Putin, in his first comments on Ukraine's counteroffensive, brushed off the advances with a smile but warned that Russia would respond more forcefully if its troops were put under further pressure. Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg this morning, head of the British Armed Forces Admiral Sir Tony Radakin painted a bleak picture of Russian prospects in Ukraine and what this means for the Kremlin chief. 'Putin is failing on all of his military strategic objectives. He wanted to subjugate Ukraine - that's not going to happen,' Radakin said. 'He's under pressure, his problems are mounting, his forces are thin on the ground... at a strategic level, this is a failure for Putin and Ukraine is fighting to maintain their integrity and to gain more of their country back,' he added. South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is forging ahead with his bill to ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks, declaring confidently that 'the people are with us' during a Sunday television interview. It comes despite a growing number of his fellow GOP Senators distancing themselves from the legislation after being forced to confront it by the press and -more importantly - by midterm voters who want to know where their representatives and candidates stand on the lightening rod issue. Just as Graham was defending his bill on Fox News Sunday, Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota shot it down with a blunt 'no.' Rounds told CNN's State of the Union, 'No, I think right now, we should allow the states to explore the different possibilities about the appropriate way.' The bill is a curveball in Republicans' carefully laid election strategy to tacitly support the pro-life movement without taking an overt stance that would turn off independents and moderate Democrats in November. Graham dismissed that argument on Sunday, stating: 'I'm pro-life, even in an election year, and to those whose yet suggest that being pro life is losing politics - I reject that.' He insisted that his stance was the popular one and even suggested that it's backed by the US Constitution under the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed citizenship to formerly enslaved people while granting equal protections to black Americans and other non-whites. 'The people are with us. The Constitution is with us. The 14th Amendment, for it to mean anything, means equal protection under the law,' Graham said. South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stood firm by his abortion ban - despite acknowledging that it has no chance of passing today's Congress Abortion rights activist holds a placard saying, "Roe Roe Roe your vote," at the Monroe County Courthouse during a protest vigil a few hours before Indiana's near total abortion ban goes into effect on September 15 'I'm not going to allow a baby in Maryland and California to be dismembered at 38 weeks, a horrible death, without trying to help.' Rounds said such a bill has no chance of passing the Democrat-controlled House and Senate while re-stating that it's a matter that should be left up to the states. 'I think a better approach probably will be to allow the states to work through this and to find the appropriate language on a state-by-state basis and to find that common ground,' the South Dakota Republican told CNN. 'After that, maybe Congress steps in again, but at this point, I think the states are in a better shape to explore and to find the right direction on a state-by-state basis.' Graham himself acknowledged that the bill is certainly doomed in today's Congress but defended his action in introducing it anyway - less than two months before the midterms. GOP Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota said he's not going to support Graham's bill and said abortion is an issue best left up to the states "I think a better approach probably will be to allow states to work through this."@SenatorRounds (R-SD) shares why he does not support Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) new bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/uFi1H8CoO9 CNN (@CNN) September 18, 2022 'It will not pass tomorrow. But here's the question: should it pass? If you come to Washington only introducing laws that can pass tomorrow, you're not much good for the country,' the South Carolina senator said. 'Should we be a nation that allows abortion on demand like China up to the moment of birth? Hell no. We should be a nation that sets a national minimum standard of 15 weeks like the civilized world - like the French, the British and the Germans.' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested that he would not support the bill in a leadership press conference near-immediately after Graham introduced it. When asked about McConnell's private reaction when Graham told him about the bill, the senator deflected. 'Senator McConnell is a good man. He's a pro-life candidate. He voted for my bill in 2020 to ban abortion on demand at 20 weeks because the child can feel pain,' Graham said. Graham himself had declared that the issue of abortion should be left up to the states in June, around the time when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ruled those rights were not protected under the Constitution. Automotive giant Honda has come under fire after it asked workers at one of its US factories to repay hundred of dollars in bonuses they received earlier this month, saying it overpaid many of the checks in error and now needs that extra money back. The brazen reneging from the car manufacturer came on Tuesday, when staff at the Marysville Honda Motors Co. factory in Ohio - which employs thousands of workers - were sent a memo demanding they give back money from overpaid bonuses. The amount of each overpayment is currently unclear, as it varies from person to person based on salary - but the bonuses in many cases amount to hundreds of dollars, and were dished out to thousands of workers at the Ohio plant. After announcing the bonuses had been erroneously overpaid in the bulletin Tuesday, brass at the Japanese automaker wrote that workers would have just nine days to decide on how they will pay back the additional sums. Staffers will have the option to deduct the money from future paychecks or bonuses, or pay the outstanding amount up front by cash or check. Those who abstain from those options, the company said Tuesday, will have the excess deducted from their future bonuses by default. Workers will have until September 22 to decide how to pay back the money - a hardship for many who are used to getting bonus payments and had not expected to give a portion back. Some staffers at the plant - one of a dozen factories in the country that collectively produce over 5 million cars annually - have since questioned if the company is justified in collecting the overpayments, with one attorney saying Honda is justified in requesting the forced refunds. Automotive giant Honda has come under fire after it asked workers at one of its US factories to repay hundred of dollars in bonuses they received earlier this month, saying it overpaid many of the checks in error and now needs that extra money back The reneging from the car manufacturer came on Tuesday, when staff at the Marysville Honda Motors Co. factory in Central Ohio (pictured) were sent a memo demanding they give back money from overpaid bonuses. The plant currently employs thousands of workers In a statement to DailyMail.com Sunday, brass at the popular auto retailer confirmed that they had dished out overpayments to several staffers last week, but would not specify how much those payments amounted to and how many were issued. They added that managers are currently working to address the situation 'to minimize any potential impact to our associates.' 'Earlier this month Honda provided bonus payments to its associates, some of whom received overpayments,' a Honda spokesperson conceded after being asked about the excess bonuses. 'Issues related to compensation are a sensitive matter,' the rep wrote in an email, adding that 'we are working quickly on this item to minimize any potential impact to our associates.' The spokesman added that since the matter was 'a personnel issue,' the company would not provide any further information related to this matter.' The wife of one employee who received an excess bonus to the tune of several hundred of dollars told NBC4 that he owed Honda nearly 8 percent of his previously awarded bonus. The woman spoke on condition of anonymity, out of fear he husband would be reprimanded for speaking out. 'Not a lot of people can handle this kind of a hit,' the wife of a Honda employee told the station, providing a copy of the memo her husband had received from his employer earlier in the week. She added when her husband initially came home with the bonus check earlier in the month, she asked him if the amount seemed correct - to which she told her it did, citing that he had received more substantial bonueses from the company in the past. 'I asked him that. I said, you know, 'Was this the highest check you'd ever gotten for a bonus check? [Did you think] that it seemed weird?' And he said no, it wasn't the highest he'd ever gotten.' The memo, however, asserted that her husband owed back just shy of ten percent of his total bonus payment, which amounted to hundreds of dollars. 'That's, you know, a car payment. That's half of our mortgage,' the worker's wife told NBC4 in an interview Friday where she explained the difficulty of paying back the sum, which the family, like so many others, had already accounted for. 'That's two, three weeks worth of groceries. That's a lot of money for us.' After announcing the bonuses had been erroneously overpaid in the bulletin Tuesday, brass at the Japanese automaker wrote that workers would have just nine days to decide on how they will pay back the additional sums According to one attorney, Honda is legally within its right to request the overpaid wages back, adding that there is no recourse for the hundreds of affected workers and their wages. 'Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which applies to all employers in the United States, its quite clear that overpayments of bonuses or wages can be recouped by the employer,' Sarah Cole, a law professor at the Ohio State University, told NBC4. Coles advised employees affected by the oversight to go through with the required repayments, and choose the option that best suits them. 'Honda could pursue this in court,' the attorney, who specialized in employment and labor law, said. 'But of course, that would be very expensive for them to do and obviously not look very positive from a publicity standpoint.' She added: 'So Im sure theyre hoping to have voluntary agreement with the employees that the employee just willingly repays the overpayment.' According to Cole, the mistake of overpaying employees has no penalty, protecting brass at the car manufacturer despite it presenting a challenging situation to its workers, whom are non-unionized. The company currently employs nearly 30,000 associates in the US alone. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is now not expected to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Monday, amid backlash at his visit to the UK. Prince Turki bin Mohammed al Saud is instead expected to represent Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Office told MailOnline. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said Heads of State of nations with which the UK has diplomatic relations may choose to delegate the invitation. A source said the change had been made by Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported. This comes after Human Rights groups criticised the decision to invite the Crown Prince - who has been accused by Western intelligence of ordering the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi - to the funeral. Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Mr Khashoggi, had also condemned the controversial invitation. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not expected to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday, contrary to Britain's earlier expectations that he would She said his presence at Her Majesty's state funeral would 'stain her memory' - a sentiment echoed by activists who say allowing Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, known as MBS, to attend is trying to 'whitewash' his human rights record. The Prince 'approved' the murder and dismemberment of Mr Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, a declassified CIA report alleged. He vehemently denies the claims and said recently that that the journalist would not be among his top 1,000 targets to kill, 'if that was how we did things'. MBS is one of the more than 500 foreign dignitaries and heads of state invited to mourn Queen Elizabeth II during the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday. A cast of controversial statesmen were invited to the affair including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia confirmed on Saturday that MBS was travelling to London but did not disclose the details of his visit. This comes after Human Rights groups criticised the decision to invite the Crown Prince - who has been accused by Western intelligence of ordering the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi - to the funeral Approximately 2,000 people are expected to attend the Queen's service on Monday, including world leaders, VIPS and members of other royal families. The televised funeral is expected to be watched by 4.1 billion people and analysts predict 2 million others will flock to the capital for the event. Ms Cengiz criticised the Saudi's ruler's invitation to the funeral, arguing he was using a time of mourning to 'seek legitimacy and normalisation.' 'The Queens passing is a truly sad occasion,' she told The Guardian. 'The crown prince should not be allowed to be part of this mourning and not be allowed to stain her memory and use this time mourning to seek legitimacy and normalisation.' Her claims were echoed by advocacy groups across the UK who allege Her Majesty's death is not the time for 'authoritarian dictators' to try and 'rehabilitate' their image. 'The UK simply should not be welcoming dictators from states renowned for their atrocious human rights records,' Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said. 'Although the leaders of Russia and Syria have rightly not received invitations to attend the Queens funeral, it sends a clear double standard to then welcome notorious Gulf despots such as King Hamad and Mohammed bin Salman, who continue to preside over appalling violations against those who dare to speak out in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.' Hatice Cengiz (right) criticised the Saudi's ruler's invitation to the funeral, arguing he was using a time of mourning to 'seek legitimacy and normalisation.' She is pictured with her fiance Jamal Khashoggi (left) Prince Turki bin Mohammed al Saud will represent Saudi Arabia instead, a British foreign office source said on Sunday Activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the UK-based director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, reiterated his colleagues claims, saying: 'Authoritarian dictators should not use the Queens death as an opportunity to try to rehabilitate their image while they escalate repressive campaigns in their countries.' Similarly, UK-based Campaign Against the Arms Trade slammed Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies for 'using the Queen's funeral as a way to - in their words - "whitewash" their human rights records,' BBC reported. In a report earlier this week, CNN Arabic claimed MBS would not be attending the funeral, citing his 'fragile ego' as likely having played a role in his decision. Abdullah Alaoudh, a Washington-based Saudi dissident, told the TV network that MBS would be 'seated behind other powerful figures' at the event, which he would allegedly bother him. 'MBS wants full acknowledgement of his power, his existence, of getting in the front row,' Mr Alaoudh argued. 'He cares a lot about these symbols and does not want to be humiliated.' Additionally, world dignitaries have been asked to jump on shuttle buses to Westminster Abbey, as is standard protocol, instead of using state limousines or carriages. The only exception appears to be US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill will be able to take the armoured Beast to the Queen's funeral. Some embassies have reportedly made as-yet unsuccessful efforts to request exceptions to the Foreign Office guidance. MBS is one of the more than 500 foreign dignitaries and heads of state invited to mourn Queen Elizabeth II (pictured in 2013) during the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday Approximately 2,000 people are expected to attend the Queen's service on Monday, including world leaders, VIPS and members of other royal families. Members of the public are pictured filing past the Queen's coffin as it lies in state at Westminster Abbey on Sunday The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Myanmar reportedly did not get an invite to the Queen's funeral but a number of controversial figures including Erdogan and Bolsonaro are coming to London for the service. Chinese President Xi Jinping was invited but is not expected to attend. He instead sent Vice President Wang Qishan to attend on his behalf, Chinas Foreign Ministry confirmed to The Wall Street Journal on Saturday. Several British lawmakers, alleging they were 'greatly concerned' by the invitation to President Xi, penned a letter to the House of Commons calling for the invitation to be rescinded. They also strongly criticised China for its treatment of the largely Muslim Uyghur community. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi also declined his invitation to attend the service. India will instead by represented by President Droupadi Murmu, according to The Guardian. PM Modi had delivered a speech on the day of the Queen's death - hours before her illness was known - urging India to shed its colonial ties during a ceremony to renamed a street that had honoured George V. The leader did however call UK Prime Minister Liz Truss two days after Her Majesty's death to issue his condolences. The Queen's grandchildren (clockwise from front centre) Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Britain's Princess Eugenie of York, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Princess Beatrice of York, Britain's Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall hold a vigil 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 Saturday The televised funeral is expected to be watched by 4.1 billion people and analysts predict 2 million others will flock to the capital for the event. He Majesty's coffin, draped in the Royal Standard and adorned with the Imperial State Crown, is pictured Lying in State inside Westminster Hall on Sunday Members of the public, wrapped in blankets, walk in line along The Queens Walk near Tower Bridge waiting to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lays in state within Westminster Hall on Sunday Her Majesty's close friend Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the billionaire ruler of Dubai, is yet to confirm if he will attend. Before her death, Her Majesty was under pressure to ditch him after the High Court found he was responsible for illegal UK hacking of his wife's phone. A senior judge concluded that Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the horse race-loving friend of the Royal Family and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, committed a 'total abuse of trust and indeed an abuse of power'. The court found that he previously orchestrated the kidnap of his runaway daughter Princess Shamsa from Cambridgeshire in 2000. He also allegedly abducted her sister Princess Latifa when she too tried to flee. Princess Latif's best friend Tiina Jauhiainen told MailOnline last week that the ruler of Dubai must be snubbed by Buckingham Palace and the British Government along with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud. She said: 'I don't think a person with his reputation should be invited to the Queen's funeral. 'I hope we are not going to be seeing MBS [what the Crown Prince is colloquially known as] either.' The Royal guards who stand by Queen Elizabeth II's flag-draped coffin have been pictured taking a well-earned rest. The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, nicknamed the 'beefeaters', stand guard over the deceased monarch. One photo show the loyal guards taking a break behind the scenes of Westminster Hall on Sunday as they rotate every 20 minutes over a six-hour shift. The Queen is lying in state on the catafalque at Westminster Hall ahead of Monday's funeral. The Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, nicknamed the 'beefeaters', are pictured on a rest in-between their 20-minute shifts behind the scenes of Westminster Hall ahead of Monday's funeral Three ceremonial units surround Her Majesty as she lies in state, with units watching over her on a 24-hour schedule. The Yeomen of the Guard, pictured at rest, stand over her as well as the Gentlemen at Arms and the Royal Company of Archers. 'They're doing such a great job. Hat's off to them,' said one Twitter user. 'I thank them all for their service,' said another. Yeoman Warders have been guarding the Tower of London since Tudor times, with members of their ranks drawn from all three branches of the military. The group was originally part of Henry VIII's personal bodyguard, traveling with the monarch for his protection. The Yeoman Body of 37 men and women are all drawn from the Armed Forces. Salaries for the posts start at 30,000 a year, and the job even comes with a flat with many warders expected to live within the Tower with their families. But the guard are required to have served 22 years in the army first, with applicants also expected to hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal. The guards typically work 37 hours a week, often over the weekend, as well as overtime and some night shifts. Annual leave is 23 days a year, rising to 25.5 upon completion of three years of employment and 26.5 days after completing ten years service. One guard, a member of the Royal Company of Archers, was recorded falling to the ground having passed out from exhaustion while standing over the Queen's coffin on Wednesday. The man had moments earlier briefly stepped off the podium before retaking his place as other servicemen joined him for a changeover. But seconds later he blacked out and fell forwards, landing sprawled on the stone floor to loud gasps from bystanders queueing to pay their respects. The live stream also cut out for several minutes as police rushed to the mans aid. He reportedly recovered shortly afterwards, as thousands of mourners joined the queue to pay their final respects to the monarch following her death at Balmoral last Thursday. The moment the guard fell forward onto the stone floor as police officers quickly rush to his aid this evening Yeoman Warders, also known as Beefeaters watch the gun salute to mark the formal declaration of King Charles III as Monarch in the Tower of London Yeoman Warders, commonly known as Beefeaters, march across the Middle Drawbridge during a ceremonial event to mark the reopening to the public of the Tower of London on July 10, 2020 The country stood silent during the National Moment of Reflection for its longest serving monarch Advertisement Britain stood silent for the Queen tonight during the National Moment of Reflection to remember the late Monarch, with the queue to see her lying-in-state halted and Prime Minister Liz Truss bowing her head outside Number 10. Play was also stopped at the Emirates Stadium in Scotland for the Davis Cup so fans could observe the one-minute silence. Prime Minister Liz Truss and her husband Hugh O'Leary observed the minute's silence outside Number 10 Downing Street. In Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state, the line of mourners halted for 60 seconds. The government had encouraged people to spend a minute in reflection, either at home, with neighbors or in locally organized ceremonies. Big Ben however failed to toll to mark the beginning of the National Moment of Reflection at 8pm today due to a technical issue. Images were seen of police officers and members of the public taking part in the silence at Waterloo Station as well as firefighters at North Kensington Fire Station in Notting Hill. A small crowd of people in the queue for the Queen's lying in state stopped near London Bridge and bowed their heads to observe the national minute's silence. They applauded to mark the end of the silence at 8.01pm. Dozens of Metropolitan Police officers also assembled in silence beside mourners and later sang the national anthem. Prime Minister Liz Truss was seen observing the National Moment of Reflection this evening outside Number 10 People in the queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying-in-state, which was halted for 60 seconds, observing the silence Fans at Emirates Arena, Glasgow, standing quiet for the National Moment of Reflection for Queen Elizabeth II Members of the public observed the silence this evening, holding candles in Her Majesty's honour Members of the public observed the national minute's silence for the Queen at Waterloo Station in London Near Tower Bridge in London, police officers stood together to observe the silence to reflect on the Queen's legacy A police officer observes a national moment of reflection at Waterloo Station in London ahead of the Queen's funeral tomorrow Britain stood silent for the Queen tonight during the National Moment of Reflection to remember the late Monarch Pictured: firefighters at North Kensington Fire Station in Notting Hill standing together to reflect on the Queen's legacy Many members of the public stood together for the National Moment of Reflection at Westminster Bridge in front of Big Ben as it failed to toll A police officer was seen shedding a tear as she observed the silence in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II Military personnel observe a one-minute silence in memory of the Queen at Wellington Barracks Members of the Public looked solemn as they stood together in silence in memory of Her Majesty LNER members of staff were pictured observing the silence at Newcastle Central Station in memory of Queen Elizabeth II In Berkshire, Castle Wardens were seen standing together to observe the silence at Windsor Castle Pictures of fans at the David Cup at Emirates Arena were seen deep in thought as they observed the minute's silence as well as commuters and members of staff at Paddington train station. Members of LNER staff were pictured standing in a line with their hands clasped as they took the time to reflect, and members of the public gathered outside in London in areas such as Piccadilly Circus and Green Park - where candles were lit in the Queen's honour. Some fans have camped out in order to see the Queen's coffin on its journey to Windsor tomorrow, many of which were photographed observing the silence. Castle Wardens were also seen standing together to observe the silence to reflect on the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, Berkshire. The Queen is due to be laid to rest at Windsor Castle on Monday after a state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London attended by royalty, heads of state and dignitaries from around the world. The minute's silence was held at locations across the UK to mourn the death of the Queen. At Hillsborough Castle, hundreds of people stood with their heads bowed in front of floral tributes left before the gates of Northern Ireland's royal residence. In Belfast, people gathered for a short service at West Belfast Orange Hall on the Shankill Road. As the country prepares to say farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, some Britons took part in the silence while gathered at cathedrals, churches and town halls. In Belfast, Brethren gathered for a short service at West Belfast Orange Hall on the Shankill Road People standing on The Mall close to Buckingham Palace bow their heads during the moment of reflection Members of the public visited a mural of Queen Elizabeth II in Belfast during the one-minute silence Fans at the Emirates Arena could be seen deep in thought as they observed the silence At Westminster Hall, in the Palace of Westminster, where the Queen is lying-in-state, people observed the silence Staff members and commuters on the Elizabeth Line at Paddington train station to mark the national silence At the floral tribute area in Green Park, members of the public joined together the reflect on the Queen's legacy Candles were lit in memory of Queen Elizabeth II in Green Park outside of Buckingham Palace The moment of reflection was also marked at 8pm local time in British outposts across the world, beginning in Tonga and is due to finish some 21 hours later on the Pitcairn Islands, which is home to just 47 people. In London and across Britain, some buses and taxis pulled over and switched off their engines as the bell tolled - as they will also do when a two-minute silence is held to mark the end of tomorrow's State Funeral. Big Ben will also ring on Monday at one-minute intervals as the funeral procession departs the service. The UK Government said the moment of reflection was to 'reflect on the Queen's life and legacy'. The Kelpies statue in Falkirk saw 96 lanterns, one for each year of the late monarch's life, lowered into the pool of reflection at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth II Canal, before wreaths were placed into the water. At Piccadilly Circus in central London, members of the public gathered to observe the one-minute silence The one-minute silence was held at 8pm today as Britons took the time to give thought to the Queen's 'life and legacy' People have even camped out to see the Queen's coffin tomorrow ahead of her funeral Members of staff at Waterloo Station in London gathered together to observe the moment of reflection Members of the public looked deep in thought and solemn as they paused for a minute to reflect on the legacy of the Queen Members of the public held candles as they took the time to reflect on Queen Elizabeth's legacy People preparing to observe the one-miute silence in Westminster Hall, where the Queen is lying-in-state The Kelpies statue in Falkirk saw 96 lanterns, one for each year of the late monarch's life, lowered into the pool of reflection at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth II Canal, before wreaths are placed into the water This comes as the Queen's funeral is set to take place tomorrow as two thousand guests are expected to attend in person at Westminster Abbey, when it starts at 11am. The guest list for the service includes around 500 foreign dignitaries, including about 100 heads of state. The Queen's coffin will be moved from the Palace of Westminster 15 minutes before, and the event will be followed by a national two-minute silence at 11.55am. A public procession will begin at 12.15pm as the Queen's coffin makes the 1.5-mile journey from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London. The coffin will then be carried by the state hearse to Windsor Castle in Berkshire, where the Queen will be laid to rest. On the Long Walk, Windsor, Berkshire, members of the public observed the one minute silence Commuters at Newcastle Central Station paused for the moment of reflection A rainbow appeared during the national moment of reflection and members of the public captured it on camera Big Ben tolled to mark the beginning of the national moment of reflection at 8pm today the bell will be struck once to mark the start of the minute's silence, UK Parliament said The public also continued queuing for the final day of the lying in state in Westminster Hall, where the late monarch's coffin will remain until 6.30am on Monday. People have been warned not to set off from their homes to join the queue as it is due to close. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said: 'A decision will be taken today on when entry to the queue for Her Majesty The Queen's Lying-in-State will close as it reaches final capacity. 'Queue times are already 13.5 hours and may increase. 'To avoid disappointment please do not set off to join the queue.' Waiting times were far shorter than the peak of more than 25 hours that was seen in the early hours of Saturday morning. The coffin will then be carried by the state hearse to Windsor Castle in Berkshire, where the Queen will be laid to rest This comes as the public continued queuing for the final day of the lying in state in Westminster Hall, where the late monarch's coffin will remain until 6.30am on Monday However, St John Ambulance said in the early hours of the morning some 98 people needed medical support, nine of whom were taken to hospital. The King and Queen Consort are to host world leaders and official overseas guests at the palace, in what the King's spokesman described as an 'official state event'. Camilla will pay a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her 'wonderful blue eyes' and saying: 'I will always remember her smile.' In pre-recorded words on the BBC, she will speak of how Queen Elizabeth II was a 'solitary woman' in a male-dominated world. She will add: 'I can't remember anyone except the Queen being there.' There will also be a service of reflection near Falkirk, Scotland at 7.30pm. Big Ben will also ring on Monday at one-minute intervals as the funeral procession departs the service The DCMS has said the Queen's funeral will be shown on giant screens in various locations across the UK, from London's Hyde Park to Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland. Around 125 cinemas will also be screening the event, along with Sky News, ITV and the BBC for people watching from home. On Saturday evening, the Queen's eight grandchildren together staged a heart-rending evening vigil around their beloved Granny's coffin. A Kentucky man who opened fire killing three of his peers at his high school 25 years ago and injuring others is up for parole. But, one victim who survived and is now paralyzed said, 'it is not right for him to possibly have a normal life.' Michael Carneal, 39, gunned down three of his classmates at Heath High School, and injured five others near Paducah, Kentucky in December 1, 1997. The students - Nicole Hadley, 17, Jessica James, 17 and Kayce Steger, 15 -had been at a before-school prayer meeting before the deadly shooting took place. After the bloodbath, Carneal submitted his weapon and the principal walked him to the school office. Carneal, who was only 14 at the time, was serving a life sentence, but was granted an opportunity for parole at 25 years, the maximum sentence permitted for someone his age, Fox News reported. On Monday, Carneal is scheduled for a parole hearing that will begin with testimony from the people injured in the shooting and close relatives of those who were killed. Michael Carneal, 39, who was only 14 at the time, was serving a life sentence, but was granted an opportunity for parole at 25 years, the maximum sentence permitted for someone his age, Fox News reported Missy Jenkins Smith, who was shot by Carneal, is paralyzed and wheelchair-bound. She said Carneal should not be free and claimed that he is still a menace to society, who can hurt others After gunning down three of his peers, Nicole Hadley, 17, Jessica James, 17 and Kayce Steger, 15, Carneal, submitted his weapon and the principal walked him to the school office. Carneal, who was 14 at the time (pictured) is seen being escorted by officials after his arraignment at the McCracken County Courthouse on January 15, 1998 Missy Jenkins Smith, critically injured during the bloodshed and is paralyzed and in a wheelchair, said Carneal should not be free and claimed that he is still a menace to society. 'For him to have a chance at 39. People get married at 39. They have children,' Jenkins Smith said. 'It's not right for him to possibly have a normal life that those three girls he killed will never have.' Before the horrific shooting, Smith said she considered Carneal a 'friend.' Both had been in the school's marching band together. She said that she 'loved being around him because he made a boring day fun,' News24 reported. In 2007, during a prison visit, Smith said Carneal apologized to her and she forgave him, but believes if he is let out of jail he will continue to hurt others. And, she has been counting down the days since he would be eligible for parole. 'When he was sentenced more than two decades ago,' Smith recalled, '25 years seemed so long,' she said, and than at the 20-year mark she said, 'it's coming up.' 'A lot of people think that exonerates him from consequences, but I don't think so,' she said. Smith pointed to only one victim who believes that Carneal should be let out of jail but granted some type of supervised release. During Monday's hearing that will be done via video call, Smith plans to have the camera facing her so the parole board can see her wheelchair, 'a reminder to everyone who experienced that impact 25 years ago is still dealing with it, for the rest of their lives.' Michael Carneal (pictured right) appears with his attorney, Charles Granner, at Carneal's arraignment January 15, 1998 in the McCracken County Circuit Court in Paducah, Kentucky A Heath High School student screams at seeing the scene of a shooting at the school where fellow student Michael Carneal opened fire, leaving three students dead and five wounded Dec. 1, 1997, near Paducah, Ky. Students arriving at Heath High School in West Paducah, Ky., embrace an unidentified adult on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 1997, after student Michael Carneal opened fire at the school the day before, leaving three students dead and five wounded On December 1, 1997, Carneal placed a semi-automatic loaded rifle inside a blanket, he passed off as a school art project. He walked through the doors of Heath High School, and at approximately, 7:45am fired ten rounds off fatally hitting members of a youth group. Three girls later died and five other students were wounded. Ukrainian emergency service workers exhume bodies from graves near Izyum, Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, Sept. 16. EPA-Yonhap The EU presidency on Saturday called for the establishment of an international tribunal for war crimes after new mass graves were found in Ukraine. "In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent," said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic which holds the European Union's rotating presidency. "We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals," he added in a message on Twitter. "I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression." The appeal follows the discovery by Ukrainian authorities of around 450 graves outside the formerly Russian-occupied city of Izyum with some of the exhumed bodies showing signs of torture. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his evening address, said that "new evidence of torture was obtained" from the bodies buried there. "More than 10 torture chambers have already been found in various cities and towns liberated in Kharkiv region," he added, describing the discovery of electrical implements for torture. "That's what the Nazis did. This is what Ruscists do. And they will be held accountable in the same way both on the battlefield and in courtrooms," he promised. "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. 'Probably 1,000 tortured and killed' U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the mass graves likely provided more evidence that Russia is committing war crimes in its pro-Western neighbor. French President Emmanuel Macron described what had happened in Izyum as atrocities. The Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said there were "probably more than 1,000 Ukrainian citizens tortured and killed in the liberated territories of the Kharkiv region". The United Nations in Geneva has said it hopes to send a team to determine the circumstances of the deaths. The macabre discoveries came a little more than five months after the Russian army, driven out of Bucha near the capital Kyiv, left behind hundreds of corpses of civilians, many of whom had signs of torture and summary executions. On Thursday, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she wanted Russian President Vladimir Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine. In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin against using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in the wake of serious losses in his war in Ukraine. "Don't. Don't. Don't," Biden said, in an excerpt from an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" aired Friday evening. "You would change the face of war unlike anything since World War II," Biden said. A forensic technician inspects inspects a body in a grave near Izyum, Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, Sept. 16. EPA-Yonhap 'Pushing them back' On the ground, Ukrainian forces have recaptured thousands of square kilometers in recent weeks thanks to a counter-offensive in the north-east and now threaten enemy positions in the south, as the fighting and bombings continue. The Russians "are angry because our army is pushing them back in its counter-offensive," said Svitlana Shpuk, a 42-year-old worker in Kryvyi Rih, a southern town, and Zelenskyy's hometown, which was flooded after a dam was destroyed by Russian missiles. Synegubov said an 11-year-old girl had been killed by missile fire in the region. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of Donestk in eastern Ukraine which has been partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014, said on social media that a thermal power plant was "shelled by Russian invaders" on Saturday morning in Mykolaivka. Ukrainian firefighters were battling the blaze, he said, adding that the Russian shelling had led to interruptions to drinking water supply. "The occupiers are deliberately targeting infrastructure in the area to try to inflict as much damage as possible, primarily on the civilian population," he charged. He had earlier reported that two civilians had been killed and 11 wounded in the past 24 hours by Russian fire. Forensic technicians carry a body bag at a graves site near Izyum, Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, Sept. 16. EPA-Yonhap Rap star Ludacris' longtime manager, Chaka Zulu, has been charged with murder in relation to a June shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead Actor Michael B. Jordan has spoken out in defense of rap star Ludacris' longtime manager, Chaka Zulu, after he was slapped with a murder charge for a shooting that left a recent college grad dead. The shooting saw Zulu, a longtime music exec and manager of the iconic Atlanta rapper, wounded and rushed to a hospital along with two others who were also hit by gunfire in the parking lot gun battle in the Buckhead neighborhood of the city. Earlier this month, Atlanta Police Homicide Investigators identified Zulu, whose real name is Ahmed Obafemi, as a suspect in the June 26 gun battle, which transpired just before midnight outside a popular strip mall on Peachtree Road. The shootout left 23-year-old victim Artez Jamil Benton left fatally shot and Zulu with a bullet in his back - with his lawyer now arguing that his client acted in self defense after being accosted by the deceased and three others. They claim that Zulu would have been the one killed on the fatal night if he hadn't protected himself. Zulu's attorney, Gabe Banks of Banks Weaver, aired those claims in a statement shared by his office Saturday, just days after police named Zulu a suspect in Benton's death and were able to issue a warrant for his arrest. On Tuesday, Zulu turned himself into police at the Fulton County Jail, who subsequently charged the music mogul with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and simple battery, APD stated. Shortly after Bank's asserted his high-powered client's innocence, Jordan took to social media to echo those sentiments, labeling Banks' self-defense declarations as a valid argument. Sharing a copy of Banks' statement with a caption that emphatically read 'Facts!!!' movie fighter Jordan made his thoughts on the case known. Zulu's lawyer issued a statement Saturday arguing that his client acted in self defense after being accosted by the deceased and three other supposed gangbangers - a statement Jordan reshared in support (pictured) Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges and Chaka Zulu (right) are pictured in April 2015 The incident saw all five involved shot and hospitalized, with Benton, a recent graduate of Young Harris College in Georgia, the only to succumb to his injuries. Banks released the statement in defense of his client on Saturday evening, which was in turn shared by Jordan - who was seen later that night at Las Vegas' T-Mobile arena to watch real-life boxer Canelo Alvarez record a win over Gennady Golovkin. 'Mr. Chaka Zulu, a beloved son of the City of Atlanta, is disappointed in the Atlanta Police Department's decision to bring charges against him surrounding the shooting that occurred in June 2022,' the statement from Banks began. 'A close review of all of the evidence, including the surveillance footage and eyewitness interviews, reveals that Mr. Zulu was attacked and jumped from behind by a gang of at least four individuals and was forced to defend himself after this gang repeatedly stomped, punched, and kicked him while he was on the ground in a defenseless posture.' The attorney added 'Zulu was shot in the back during the shooting and nearly lost his life, and is still recovering from the nearly fatal injuries he sustained that evening, and that he 'was at his place of business that night and had every right to defend himself.' Movie fighter Jordan - who took part in Black Lives Matter protests seen in Los Angeles following the killing of George Floyd in 2020 - made his thoughts on the case known. He was seen later that night in Vegas to watch Canelo Alvarez fight Gennady Golovkin (pictured) Referring to Zulu's office at the strip mall for his his label, Disturbing Tha Peace Records - now a subsidiary of Def Jam - Banks reiterated that his client had no choice but to fire on his alleged assailants to protect his own life. 'In an attempt to save his life,' Banks wrote, Mr. Zulu lawfully discharged his weapon in self-defense, a weapon that he is licensed to carry.' He went on to declare that 'Mr. Zulu remains confident that his name will be cleared of all charges through the judicial process,' and that had he 'not lawfully defended himself,' Zulu 'would have been [the one] killed that night.' The shooting erupted following an argument, although it's unclear what the dispute was about. Investigators looking into the killing identified Zulu, co-CEO of Disturbing Tha Peace Records, as a suspect. He surrendered to police on Tuesday and was was booked into the Fulton County jail on four charges, including murder, aggravated assault, simple battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was then released on $200,000 bail according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It is the first arrest in the case since the shooting occurred earlier this summer. Benton's family had pleaded for answers in the man's killing. 'We just want justice for Artez,' Arteria Benton, his older sister, told The AJC. 'That's the main thing we want. So if you see something, say something please.' Days after the shooting, celebrities took to social media to wish Zulu a speedy recovery. 'Prayers for Brother Chaka Zulu,' Roots frontman Questlove posted on Twitter. Music manager Chaka Zulu (right) pictured, left, with his most famous client Ludacris, was also shot and wounded in the June shooting Zulu began his independent record label 'Disturbing Tha Peace Records' in 1998 together with his brother Jeff Dixon and Christopher 'Ludacris' Bridges. Artez Benton, 23, was killed in the shooting, which erupted after an argument in a strip mall parking lot The record label, now a subsidiary of Def Jam, was designed to give musicians from the 'Dirty South' an opportunity to shine after being ignored by major labels, with Ludacris being the first artist represented. The city of Atlanta has been plagued with escalating violence, with more than 80 homicides so far this year. Atlanta's total number of reported homicides jumped 60 per cent from 2019 to 2020 - then again just slightly last year. In 2022, the city is outpacing last year's numbers. Buckhead, meanwhile, is Atlanta's wealthiest neighborhood, and is trying to secede from the city over its soaring violent crime. The June shooting took place in the 2200 block of Peachtree Road, a popular area in the upscale neighborhood that is dotted with shops and restaurants. Chaka Zulu, left, and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges are pictured together in March 2007 The scene of where the shooting took place in the parking lot in the block of 2200 Peachtree Road Days after the shooting, celebrities took to social media in order wish Zulu a speedy recovery Chaka Zulu is pictured in California during an event in June 2021 Zulu is best known as manager to hip-hop artist Ludacris, with His label, , now a subsidiary of Def Jam, representing artists including Chingy, Bobby Valentino, Young Jeezy, Swizz Beatz, Big K.R.I.T. and Childish Major. An investigation into the June slaying is currently underway and ongoing. In the interim, Zulu is out on bail, and cannot leave the state. She said Her Majesty had a withering gaze for those questioning her knowledge The Queen Consort has spoken of the Queen's passion for horse racing as part of a moving tribute to Her Majesty. Speaking in a televised tribute, Camilla said the late monarch had a withering gaze and would turn her 'wonderful blue eyes' on people who questioned her knowledge of the sport. She also remarked how the Queen loved her summers breaks in Balmoral and how the Her Majesty had a clear demarcation between her public duties and private life, with these breaks in Scotland were the time for 'her enjoyment'. Her Majesty's daughter-in-law also shared a personal memory of the 96-year-old from her the day of her wedding with King Charles, in which she revealed she left the Queen laughing after putting on the wrong shoes. The full tribute was aired on the BBC shortly before the national minute's silence at 8pm on Sunday. In a televised address Camilla told how of the Queen's lifelong passion for horse racing The Queen Consort said the late monarch had a withering gaze for anyone who dared to question her knowledge of horse racing Camilla said the Queen had 'wonderful blue eyes' and loved her summer breaks away from her duties in Balmoral The late monarch was never happier than when visiting her thoroughbreds at the royal stud or watching them race and Camilla commented on her 'passion for racing'. The Queen Consort said: 'She was able to escape to Sandringham. She had the stud next door. She could go every day, see her foals, work out you know, the next meetings for the year. I think she always kept that as you know, her, her private bit. 'You wouldn't dare question her or argue with her on how horse are bred or how it ran because you'd get a very steely blue-eyed look back again.' The Queen died at Balmoral, her private Scottish estate, where she would relax and enjoy the Highland landscape and the company of the local residents who saw her as a neighbour and respected her privacy. Camilla said: 'She made a rule that she had her private time and her private passions and then her public role and I think that is very important that, you know, the diary is planned out so you know when you're on duty and when you've got to do things. 'Then when she went up to Scotland in August, you know that was the moment where it was her enjoyment. 'Although she was probably working, you know with her red boxes throughout, she could have her family to stay, she could do the things she loved.' She also spoke of her wedding day on April 9, 2005, when she got married the King Charles. The Queen Consort said: 'I remember coming from here, Clarence House, (to) go to Windsor the day I got married when I probably wasn't firing on all cylinders, quite nervous and, for some unknown reason, I put on a pair of shoes and one had an inch heel and one had a two-inch heel. 'So, I mean talk about hop-a-long and there's nothing I could do. I was halfway down in the car before I realised and you know, she - she could see and laughed about it and said, "look I'm terribly sorry" and she did, you know, she had a good sense of humour.' Camilla, in pre-recorded words, also spoke about how Queen Elizabeth II carved out her own role for many years in the 'difficult position' of being a 'solitary woman' in a male-dominated world. The Queen delivered a masterstroke on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee in February 2022 when she endorsed the then-Duchess of Cornwall to be known as Queen Consort when the time came. The Queen traditionally travelled up to Balmoral for her summer break. Pictured: Her Majesty on the Balmoral Estate in October last year Her Majesty died at the estate on Thursday, September 8. Pictured: The Queen with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and their children at Balmoral Castle in the 1960s The Queen said it was her 'sincere wish' and called on the public to back both her daughter-in-law and Charles when he became King. It was a shrewd move from the monarch, in her twilight years, setting her affairs in order and ensuring as smooth a transition as possible. It ended years of debate over what Camilla - Charles's former mistress - would eventually be called. Camilla was blamed for the breakdown of the prince's marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, and, when news of their affair first came to light, she faced vitriolic criticism. But in the decades after the divorce, the untimely death of Diana in 1997 and Camilla's acceptance into The Firm, the public mood towards the former Mrs Parker Bowles has softened. Camilla shared a heartwarming anecdote about a shoe-related mishap that left the Queen laughing on her wedding day. Pictured: Camilla with King Charles on their wedding day in 2005, with Her Majesty stood behind them Following her wedding to Charles in 2005, Camilla very gradually took on a more prominent position within the royal family, including riding next to the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee carriage procession in 2012. She also began to attend the State Opening of Parliament and was made a Privy Counsellor in 2016 ahead of the Queen's official 90th birthday. In her tribute to the Queen, Camilla described some of the moments they spent together during official visits. She said: 'I've taken her to some of my charities and to the Ebony Horse Club and to the Medical Detection Dogs and she loved both of them you know, it was real sort of genuine enjoyment and she asked lots of questions and it was very nice to take her to things which I knew she would enjoy. 'She's got those wonderful blue eyes that when she smiles, you know, they light up her whole face. I'll always remember that smile, you know, that smile is unforgettable.' Bill Clinton, 76, said that Republicans are only able to 'close' in midterm elections because 'they scare people' into thinking they need to vote in right-leaning politicians. The former Democratic president said that his party could hold onto the House and Senate in November's election if they 'say the right things' suggesting that Republicans are better at embellishing to make their cause seem more dire. While early predictions pointed to a Republican bloodbath in the 2022 midterms, more recent polling has shown Democrats and the GOP at a tie or close to one when asked which party likely voters would rather see control Congress. An often-repeated historical pendulum pattern shows Congress flipping to the opposite party than a new president in the midterms two years after they are sworn into office. President Clinton, who was in office from 1993 to 2001, thinks the pattern can be broken this year. 'We could hold both of these houses,' Clinton said to CNN's Fareed Zakaria in a Sunday interview. Former President Bill Clinton said Sunday that Democrats could keep majorities in the House and Senate if they 'say the right things' What does former Pres. @BillClinton think of Democrats' midterm chances, overcoming political divisions, & America's culture-war politics? Part 1 of our wide-ranging interview from today's GPS: pic.twitter.com/Pv69ZVgPp5 Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) September 18, 2022 'But we have to say the right things and we have to know that the Republicans always close well. Why? Because they find some new way to scare the living daylights out of swing voters about something,' he continued. An example Clinton used was throughout the elections in 2021 when he said that Republicans were appealing to their anti-Critical Race Theory voters by using the issue as a single-issue campaign platform. The GOP was successfully able to campaign on education issues, winning some key elections by promising parents more say in their children's schooling. Virginia Governor Glenn Yougkin was able to win his race against former Democratic Governor Terry Mcauliffe by focusing on education in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election. Clinton said Republicans 'scared' voters by making 'critical race theory sound worse than smallpox.' 'And it wasn't being taught at any public schools in America,' he insisted. 'They didn't care. They just scare people.' He claimed 'Republicans always close well. Why? Because they find some new way to scare the living daylights out of swing voters about something' There are less than two months until voters will head to the polls for the 2022 midterms, which will decide the fate of the House and Senate. Democrats are trying to hold onto their razor-thin majorities in both chambers. The Senate is split 50-50, meaning that Vice President Kamala Harris is the only thing keeping Democrats in the majority in the upper chamber right now. If just one seat is lost to Republicans, the Senate will flip red. There is a slightly larger margin in the lower chamber but not by much. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can only afford to lose a handful of seats if she wants to maintain a Democrat control of the House. Advertisement Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend the Queen's funeral and are set to walk into Westminster Abbey with their parents. The two young siblings, who are second and third in line to the throne, will take part in today's procession with the likes of King Charles and Prince Harry, as the eyes of the world look towards central London. It was confirmed last night that the Prince and Princess of Wales will bring George, nine, and Charlotte, seven, would take part, with sources calling it a 'collective family decision' to make them what is thought to be the youngest ever to take a central role in such a momentous occasion. It comes after they appeared at the funeral of Prince Philip, their great-grandfather last year, and will give them a chance to say goodbye to Her Majesty, who they affectionately called 'Gan Gan'. It is understood the pair will accompany their mother, Kate, and the Queen consort, Camilla, in a car to Westminster Abbey, rather than walk the entire length of the procession route. They will then join the procession when it arrives, and will accompany their parents and other members of the royal family in following their great-grandmother's coffin into the place of worship. Millions of people in the UK and billions around the world are set to watch Queen Elizabeth II's funeral later, with the service itself set to play host to many of the most powerful men and women on the planet in the form of presidents, prime ministers and royalty. Tens of thousands of people will line the procession route between Westminster and Windsor, where Her Majesty will be laid to rest this evening. Police forces from across the country have sent officers to London to help with security, while transport warnings have been issued warning people about road closures in the capital and potential standing room-only on trains to and from the city. Last night officials stopped mourners from joining the miles-long queue of people wishing to pay their respects to the Queen, as they prepare to empty Westminster Hall before the funeral service starts. It came on the same evening that King Charles thanked the public for their support following his mother's death, while Buckingham Palace released a new portrait showing Her Majesty. The new monarch said he and the Queen Consort have been 'deeply touched' as he prepares the country for a 'last farewell' to his mother on the eve of her funeral. Here is what is set to happen today: The last members of the queue which has been present in London since Wednesday will pay their respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall early this morning; Her Majesty's coffin will be moved to Westminster Abbey for an hour-long funeral service attended by world leaders, heads of state, royalty and foreign dignitaries; Her great-grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who are second and third in line to the throne, will take part in the event; Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will also take part in the procession and will be present for the funeral service; In the afternoon the late monarch's coffin will be transported to St George's Chapel in Windsor for a committal service. Both this and the morning's funeral service will televised worldwide; At the end of the committal service Her Majesty's coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault at Windsor and her family will return in the evening for a private service, during which she will be laid to rest; Prince George and Princess Charlotte are expected to attend their great-grandmother's funeral at Westminster Abbey tomorrow. Pictured: The Queen stands on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children Prince George (left), Princess Charlotte (centre) and Prince Louis (right) Buckingham Palace has released a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the eve of her funeral at Westminster Abbey King Charles has released a heartfelt statement saying thank you for the well-wishes sent to the royal family following his mother's death. Pictured: The King meets members of the public on South Bank on Saturday Members of the public file past the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall on Sunday, September 18. Tens of thousands of people have paid their respects to Her Majesty over the last few days The King and Queen Consort will lead other senior members of the Royal Family in the funeral procession into Westminster Abbey later today While the King and Queen Consort will be leading the royal family behind Her Majesty's coffin tomorrow, a lot of observers will be watching the youngest members of the procession. The children will not walk the full length of the procession, which will see William, Harry and their cousin Peter Phillips walk alongside each other towards Westminster Abbey. However, when they reach the church the Prince and Princess of Wales' two eldest children will join their parents in following the Queen's coffin inside. The Daily Mail understands that William and Kate thought 'long and hard' about whether their two eldest children should join them. But after George and Charlotte attended their great-grandfathers memorial in March, William and Kate decided they could cope with the solemnity of the occasion. Louis, the couples youngest, is just four and will not be joining. As parents they have, of course, thought long and hard about whether their children should accompany them, a source said. Of course little Louis is too young, but they think George and Charlotte are up to it. It is understood the children will also be in the congregation for the committal service at St Georges Chapel at Windsor this afternoon. A decision is to be taken about whether they feel up to taking part in the procession there, too. The procession is set to see King Charles and his wife Camilla lead the most senior members of the Royal Family. They will be followed by Princess Anne, the Queen's second eldest child, and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Behind them will be Prince Andrew, the Queen's third child, and following him will be Prince Edward, the youngest of the siblings, and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex. The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their two eldest children, will come behind, and they will be followed by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. After this will come the Earl of Snowden, son of the Queen's late sister, Prince Margaret, and Peter Phillips - the son of Princess Anne. Behind them will be Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, as well as Prince Michael of Kent and the Duke of Kent. King Charles and the Queen Consort Camilla view floral tributes in Hillsborough Castle last week. The King has visited all four nations since the death of his mother last week The King will lead the nation in mourning the passing of his mother tomorrow, with her funeral expected to be watched by billions around the world. Pictured: The King speaks after receiving a message of condolence in the Northern Ireland Assembly Members of the public queue through Shad Thames near Tower Bridge yesterday as they wait for up to 12 hours to pay their respects to the Queen People in Windsor come out to Long Walk tonight to observe the national minute's silence in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II King Charles III has thanked the public for its support following the death of his mother. Pictured: The King looks on during a reception for local charities at Cardiff Castle in Wales on Friday, September 16 US President Joe Biden touched his hand to his heart and appeared to snap off a quick salute to the late monarch in a gesture of respect at Westminster Hall earlier today Charles will lead the nation in mourning for its longest reigning monarch, while two thousand world leaders, royals and foreign dignitaries crowd into the gothic church in the centre of London. In a heartfelt message put out by Buckingham Palace last night, the King said he was moved by the response of the public and the support they had given him since his mother's death on Thursday, September 8. King Charles thanked the public for their well-wishes following his mother's death, saying he wanted, 'as we all prepare to say our last farewell', to offer his gratitude to 'all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my Family and myself in this time of grief'. The King said, in the written message issued by Buckingham Palace: 'Over the last ten days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world. 'In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late Queen. 'As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my Family and myself in this time of grief.' He made the statement on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral at Westminster Abbey. Pictured: A King's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms guards Her Majesty's coffin at Westminster Hall today Tens of thousands of people have spent hours queuing to see Her Majesty in Westminster Hall in recent days. Pictured: The queue to get in stretches past Tower Bridge There have been suggestions that Prince George (bottom left) could play some role in the Queen's funeral service. Here he is pictured with his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with his siblings Princess Charlotte (bottom centre) and Prince Louis (bottom right) on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in June this year Royal guards stand by Queen Elizabeth II's flag-draped coffin lying in state on the catafalque at Westminster Hall on September 18, 2022 in London, England Since Wednesday tens of thousands of people have patiently stood in line as they wait to pay their respects to the Queen as she lies in state at Westminster Hall. The queue has snaked its way through central London for more than four miles, taking mourners past numerous landmarks including the Tate Modern, the London Eye and Tower Bridge. Those inside the hall were joined by multiple foreign heads of state yesterday, as world leaders arriving in London for Her Majesty's funeral took the chance to pay their respects in the palace. The likes of US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan were all seen in Westminster Hall. Later tonight officials will stop more people from joining the queue as they look to clear the line before the Queen's coffin is moved in tomorrow's funeral procession to Westminster Abbey, where her funeral is being held tomorrow morning. Two of the late Queens other great-grandchildren, Mia and Lena Tindall, were at Westminster Hall on Friday for her lying-in-state. They were in the gallery with their parents Zara and Mike Tindall as their grandmother, Princess Anne, took her place alongside her three brothers for a silent vigil beside the Queens coffin. There was no sign of George, Charlotte or Louis at a vigil by the Queens grandchildren and the Prince of Wales might have good reason to consider whether courtiers suggestions to involve a nine-year-old in tomorrows funeral are wise. How the stunning state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will unfold Ahead of the service on Monday morning, the tenor bell will be tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting the years of Queen Elizabeths incredible life. At 10.44am sharp, the late monarchs coffin will be moved the short distance to Westminster Abbey in time for the funeral service to start at 11am sharp. The Queens most senior guardsmen, the Grenadier Guards, will form the bearer party carrying the coffin from the catafalque at Westminster Hall through the North Door to the waiting 123-year-old state gun carriage, which will be drawn by 142 Royal Naval ratings along the route to the Abbey. Led by 200 musicians, the procession will go through Parliament Square, where it will be saluted by a guard of honour. From here, the King, his siblings and children, as well as loyal members of Her Majestys household, will march behind the coffin. Princess Charlotte and Prince George will be driven to the Abbey with the Princess of Wales and the Queen Consort, to join the family party outside. Inside, the gothic splendour of the cathedral will be packed with more than 2,000 VIPs, including world leaders and foreign royals. Among them will be everyday people who have served the country, including NHS heroes who worked tirelessly through the pandemic and Armed Forces veterans. The hour-long service will conclude with the Last Post, followed by a two-minute silence observed across the nation and the national anthem in which Abbey mourners will hail our new King. A haunting lament played by the Queens Piper, Sleep, Dearie, Sleep, has been included at her personal request. Afterwards the coffin will embark on the last stage of its journey, travelling 25 miles to her beloved Windsor, where she will finally be laid to rest. The committal service will be smaller and far more personal with the Instruments of State the Imperial Crown, Orb and Sceptre removed from the coffin and placed on the high altar, symbolically ending the Elizabethan reign. The Lord Chamberlain, who is the most senior official of the Royal Household, will then symbolically break his wand of office and place it on the coffin to signify him officially losing office. The Queens coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault, ready to be privately reunited later this evening with her beloved Philip, her parents and her sister in their family chapel. Us four as King George VI famously referred to his family will become us five in the afterlife. Advertisement William spoke movingly last week about how walking behind his grandmothers coffin as it left Buckingham Palace for the last time on Wednesday had evoked poignant memories of his mother Princess Dianas funeral 25 years ago. William and Harry, then 15 and 12, found their grief thrust into the public gaze when they followed Dianas coffin along the same route down the Mall and Whitehall. It became one of the defining images of the day and left a lasting impact. William has previously said it was one of the hardest things Ive ever done, while Harry said: I dont think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. Tomorrow morning the King's Guard will begin their final vigil over the Queen's coffin at 6am, with Westminster Hall set to close at 8.30am. The doors of Westminster Abbey, just over the road, will open at 8am. At 9am Big Ben will strike clearly before the bell's hammer is covered with a thick leather pad to muffle it's strikes for the rest of the day. At 10.35am the coffin will be moved onto a state carriage and taken to Westminster Abbey, arriving at 10.52am. Before the service, a bell will toll 96 times, reflecting the years of Queen Elizabeths life. The service will, Buckingham Palace says, pay tribute to the Queens remarkable reign and lifetime of service as head of state, nation and Commonwealth. The televised funeral service will begin at 11am, led by the Dean of Westminster and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Hymns including The Lords My Shepherd and Love Divine will be sung. Lessons feature 1 Corinthians 15 20-26, 53-end and John 14 1-9a, with all aspects personally chosen by the Queen. A specially commissioned choral piece, Like As The Hart, composed by the Master of The Kings Music, Judith Weir, will be sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey. The choir will also sing a short anthem, O Taste And See, which was composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the Queens coronation in 1953. The Archbishop of Canterbury will give a reading, while Prime Minister Liz Truss will read the second lesson, with prayers from leading clerics including the Bishop of London and Archbishop of York. Tears are sure to flow at The Last Post and Reveille, as well as the first major public rendition of the National Anthem. A rendition of Sleep, Dearie, Sleep played by the Queens piper will have huge significance to her family. The service, which will be shown live on the BBC and ITV, as well as 150 cinemas in the UK, is expected to be seen by as many as 4.1billion people worldwide. At 11.55am the nation will observe a two minute silence followed by a rendition of the Last Post. The funeral will officially end at midday. Following the service, the Queen's coffin will be placed on the back of the state gun carriage at 12.15pm. A funeral procession will then move through Parliament Square, Whitehall, Constitution Hill and the Mall to arrive at Wellington Arch at 1pm. The coffin will then travel to St George's Chapel in Windsor, arriving at 3.15pm to allow the public to pay their respects. At 4pm there will be a televised committal service conducted by the Dean of Windsor, during which the Imperial State Crown, sceptre and orb will be removed from the coffin by the crown jeweller. A lone piper will then play a lament as Her Majesty is lowered into the Royal Vault. At 7.30pm King Charles and the Queen's relatives will return to St George's Chapel for a private family burial service, where the new monarch will scatter earth on her coffin. After being taken by gun carriage from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, the State Hearse will carry the Queen's coffin west along the south edge of Hyde Park in central London, before passing through Queens Gate and heading down Cromwell Road. It will then head down Talgarth Road via the Hammersmith Flyover, Great West Road (A4) and Great South West Road (A30). It will continue on the A30 and will then take the A308 to make the final part of the journey to Shaw Farm Gate outside Windsor Castle, where it will be met by the procession that will take it up the Long Walk to St George's Chapel The Lord's My Shepherd, The Last Post, and a poignant National Anthem: Read the Order of Service for the Queen's funeral Westminster Abbey, 11am, Monday, September 19 Before the service, the tenor bell is tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting each year of Queen Elizabeth IIs life. MUSIC BEFORE THE SERVICE Fantasia of Four Parts Orlando Gibbons (15831625) Romanza (Symphony No 5 in D) Ralph Vaughan Williams (18721958) Reliqui Domum Meum Peter Maxwell Davies (19342016) Meditation on Brother Jamess Air Harold Darke (18881976) Prelude on Ecce Jam Noctis, Op 157 No 3 Healey Willan (18801968) Psalm Prelude Set 1 no 2 Herbert Howells (18921983) In The Country, Op 194 no 2 Charles Villiers Stanford (18521924) Fantasy on O Paradise Malcolm Williamson (19312003) Elegy, Op 58 Sir Edward Elgar (18571934) Andante espressivo (Sonata in G, Op 28) Elgar Sospiri, Op 70 Elgar The Procession of Religious Representatives (from the Churches in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the leaders of Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and other faiths) moves to places in the Nave and the Sacrarium. All remain seated. ORDER OF SERVICE All stand. Her Majestys coffin enters the Abbey, surmounted by the Imperial State Crown and the Orb and Sceptre, borne by the bearer party including: The King, The Queen Consort, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, Countess of Wessex, Earl of Wessex, Princess of Wales, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Duchess of Sussex, Duke of Sussex, Earl Snowdon, Peter Phillips; Duke of Gloucester, Prince Michael of Kent, Duke of Kent. The choir sings: THE SENTENCES John 11: 2526; Job 19: 2527; 1 Timothy 6: 7; Job 1: 21 The Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Choir of the Chapel Royal, St Jamess Palace, sing: Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears unto our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and most merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer, 1549 Heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours. Amen. Revelation 14:13 THE BIDDING By Dr David Hoyle MBE, Dean of Westminster (extract): In grief and also in profound thanksgiving we come to this House of God, to a place of prayer, to a church where remembrance and hope are sacred duties. Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth, and from the nations of the world, to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service, and in sure confidence to commit her to the mercy of God our maker and redeemer. With gratitude we remember her unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth. With admiration we recall her life-long sense of duty and dedication to her people. With thanksgiving we praise God for her constant example of Christian faith and devotion. With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear. Now, in silence, let us in our hearts and minds recall our many reasons for thanksgiving, pray for all members of her family, and commend Queen Elizabeth to the care and keeping of almighty God. A brief silence is kept. All sing: THE DAY THOU GAVEST The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended, the darkness falls at thy behest; to thee our morning hymns ascended, thy praise shall sanctify our rest. We thank thee that thy Church unsleeping, while Earth rolls onward into light, through all the world her watch is keeping, and rests not now by day or night. As oer each continent and island the dawn leads on another day, the voice of prayer is never silent, nor dies the strain of praise away. The sun that bids us rest is waking our brethren neath the western sky, and hour by hour fresh lips are making thy wondrous doings heard on high. So be it, Lord! thy throne shall never, like Earths proud empires, pass away; thy kingdom stands, and grows for ever, till all thy creatures own thy sway. John Ellerton (182693); St. Clement Scholefield (18391904) THE FIRST LESSON 1 Corinthians 15: 2026, 53end, read by Baroness Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth All remain seated as the choir sings: THE PSALM Psalm 42: 17, composed for this service by Judith Weir CBE Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks: so longeth my soul after thee, O God. My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God: when shall I come to appear before the presence of God? My tears have been my meat day and night: while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God? Now when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself: for I went with the multitude, and brought them forth into the house of God; In the voice of praise and thanksgiving: among such as keep holy-day. Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my soul: and why art thou so disquieted within me? Put thy trust in God: for I will yet give him thanks for the help of his countenance. The Queen's funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey at 11am on Monday September 19, 2022 THE SECOND LESSON John 14: 19a, read by Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss All stand to sing: THE LORDS MY SHEPHERD The Lords my shepherd, Ill not want; he makes me down to lie in pastures green; he leadeth me the quiet waters by. My soul he doth restore again, and me to walk doth make within the paths of righteousness, een for his own names sake. The choir sings: Yea, though I walk through deaths dark vale, yet will I fear none ill; for thou art with me, and thy rod and staff me comfort still. All sing: My table thou hast furnished in presence of my foes; my head thou dost with oil anoint, and my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me; and in Gods house for evermore my dwelling place shall be. Psalm 23 in Scottish Psalter 1650 Crimond attributed to Jessie Seymour Irvine (183687), harmony by David Grant (183393), descant by William Baird Ross (18711950) THE SERMON By the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby All remain seated as the choir sings: Queen Elizabeth waves from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee in June THE ANTHEM My soul, there is a country Far beyond the stars, Where stands a winged sentry All skilful in the wars: There above noise, and danger, Sweet Peace sits crowned with smiles, And One born in a manger Commands the beauteous files. He is thy gracious friend, And (O my soul, awake!) Did in pure love descend, To die here for thy sake. If thou canst get but thither, There grows the flower of Peace, The Rose that cannot wither, Thy fortress, and thy ease. Leave then thy foolish ranges, For none can thee secure, But One who never changes, Thy God, thy Life, thy Cure. Henry Vaughan (162195); from Songs of Farewell Hubert Parry (18481918) THE PRAYERS Led by Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, the Prayers are read by: Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Shermara Fletcher, Principal Officer for Pentecostal and Charismatic Relations, Churches Together in England; Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London and Dean of His Majestys Chapels Royal; Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group; Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York The choir sings Psalm 34:8 as composed for the Queens Coronation in 1953 by Ralph Vaughan Williams: O taste and see how gracious the Lord is, blest is the man that trusteth in him. The Queen pictured with her son the new monarch King Charles during the Platinum Jubilee THE LORDS PRAYER All stand to sing: LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesu, thou art all compassion, pure unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart. Come, almighty to deliver, let us all thy life receive; suddenly return, and never, never more thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above, pray, and praise thee, without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love. Finish then thy new creation, pure and spotless let us be; let us see thy great salvation, perfectly restored in thee, changed from glory into glory till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise! Charles Wesley (170788) All remain standing for: THE COMMENDATION The Archbishop of Canterbury says: Let us commend to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer, the soul of Elizabeth, our late Queen. Heavenly Father, King of kings, Lord and giver of life, who of thy grace in creation didst form mankind in thine own image, and in thy great love offerest us life eternal in Christ Jesus; claiming the promises of thy most blessed Son, we entrust the soul of Elizabeth, our sister here departed, to thy merciful keeping, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, when Christ shall be all in all; who died and rose again to save us, and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, in glory for ever. Amen. O forth, O Christian soul, from this world, in the name of God the Father almighty, who created thee; in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who suffered for thee; in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon thee and anointed thee. In communion with all the blessed saints, and aided by the angels and archangels and all the armies of the heavenly host, may thy portion this day be in peace, and thy dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen. All remain standing as the choir sings: THE ANTHEM Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Alleluia! Amen. Romans 8:35a, 38bend, composed for this service by Sir James MacMillan THE BLESSING God grant to the living grace; to the departed rest; to the Church, The King, the Commonwealth, and all people, peace and concord, and to us sinners, life everlasting; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen. All remain standing for: THE LAST POST REVEILLE All sing: THE NATIONAL ANTHEM The Queens Piper, Pipe Major Paul Burns, plays Sleep, dearie, Sleep. All remain standing as the coffin leaves the church while sub-organist plays Fantasia in C minor MUSIC AFTER THE SERVICE Allegro maestoso (Sonata in G, Op 28) Sir Edward Elgar ST GEORGE'S CHAPEL, WINDSOR CASTLE, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2022, 4PM Organ music before service includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Dame Ethel Smyth, Herbert Howells and Sir Edward Elgar. 4pm, coffin enters. Bearer party includes senior royals as earlier, but not including Williams children. Includes senior courtiers from both Queens and Charless households. PSALM 121 All then sit as the Choir sings: THE RUSSIAN CONTAKION OF THE DEPARTED THE BIDDING By the Dean of Windsor Extract: We pray that God will give us grace to honour her memory by following her example, and that, with our sister Elizabeth, at the last, we shall know the joys of life eternal. All remain standing. ALL MY HOPE ON GOD IS FOUNDED All my Hope on God is Founded, by Robert Bridges, based on the German of Joachim Neander (165080) THE READING Revelation 21.17, Read by the Dean of Windsor Extract: I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. THE PRAYERS Read by the Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of the Royal Chapel, Windsor Great Park. All say together: THE LORDS PRAYER All sit as the Choir sings: THE MOTET By John Donne (15721631) to music by Sir William Henry Harris, KCVO (18831973), sometime Organist, St Georges Chapel All stand for the presentation, in silence, of the Instruments of State, to be received by the Dean of Windsor, from the Queens Bargemaster and a Serjeant of Arms, who places them on the High Altar. CHRIST IS MADE THE SURE FOUNDATION Christ is Made the Sure Foundation, from Latin 7th century translated by John M. Neale (1818-66) At the end of the hymn, The Queens Company Camp Colour is placed on the coffin by The King having received it from the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel Grenadier Guards. The Lord Chamberlain breaks his wand which is placed upon the coffin. Queen Elizabeth II will be buried at St George's Chapel (pictured) in the grounds of Windsor Castle THE COMMITTAL As the coffin is lowered, the Dean of Windsor says: THE PSALM Psalm 103, 1317 Garter King of Arms proclaims: THE STYLES AND TITLES OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II THUS it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto His Divine Mercy the late Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. The Queens Piper plays a lament THE BLESSING Pronounced by the Archbishop of Canterbury THE NATIONAL ANTHEM All remain standing. THE VOLUNTARY Prelude and Fugue in C Minor Johann Sebastian Bach Advertisement Beautiful rainbows appeared above Westminster and Windsor tonight on the eve of the Queen's funeral amid Londoners revelling at a stunning red sky over Big Ben. The skies seemed to say a last goodbye to the Monarch who has been a central figurehead of the country for over 70 years, and Britain's longest reigning monarch. Elizabeth II was synonymous with Windsor Castle, where rainbows appeared, and where she spent much of her time especially after the death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, in April last year. Her Majesty also gave her name to the tower which holds the bell of Big Ben, which has was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark her Diamond Jubilee. And the rainbows were seen also overhead the Queue, which has seen countless mourners lining up throughout the night to see the Queen lying in state. It comes as rainbows were also spotted outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle on the day of Her Majestys death, on Thursday, September 8. Natures own memorial: A rainbow appeared yesterday over Westminster Abbey and Parliament while Londoners revel at a stunning red sky over Big Ben A rainbow also appeared when people gathered outside Buckingham Palace on the day the Queen died, aged 96, in Balmoral on Thursday, September 8 The Union flag is pictured being lowered on Windsor Castle as a rainbow covers the sky on September 08, when the Queen died last week A rainbow is seen in a semi circle over Westminster Hall this evening as people continue to join the queue to see the Queen lying in state A rainbow is seen over the Big Ben on the eve of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century A rainbow is seen over Windsor Castle in Berkshire, where the Queen spent most of her time during her long reign and was known to be fond of A rainbow forms as people queue to pay their respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth following her death, in London The funeral of the only monarch most Britons have known involves the biggest security operation London has ever seen. Mayor Sadiq Khan says tomorrow's state funeral is an 'unprecedented' security challenge, with hundreds of thousands of people packing central London and a funeral guest list of 500 emperors, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and other leaders from around the world. 'It's been decades since this many world leaders were in one place,' Mr Khan said. 'This is unprecedented ... in relation to the various things that we're juggling.' 'There could be bad people wanting to cause damage to individuals or to some of our world leaders,' he told The Associated Press. 'So we are working incredibly hard - the police, the security services and many, many others - to make sure this state funeral is as successful as it can be.' Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the 'hugely complex' policing operation is the biggest in the London force's history, surpassing the London 2012 Olympics. 'Our response here in London will be proportionate, it will be balanced, and officers will only be taking action where it is absolutely necessary,' he said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said the goal was to keep the event safe, 'and try to do it in as unobtrusive a way as possible, because this is obviously a solemn occasion.' More than 10,000 police officers will be on duty Monday, with London officers supplemented by reinforcements from all of Britain's 43 police forces. Hundreds of volunteer marshals and members of the armed forces will also act as stewards along the processional route. They are just the most visible part of a security operation that is being run from a high-tech control center near Lambeth Bridge, not far from Parliament. Street drains and garbage bins are being searched and sealed. Tomorrow there will be police spotters on rooftops, sniffer dogs on the streets, marine officers on the River Thames and mounted police on horseback. Flying drones over Central London has been temporarily banned, and Heathrow Airport is grounding scores of flights so that aircraft noise does not disturb the funeral service. Authorities face the challenge of keeping 500 world leaders safe, without ruffling too many diplomatic feathers. Presidents, prime ministers and royalty will gather offsite before being taken by bus to the abbey - though an exception is being made for Mr Biden, who is expected to arrive in his armored limousine, known as The Beast. Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren (clockwise from front centre) the Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Princess Eugenie, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall hold a vigil After being taken by gun carriage from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, the State Hearse will carry the Queen's coffin west along the south edge of Hyde Park in central London, before passing through Queens Gate and heading down Cromwell Road. It will then head down Talgarth Road via the Hammersmith Flyover, Great West Road (A4) and Great South West Road (A30). It will continue on the A30 and will then take the A308 to make the final part of the journey to Shaw Farm Gate outside Windsor Castle, where it will be met by the procession that will take it up the Long Walk to St George's Chapel Another challenge is the sheer size of the crowds expected to gather around Westminster Abbey and along the route the coffin will travel after the funeral, past Buckingham Palace to Hyde Park. From there it will be taken by hearse about 20 miles to Windsor, where another 2,000 police officers will be on duty. The Queen is due to be interred in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle alongside her husband Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99. The President of Armenia copped flak earlier today for disrespecting the Queen as he took photos and chatted to aides during a visit to see her lying-in-state in Westminster Hall. Vahagn Khachaturyan, an ally of warmongering Russian president Vladimir Putin, was seen bowing at the late monarch's coffin as one of his lackies snapped some pictures on his mobile phone. Bystanders meanwhile claimed the Armenian leader was loudly rabbiting on to his entourage as they trundled along the VIP walkway and down to the floor where Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is lying. His actions flew in the face of strict rules in the 1,000-year-old chamber which forbid the taking of photos or videos and call for quiet, respectful behaviour. Khachaturyan was seen in June of this year sharing a warm embrace with Putin at a Russian economic conference even as war raged across the border in Ukraine. One attendee at Westminster Hall told The Sun: 'There were hundreds of people in that hall - no one was speaking. Only him. Yap, yap, yap, yap. He clearly planned to have his photo taken. Castle Wardens observe the national minute's silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in Berkshire on Sunday evening Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss (R) stands on the steps of 10 Downing Street joining in a National Moment of reflection to show her respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II at 8pm on Sunday A police officer observes a National moment of reflection in Waterloo Station on Sunday 'He and his aide hold back as the group in front passes the coffin... He knows the rules and would have been told before he went in.' Another angry source said: 'Everyone has managed to follow those rules to the very letter - apart from this one individual.' It is unclear whether Khachaturyan, who remains a close ally of the Kremlin despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, will join other world leaders at the Queen's funeral tomorrow. The VIP time slots given to visiting heads of state and foreign dignitaries comes as hundreds of thousands of people queue spend hour after hour lining up to see Her Majesty. Since Wednesday many had patiently stood in line as they wait to pay their respects, with the queue snaking its way through central London for more than four miles past numerous landmarks including the Tate Modern, the London Eye and Tower Bridge. Later today officials will stop more people from joining the queue as they look to clear the line before the Queen's coffin is moved in tomorrow's funeral procession to Westminster Abbey, where her funeral is being held tomorrow morning. Westminster Hall will close at 8.30am, with the doors of Westminster Abbey opening at 8am. The funeral service will begin at 11am. The service, which will be shown live on the BBC and ITV, as well as 150 cinemas in the UK, is expected to be seen by as many as 4.1billion people worldwide. After the service at Westminster Abbey the Queen's coffin will be moved to Windsor where there will be a committal service tomorrow evening. The patron, identified as Eric Smith, told Alberto's to sue him and now restaurant is hoping once they take him to court they'll get their $3,000 back A Pennsylvania restaurant famous from a mention by the hit-show 'The Office' is suing a customer for more than $3,000 after the patron left a very generous tip for a waitress and than disputed the charge on his credit card -- leaving the restaurant to dole out the cash for their server. Mariana Lambert, a waitress at Alfredo's Pizza Cafe located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was elated when a customer left several thousands of dollars as a tip for her service. She felt like she had just hit the jackpot, until the generous patron decided he wanted the money back and now the restaurant is taking the man to court. The customer identified as Eric Smith had ordered a stromboli that cost just $13.25. He charged the item on his credit card, added the $3,000 tip and wrote: 'Tips For Jesus.' The male patron claimed that the generous tip was part of a social media movement called Tips for Jesus. Lambert who was 'in shock' said it was an extremely generous gesture that 'really touched my heart,' during a time when many people and businesses were getting back on their feet after COVID. 'It really meant a lot to me because everyone's going through stuff," she said. But, Lambert learned that the generous customer wasn't so generous, after all, and disputed the charge with his credit card company. The restaurant however had already handed over the $3,000 to Lambert. Mariana Lambert, a waitress at Alfredo's Cafe said she was stunned when she was given such a massive tip sharing. 'It really meant a lot to me because everyone's going through stuff," she said. Weeks later, the patron disputed the charge and the restaurant had to dole out the cash to pay Lambert The customer identified as Eric Smith had ordered a stromboli that cost $13.25. He charged the item on his credit card, added the $3,000 tip and wrote: 'Tips For Jesus. 'He claimed that the generous tip was part of a social media movement called 'Tips for Jesus' Alfredo's Pizza Cafe is suing the patron for $3,000. The manager said the restaurant was hoping it was just a big misunderstanding and made several attempts to reach out to the customer on Facebook but their messages went unanswered When the restaurant reached out to Smith about the charge he was disputing they had hoped that it was just a big misunderstanding and they had started speaking with Smith through Facebook. Restaurant management was hoping to resolve the incident, but, after many of their posts went unanswered they had to get the magistrate's office involved and file charges. Zachary Jacobson, the manager at Alfredo's Cafe described the entire ordeal as 'aggravating.' 'We're just out of money at this point and he told us to sue him so that is what we are going to end up doing, I guess,' Jacobson said, in part, WNEP News reported. Zachary Jacobson, the manager at Alfredo's Cafe described the entire ordeal as 'aggravating.' 'We're just out of money at this point and he told us to sue him so that is what we are going to end up doing, I guess,' Jacobson said, in part A scene from 'The Launch Party' which appeared in the fourth season of The Office. The episode garnered more than 8.91 million viewers, a report said Dunder Mifflin's Michael Scott (Steve Carell) during a scene in The Office during the hilarious episode of 'The Launch Party' Jacobson said initially when his server got the staggering tip he was happy for Lambert and said, 'somebody was actually trying to do a good thing.' Three months later and nothing has been resolved. He is hoping they will win in court and get their $3,000 back In the meantime, he is calling Lambert a 'hardworking' waitress who was deserving of the money and the incident as a 'a nice piece of PR for a small business." 'I hope that he owns up to his actions and comes forth and does pay this because you shouldn't have done this if this was the end result," he said. On Season 4 of 'The Office' Alfredo's Pizza Cafe was mentioned in the episode: 'The Launch Party' 'Do you know which is best? Alfredo's Pizza Cafe or Pizza by Alfredo?" Alfredo's Pizza Cafe is a real restaurant in Scranton. Pizza by Alfredo is not. A British doctor has accused Australians of being racist and looking down on international medical graduates. Dr Salim Uddin had opened up on his experiences studying to be a medical professional and revealed he has made plans to travel to Melbourne. 'It's not the land of the rising sun and golden rainbows and springs and clearwater,' he told medical podcast Strive Med. 'The Aussies are quite racist, this is just a fact. They're not so IMG friendly.' Dr Salim Uddin had opened up on his experiences studying to be a medical professional and revealed he has made plans to travel to Melbourne 'IMG' is an abbreviation for international medical graduate and refers to a doctor who has graduated at a school outside of the country they intend to work in. 'Unless you're in a big city, a metropolitan city, and you're not white. 'If you're more on the browner end of life the Aussies can be quite mean, especially if you're Asian'. Dr Uddin said racism was just the 'tip of the iceberg' and that one of his biggest problems was obtaining a visa. 'That's what I found was very hard,' he said. 'And actually, I now recommend to any F1 or F2, do not go to Australia.' F1 and F2 refer to doctors undertaking a two-year postgraduate medical training program known as the Foundation Program. Doctors are required to complete the course so they can make the transition from medical school to specialist and general practice. 'I am now seven months into my application, I am still in my first stage. If I don't get my visa by February, I won't be able to do my work there.' Dr Uddin admitted the work conditions and pay was much better in Australia with the salary triple what he would be earning in the United Kingdom. The average salary for a doctor in Australia is around $160,000 or $128,000 for entry level jobs. 'IMG' is an abbreviation for international medical graduate and refers to a doctor who has graduated at a school outside of the country they intend to work in (stock image) A average salary for a doctor in the United Kingdom is $128,000 or $68,000 for beginners. 'You get more annual leave, you get more study time. It's a far more relaxed lifestyle as well. Thirty-eight hour weeks. The job is amazing. 'That's the good part of going to Australia. It's easy to get a job. I applied online, I had a five minute interview.' Video of the podcast was shared to TikTok where some social media users agreed with his claims. 'Aussie. true. and a lot of it is quiet insidious racism which is very hard to address,' one person wrote. A second added: 'Facts.... suffered from it during my placement (as a middle eastren person)'. Other social media users disagreed praising the cultural diversity in the country. 'Been living in Sydney for more than 10 years,' one wrote. 'Its very much multicultural and diverse. Guess Sydney doesnt represent the whole continent?' Lidia Thorpe has refused to attend a memorial for Queen Elizabeth II in Canberra and instead join an 'abolish the monarchy' protest in Melbourne later this week. The Greens senator revealed she will skip the official service for Her Majesty that will be held at the Great Hall at Parliament House on Thursday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has invited all federal politicians to the event with Greens leader Adam Bandt expected to be among the guests. But Ms Thorpe will travel interstate to attend an Indigenous healing ceremony and then finish her day by joining a protest. Lidia Thorpe will not be attending a memorial for The Queen in Canberra and will instead join an 'abolish the monarchy' protest in Melbourne later this week Instead Ms Thorpe will travel interstate to attend an Indigenous healing ceremony and then finish her day by joining a protest 'On September 22, I'll be mourning our ancestors and our old people who fought in the Frontier Wars and who died fighting for this country,' she told The Australian. 'After a healing ceremony, I'll be marching to protest over 500 deaths in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. 'Treaty is the solution to the injustices we face, by bringing people together to end the war that started in 1788.' The Djirri Djirri Dancers have organised the healing ceremony and the event will include a ceremonial fire, song and dance. 'We thought the best day to have a healing ceremony would be Thursday the 22nd , the day set aside by the government to pay respects to a person living on the other side of the world,' the group wrote in a Facebook post. 'We want to reclaim this space for our Sorry Business, as a time to mourn and commemorate our true kings and queens (repurposing those terms as well) and remember them, honour them, commemorate them and heal the community who are struggling through these sad times.' A protest held later in the day will be run by a different group that is known as Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance - WAR. Prime minister Anthony Albanese has invited all federal politicians to the memorial for the late Queen with Greens leader Adam Bandt among the guests The group describes itself as 'a collective of young Aboriginal people committed to the cause of decolonization and the philosophy'. Protests will be held in several states including Victoria and Queensland with demonstrators marching against injustices inflicted on Aboriginal Australians. 'This is a demonstration against racist colonial imperialism,' WAR wrote on Facebook. 'This is a stance against the continued crimes committed against marginalised First Nations, black, brown and Asian communities. 'We do not support benefactors or Stolenwealth and demand justice, truth and accountability for all. Justice for all.' Staff said it was a 'kick in stomach' that MPs could jump ahead of the queue Junior members of the royal household have been left upset and disappointed at not being able to see the Queen lying in state. Her staff say it is a kick in stomach that MPs have been allowed to jump ahead of the queue and take four guests with them when many of those who served her loyally for years have not even been able to pay their respects. There has also been much criticism of television presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby using a priority media queue to view Her Majestys coffin. They have the same Queen as everyone else. Its pretty galling to see some people being given priority over others, a source told the Daily Mail. There has also been much criticism of television presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby using a priority media queue to view Her Majestys coffin Denial: ITV insisted that they were there to report from the venue and that a segment of them there would be shown on this Tuesdays programme - a day after the funeral Jacob Rees-Mogg was seen accompanied by three of his young children last week using the fast track system The 650 MPs were permitted to jump ahead of the 14-hour public queue, as well as members of the House of Lords. Jacob Rees-Mogg was seen accompanied by three of his young children last week using the fast track system, as was former prime minister Theresa May and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner. Some parliamentary staff were also permitted to beat the crowds. However, it was pointed out that cleaners and security guards who work in Parliament had been told to queue as they are employed by contractors. The House of Commons said priority lay with the public. In a statement, it said: It is not possible to open up further access (for staffers) without the risk of impacting access for queueing members of the public. Royal sources told the Mail that the 1,200 plus royal staff who worked for the Queen, many of whom who have been on duty since she died, would have appreciated the chance to pay their respects. David Beckham wiped a tear from his eye on Friday as he approached the Queen's coffin following a 13-hour wait in the five-mile-long queue Mr Beckham was praised for waiting almost 14 hours in the line David Beckham leaves Westminster Hall escorted by police after paying a touching tribute to Her Majesty Fellow ITV presenter Susannah Reid, 51, who is the host of Good Morning Britain, waited seven hours with her mother on Thursday (pictured together left descending the stairs) Paying her respects: Tilda Swinton, 61, cut a sombre figure as she bowed her head while visiting the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall in London The Queens lying-in-state closed at 6.30am this morning to prepare for the funeral procession. It is particularly galling as staff working at both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House now face redundancy because of the change in reign. Another source said: There are a lot of people, particularly at Her Majestys estates, who have been dealing with household matters or marshalling the public wanting to come and lay tributes, that havent been able to pay their own respects. Its definitely left a bad taste in their mouths, especially when many of them have served her loyalty and are now facing redundancy through no fault of their own. However, Palace sources stressed there had been several opportunities for staff members to pay their respects to the Queen. The backlash against Schofield and Willoughby started on Friday evening after both Beckham and the pairs ITV stablemate Susanna Reid refused to use queue-jump, choosing to wait their turn. Furious fans accused Schofield, 60, and Willoughby, 41, of lacking in common decency and said they should be ashamed of themselves. Some were so cross they called for the pair to be sacked from their jobs on This Morning. ITV yesterday insisted that they were there to report from the venue and that a segment of them there would be shown on this Tuesdays programme which will be broadcast after the Queens funeral. The channel also confirmed that the pair filmed mourners queuing to pay their respects before and after they entered the VIP entrance but at no point joined them. The channel said they didnt file past the coffin but instead stood in the press pen, which is much further away, for 30 minutes. The American president touched his hand to his heart and appeared to snap off a quick salute to the late monarch in a gesture of respect, before continuing on through the hall French President Emmanuel Macron (C-L) and his wife Brigitte Macron (C-R) arrive at Westminster Hall to pay their respects to Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II in London, Britain, 18 September 2022. The queen's funeral will be held on 19 September, following four days of lying in state inside Westminster Hall Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan (pictured centre) was seen as part of his country's delegation at Westminster Hall this evening. President Xi Jinping was invited to attend but has not done so President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and his wife Michelle Bolsonaro were among the world leaders to pay their respects inside Westminster Hall Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan is snapped by a member of his entourage as he stands at the foot of the Queen's coffin Television insiders also voiced surprise at why This Morning would screen a report from the Queens lying-in-state at Westminster Hall a day after her funeral and burial takes place, making it old news by Tuesday. ITV responded by saying that the pair who have personal assistants and a big production team failed to send their requests for accreditation in time to go any earlier. A Twitter user wrote: So Phil and Holly got a fast track to the coffin and didnt have the common decency to queue along with many elderly or British citizens or even David Beckham. They should feel embarrassed and ashamed, its not Alton Towers. Another said: Holly and Phil. Hang your heads in shame. Totally disgusted in you queue jumping no excuse for it whatsoever. The hashtag #thismourning was also trending on Twitter, as well as Schofields advert slogan We buy any car.com being changed to we jump any queue.com. Beckham was praised for arriving to join the queue at 2am on Friday morning and waiting almost 14 hours before he was able to pay his respects to the Queen. Reid, 51, who is the host of Good Morning Britain, waited seven hours with her mother on Thursday. An ITV spokeswoman said: This Morning had press accreditation and like other media, Phillip and Holly were escorted to work from the press gallery by government staff. They did not file past the Queens coffin. They were there alongside a host of other broadcasters and national press outlets for an item that will be broadcast on Tuesdays show. Any allegations of improper behaviour are categorically untrue. Over the past ten days King Charles III has led the country in mourning and travelled some 1,900 miles as the new monarch all while grieving his darling mama. His demanding schedule has seen him journey from castle to cathedral, and walkabout to reception, in more than 30 engagements across the land since the Queens death. And even yesterday as he prepared to bury his mother, the King was working until the last moment on the eve of her funeral. After holding meetings with Prime Minister Liz Truss and leaders of the realms, His Majesty last night hosted a huge official state reception at Buckingham Palace. He welcomed world leaders and foreign royals who had arrived to pay their respects to the late Queen. Accompanied by senior working royals, His Majesty hosted VIPS including US President Joe Biden and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau late into the evening. It was the last of his engagements ahead of the funeral. King Charles III has had more than 30 engagements since the Queens death, working until the last moment on the eve of his mother's funeral Those engagements were laid out long ago in a detailed ten-day plan for the aftermath of the Queens death. Codenamed London Bridge, the operation featured dozens of events marking the farewell to the Queen as well as the Kings accession to the throne. Little could have prepared the King for such an emotional and exhausting schedule. The past week has seen His Majesty dash around on a tour through Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, accompanied by Camilla, the Queen Consort. In between his duties as the new monarch, he has led the Royal Family in honouring the Queen in a string of ceremonial events watched by the world. The meticulously-timed strategy was put into action with the words London Bridge is down when the Queen died on September 8. Sept 13 Northern Ireland: Charles III is greeted by members of the public including a woman with a pet corgi named Connie Sept 17 London: The new king is pictured chatting with people in the queue near Lambeth Bridge to see the Queen lying in state Sept 12 Edinburgh: Charles III is pictured leading the vigil at St Giles Cathedral Charles rushed some 150 miles from Dumfries House in Cumnock to Balmoral to be by his mothers side in the precious moments before she passed away. With little time to reflect, the very next day he was in London to meet the Prime Minster before being proclaimed King. He then flew to Edinburgh to lead his siblings in a poignant funeral procession along the Royal Mile, followed by a service and vigil. Here he began his tour of the nations visiting Scottish Parliament, meeting the First Minister and attending a reception. The next day, accompanied by the Queen Consort, he embarked on the second leg of the tour, flying to Belfast airport. He was driven to Hillsborough Castle to meet Northern Irelands leaders before rushing back to London in time to receive the Queens coffin, which landed at RAF Northolt at 7pm on Tuesday. The next day in Londons first big ceremonial event, King Charles led the Royal Family in a public display of homage to the late Queen during a majestic procession. Watched the world over, the new monarch marched behind her coffin followed by his siblings and his sons, delivering his mother to the care of the nation for four days lying-in-state. On the seventh day, a break from the demanding ceremonial events was set aside in Operation London Bridge to give the monarch a moment of pause. While the King did retire to Highgrove House in Gloucestershire on Wednesday night, he spent his brief respite from public duties working on relations with world leaders. September 16: King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort leave in the royal limousine following the Vigil of the Princes where the King and his siblings stood watch at their mother Queen Elizabeth II's coffin at Westminster Hall He devoted most of Thursday to speaking with more than eight presidents and governor generals and was said to have made calls late into the evening. The next day he quickly resumed public duties with his crucial first visit to Wales as King on Friday. Travelling to Cardiff via helicopter from Highgrove he visited Llandaff Cathedral and Welsh Parliament before returning to London. The Archbishop of Canterbury last week paid tribute to King Charless extraordinary courage in the wake of the Queens death. The Most Rev Justin Welby said the average person would find fulfilling such duties unfathomable after losing a parent. He added: The courage of him doing that is extraordinary but also it demonstrates his... service to the people. One source close to the King told the Daily Mail: The last few days have blown even us away. His stamina has been astonishing and the fact that he has been able to do it all while grieving his mother is just remarkable. He is a fine man. A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's William, center, the Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, center-left, and Zara Tindall, center-right, attending the Royal Vigil for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at the Palace of Westminster in London, Britain, Sept. 17. EPA-Yonhap Queen Elizabeth II's eight grandchildren mounted a vigil around her coffin Saturday as US President Joe Biden flew in ahead of the state funeral being planned for Britain's longest-serving monarch. King Charles III's sons Prince William and his brother Prince Harry stood guard around the crowned casket in London's Westminster Hall as members of the public, who had waited several hours to file past the catafalque, paid their last respects. Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren, aged from 44 to 14, stood silently with their eyes lowered. Harry who did two tours with the British Army in Afghanistan wore the uniform of the Blues and Royals cavalry regiment in which he served. The move appeared to be the latest olive branch offered by King Charles towards his youngest son after Harry and his wife Meghan, now living in California, accused the royal family of racism. No longer a working royal, Harry, 38, was stripped of his higher-ranking honorary military titles. The vigil will be the only time he will be seen in military dress at royal ceremonial occasions. William and Harry, Prince Andrew's daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Princess Anne's children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, and Prince Edward's children Louise and James silently stood guard around their grandmother's casket. Edward's wife Sophie looked grief-stricken as she watched their children, 18 and 14 respectively, take on the most arduous public duty they have ever faced. The personal sorrow of the queen's family has been playing out in the glare of intense international attention. Beatrice and Eugenie paid a heartfelt tribute to "our dearest Grannie" shortly before the vigil. "We, like many, thought you'd be here forever," the sisters said in a statement. "And we all miss you terribly. "You were our matriarch, our guide, our loving hand on our backs leading us through this world... For now dear Grannie, all we want to say is thank you." They added: "We're so happy you're back with Grandpa," her husband Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99. Queen Elizabeth II 's grandchildren (left to right) Princess Eugenie, James, Viscount Severn, Peter Phillips, the Prince of Wales, Zara Tindall, Lady Louise Windsor, the Duke of Sussex and Princess Beatrice depart after holding a vigil beside the coffin of their grandmother as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, London. Reuters-Yonhap Charles, William greet queue The vigil came hours after King Charles and his heir William staged an unscheduled London walkabout to thank those queueing overnight to pay their last respects. "It means an awful lot that you're all here," William's Twitter account said afterwards. Queen Elizabeth's death on September 8 aged 96, after a record-breaking 70 years on the throne, has sparked an outpouring of emotion. Tens of thousands of people are braving waits that have stretched to more than 25 hours to file past her flag-shrouded coffin. The royal visit delighted mourners who had waited through a chilly night. Cries of "God save the king" came from the riverside crowd as the royals thanked the well-wishers. "I'm so happy. He was so calm and friendly, and he was so gentle," said Geraldine Potts-Ahmad, a secretary in her late 50s, as she struggled to contain her emotions after shaking hands with King Charles. "He is going to make the best king. That gentleness and that tenderness I saw the queen in that." Some 435 people in the queue have needed medical treatment, often for head injuries after fainting, the London Ambulance Service said. But Alison Whitham, an ex-nurse from Ashby in the English Midlands, said her 14-hour wait was well worth it after paying her final respects. "It was very moving, very dignified, blissfully quiet," the 54-year-old said. "The fact that you could just concentrate, with nobody holding phones up, was so lovely." At 10:30 pm (2130 GMT) Saturday, the queue was estimated to be at least 17 hours long. The public have until 6:30 am (0530 GMT) on Monday to view the coffin before the queen is honored with Britain's first state funeral in nearly six decades. Well-wishers sit along a fence barricade to watch the Queen Elizabeth II funeral ceremonies in London, England, Sept. 17. AP-Yonhap Royal experts fear Big Ben will fall silent for the Queen's funeral after it failed to strike when the nation began its minutes silence for her Majesty on Sunday night. Officials at the Houses of Parliament launched an 'urgent' investigation into the famous bell - which is housed in the Elizabeth Tower, named after Her Majesty in 2012 during her Diamond Jubilee - and insist they are 'confident' it will chime 96 times on Monday, to mark the former sovereign's age. Charlie Proctor, the editor of a royal news site, said he 'hopes' that it will ring but questions whether the 'contingency plan' could be someone shouting 'bong' to simulate Big Ben ringing. A Parliament spokesperson told the MailOnline: 'Big Ben failed to strike at 8pm as planned. 'We have investigated this as a matter of urgency and have identified a minor technical issue that has now been resolved. 'We will be testing the bell again later tonight and are confident that it will not affect the tolling tomorrow during the State Funeral procession.' This was as Britain stood silent for the Queen tonight during the National Moment of Reflection to remember the late Monarch, with the queue to see her lying-in-state halted and Prime Minister Liz Truss bowing her head outside Number 10. Charlie Proctor, the editor of a royal news site, said he 'hopes' that it will ring but questions whether the 'contingency plan' could be someone shouting 'bong' to simulate Big Ben ringing Many members of the public stood together for the National Moment of Reflection at Westminster Bridge in front of Big Ben as it did not toll Members of the public observed the silence this evening, holding candles in Her Majesty's honour Fans at Emirates Arena, Glasgow, standing quiet for the National Moment of Reflection for Queen Elizabeth II People in the queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying-in-state, which was halted for 60 seconds, observing the silence Big Ben was meant to toll to mark the beginning of the National Moment of Reflection at 8pm today and the bell was supposed to strike once to mark the start of the minute's silence and once more at 8.01pm to mark its end. Social media users took to Twitter to claim that perhaps the Bell, which has become twinned with the Monarch and Parliament since the 19th Century was marking Elizabeth II's death at 96. Replying to Chris Ship, ITV's Royal Editor who noticed the issue, Ghanem Nuseibeh wrote on Twitter: 'Perhaps the failure to ring is in itself a sign of mourning, unplanned like the rainbow.' Rainbows have also appeared this evening at royal spots and across London as the Queen lies in state for the last day. In Berkshire, Castle Wardens were seen standing together to observe the silence at Windsor Castle Natures own memorial: A rainbow appeared yesterday over Westminster Abbey and Parliament while Londoners revel at a stunning red sky over Big Ben Replying to Chris Ship, ITV's Royal Editor who noticed the issue, Ghanem Nuseibeh wrote on Twitter: 'Perhaps the failure to ring is in itself a sign of mourning, unplanned like the rainbow' Another social media user wrote: 'Even Big Ben fell silent. [And then a crying face].' Play was stopped at the Emirates Stadium in Scotland for the Davis Cup so fans could observe the one-minute silence. Prime Minister Liz Truss and her husband Hugh O'Leary observed the minute's silence outside Number 10 Downing Street. In Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state, the line of mourners halted for 60 seconds. The government had encouraged people to spend a minute in reflection, either at home, with neighbours or in locally organised ceremonies. Images were seen of police officers and members of the public taking part in the silence at Waterloo Station as well as firefighters at North Kensington Fire Station in Notting Hill. A small crowd of people in the queue for the Queen's lying in state stopped near London Bridge and bowed their heads to observe the national minute's silence. They applauded to mark the end of the silence at 8.01pm. Dozens of Metropolitan Police officers also assembled in silence beside mourners and later sang the national anthem. Advertisement Westminster Abbey, 11am, Monday, September 19 Before the service, the tenor bell is tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting each year of Queen Elizabeth IIs life. MUSIC BEFORE THE SERVICE Fantasia of Four Parts Orlando Gibbons (15831625) Romanza (Symphony No 5 in D) Ralph Vaughan Williams (18721958) Reliqui Domum Meum Peter Maxwell Davies (19342016) Meditation on Brother Jamess Air Harold Darke (18881976) Prelude on Ecce Jam Noctis, Op 157 No 3 Healey Willan (18801968) Psalm Prelude Set 1 no 2 Herbert Howells (18921983) In The Country, Op 194 no 2 Charles Villiers Stanford (18521924) Fantasy on O Paradise Malcolm Williamson (19312003) Elegy, Op 58 Sir Edward Elgar (18571934) Andante espressivo (Sonata in G, Op 28) Elgar Sospiri, Op 70 Elgar The Procession of Religious Representatives (from the Churches in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the leaders of Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and other faiths) moves to places in the Nave and the Sacrarium. All remain seated. ORDER OF SERVICE All stand. Her Majestys coffin enters the Abbey, surmounted by the Imperial State Crown and the Orb and Sceptre, borne by the bearer party including: The King, The Queen Consort, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, Countess of Wessex, Earl of Wessex, Princess of Wales, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Duchess of Sussex, Duke of Sussex, Earl Snowdon, Peter Phillips; Duke of Gloucester, Prince Michael of Kent, Duke of Kent. The choir sings: THE SENTENCES John 11: 2526; Job 19: 2527; 1 Timothy 6: 7; Job 1: 21 The Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Choir of the Chapel Royal, St Jamess Palace, sing: Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears unto our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and most merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee. Amen. The Book of Common Prayer, 1549 Heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours. Amen. Revelation 14:13 THE BIDDING By Dr David Hoyle MBE, Dean of Westminster (extract): In grief and also in profound thanksgiving we come to this House of God, to a place of prayer, to a church where remembrance and hope are sacred duties. Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth, and from the nations of the world, to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service, and in sure confidence to commit her to the mercy of God our maker and redeemer. With gratitude we remember her unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth. With admiration we recall her life-long sense of duty and dedication to her people. With thanksgiving we praise God for her constant example of Christian faith and devotion. With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear. Now, in silence, let us in our hearts and minds recall our many reasons for thanksgiving, pray for all members of her family, and commend Queen Elizabeth to the care and keeping of almighty God. A brief silence is kept. All sing: THE DAY THOU GAVEST The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended, the darkness falls at thy behest; to thee our morning hymns ascended, thy praise shall sanctify our rest. We thank thee that thy Church unsleeping, while Earth rolls onward into light, through all the world her watch is keeping, and rests not now by day or night. As oer each continent and island the dawn leads on another day, the voice of prayer is never silent, nor dies the strain of praise away. The sun that bids us rest is waking our brethren neath the western sky, and hour by hour fresh lips are making thy wondrous doings heard on high. So be it, Lord! thy throne shall never, like Earths proud empires, pass away; thy kingdom stands, and grows for ever, till all thy creatures own thy sway. John Ellerton (182693); St. Clement Scholefield (18391904) THE FIRST LESSON 1 Corinthians 15: 2026, 53end, read by Baroness Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth All remain seated as the choir sings: THE PSALM Psalm 42: 17, composed for this service by Judith Weir CBE Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks: so longeth my soul after thee, O God. My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God: when shall I come to appear before the presence of God? My tears have been my meat day and night: while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God? Now when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself: for I went with the multitude, and brought them forth into the house of God; In the voice of praise and thanksgiving: among such as keep holy-day. Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my soul: and why art thou so disquieted within me? Put thy trust in God: for I will yet give him thanks for the help of his countenance. The Queen's funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey at 11am on Monday September 19, 2022 THE SECOND LESSON John 14: 19a, read by Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss All stand to sing: THE LORDS MY SHEPHERD The Lords my shepherd, Ill not want; he makes me down to lie in pastures green; he leadeth me the quiet waters by. My soul he doth restore again, and me to walk doth make within the paths of righteousness, een for his own names sake. The choir sings: Yea, though I walk through deaths dark vale, yet will I fear none ill; for thou art with me, and thy rod and staff me comfort still. All sing: My table thou hast furnished in presence of my foes; my head thou dost with oil anoint, and my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me; and in Gods house for evermore my dwelling place shall be. Psalm 23 in Scottish Psalter 1650 Crimond attributed to Jessie Seymour Irvine (183687), harmony by David Grant (183393), descant by William Baird Ross (18711950) THE SERMON By the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby All remain seated as the choir sings: Queen Elizabeth waves from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee in June THE ANTHEM My soul, there is a country Far beyond the stars, Where stands a winged sentry All skilful in the wars: There above noise, and danger, Sweet Peace sits crowned with smiles, And One born in a manger Commands the beauteous files. He is thy gracious friend, And (O my soul, awake!) Did in pure love descend, To die here for thy sake. If thou canst get but thither, There grows the flower of Peace, The Rose that cannot wither, Thy fortress, and thy ease. Leave then thy foolish ranges, For none can thee secure, But One who never changes, Thy God, thy Life, thy Cure. Henry Vaughan (162195); from Songs of Farewell Hubert Parry (18481918) THE PRAYERS Led by Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, the Prayers are read by: Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Shermara Fletcher, Principal Officer for Pentecostal and Charismatic Relations, Churches Together in England; Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London and Dean of His Majestys Chapels Royal; Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group; Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York The choir sings Psalm 34:8 as composed for the Queens Coronation in 1953 by Ralph Vaughan Williams: O taste and see how gracious the Lord is, blest is the man that trusteth in him. The Queen pictured with her son the new monarch King Charles during the Platinum Jubilee THE LORDS PRAYER All stand to sing: LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesu, thou art all compassion, pure unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart. Come, almighty to deliver, let us all thy life receive; suddenly return, and never, never more thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above, pray, and praise thee, without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love. Finish then thy new creation, pure and spotless let us be; let us see thy great salvation, perfectly restored in thee, changed from glory into glory till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise! Charles Wesley (170788) All remain standing for: THE COMMENDATION The Archbishop of Canterbury says: Let us commend to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer, the soul of Elizabeth, our late Queen. Heavenly Father, King of kings, Lord and giver of life, who of thy grace in creation didst form mankind in thine own image, and in thy great love offerest us life eternal in Christ Jesus; claiming the promises of thy most blessed Son, we entrust the soul of Elizabeth, our sister here departed, to thy merciful keeping, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, when Christ shall be all in all; who died and rose again to save us, and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, in glory for ever. Amen. O forth, O Christian soul, from this world, in the name of God the Father almighty, who created thee; in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who suffered for thee; in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon thee and anointed thee. In communion with all the blessed saints, and aided by the angels and archangels and all the armies of the heavenly host, may thy portion this day be in peace, and thy dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen. All remain standing as the choir sings: THE ANTHEM Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Alleluia! Amen. Romans 8:35a, 38bend, composed for this service by Sir James MacMillan THE BLESSING God grant to the living grace; to the departed rest; to the Church, The King, the Commonwealth, and all people, peace and concord, and to us sinners, life everlasting; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen. All remain standing for: THE LAST POST REVEILLE All sing: THE NATIONAL ANTHEM The Queens Piper, Pipe Major Paul Burns, plays Sleep, dearie, Sleep. All remain standing as the coffin leaves the church while sub-organist plays Fantasia in C minor MUSIC AFTER THE SERVICE Allegro maestoso (Sonata in G, Op 28) Sir Edward Elgar ST GEORGE'S CHAPEL, WINDSOR CASTLE, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2022, 4PM Organ music before service includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Dame Ethel Smyth, Herbert Howells and Sir Edward Elgar. 4pm, coffin enters. Bearer party includes senior royals as earlier, but not including Williams children. Includes senior courtiers from both Queens and Charless households. PSALM 121 All then sit as the Choir sings: THE RUSSIAN CONTAKION OF THE DEPARTED THE BIDDING By the Dean of Windsor Extract: We pray that God will give us grace to honour her memory by following her example, and that, with our sister Elizabeth, at the last, we shall know the joys of life eternal. All remain standing. ALL MY HOPE ON GOD IS FOUNDED All my Hope on God is Founded, by Robert Bridges, based on the German of Joachim Neander (165080) THE READING Revelation 21.17, Read by the Dean of Windsor Extract: I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. THE PRAYERS Read by the Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of the Royal Chapel, Windsor Great Park. All say together: THE LORDS PRAYER All sit as the Choir sings: THE MOTET By John Donne (15721631) to music by Sir William Henry Harris, KCVO (18831973), sometime Organist, St Georges Chapel All stand for the presentation, in silence, of the Instruments of State, to be received by the Dean of Windsor, from the Queens Bargemaster and a Serjeant of Arms, who places them on the High Altar. CHRIST IS MADE THE SURE FOUNDATION Christ is Made the Sure Foundation, from Latin 7th century translated by John M. Neale (1818-66) At the end of the hymn, The Queens Company Camp Colour is placed on the coffin by The King having received it from the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel Grenadier Guards. The Lord Chamberlain breaks his wand which is placed upon the coffin. Queen Elizabeth II will be buried at St George's Chapel (pictured) in the grounds of Windsor Castle THE COMMITTAL As the coffin is lowered, the Dean of Windsor says: THE PSALM Psalm 103, 1317 Garter King of Arms proclaims: THE STYLES AND TITLES OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II THUS it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto His Divine Mercy the late Most High, Most Mighty, and Most Excellent Monarch, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. The Queens Piper plays a lament THE BLESSING Pronounced by the Archbishop of Canterbury THE NATIONAL ANTHEM All remain standing. THE VOLUNTARY Prelude and Fugue in C Minor Johann Sebastian Bach Officials say rains and floods are life-threatening rains as residents shutter their homes and prepare for worst Powerful storm Fiona has been upgraded to hurricane status and hit Puerto Rico hard on Sunday afternoon Advertisement Vast amounts of damage is being reported across the island of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona came ashore on Sunday afternoon. Roads were turned into raging torrents while even newly constructed bridges following Hurricane Maria in 2017 were washed away. The entire island is once again without electricity plunging the island's population of about 3.2 million people into a total blackout. The ferocious wind ripped roofs from homes whilst the heavy rain also caused landslides. The storm also washed away a bridge in the central mountain town of Utuado that police say was installed by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. Fiona hit about 15 miles south-southeast of Mayaguez with maximum sustained winds of 85mph, according to the US National Hurricane Centre. It was moving to the north-west at 9mph. Earlier on Sunday, President Joe Biden gave approval for a state of emergency to be declared. Puerto Rico's ports have been closed and flights out of the main airport canceled. The emergency declaration authorizes Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide emergency protective measures, the White House explained. US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said agency officials deployed to Puerto Rico will assist with restoration efforts 'as it becomes safe to do so.' Fiona was at hurricane strength as torrential rains deluged the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center said radar indicated the storm made landfall at about along the southwestern coast of the island near Punta Tocon at 3:20pm. This was a brand new metal bridge installed after Hurricane Maria in the town of Utuado, Puerto Rico Such was the strength of the water, the entire contsruction was simply washed away down river The massive metal bridge could be seen floating downstream as floods lifted it from its foundations on Sunday afternoon Residents couldn't believe their eyes as the bridge simply floated away One Twitter user captured this raging torrent of water sweeping through Pueblo de Naranjito The water was seen flowing along at quite a rate of speed. Forecasters are predicting up to 30 inches of rain to fall in total People look at a flooded road during the passing of Hurricane Fiona through Cayey, Puerto Rico on Sunday A road is flooded by the rains of Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico with landslides still a huge risk to life People clean debris from a road after a mudslide was caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico, on Sunday A road blocked is blocked by a mudslide caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico on Sunday A river swollen with rain caused by Hurricane Fiona speeds through Cayey, Puerto Rico on Sunday Several people were tripped inside this house which now stands in what looks to be the middle of a raging river People clean a house flooded by the rains of Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico on Sunday Flooding in the town of Maunabo, Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Fiona People shelter underneath an overpass as Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Ponce, Puerto Rico A member of the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) monitors the trajectory of Hurricane Fiona in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Sunday The Mamey river flooded houses in Patillas, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Fiona came ashore People shelter underneath an overpass as Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Ponce, Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon Strong river current destroyed a brand new metal bridge installed post Hurracane Maria in Salto Alto, in the town of Utuado A worker cuts an electricity pole that was downed by Hurricane Fiona as it blocks a road in Cayey, Puerto Rico on Sunday A man jumps into an all terrain vehicle as Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Ponce, Puerto Rico bringing torrential rain Roads were turned into rivers. There is no sign of a metal bridge that once stood at this point Three people inside a house await rescue from the floods caused by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico A man walks on a road flooded by Hurricane Fiona in Cayey, Puerto Rico, on Sunday A man walk past an electricity pole that was damaged by Hurricane Fiona in Yauco, Puerto Rico on Sunday A gas station sign damaged by Hurricane Fiona lies on the ground in Yauco, Puerto Rico A car sits in flood waters after Hurricane Fiona affected the area in Yauco, Puerto Rico People clear a road from a fallen tree after Hurricane Fiona affected the area in Yauco, Puerto Rico The storm's clouds covered the entire island and tropical storm-force winds extended as far as 140 miles from Fiona's centre. Gov. Pedro Pierluisi tweeted at about 2pm EDT that 'the electrical system is currently out of service. Protocols have been activated according to plans established to address this situation.' Pierluisi also announced on Sunday that public schools and government agencies would remain closed on Monday. 'The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic,' he said. Luma, the company that operates power transmission and distribution, said bad weather, including winds of 80 mph, had disrupted transmission lines, leading to 'a blackout on all the island'. 'Current weather conditions are extremely dangerous and are hindering our capacity to evaluate the complete situation,' it said, adding that it could take several days to fully restore power. At a press conference in the capital San Juan on Sunday night, LUMA spokesman Abner Gomez said the entire electrical system had first been shut down to protect its infrastructure. Some power was being restored with priority being given to hospitals and other critical community services, he said. 'This has been catastrophic,' Pierluisi said at the news conference. 'We are responding to the emergency as weather conditions permit. Health centers were running on generators and some of those had failed. Health Secretary Carlos Mellado said crews were working to repair generators as soon as possible at the Comprehensive Cancer Centre. By Sunday evening, almost 15 inches of rain had fallen in some areas with nearly the entire island under a flash flood warning. The metal crash barrier at the side of the road was simply stripped away like spaghetti, such was the strength of the storm A worker of the Loiza municipality calls on residents to evacuate due to imminent flooding due to the rains of Hurricane Fiona A flooded road is seen during the passing of hurricane Fiona in Villa Blanca, Puerto Rico A man stands near a flooded road during the passing of Hurricane Fiona in Villa Blanca, Puerto Rico. Fiona touched Puerto Rico at 3:20pm local time according to the United States National Hurricane Center Nelson Cirino sees his bedroom after the winds of hurricane Fiona tore the roof off his house in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Sunday A woman and her dog take refuge in a shelter from Hurricane Fiona in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Sunday Nelson Cirino's home stands with its roof torn off by the winds of Hurricane Fiona in Loiza, Puerto Rico A person takes refuge in a school due to the passage of Hurricane Fiona, in San Juan, Puerto Rico A woman salvages her belongings from her flooded house during the passage of hurricane Fiona in Villa Blanca, Puerto Rico The Atlantic ocean from La Perla is seen during the passage of Hurricane Fiona, in San Juan Signs were almost completely blown from their foundations as the wind blew at speeds of up to 85mph Huge waves could be seen washing ashore in San Juan on Sunday afternoon Puerto Rico Fire Department attends a landslide in the residential area of Guaynabo One landslide saw an entire home collapse and fall down a hillside in Guaynabo Joeni Rodriguez meets with her neighbors at the door of her house, after losing power due to the hurricane People who were evacuated from their homes are seen in a class room of a public school turned shelter as the storm reached the island Firefighters work to remove a fallen tree from the road in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico as strong winds threaten to rip apart the island A satellite shows Hurricane Fiona in the Caribbean on Sunday .The eye of newly formed Hurricane Fiona is near the coast of Puerto Rico - and it has already sparked an island-wide blackout and threatens to dump 'historic' levels of rain Te entire of Puerto Rico island appears engulfed by the hurricane on Sunday afternoon Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island of 3.3 million people, could be hit by up to 30 inches of rain. Forecasters said the storm would cause massive flooding and threatened to dump 'historic' levels of rain. Photos showed damaged buildings and flooded cars in Ponce, about 34 miles east of where Fiona made landfall. 'These rains will produce life-threatening flash flooding and urban flooding across Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic, along with mudslides and landslides in areas of higher terrain,' the NHC said. The storm ripped up asphalt from roads and flung the pieces around. 'I urge people to stay in their homes,' said William Miranda Torres, mayor of the northern town of Caguas, where at least one large landslide was reported, with water rushing down a big slab of broken asphalt and into a gully. Puerto Rico's grid remains extremely fragile after Hurricane Maria slammed the island in September 2017 causing the largest blackout in U.S. history. In that category 5 storm, 1.5 million customers lost electricity with 80% of power lines knocked out. Authorities have opened about 80 shelters and closed beaches and casinos, and residents were urged to seek shelter. The storm was forecast to pummel cities and towns along Puerto Ricos southern coast that are still recovering from a string of strong earthquakes that hit the region starting in late 2019, with several schools still shuttered and debris to be removed. Residents attach protective plywood to a window of their home in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Fiona, in Loiza, Puerto Rico Jetsabel Osorio stands in her house damaged five years ago by Hurricane Maria before the arrival of Hurricane Fiona Officials reported several road closures across the island as trees and small landslides blocked access. More than 780 people with some 80 pets had sought shelter across the island by Saturday night, the majority of them in the southern coast. With Fiona due just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, people boarded up windows and stocked up on food and water. Fiona hit just two days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 5 storm that struck on September 20, 2017, destroying the island's power grid and causing nearly 3,000 deaths. More than 3,000 homes still have only a blue tarp as a roof, and infrastructure remains weak. 'I think all of us Puerto Ricans who lived through Maria have that post-traumatic stress of, 'What is going to happen, how long is it going to last and what needs might we face?' said Danny Hernandez, who works in the capital of San Juan but planned to weather the storm with his parents and family in the western town of Mayaguez. He said the atmosphere was gloomy at the supermarket as he and others stocked up before the storm hit. 'After Maria, we all experienced scarcity to some extent,' he said. In the southwest town of El Combate, hotel co-owner Tomas Rivera said he was prepared but worried about the 'enormous' amount of rain he expected. He noted that a nearby wildlife refuge was eerily quiet. 'There are thousands of birds here, and they are nowhere to be seen,' he said. 'Even the birds have realized what is coming, and they're preparing.' Rivera said his employees brought bedridden family members to the hotel, where he has stocked up on diesel, gasoline, food, water and ice, given how slowly the government responded after Hurricane Maria. 'What weve done is prepared ourselves to depend as little as possible on the central government,' he said. It's a sentiment shared by 70-year-old Ana Cordova, who arrived Saturday at a shelter in the north coastal town of Loiza after buying loads of food and water. 'I don't trust them,' she said, referring to the government. 'I lost trust after what happened after Hurricane Maria.' Denise Rios, who lives in the southwestern town of Hormigueros, said she was left without power following a strong gust of wind and rain that began around noon. 'Since then it hasn't stopped,' she said. 'It is raining heavily and the wind is blowing hard. I'm calm, but alert.' Nelson Cirino secures the windows of his home as the winds of Hurricane Fiona blow in Loiza, Puerto Rico Residents prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Fiona, in Loiza, Puerto Rico on Saturday A man stands in front of a beach before the arrival of Hurricane Fiona in San Juan Fiona was forecast to swipe past the Dominican Republic on Monday and then northern Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands with the threat of heavy rain. It could threaten the far southern end of the Bahamas on Tuesday. A hurricane warning was posted for the Dominican Republic's eastern coast from Cabo Caucedo to Cabo Frances Viejo. Fiona previously battered the eastern Caribbean, killing one man in the French territory of Guadeloupe when floods washed his home away in the Basse-Terre district, officials said. France will recognize a state of natural disaster for Guadeloupe, President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter on Sunday. The storm also damaged roads, uprooted trees and destroyed at least one bridge. Roads were flooded on Guadeloupe and there appeared to be some damage to vegetation A September 17 photo shows the aftermath of the Fiona storm in Capesterre-Belle-Eau, on the French island of Guadeloupe Getting the snip could become a thing of the past as scientists say a contraceptive jab that lasts ten years could soon be available for men. The jab called Risug could be ready within 12 months. Developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, the injection has completed its final trials. It is considered better than a vasectomy as it would be less painful, and is also reversible. But UK researchers looking at how likely the jab is to be accepted in this country said many men may be hesitant. The male contraceptive jab would be less painful than a vasectomy, scientists say, but men proved to be very reluctant to get the injection Dr Amanda Wilson, a public health psychologist at De Montfort University, told the British Science Festival in Leicester that research had found men were very reluctant to have the jab. She said that the trend for men to have vasectomies is declining, and that hesitancy about the injection may reflect this. Dr Wilson said: For a male pill, were still looking at between 30 and 50 years, but Risug is the male contraceptive that is closest to reaching the market. However, were seeing a significant decrease in vasectomies. She told The Sunday Telegraph: Scientists dont know why. But until we get that social acceptability of vasectomy up globally, theres not going to be as much social acceptability for Risug. Risug is a gel which damages the tails of individual sperm cells, preventing them from fertilising an egg. The procedure can be reversed with an injection of water and baking soda. However, sterilisation procedures in general for both men and women have fallen in recent years. In 2010-11 there were 19,510 vasectomies carried out in NHS hospitals, which by 2020-21 had fallen to 4,486 a 77 per cent fall. Sterilisations of women in NHS hospitals have also fallen, from 15,189 in 2010-11 to 7,665 in 2020-21 a 50 per cent decline. The makers of Risug, which stands for Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance, say the jab allows men to be more spontaneous than when using condoms. The contraceptive uses a polymer called styrene maleic anhydride which coats the sperm duct. The chemical was originally used to coat pipes in rural water systems in India, where it was found to kill bacteria. Risug allows men to be more spontaneous than when using condoms, researchers said Tests in rabbits, rats and monkeys showed that it had a similar effect on sperm. Risug has completed several clinical trials on human subjects in India and is awaiting approval from the medical authorities there. In the United States, a male contraceptive called Vasalgel, which works in a similar way, is in development. Dr Wilson said: I think women would find it a real benefit if they dont have to worry about their partner taking a pill. Its a little bit more peace of mind. An advantage of the jab is that it is not based on hormones. Attempts to develop a male contraceptive pill based on sex hormones have suffered problems in the past, due to side effects in men including acne and mood changes both common side effects in pills for women. Idris Elba has shared some exciting new details about the highly-anticipated 'Luther' film. The actor, 50, said the new film will 'open doors' for the long-running crime thriller series. Idris said that he has finally finished filming the upcoming movie and said he's 'proud' of the project. Movie: Idris Elba has shared some exciting new details about the highly-anticipated 'Luther' movie where he stars as DCI John Luther, a murder detective He told LADbible: 'The Luther film, guess what, we have finished it and we have some finishing work to do on the movie but it's nearly there.' 'We're really proud of it.' He added about the franchise: 'We're opening the doors and widening it so anything's possible when you can do that.' Proud: The actor, 50, said the new film will 'open doors' for the long-running crime thriller series and also added that he is 'proud' of the finished upcoming movie Idris stars in the hit show as murder detective, DCI John Luther. The fifth and final season of Luther was broadcasted over four consecutive nights in 2019. The film will also star the likes of Andy Serkis and Cynthia Erivo. The interview with LADbible comes after Idris recently walked away from potentially replacing Daniel Craig for the next 007 James Bond role. Bond: The recent wrapping up of the film comes after Idris recently walked away from potentially replacing Daniel Craig as the next 007 And despite being heavily linked to replace Daniel Craig as 007, Idris has always publicly distanced himself from the role saying that 'Luther' is his 'Bond'. Speaking to Jemele Hill's Unbothered podcast, Idris threw more flame to the fire by stating that he is fully focused on Luther. During the podcast, he said 'It's incredible, it's like graduating. The show ran a natural course, we did five seasons, each one of them shape-shifted but kept an audience captivated.' Latest: Idris also spoke to i Newspaper recently, and said he wanted to continue making films in Africa, after his recent movie 'Beast' was shot there He continued: 'The graduation point is where we get to take that Luther character and elevate him to the big screen with a wider spectrum of scale.' 'If you've never seen an episode of Luther you can still be invited into the first chapter of the film series, I'm hoping that this movie literally becomes my Bond, everyone talks about Bond but, for me, it's Luther.' Idris also spoke to i Newspaper recently and said he wanted to continue making films in Africa after his recent movie 'Beast' was shot there. New beginnings: He said: 'I'm really keen on the development of Africa. My parents come from Africa and more than anywhere in the world, I feel like that continent deserves some real tender care and love and thought' He said: 'I'm really keen on the development of Africa. My parents come from Africa and more than anywhere in the world, I feel like that continent deserves some real tender care and love and thought.' 'Young Africans view me as a leader or a beacon. And I feel like I could bring something. So I'm keen to bring what I've learned in media and amplify it in Africa.' His latest film Beast, which is now in cinema theatres, is a survival thriller in which he plays a widower who must protect his two daughters on a South African game reserve from a fierce lion angered by poachers. She endured a few bruising battles during her time at the BBC and was reprimanded by Corporation bosses for her Newsnight monologue about Dominic Cummings' trip to Barnard Castle during lockdown. So Emily Maitlis might have been expected to enjoy a relaxing break before starting her new job presenting a podcast for Global. But instead she embarked on a 10,000 intensive fitness retreat in Italy, where she sweated it out with a Hollywood A-lister and a former member of Donald Trump's staff. Emily Maitlis (pictured) might have been expected to enjoy a relaxing break before starting her new job presenting a podcast for Global 'MAGICAL': The Ranch Italy where Emily was rejuvenated Now free from BBC restrictions, Emily took up a complimentary trip to The Ranch Italy an offshoot of California's The Ranch Malibu, whose clients include Elle Macpherson and actress Rebel Wilson and wrote a gushing review in return. Describing daily four-hour hikes, Emily said: 'After two hours, they radio you to tell you to turn back and you follow the flags back home, like Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road.' However, she admitted that having to carry walking poles killed her 'cool vibe.' Emily enthuses about the free massages saying: 'This becomes my focal point for every single day. It's magical and professional and caring and releasing. It's heaven.' It's not all glamorous, though, as guests at The Ranch have to give urine samples and buy into New Age trends by writing letters to their future selves. But it seems Emily bought into it all, reporting that the retreat even worked medical miracles, making her painful foot condition plantar fasciitis disappear. Fancy! No outpouring of affection for Her Majesty from fashionista Lucy Tammam, who refused to cancel her London Fashion Week show as a mark of respect and also declared: 'I will not be dictated to by a hierarchy that prioritises the feelings of a few.' While big names including Burberry cancelled their catwalk offerings, Tammam loved by Poldark actress Eleanor Tomlinson sent one model out in a top bearing the slogan God Save The Planet. A brand spokesman said the National Anthem parody 'was a response to the enormous amount of resources and energy being given to the Monarchy when we need to focus our attention on climate change'. A model walks the runway during the Tammam 15 Year Anniversary Future 2023 Collection during London Fashion Week September 2022 on Thursday Lucy Tammam (centre) loved by Poldark actress Eleanor Tomlinson sent one model out in a top bearing the slogan God Save The Planet My lips are sealed, but... Which married aristocrat has been posting rather cringe-worthy comments on the Instagram photos of women in bikinis who are more than 40 years his junior? At 83, Sir Ian's still learning Sir Ian McKellen (pictured), 83, was tricked by phone pranksters into believing he was speaking to Ukraine's President Zelensky Sir Ian McKellen may have been tricked by phone pranksters into believing he was speaking to Ukraine's President Zelensky last month, but the 83-year-old is keen to reassure fans he's still sharp as a tack. At the first night of Rose, a two-hour, one-woman show performed by 76-year-old Maureen Lipman, the Lord Of The Rings star told me he'd be up for doing something similar. 'Learning lines isn't as hard as people think,' he smiled. The Marchioness of Blandford's sister Belle Evelegh (left) gave birth to a daughter last week in a hospital foyer Talk about making an entrance the Marchioness of Blandford's sister Belle Evelegh gave birth to a daughter last week in a hospital foyer! Her husband Justin even helped to deliver baby Amelia at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after a shorter than expected labour. Luckily, Justin's quick thinking he carried Belle into the hospital himself ensured that Amelia was not born in his beloved car. 'My husband is very precious about his car I'm not even allowed to eat my croissant in there for fear of dropping crumbs,' jokes Belle with sister Camilla Thorp, who is married to the Marquess of Blandford. Kaia Gerber stepped out in a casual ensemble while walking her rescue dog Milo in Los Angeles on Saturday. The 21-year-old model donned a pale orange crewneck sweater and white sweatpants on the walk. She strolled in light brown boots and protected her eyes from the harsh California sun with a pair of dark black sunglasses. Walking her pup: Kaia Gerber stepped out in a casual ensemble while walking her rescue dog Milo in Los Angeles on Saturday Her light brown hair was parted in the middle and brushed the top of her shoulders. She put a leash around Milo's neck and slowly walked him around the neighborhood while grabbing a coffee. The Los Angeles native originally adopted Milo back in the summer of 2020. Comfy outfit: The 21-year-old model donned a pale orange crewneck sweater and white sweatpants on the walk Loving owner: The Los Angeles native originally adopted Milo back in the summer of 2020 After procuring the animal, Kaia took to Instagram and wrote in the caption, 'Thank you @thelabellefoundation for finding me the perfect forever cuddle buddy & the best friend a girl could ask for. Welcome to the family Milo boy [heart emoji] mama loves you,' of a series of pictures. She's since been photographed multiple times with her precious pup and even took him to the San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood, according to Grazia Magazine. While she had time to pal around with her little buddy today, the daughter of Cindy Crawford has been quite busy recently. Taking him all over: She's since been photographed multiple times with her precious pup and even took him to the San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood, according to Grazia Magazine (pictured 2021) Out with her mom: Kaia attended an event to celebrate Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful's memoir A Visible Man with her famous model mother on Tuesday, September 13 She attended an event to celebrate Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful's memoir A Visible Man with her famous model mother on Tuesday, September 13. The models looked stunning in chic outfits as they posed for snaps with Edward at Sunset Tower Hotel Runway legend Cindy was super chic in a burnt orange pleated leather skirt for the big night out. She added a draped top in a complementary shade and accessorized with gold jewelry and a nude clutch. Cindy's lookalike daughter stunned in a racy little black dress, which highlighted her toned and tanned physique. The A-list pair mingled with the starry guest list at the bash, and posed for photos with the party's dapper host Edward as he held up a copy of his anticipated book. The autopsy on the body of rapper PnB Rock has been completed and the body can now be released to the family. The 30-year-old was shot and killed Monday, September 12, during a robbery at a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles after the artist got into a struggle with a suspect who demanded jewelry and other valuables, according to LAPD Chief Michel Moore. TMZ is reporting the medical examiner declared the death a homicide caused by a gunshot would to the back/chest. Body released: The body of rapper PnB Rock has been released to his family. An autopsy determined the artist was killed by a gunshot wound and the death has been ruled a homicide The period between the killing and the release of the body has been one fraught with dismay for the Selfish rapper's family, who is Muslim. The rapper's mother flew from her home in Philadelphia to identify and claim her son's body. She reportedly wanted to forego the autopsy and have the body released immediately as Islamic law requires burial to happen as quickly as possible after death, although there are exceptions in cases of death in battle or foul play as in this case. The coroner informed the family that law requires a post-mortem examination in criminal cases. The latest: PnB Rock, 30, was shot to death Monday during a robbery at a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles, police said Targeted: LA Police investigators believe the rapper may have been targeted for his jewelry. An alert to pawn shop owners has been issued in case the suspect tries to sell any of the items The rapper's mother flew from her home in Philadelphia to identify and claim her son's body. She reportedly wanted to forego the autopsy and have the body released immediately as Islamic law requires burial to happen as quickly as possible after death, although there are exceptions in cases of death in battle or foul play as in this case. The coroner informed the family that law requires a post-mortem examination in criminal cases. The LA Times reported that the rapper seemed to be targeted for his jewelry and investigators have put an alarm out to pawn shops in hopes of catching the killer should they try to sell any of the items. Family: The rapper's family had wanted his body released immediately, in accordance with Muslim law, but were told an autopsy must be performed to determine the cause of death Security footage: Investigators are probing security footage from the restaurant and nearby businesses in an effort to identify the murder suspect Police sources with the LAPD said investigators were probing security footage from the establishment in addition to nearby businesses in an effort to identify the suspect in the fatal shooting, and if they departed the crime scene on foot or in a vehicle. The rapper, whose real name was Rakim Hasheem Allen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania December 9, 1991. According to his Wikipedia page, Rakim's father was murdered when he was three years old and he had a troubled youth. Identity: The rapper, whose real name was Rakim Hasheem Allen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania December 9, 1991. Troubled youth: Rock's father was murdered when he was three years old and he spent time in youth detention when he was 13. At 19 he was sentenced to nearly three years in jail on drug possession and other charges He was sentenced to a youth detention center for committing robberies and fighting in school. At 19 the ABCD artist was sentenced to nearly three years in prison on drug possession and other charges. Rock turned his interest to music. He first burst on the scene with the 2015 song Fleek. The artist later went on to work with performers including Ed Sheeran, Meek Mill, YFN Lucci and Chance the Rapper. Music: Music helped the future star turn his life around. He first burst on the scene with the 2015 song Fleek. The artist later went on to work with performers including Ed Sheeran, Meek Mill, YFN Lucci and Chance the Rapper He had commercial success with the single Selfish, which hit the 51st spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of 2016. He had released his most recent single Luv Me Again this past September 2. A number of notable names took to Twitter to mourn the tragic death Monday, including Drake, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and Offset. Offset wrote, 'Pray for pnb rock.the man got family and kids smh God be with the man,' while Juice Wayne said, 'PnB Rock really died because of the greed of bummy a** n*****. Disgusting. Rest In Peace to the fallen. Another user wrote, 'PNB Rock life is worth a lot more then sum money & ice. we will never learn.' Mourning: Drake was one of many artist to mourn the tragic loss. He posted an image of himself alongside the late rapper Sending love: Cardi B gave her theory after fans speculated that the rapper was targeted after being seen in a geo-tagged social media post Olivia Wilde looked sensational as she walked the red carpet in a shimmering emerald green dress at the Don't Worry Darling premiere at the Victoria Eugenia Theatre during the 70th San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain on Friday. The actress, 38, looked every inch the Hollywood siren as she arrived at the event where she was greeted by hoards of fans and photographers. However, she stumbled about before heading inside as the heels of her towering shoes got caught in the long train of her gown. Oops! Olivia Wilde suffered a wardrobe malfunction in her shimmering emerald green dress at the Don't Worry Darling premiere at the 70th San Sebastian International Film Festival The star needed assistance from a member of staff to ensure she was safely unstuck. Olivia ensured she caught the eye of onlookers at the premiere as her garment sparkled under the bright lights. Her naked arms and shoulders were left exposed to the air due to the sleeveless design of the dress. All caught up: The actress looked every inch the Hollywood siren as she arrived at the event in Spain of Friday but needed help when her heel got caught in her dress Hooked: She stumbled about before heading inside as the heels of her towering shoes got caught in the long train of her gown outside the Victoria Eugenia Theatre Steady! Olivia ensured she caught the eye of onlookers at the premiere as e garment sparkled under the bright lights, holding out her arms to catch her balance as her shoe got stuck The star wore her hair down and opted for lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features. Olivia plays the role of Bunny in psychological thriller film Don't Worry Darling, with her character being the best friend of Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh). Don't Worry Darling tells the story of housewife Alice whose husband Jack (Harry Styles) moves them into a utopian community for his new company. Help on hand: Olivia's shoe was revealed from under the train of her dress which reached down to the ground, with the footwear matching her gown Glitterati: Olivia ensured she caught the eye of onlookers at the premiere as her garment sparkled under the bright lights Out on the town: Her naked arms and shoulders were left exposed to the air due to the sleeveless design of the dress She starts worrying that her husband and his company are hiding terrible secrets as her life is turned upside down. The cast also includes Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, Douglas Smith, KiKi Layne, Timothy Simons and Dita Von Teese. Wilde has been doing her best to stay calm after a facing a whirlwind of controversy at the Venice Film Festival. Wilde and Styles, who are an item, promoted the movie with Chris and fellow stars Gemma Chan and Nick Kroll, but Florence, who plays the lead, was notably absence from much of the festivities. She skipped a press conference for the film that was attended by Olivia and the actors because her flight allegedly would land too late for her to get there, though she was later seen in Venice nearby while it was taking place. During the premiere screening and on the red carpet in Italy, Florence appeared to keep her distance from her director. Olivia recently split from her ex husband Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, with whom she shares two children. Infamously, Wilde was served with custody court papers while on stage giving a speech. Looking good: The US star wore her ombre hair down and opted for lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features Playing the part: Olivia plays the role of Bunny in psychological thriller film Don't Worry Darling, with her character being the best friend of Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh) Rumors of Harry and Olivia's romance were confirmed when they were seen holding hands at his agent's wedding in Montecito, California, on January 3 2021, raising eyebrows over just how quickly she had moved on. And rumors of a feud between her and Florence emerge after a video was recently leaked of the director suggesting her main female character should have a 'wake up call'. The video was leaked after Shia LaBeouf - who was originally set to front the film, refuted Olivia's claim that he had been fired from the project. Telling the tale: Don't Worry Darling tells the story of housewife Alice whose husband Jack (Harry Styles) moves them into a utopian community for his new company Plot: She starts worrying that her husband and his company are hiding terrible secrets as her life is turned upside down All stars: The cast also includes Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, Douglas Smith, KiKi Layne, Timothy Simons and Dita Von Teese. In the footage, Olivia can be heard encouraging Shia to stay signed on to the film, rather than leave it, while also hinting at some apparent tension with Florence. After LaBeouf was sued by his ex FKA twigs and details of his allegedly sexual battery and harassment against her emerged, Olivia claimed she had fired him from the production. But the Honey Boy actor later produced a video that Wilde apparently sent him begging him to stay with the production, and he claimed that he had left over a 'lack of rehearsal time,' while forwarding emails to Variety to back up his case. Florence and Olivia have reportedly been feuding quietly after the actress was allegedly uncomfortable with Olivia's on-set relationship with Harry, though she claimed to Vanity Fair that her relationship with Sudeikis was 'over long before' she and Harry first hooked up. Looking for answers on the Don't Worry Darling drama, a journalist asked Olivia about the reports during Monday's press conference, which was also attended by Harry and his co-stars Chris Pine and Gemma Chan. 'Can you just clear the air and address whether there has been a falling out there and if so why, because it's something that people are discussing?' the reporter asked. Look of love! Olivia stars alongside her beau Harry Styles (left) (pictured with Sydney Chandler (center), who plays Violet, at the Don't Worry Darling premiere during the 79th Venice International Film Festival earlier this month) Olivia responded: 'Florence is a force and we are so grateful that she is able to make it tonight despite being in production on Dune.' 'I know as a director how disruptive it is to lose an actor even for a day so I'm very grateful to her and Denis Villeneuve for helping us we're really thrilled we'll get to celebrate her work tonight.' She continued: 'I can't say enough how honored I am to have her as our lead. She's amazing in the film and as for all the endless tabloid gossip and all the noise out there, I mean, the internet feeds itself. I don't feel the need to contribute, I think it's sufficiently well nourished.' Don't Worry Darling is released in the UK and Us on 23 September 2022. Waves batter the shore in Miyazaki, southern Japan, Sept. 18, as a powerful typhoon approaching southern Japan on Sunday lashed the region with strong winds and heavy rain. AP-Yonhap A powerful typhoon approaching southern Japan pounded the region with strong winds and heavy rain Sunday, causing blackouts, paralyzed ground and air transportation and the evacuation of thousands of people. The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Nanmadol was near the southern island of Yakushima, packing maximum surface winds of 162 kilometers (101 miles) per hour, as it slowly headed north to the country's main southern island of Kyushu where it could make a landfall later Sunday. Nanmadol is forecast to turn east and reach Tokyo on Tuesday. The agency predicted as much as 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rainfall by midday Monday, warning of flooding and landslides. The agency also warned residents in the affected area of ''unprecedented'' levels of powerful winds and waves, urging them to evacuate early. Water rushes down Front Street, just a half block from the Bering Sea, in Nome, Alaska, Sept. 17. AP-Yonhap Local authorities so far reported no major damage or injuries. In the hard-hit Kagoshima prefecture, more than 9,000 residents took shelter at evacuation centers Sunday. In the neighboring Miyazaki prefecture, another 4,700 people evacuated. Kyushu Electric Power Co. said more than 93,000 homes across the Kyushu island were without electricity Sunday because of damage to power lines and facilities. People makes one's way through the rain in Miyazaki, southern Japan, Sept. 18, as a powerful typhoon approaching southern Japan on Sunday lashed the region with strong winds and heavy rain. AP-Yonhap MasterChef Australia star Julie Goodwin has called for Australia to reject the monarchy and become a republic following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The celebrity chef, 51, launched into an on-air rant about the Queen on Friday's episode of The Project, declaring that the monarchy is 'no longer relevant' nor 'appropriate'. 'I want to say with the utmost respect to the Queen and to the monarchy and to monarchists that it's not a populist thing. It's not democratically elected. It's not put in place by the people of this country,' she ranted. 'With every bit of respect to Queen Elizabeth and all the work that she's done over her 70 years of reign, I don't think the monarchy's very relevant to Australia anymore.' Goodwin went on to suggest that becoming a republic 'might be a better way forward' for Australia. 'I was raised in a time - I sang God Save the Queen as the national anthem when I was a girl at school, and we her picture on the wall at school. She's interwoven in my memory and my history,' she continued. MasterChef Australia star Julie Goodwin, 51, (pictured on The Project on Friday) called for Australia to reject the monarchy and become a republic during an on-air rant on Friday's The Project, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II 'No doubt [the Queen's death] is a massive, historical event. But I'm also an Australian, I believe in the democratic process.' 'I believe that this country's old enough to stand on its own two feet and govern itself. And I don't think that - I'm going to say interference - from a foreign country is appropriate anymore,' Goodwin insisted. Goodwin has received backlash online for her comments, with many accusing her of being 'disrespectful' for discussing the issue of a republic so soon after Her Majesty's death. 'I want to say with the utmost respect to the Queen and to the monarchy and to monarchists that it's not a populist thing. It's not democratically elected. It's not put in place by the people of this country,' she ranted 'I believe that this country's old enough to stand on its own two feet and govern itself. And I don't think that - I'm going to say interference - from a foreign country is appropriate anymore,' Goodwin insisted. (Pictured is Queen Elizabeth 11, June 2012) 'Look up respect in the dictionary it appears you have now idea what it means. You couldn't have aired your views at a later date. Let's get the poor woman buried before the nastiness begins,' one tweeted. 'Totally inappropriate at this time she isn't buried yet. All this does is alienate those that the Republic needs support from. Time and place,' another added. Others have however thrown their support behind Goodwin, with one tweeting: 'Agree with Julie Goodwin 100%', while another added: 'I love her bravery.' Goodwin (pictured on MasterChef Australia Fans & Faves 2022) has received backlash online for her comments, with many accusing her of being 'disrespectful' for discussing the issue of a republic so soon after Her Majesty's death The Queen's death has sparked renewed calls for Australia to become a republic, as issue that went to referendum in 1999 where Australians voted for no change. Pictured is Queen Elizabeth II in March 2006 The Queen's death has sparked renewed calls for Australia to become a republic, as issue that went to referendum in 1999 where Australians voted for no change However, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a republican, has ruled out holding a referendum for at least four years. 'Now is not a time to talk about our system of government, now is a time for us to pay tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth,' he told the ABC's Insiders last Sunday. Goodwin has received backlash online for her comments, with many accusing her of being 'disrespectful' for discussing the issue of a republic so soon after Her Majesty's death. Prince Charles (left) is pictured with his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II at her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022 Meanwhile, Australian PM Anthony Albanese (pictured) has said he will not hold a republic referendum during his first term of government 'That's the system of government that we have, it's one which as Australian prime minister, I have a responsibility to respect.' The prime minister brushed off questions about when would be the right time to start having conversations about moving away from the monarch. 'Quite clearly, this is a time of national mourning,' he said. New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern also said her country will not look to become a republic. The announcement came as Governor-General David Hurley proclaimed King Charles III as Australia's new sovereign outside Parliament House. British actor Daniel Radcliffe has sold his Melbourne bolthole via his parents' corporate entity for around $2million. The Harry Potter star, 33, used the Toorak property as a temporary home while filming in Australia during the early 2000s, but has since found no use for it. According to a report by Realestate.com.au, the property was quietly sold off by a corporate entity called Gilmore Jacobs, which is owned by Radcliffe's parents Marcia Gresham and Alan Radcliffe. British actor Daniel Radcliffe has sold his Melbourne bolthole in a reported figure in the 'low $2millions'. (Pictured is Daniel Radcliffe, 2019) Radcliffe's parents have long made it clear that the money Gilmore Jacobs generates - from investments and Daniel's stellar career - is for their son alone. The Daily Mail reported in December 2019 that his company Gilmore Jacobs had reached a net worth of 80million ($147million). Radcliffe's mother purchased the home for for $1.9 million in 2004 when her superstar son was working in Australia. The apartment, which is on the top floor of the complex, features floor-to-ceiling windows, spacious outdoor areas, and an ultra-modern kitchen She then transferred the title into her son's name in 2007, not long before he turned 18. In 2015 Radcliffe listed the property for sale with a price guide of around $3.5million, but removed it from the market just days later after deciding he wanted to continue working in Australia. He finally sold the property to his parents' corporate entity last year, for $2million. The Harry Potter star, 33, used the Toorak property as a temporary home while filming in Australia during the early 2000s, but has since found no use for it According to a report by Realestate.com.au , the property was quietly sold off by a corporate entity called Gilmore Jacobs, which is owned by Radcliffe's parents Marcia Gresham and Alan Radcliffe The apartment, which is on the top floor of its complex, features floor-to-ceiling windows, spacious outdoor areas and an ultra-modern kitchen. Agents wouldn't be drawn on the sale price, but it is reported the figure lies in the 'low $2millions'. Radcliffe's parents established Gilmore Jacobs back in 2000, before Harry Potter first cast his worldwide spell. Radcliffe shot to fame in 2001 upon the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first of the Hollywood films based on J. K Rowling's novels Radcliffe shot to fame in 2001 upon the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first of the Hollywood films based on J. K Rowling's novels. He reportedly earned $1million for the first film, which was released when he was 12. He went on to star in all eight films in the popular franchise. The fantasy movies also star the likes of Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Tom Felton. Candice Swanepoel left little to the imagination while hitting the beach in Miami on Saturday. The 33-year-old South African model wore a red and green striped bikini styled with a patterned sarong from her Tropic Of C swimwear line. Candice's dirty blonde locks were pulled back into a tight bun, and she accessorized with dark designer sunglasses. Beach day! Candice Swanepoel left little to the imagination while hitting the beach in Miami on Saturday She carried a large white beach bag with her during her enjoyable afternoon. The Victoria's Secret Angel's appearance out came as rumors of a romance between her and Kanye West have swirled. The rapper recently shared a photo of Candice 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 pair are getting romantic. According to insiders, Kanye and Candice have been getting close lately and have already taken two loved-up trips together, The Sun reported. Own best advertisement: The 33-year-old South African model wore a red and green striped bikini styled with a patterned sarong from her Tropic Of C swimwear line Rumors: The Victoria's Secret Angel's appearance out came as rumors of a romance between her and Kanye West have swirled 'Kanye and Candice have been seeing a lot of each other and he's been introducing her as his girlfriend,' a source told the publication. '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 two trips together to the United Kingdom and New York City. '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. 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.' Keeping things casual: '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' (pictured May 2022 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 Getting close: According to insiders, Kanye and Candice have been getting close lately and have already taken two loved-up trips together, The Sun reported (pictured May 2022) 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. Back in April, Candice slipped her supermodel body into some SKIMS for one of Kim's campaigns. He's known for having the best physique in Hollywood. And Chris Hemsworth, 39, flashed his prized six-pack to his personal trainer Luke Zocchi as they waited for their private jet to take off in Sydney on Friday. Joined at the airport terminal with his wife Elsa Pataky, 46, and a group of friends, the Thor star was seen proudly lifting his shirt while marvelling at his own rippling torso. Chris Hemsworth, 39, (right) flashed his prized six-pack to his personal trainer Luke Zocchi (left) as they waited for their private jet to take off in Sydney on Friday Proving that even Australia's most ripped actor still indulges in the occasional treat, Chris was later seen indulging in pizza. Chris, Elsa and Luke were all seen tucking into three large pizzas as they prepared to jet home to Byron Bay. Chris was dressed for comfort in a baggy white shirt and black trousers. Proving that even Australia's most ripped actor still indulges in the occasional treat, Chris was later seen indulging in pizza Proving that even Australia's most ripped actor still indulges in the occasional treat, Chris was later seen indulging in pizza Luke, who lives near the Hemsworth clan in Byron Bay, is often the man responsible for helping Chris get in shape ahead of his blockbuster movies. Luke, who lives near the Hemsworth clan in Byron Bay, is often the man responsible for helping Chris get in shape ahead of his blockbuster movies. The fitness guru recently told Daily Mail Australia that Elsa also used the same program Chris followed for his new blockbuster, Thor: Love & Thunder, to get in shape for her role as the very ripped Captain J.J. Collins in Interceptor - which left her in 'the best shape of her life.' Chris' wife Elsa Pataky (right) was spotted having a chat with a friend It comes after Chris finished filming Mad Max prequel Furiosa in Sydney last month. The film was special to Chris as it features a cameo from his father Craig, who plays a post apocalyptic bikie. Chris posted an Instagram tribute to his Craig for Father's Day earlier this month, revealing 'some of my greatest memories as a kid are training with him.' Luke, who lives near the Hemsworth clan in Byron Bay, is often the man responsible for helping Chris get in shape ahead of his blockbuster movies. Chris is pictured in Thor The Australian network wars are ablaze after Seven Network snapped up the broadcasting rights to the TV Week Logie Awards. According to The Daily Telegraph, Nine bosses were 'livid' about losing the Logies following the ceremony's long-time association with the network. Seven announced on Tuesday it had signed a multi-year deal with Are Media, the owners of the Logie Awards, starting in 2023. Channel Nine bosses are reportedly 'livid' after losing Logie Awards broadcasting rights to rival Seven in shock '$250K deal'. (Pictured: Hamish Blake at the 2022 Logies) The deal is said to be worth just $250,000, a drop in the ocean for a major network like Channel Seven. The Daily Telegraph has reported that Nine executives felt blindsided by Are Media's move, as a 'gentleman's agreement' regarding the Logies has long existed between them. 'The question of whether a 'last rights' offer should have been made to Nine, which had 'cherished' the Logies for more than a quarter of a century, remains, though Nine has no plans to take any formal action,' the report reads. The Daily Telegraph has reported that Nine executives felt blindsided by Are Media's move, as a 'gentleman's agreement' regarding the Logies has long existed between them. (Pictured: Simone Holtznagel at the 2022 Logies) Seven will screen the Logies from 2023 to 2027. Seven announced on Tuesday it had signed a five year year deal with Are Media. 'We are honoured to be partnering with Are Media to bring the Logies to Australia on Channel Seven and 7plus,' Seven West Media CEO James Warburton said. Seven announced on Tuesday it had signed a multi-year deal with Are Media, the owners of the Logie Awards. Pictured: Home and Away's Ray Meagher and presenter Sonia Kruger, both Seven talents, holding a Logie Award statuette 'It's early days but we have big, exciting plans for the awards in 2023 and beyond.' Jane Huxley, the CEO of Are Media, said:'The TV Week Logie Awards has become the most anticipated event of the year for the television industry as we celebrate the most popular stars and shows on our screens. 'We are delighted to continue our long-standing association with the awards and equally pleased to welcome the Seven Network as the Logies' Official Broadcast Partner.' The Logies had been an institution at Nine for six decades and many of its stars, including the late Bert Newton, were strongly linked to the event. Pictured: Erin McNaught at the 2022 Logies The 63rd Logie Awards will be broadcasted on Seven and 7Plus next year on June 18. The Logies had been an institution at Nine for six decades and many of its stars, including the late Bert Newton, were strongly linked to the event. It was also a consistent ratings winner for the network, with 885,000 metro viewers tuning in to see Lego Masters host Hamish Blake collect the Gold Logie this year. The news comes after Are Media announced in February it was handing over day-to-day operations of the Logies to Sydney-based events company Rizer. Bachelor star Florence Moerenhout has revealed she was rushed to hospital after her drink got spiked on a night out. The TV star and model, 32, took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal details of the chilling incident as a warning to other young women. Florence believes she was slipped Rohypnol or GHB, which are both considered 'date rape' drugs. 'Last night I went out for a couple drinks and I only had three drinks with some friends and at about 10.30pm, I felt super unwell,' she said. The star said she figured she 'must be drunk' and needed to go home from the venue, but it made little difference. 'I got home and I got sicker and sicker, I kept falling and tripping over, I couldn't stand or sit, I was spinning,' she said. The star said she 'tried everything' to feel better including a 'hot bath and cold shower' but 'nothing worked' so she ended up going to emergency. 'I got home and I got sicker and sicker, I kept falling and tripping over, I couldn't stand or sit, I was spinning,' Florence (pictured) said in an Instagram Story post on Sunday 'I spent the entire night in the hospital,' she said, before adding her friend also felt 'abnormally drunk' after taking a sip from her own drink. Florence went on to say that drink spiking is an 'issue in Melbourne at the moment', telling her followers to be careful. Florence said she's more convinced it was Rohypnol in her drink, as she experienced most of the drug's symptoms. These include slurred speech, feeling 'very drunk', dizziness, confusion, blackouts and memory loss, according to Healthline. '[To whoever did this to us] I hope God will push your hairline back so far that no woman ever, ever wants to look at you again,' she finished. Florence shot to fame in 2017 as a contestant on Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson's season of The Bachelor. she also appeared on Bachelor In Paradise Florence shot to fame in 2017 as a contestant on Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson's season of The Bachelor. She went on to star on Bachelor in Paradise the following year and again in 2019. Despite stepping out of the spotlight while in the Netherlands, she returned to Australia in January last year. Cindy Crawford was spotted enjoying a mother-daughter dinner date with her youngest child, Kaia Gerber, in Santa Monica on Saturday night. The supermodel duo, 56 and 21 respectively, grabbed a bite at the popular Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi, which is frequented by the Hollywood elite. Crawford and Gerber showcased their signature styles as they made the short walk from the valet to the eatery's front entrance. Dinner date: Cindy Crawford was spotted enjoying a mother-daughter dinner date with her youngest child, Kaia Gerber, in Santa Monica on Saturday night Crawford stunned in an all-black ensemble consisting of fitted slacks and a matching wrap top that highlighted her smooth decolletage. For some added glamour, the runway maven strolled the sidewalk in a pair of strappy heels. She carried a black leather jacket over her left arm just in case temperatures took a tumble. Rounding out her look, Crawford had her brown tresses styled long and flowing with a center part. Stylish: Crawford and Gerber showcased their signature styles as they made the short walk from the valet to the eatery's front entrance Hotspot: The supermodel duo, 56 and 21 respectively, grabbed a bite at the popular Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi, which is frequented by the Hollywood elite Lookalike daughter Gerber was the picture of casual-cool as she styled a brown floral blouse with a pair of denim bootcut jeans. She slipped into a pair of black leather boots that coordinated with the purse tucked under her arm. Crawford and Gerber recently shared snaps to Instagram of their night out celebrating the release of British Vogue's Edward Enninful's new memoir, A Visible Man. Enninful, a 50-year-old native of Ghana, is the first Black Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue. He's been out en force promoting his new autobiography over the last couple of weeks, according to Metro. Celebrate: Crawford and Gerber recently shared snaps to Instagram of their night out celebrating the release of British Vogue's Edward Enninful's new memoir, A Visible Man Birthday girl: The previous week, Gerber gushed on Instagram that she go to 'spend my 21st birthday with my mom in a very special place,' which turned out to be the Burning Man festival at Black Rock City in northwestern Nevada The previous week, Gerber gushed on Instagram that she go to 'spend my 21st birthday with my mom in a very special place,' which turned out to be the Burning Man festival at Black Rock City in northwestern Nevada. Mother and daughter struck a pose in an area that appeared to be the playa of the festival, which is held annually about 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Reno. Crawford would later share that she got a last-minute invitation for the annual event, and that she was happy to have taken the plunge in order to share the experience with her daughter. 'It was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. The surreal ruggedness and inspiring beauty of the playa enabled me to reconnect to my maiden self adventurous, fun, curious and carefree,' the mother of two shared in the caption of an instagram photo. Glad to do it: Crawford would later share that she got a last-minute invitation for the annual event, and that she was happy to have taken the plunge in order to share the experience with her daughter Hailey Bieber put her toned abs on display while running errands in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. The model, 25, was captured rocking a cropped white tee and a pair of baggy black pants that hung on her hips. She layered up her laidback look with an oversized black denim jacket and slipped her feet into a pair of classic Adidas sneakers. Ab fab! Hailey Bieber put her toned abs on display while running errands in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon The Arizona native let her dirty blonde hair cascade down her back in straight strands and she kept her sultry gaze hidden behind a pair of shades. As for makeup, Bieber opted for a minimalistic look that centered around a flawless, flushed complexion. Seemingly wearing her skincare brand Rhode's sold-out Peptide Lip Treatment, Bieber's pout looked plump and glossy. Her outing comes just a few days after she and her husband Justin Bieber celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary. Effortless: The model, 25, was captured rocking a cropped white tee and a pair of baggy black pants that hung on her hips Finishing touches: She layered up her laidback look with an oversized black denim jacket and slipped her feet into a pair of classic Adidas sneakers Big day: Bieber's appearance out came a few days after she and her husband Justin celebrated their fourth anniversary (pictured April 2022) The couple shared sweet tributes on Instagram to commemorate their very special day. Justin posted, 'Happy Anniversary to my best friend and wifey @haileybieber .. thanks for making me better in every way.' Hailey's post boasted a carousel of pictures from over the years, writing '4 years married to you. the most beautiful human I've 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 before holding a star-studded wedding that following year in South Carolina. Lots of pictures: Hailey's post boasted a carousel of pictures from over the years, writing '4 years married to you. the most beautiful human I've ever known love of my life. Thank God for you' (pictured 2021) Getting hitched: The lovebirds tied the knot in secret at a New York City courthouse in September 2018 before holding a star-studded wedding that following year in South Carolina; the pair seen in 2020 Last week the beauty sizzled in a new Victoria's 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. 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 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.' Roxy Horner put on a leggy display in a one shouldered glittering playsuit as she attended the Pam Hogg show during London Fashion Week on Saturday. The model, 31, looked sensational in the number which she cinched in at the waist with an eye-catching dazzling buckle belt. She elevated her frame in a pair of pointed toe clear and silver heels and carried her belongings in a chic coordinating handbag. Glam: Roxy Horner put on a leggy display in a one shoulder glittering playsuit as she attended the Pam Hogg show during London Fashion Week on Saturday Roxy slicked her long blonde tresses back in a ponytail from a centre parting which cascaded past her bust. Tuning up the glamour she opted for a large pair of dazzling hoop earrings and a radiant nude palette of makeup. Also at the event was Alice Dellal who worked in the show wearing two incredible ensembles. Looking good: The model, 31, looked sensational in the shorts number which she cinched in at the waist with an eye catching black dazzling buckle belt Stunning: She elevated her frame in a pair of pointed toe clear and silver heels and carried her belongings in a chic round coordinated handbag The Brazilian model, 35, posed up a storm in a plunging black and green sleeveless midi dress which she teamed with towering white lace up boots. For her second look, the beauty wore a camo blazer with a black leather collar and large pockets which she teamed with a coordinated mini skirt. She rocked a pair of black leather gloves with the outfit and a pair of knee high lace up boots. Dazzling: Roxy slicked her long blonde tresses back in a ponytail from a centre parting and opted for a large pair of dazzling hoop earrings and a radiant nude palette of makeup Roxy has been dating actor Jack Whitehall for two years and the pair reside in Jack's 17.5million, five-bed home in Notting Hill with their pooch Coco. It was announced in May that Jack's Bad Education is set to return to BBC Three for a 10-year anniversary special followed by a brand new spin-off series. The 45-minute one-off special episode, celebrating a decade since the show first aired, will reunite Alfie (Whitehall) with former students as they return to Abbey Grove for a joyfully chaotic careers day. Stylish: Also at the event was Alice Dellal who worked in the show wearing two incredible ensembles Chic: The Brazilian model, 35, posed up a storm in a plunging black and green sleeveless midi dress which she teamed with towering white lace up boots Incredible: For her second look, the beauty wore a camo blazer with a black leather collar and large pockets which she teamed with a coordinated mini skirt Meanwhile in March, Roxy praised Jack for being her 'rock' amid her Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. 'Jack's been my absolute rock, he's so lovely. He was there when I got diagnosed. My parents and my family live in Australia, so he has been my family. We're amazing,' she told The Sun. The blonde beauty explained to the publication how her symptoms got worse during the pandemic, pushing her to seek medical advice. Runway: She rocked a pair of black leather gloves with the outfit and a pair of knee high lace up boots as she strutted her stuff down the runway 'I felt extremely tired and exhausted for a long time, I had no energy. I couldn't even go for a walk, it was draining, I felt like I was dying. I was drinking four to eight litres of water a day,' she recalled. Despite 'knowing something was really wrong' with her body and visiting the doctors on numerous occasions, Roxy was not tested for diabetes due to not fitting the criteria. The model took herself to A&E out of desperation, where she was finally diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes - which causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high. The glamorous wives and girlfriends of Australia's sporting stars descended on the red carpet at the AFL's Brownlow Medal ceremony in Melbourne on Sunday. And Indiana Putra looked like a Disney princess in a vibrant pink frilly dress as she posed with her partner Jeremy Cameron. The dress featured a plunging neckline, pink tulle detailing on the shoulders and a cut out midriff. AFL WAG Indiana Putra looked like a Disney princess at the Brownlow Medal 2022 in Melbourne on Sunday night The e-commerce manager was all glammed up for the outing, and had her brunette locks tied back in a high ponytail. She accessorised her look with red drop earrings. Indiana chose a warm makeup look for the occasion with a dramatic pout in a matte nude tone. The dress featured a plunging neckline, pink tulle detailing on the shoulders and a cut out midriff Jeremy meanwhile looked suave in a black suit with a matching bow-tie. The Greater Western Sydney Giants player completed his look with a crisp white shirt and leather boots. Indiana joined a whole host of glamorous WAGs and stars on the red carpet including Abbey Gelmi, girlfriend of AFL player Kane Lambert. Jeremy meanwhile looked suave in a black suit with a matching bow-tie. The Greater Western Sydney Giants player completed his look with a crisp white shirt and leather boots Abbey stunned in sleeveless off white gown with soft ruffled detailing at the bust and a flowing skirt, opting for glowing, rosy makeup for the event. She had earlier shared a glimpse at her preparations for the big day as she employed a glam squad in her hotel room. This year's awards is taking place at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne after a year of disruption due to the pandemic China's President Xi Jinping remotely addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded message, Sept. 21, 2021, at UN headquarters. AP-Yonhap As world leaders gather in New York at the annual U.N. General Assembly, rising superpower China is also focusing on another United Nations body that is meeting across the Atlantic Ocean in Geneva. Chinese diplomats are speaking out and lobbying others at an ongoing session of the Human Rights Council to thwart a possible call for further scrutiny of what it calls its anti-extremism campaign in Xinjiang, following a United Nations report on abuses against Uyghurs and other largely Muslim ethnic groups in the western China border region. The concurrent meetings illustrate China's divided approach to the United Nations and its growing global influence. Beijing looks to the U.N., where it can count on support from countries it has befriended and in many cases assisted financially, as a counterweight to U.S.-led blocs such as the Group of Seven, which have grown increasingly hostile toward China. ''China sees the U.N. as an important forum that it can use to further its strategic interests and goals, and to reform the global order,'' said Helena Legarda from the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. While holding up the United Nations as a model of multilateralism, China rejects criticism or decisions that the ruling Communist Party sees as counter to its interests. Its diplomats struck back at the report published last month by the U.N. human rights office raising concerns about possible ''crimes against humanity'' in Xinjiang vowing to suspend cooperation with the office and blasting what it described as a Western plot to undermine China's rise. China had pushed hard to block the report on Xinjiang, delaying its release for more than a year. In the end, the information did come out but just minutes before embattled U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet left office. Like the United States, China feels a certain freedom to ignore U.N. institutions when it wants: The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of the Human Rights Council in 2018, accusing it of anti-Israel bias. The Biden administration jumped back in this year, and has made a priority of defending Israel in the 47-member-state body. Also like the United States, China leverages its influence to get its way effectively stymieing an investigation by the U.N.'s World Health Organization into whether China was the birthplace of the coronavirus pandemic. A Chinese translator works during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters ahead of the General Assembly, Sept. 16. AP-Yonhap Ken Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, said Chinese President Xi Jinping is trying to redefine what human rights are, in part by casting economic development as a key criterion. China, Roth said, ''more than any government in the past, is trying to undermine the U.N. human rights system'' by pressuring U.N. officials, retaliating against witnesses and trying to bribe governments. ''One of their top priorities right now maybe after Taiwan is to avoid condemnation by the Human Rights Council,'' Roth said. The self-governing island of Taiwan is claimed by China as its sovereign territory, an issue that the Beijing government is vociferous about internationally. Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at Renmin University in China, said advocating for the U.N.'s role in maintaining the international order doesn't mean that China agrees with every U.N. body, citing the COVID-19 origins study and the recent Xinjiang report. ''When the U.N high commissioner for human rights issues such a report, in the eyes of China, it is the same as all organizations in the world, no matter official or private, that defames China,'' Shi said. But China doesn't want its pique toward the rights office, which falls under U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to spill over to its deepening relationship with other parts of the world body that deal with refugees, climate, the internet, satellites, world hunger, atomic weapons, energy and much more. China wields power as one of the five veto-holding members of the Security Council, helping it build relationships with the United States and others who needed China's support for past resolutions on Iran and North Korea. That influence has diminished somewhat with the overall deterioration of U.S.-China ties, Shi said. Subsequently, both China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-backed resolution in May to impose new sanctions on North Korea. Under Xi, who came to power 10 years ago, China has expanded its U.N. involvement from primarily international development early on to political, peace and security issues, Legarda said. She noted how China has had its concepts and language worked into U.N. resolutions and used the U.N. system to promote a ''Global Development Initiative'' proposed by Xi in a video address to last year's General Assembly. ''This is a reflection of China's more assertive and ambitious foreign policy under Xi,'' Legarda said. China has stepped into a diplomatic void created by a lack of U.S. leadership, said Daniel Warner, a Geneva-based political analyst. Former President Donald Trump shunned many international institutions, Warner said, and successor Joe Biden has been preoccupied with domestic issues. Chinese hold the top jobs at three of the U.N.'s 18 specialized agencies: the Food and Agricultural Organization, the Industrial Development Organization and the International Telecommunications Union, where the United States has put up a candidate to succeed outgoing chief Houlin Zhao. A Chinese official headed the International Civil Aviation Organization until last year. For China, it's a matter of prestige as well as influence, Warner said. A tour guide stands near a display showing images of people at locations described as vocational training centers in southern Xinjiang at the Exhibition of the Fight Against Terrorism and Extremism in Urumqi in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, April 21, 2021. AP-Yonhap Pierce Brosnan enjoyed a family dinner with his wife Keely Shaye Smith and their son Dylan at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica LA on Saturday evening. The actor, 69, cut a dapper figure in a crisp white shirt and black jacket as he posed alongside his stunning wife, 58, who wowed in a black midi dress. The James Bond star opted for a pair of brown shoes and navy trousers with the ensemble while Keely elevated her frame in a pair of leopard print heels. Family time: Pierce Brosnan enjoyed a family dinner with his wife Keely Shye Smith, their son Dylan and Dylan's girlfriend Avery Wheless at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica LA on Saturday Keely looked incredible donning a radiant palette of makeup and carried a dazzling black clutch bag and a coat draped over her arm. They were joined by their son Dylan, 25, who rocked a pair of blue jeans with a brown open shirt revealing a black top. He beamed to the camera as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend Avery Wheless who stunned in a green and brown mini dress. All smiles: The actor, 69, cut a dapper figure in a crisp white shirt and black jacket as he posed alongside his stunning wife, 58, who wowed in a black midi dress and leopard print heels The couple, who have been married for 21 years, are also parents to son Paris, 21, the youngest of Pierce's five children. Pierce exchanged vows with Keely in his native Ireland in August of 2001. Pierce met Keely at a party in 1994 after the death of Pierce's first wife Cassandra Harris in 1991, and hit it off before eventually deciding to tie the knot seven years later. Looking good: They were joined by their son Dylan, 25, who rocked a pair of blue jeans with a brown open shirt revealing a black top as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend The Mamma Mia! hunk also has son Sean, 38, and adopted son Chris, 49, as well as his late adopted daughter Charlotte with Cassandra. Pierce adopted Cassandra's children Chris and Charlotte after their father Dermot Harris died in 1986. Pierce has often been vocal about how Keely saved him from depression following his personal tragedies, describing her as a strength 'I wouldn't be able to live without.' Throwback! Pierce and Keely have been married for 21 years after exchanging vows in his native Ireland and also share a son Paris, 21, together, the youngest of Pierce's five children Pierce in April of 2017 opened up to People about how the pair enjoy one another's company. He said: 'My wife and I took a short road trip up to Santa Barbara - we were going for a romantic weekend and to look at houses and drink great wine,' he said. 'We didn't listen to any music, but we just listened to the sounds of each other's voices and sorted out the world.' Meanwhile, the actor has a number of projects due out this year, including the movie The King's Daughter, in which he plays King Louis XIV; the DC film Black Adam, in which he will play Dr. Fate alongside Dwayne Johnson; and The Out-Law, an action-comedy also featuring Nina Dobrev and Michael Rooker. Pierce will also be featured in a project for The History Channel called Historys Greatest Heists, which will chronicle large-scale robberies that have occurred, Deadline reported Wednesday. The series will air in eight installments and chronicle events ranging from 1899's Wilcox train robbery to 1950's Great Brink robbery in Boston, with 'stylized' recreations of the crimes and visual effects, the outlet reported. Tyson and Paris Fury left a huge bouquet of flowers at the gates of Buckingham Palace as they paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II. The boxer, 34, and his wife, 32, posed for photos outside the gates of the royal residence and penned a heartfelt message signed 'Gypsy King.' Paris looked effortlessly chic as she wore a striped blouse with a bold pair of hot pink trousers and strappy heels. Touching: Tyson, 34, and Paris Fury, 32, left a huge bouquet of flowers at the gates of Buckingham Palace as they paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II She styled her blonde locks into glamorous curls and opted for a radiant palette of makeup to complete her look. Tyson donned a slick polo neck top with black trousers and trainers as he placed the flowers on top of a plaque for the jubilee walk. Inside the card he penned: 'To Our Queen, great may your bed be in Heaven. Love from Tyson and Paris xx Gypsy King x.' Paying respects: The boxer and his wife posed for photos outside the gates of the royal residence and penned a heartfelt message signed 'Gypsy King' Smart: Tyson donned a slick polo neck top with black trousers and trainers Taking to Twitter shortly after Queen Elizabeth II passed, he penned: 'Thoughts & prayers with my Queen tonight, may God be with you,' Fury posted on Twitter last Thursday. RIP. May the lord god grant u a good bed in heaven.' The Queen's death will see Britain and her Commonwealth realms enter into a ten-day period of mourning as millions of her subjects in the UK and abroad come to terms with her passing. As her son accedes to the throne, there will also be a celebration of her historic 70-year reign that saw her reach her Platinum Jubilee this year - a landmark unlikely to be reached again by a British monarch. Tribute: Inside the card he penned: 'To Our Queen, great may your bed be in Heaven. Love from Tyson and Paris xx Gypsy King x' Bouquet: In the video he cold be seen as he placed the flowers on top of a plaque for the jubilee walk Charles, the King, said: '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.' James Argent's girlfriend Stella Turian looked effortlessly chic as she departed Marbella following a romantic trip with the TOWIE star on Sunday. The Italian actress, 18, put on an elegant display in a figure-hugging bodysuit and white trouser suit. Stella's trip to the Costa Del Sol comes after MailOnline revealed it was 'love at first sight' for Arg, 34, and the film star who met three months ago. Elegant: James Argent's girlfriend Stella Turian, 18, looked effortlessly chic as she departed Marbella following a romantic trip with the TOWIE star on Sunday The actress completed her look with a pair of white leather trainers and carried a large tan tote bag. Stella wore her brunette locks loose with a hint of a wave and shielded her eyes with some tortoiseshell sunglasses. She has been seen packing on the PDA with Arg in the Spanish city, where he has been performing with his band at Olivia's La Cala restaurant. Stunning: Stella wore her brunette locks loose with a hint of a wave and shielded her eyes with some tortoiseshell sunglasses Earlier this week, MailOnline revealed that Arg had found love again for the first time since his on-off relationship with Gemma Collins. The former TOWIE star is 'smitten' with Italian actress Stella, who is 16 years his junior, after the couple met three months ago in Mykonos. Sources close to the pair say that it was 'love at first sight' for James, who hasn't felt this way for years, and he's 'determined' to make this relationship the best of his life. 'James and Stella are in love, they fell for each other the moment they met and have spent as much time together as possible since,' a source told MailOnline. Romantic: She has been seen packing on the PDA with Arg in the Spanish city, where he has been performing with his band at Olivia's La Cala restaurant 'This is a big deal for James he hasn't been in a relationship for years because he's been working on himself and finally now, he's ready to share his life with someone. 'The age difference hasn't played any part in their romance so far, they've holidayed together in Italy and Marbella, getting to know each other away from the spotlight.' James met Stella, who would have been six-years-old when he first appeared on TOWIE in 2010, while he was in Mykonos attending a friend's wedding, and they have been inseparable since. New beau: The former TOWIE star is 'smitten' with Italian actress Stella, who is 16 years his junior, after the couple met three months ago in Mykonos Stella appears in the film 'Infiniti', which screened at this year's Venice Film Festival that was also attended by the likes of A-listers Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, and Timothee Chalamet. The jetsetter was also at the Monaco Grand Pix this summer, and documented the trip on her Instagram, which is littered with glamorous bikini pictures. James hasn't publicly dated anyone since the end of his turbulent romance with former TOWIE co-star Gemma, 41, who was left brokenhearted on multiple occasions after James called her names and they fell out on and off screen. He also dated TOWIE's Lydia Bright, 31, who is now a mum to daughter Loretta while Gemma is engaged to fiance Rami Hawash. Advertisement The Crown's Khalid Abdalla was seen on set as Princess Diana's tragic lover Dodi Fayed, after filming was paused for a day following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The actor was joined on set by co-star Erin Richards who plays his ex-girlfriend Kelly Fisher as they boarded a yacht in Mallorca on Sunday. Filming for the sixth and final season has now resumed after bosses confirmed that they were briefly suspending production as a mark of respect after Buckingham Palace announced the Queen's passing. Production: The Crown's Khalid Abdalla (left) was seen on set as Princess Diana's tragic lover Dodi Fayed (right), after filming was paused for a day following the death of Queen Elizabeth II Khalid and Kelly appear opposite Elizabeth Debicki, who is taking on the role of Princess Diana in the series. He channeled the 90s in a black and white patterned shirt that was paired with some cream coloured baggy chinos and tan sliders. Erin was seen wrapped up in a dressing gown whilst they boarded boat before changing into a stylish jumpsuit and beige blazer. On set: The actor was joined on set by co-star Erin Richards (left) who plays his ex-girlfriend Kelly Fisher (right) as they boarded a yacht in Mallorca It's back: Filming for the sixth and final season has now resumed after bosses confirmed that they were briefly suspending production as a mark of respect for the Queen Chic: Erin later changed into a stylish jumpsuit and beige blazer Dodi and Diana were photographed enjoying each other's company on his boat, named 'Cujo', in July 1997, just weeks before their deaths in a Paris car crash on August 31st the same year. In May 2020, Fayed's original yacht was sold for 171,000, with some observers telling The Sunday Express that the bid was surprisingly low, sparking fears that the memory of Diana was 'fading'. Royal author Margaret Holder, who penned Diana: The Caring Princess, a look at the Princess of Wales' life published in 1999, said she felt it was: 'a shame that this historic boat didn't attract a higher bid as a remarkable souvenir of the last days of Diana's life.' Recreation: Dodi and Diana were photographed enjoying each other's company on his boat, named 'Cujo', in July 1997, just weeks before their deaths Relaxing: Erin wrapped up warm in a white dressing gown while Khalid wore a black and white pattered shirt Working: Khalid channeled the 90s his vintage ensemble as he took a lunch break on set Stunning: Erin's hair was styled in a voluminous cropped do Busy: Erin shielded her eyes with a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses as a crew member held her umbrella At sea: Erin put on a polished display as she rode the boat with a French flag blowing in the breeze She added she felt it was surprising that royal fans did not pay more for the historical memorabilia. 'Not long ago one could have expected a bidding war between wealthy Diana fans,' she said. 'I hope this isn't a sign that memories of her unique allure are fading,' she added. Diana was famously photographed kissing Dodi on the vessel's deck and sunbathing on his father's yacht's diving board that same summer. Catching up: Last week, it was revealed that filming for The Crown been suspended for one day as a 'mark of respect to the late monarch' Schedule change: Filming will also not take place on the day of the Queen's funeral The boat was used by Dodi as the venue for lavish parties in the South of France, mainly in St Tropez. Last week, it was revealed that filming for The Crown been suspended for one day as a 'mark of respect to the late monarch', who passed away aged 96 on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral Castle. Filming will also not take place on the day of the Queen's funeral. In a move that could be branded insensitive by fans, when the cast and crew return they will be covering Princess Diana's death in 1997 and the Queen could be seen in mourning clothes. Lavish: The pair looked out to sea and soaked up the incredible scenery Getting ready: Erin was pictured having her hair and makeup touched up Glowing: Erin looked stunning as she got into character Lifestyle: The boat was used by Dodi as the venue for lavish parties in the South of France, mainly in St Tropez Final days: A snap of Diana and Dodi enjoying each other's company on his father's yacht Jonikal (now called the Sokar) in St Tropez in the summer of 1997 is one of the last ever taken of the pair The potentially controversial scenes will be filmed while the nation comes to grips with the loss of their late Queen during a 10 day mourning period which will end with a state funeral. On Thursday, star Imelda Staunton, who is playing an older version of Her Majesty in the Netflix series following predecessors Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, was seen in character as she prepared to leave the set. A scene covering Princess Diana's tragic death in Paris in August 1997 was scheduled to be filmed on Friday in Barcelona, Spain. Stylish: Khalid paired the statement shirt with some cream chinos Careful: Erin was helped out of one boat by staff as she made her way on to the jetty Replica: In May 2020, Fayed's original yacht was sold for 171,000, with some observers telling The Sunday Express that the bid was surprisingly low As series five of the drama is set to air this autumn, filming for the sixth series is well underway with Elizabeth taking on the role of the late Princess of Wales alongside Imelda as the late Queen Elizabeth II. However, SER Cataluny reported scenes that would cover Princess Diana's death in August 1997 were being suspended following the death of Her Majesty. A Netflix spokesperson said: 'As a mark of respect, filming on The Crown was suspended today. Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen's funeral.' Netflix had reportedly devised a plan, also named Operation London Bridge like the official funeral plan for the Queen, to outline what the production company for The Crown would do in the event of her passing. Taking a break: The area surrounding the set in Puerto de Andratx was taped off to the public Upcoming: As series five of the drama is set to air this autumn, filming for the sixth series is well underway Shia LaBeouf was seen back in Pasadena on Saturday after spending time abroad with his wife Mia Goth and their six-month-old daughter Isabel. Last week the actor and his family were spotted in Portofino, Italy, taking a dip in the sea, and Mia also traveled to Toronto to appear at the city's film festival. Shia was seen as he stopped by to pick up some food and drinks at his local juice bar. Back home: Shia LaBeouf was seen back in Pasadena on Saturday after spending time abroad with his wife Mia Goth and their six-month-old daughter Isabel The Honey Boy star looked casual in a salmon-colored button-up shirt, along with a large straw sunhat to give him some shade. He toned the items down with muted gray shorts that revealed his tattooed thighs, along with white trainers . Goth and LaBeouf initially met while working on the 2013 film Nymphomaniac, in which they both starred. They tied the knot in Las Vegas in 2016 but divorced two years later, while Shia was involved with both FKA twigs and actress Margaret Qualley. Casually cool: Shia was seen wearing a salmon-colored button shirt, a large sunhat, gray shorts that revealed his tattooed thighs, and white sneakers as he picked up food and drinks at a local juice bar Shia and Mia reconciled in 2020 after the Transformers star and Margaret broke up. Mia gave birth to the couple's daughter in March. Though things appear to be going well with his wife, the actor is currently being sued by his former flame FKA twigs, who has accused him of knowingly giving her a sexually transmitted disease, which he has denied. Shia has also recently landed at the center of a dispute with Olivia Wilde over his departure from her film Don't Worry Darling. Wilde previously claimed that she had fired Shia, but the actor has insisted that he quit. Back and forth: He has recently been involved in a dispute with Don't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde. She claimed to have fired him over his behavior, but he shared a video message from her that appeared to suggest that she tried to get him to reconsider leaving LaBeouf provided text messages and a video message allegedly sent by Wilde to him that showed her referring to various on-set problems. She also appeared to ask him to reconsider his departure from the project. This comes after the actor shed tears two weeks ago, recalling how his wife was the only member of his family to visit him virtually in rehab despite having no contact with her for two years. 'We had been estranged for like years because of my jealousy,' he said. 'She went and did a movie with another actor, and I thought she was cheating on me, so then I cheated on another... weak s***. Little boy s***. Like nonsense. Woody Allen announced Sunday that he will be retiring from filmmaking after completing his 50th feature. The 86-year-old actor, writer and director plans to retire from movies to focus on writing, according to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia. 'My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing.' The director, who has denied sexual abuse allegations lodged against him by his daughter Dylan Farrow, is currently at work on his 50th and final film, titled Wasp 22. The movie, which he compared to his late-career work Match Point, is being filmed entirely in French. The end: Woody Allen announced Sunday that he will be retiring from filmmaking after completing his 50th feature; seen in 2019 in San Sebastian, Spain Allen told La Vanguardia that he wanted to spend his twilight years writing. Production on his final film is set to begin in a couple of weeks. The writer and director claimed the plot would be exciting, dramatic and also very sinister and described is as something similar to the thriller Match Point, which won the Goya award for Best European Film in 2006. The Blue Jasmine director has chosen to work in Europe in recent years due to falling support in the US amid allegations of abuse in the #MeToo era. Swan song: Allen's final film will be a film set in Paris and shot entirely in French. Production is set to begin in a couple of weeks. His former partner, Mia Farrow, accused him of sexually abusing his adopted daughter Dylan in 1992, when she was seven. Allen had already shocked the public when it became known he had begun a romantic relationship with Farrow's then 17-year-old adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. Farrow and Allen were together for more than a decade, from 1980 to 1992 and made 13 films together before he and the Hannah And Her Sisters star split after she learned of his relationship with Previn. The director has always denied the abuse allegations, and no charges were ever brought against him, though Dylan, 37, has stuck by her abuse claims. Family: Woody Allen and Mia Farrow with daughter Dylan and son Ronan Farrow in New York, 1988. Allen and Farrow were together for more than a decade and made 13 films together before their split Abuse allegations: Allen was accused of sexually abusing his daughter Dylan when she was seven years old. He has denied the charges, but Dylan has never recanted her story He and Farrow had a total of three children together, Moses, 44, whom they adopted. Investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, 34, is their biological child. Soon-Yi and Allen married in 1997 and have adopted two children together. When the abuse allegations first came to the fore, they didn't seem to hurt Allen's career. Top actors, including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates continued to work on his films. Marriage: Allen began a relationship with Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn when she was still in her teens. They went public with the relationship when she was 17. They married in 1997 and adopted two children; seen in August 2021 in NYC Allen was born Allan Stewart Konigsberg in 1935 in New York City and raised in Brooklyn. He grew up with a passion for baseball, but realized he was funny and began earning money by selling jokes for an agent who would sell them to newspaper columnists. The writer legally changed his name to Heywood Allen at age 17, but later decided to go by Woody. Allen began his career as a comedy writer in the 1950s and 60s. He made his directorial debut in 1966 with What's Up Tiger Lily, a spy spoof in which he also acted. He won a Grammy for his comedy record Woody Allen in 1964. Annie Hall: Allen won three Oscars for Annie Hall (pictured): Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Diane Keaton won the Academy Award for Best Actress Love affair: Keaton and Allen dated for several years prior to making Annie Hall; publicity still for Play It Again, Sam (1972) The writer and director turned away from slapstick comedies to more adult themes in the 1970s and won three Oscars for Annie Hall: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The film was a romantic comedy about a divorced man and his tumultuous relationship with an aspiring nightclub singer. Keaton, his former girlfriend, earned the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as the title character. In total, Allen has received a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay. In 1979, he released Manhattan, costarring Mariel Hemingway and Keaton. The film was about a divorced television writer dating a 17-year-old girl. It film was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar, and Hemingway earned a Best Supporting Actress nod. In her memoir, Out Came the Sun, Hemingway claimed the director invited her to Paris once she turned 18, two years after they had worked on Manhattan. 'Our relationship was platonic, but I started to see that he had a kind of crush on me, though I dismissed it as the kind of thing that seemed to happen any time middle-aged men got around young women.' The actress said she turned down the trip once she realized she would not be getting her own room. Oscar: Mira Sorvino won the Best Actress Oscar for her role as a ditzy porn star and prostitute who is the mother of Allen's adopted son in Mighty Aphrodite (pictured) Mira Sorvino won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as ditzy porn star and prostitute who is the birth mother of the adopted son on Allen's character in Mighty Aphrodite. In hindsight, Sorvino, 54, claimed the experience tainted her career, revealing on the WTF podcast in March she 'should have denounced' the director following the sexual abuse allegations. 'I didnt look deep enough to actually educate myself to really make an educated opinion at the time. Its not an excuse.... it ruins Mighty Aphrodite for me, ruins my Oscar, ruins that start of my career, because I treasured it for years and then its like, I should have denounced him. I should have known it then.' Tainted: Sorvino, 54, has claimed the experience is 'tainted' for her and she should have denounced Allen following allegations he sexually abused his daughter; still from Mighty Aphrodite Woody and Soon-Yi, now 51, still call New York home and live in Manhattan's Upper East Side. In a live-streamed conversation on Instagram from June with actor Alec Baldwin who has appeared in several of his films the embattled writer and director alluded to his career pivot, saying 'the thrill is gone' due to a decline in the theater-going experience. He told La Vanguardia his next project will be a novel. Neil Jones and Chyna Mills looked loved-up on Sunday after spending the night queuing to pay their respects to The Queen. The couple were spotted amongst the throng of thousands of others who queued for over 10 hours to see the late Monarch lie in state in Westminster Hall. The pair walked hand-in-hand through the busy London streets after witnessing a historical moment in history. Hand-in-hand: Neil Jones and Chyna Mills looked very loved-up on Sunday after having spent the night queuing to pay their respects to The Queen Bearing the drop in temperatures, Chyna was all wrapped up in her dancer beau's Burberry trench coat. She opted for a comfy look on the occasion, donning a pair of black cargo pants and a black hoody. Meanwhile Neil, wore a black tie and white shirt, while layering up with a knee length coat and baker boy hat. Neil kept his followers up to date on his Instagram account about his progress in the queue, showing a picture of The Shard and also of a cherry picker along the way. Patient: The couple were spotted amongst the throng of thousands of others who queued for over 10 hours to see the late Monarch lie in state in Westminster Hall Loved-up: The pair walked hand-in-hand through the busy London streets after witnessing a historical moment in history Neil and Chyna finally confirmed their romance as they stepped out holding hands while on a romantic trip to Paris last month. It comes two years after Neil's previous relationship with South American dancer Luisa Eusse came to an end. According to The Sun, the pair were stayed in the four-star Dadou Hotel in the French capital after arriving in Paris by Eurostar. Gentleman: Bearing the drop in temperatures, Chyna was all wrapped up in her dancer beau's Burberry trench coat Latest: Neil kept his followers up to date on his Instagram account about his progress in the queue, showing a picture of The Shard An onlooker in the city told the publication: 'Neil and Chyna looked very loved up and completely relaxed in one another's company. 'Paris is the perfect city for a romantic weekend and they both looked delighted to be there'. They added the dance star 'probably wanted to do something special' as it is a 'new relationship' and their time together would soon be limited once training and rehearsals for the BBC dance show begin. The couple first sparked rumours they had grown close after they were photographed leaving the Reality TV Awards after party together in Chelsea. Nearly there: He also uploaded a picture of a cherry picker with five hours to go in the queue An insider told the outlet that Neil and Chyna 'really get on well and he is totally taken with her.' They said that Neil likes that Chyna is 'fun and free-spirited' and are 'just having fun enjoying each other's company'. Taking to her Instagram account on Monday - Chyna teased a new relationship in a candid Q&A. When asked who she went to Paris with, the Yorkshire native sarcastically replied: 'A friend' followed by a laughing emoji. The trip comes after Neil confirmed he had a special lady in his life during an Instagram question and answer session earlier this month. In May, Neil's spokesperson confirmed he was single again following his split from his Miss Romania ex Sienna Hollen after two months of dating. Prior to Sienna, Neil was linked to underwear model Sophie Lily Kerr and dancer Luisa Eusse. Bam Margera has returned to his court-ordered rehab program with significant changes to his treatment plan to avoid another escape attempt. According to TMZ, a Judge has restructured Bams treatment to no longer require him to reside at an in-patient facility, as he has been doing this past year. However, he will reportedly still have to see a psychiatrist regularly, and he will be required to remain sober and continue taking classes. Let's hope for success: Bam Margera has returned to his court-ordered rehab program with significant changes to his treatment plan to avoid another escape attempt In May, the skateboarder celebrated 'one year of treatment' for drug and alcohol abuse at a Boca Raton facility and planned on attending outpatient treatment classes for the next two months. Just weeks later, he was reported missing by his rehab facility on June 13 after he fled the facility for the second time. Sheriff's deputies and a crisis intervention team found the 42-year-old troubled TV star days later at a hotel in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and took him back to a different rehab facility. The reality star claimed that he left the treatment center because he was worried that he was being kept from seeing his son and he was concerned he wouldnt be able to raise him if he was in rehab. Long year: According to TMZ, a Judge has restructured Bams treatment to no longer require him to reside at in-patient facilities as he has been doing this past year Family: In June, Bam fled rehab twice and was found days later at a Deerfield Beach, Florida hotel and taken back to rehab. He claimed he left because he worried he was being kept from seeing his son and wouldnt be able to raise him if he was in rehab He has reportedly been estranged from his wife Nikki Boyd, who hasn't made attempts to contact him since he has been in rehab. In May, the Jackass alum broke his right wrist 'for the 10th time' and dislocated his right elbow while skateboarding, but he refused pain medication due to his sobriety. Margera has been residing in rehab for a year in the wake of a September 2021 incident in which authorities answered an emotional disturbance call. In February of last year, the former Jackass star shared a troubling video admitting he had been dealing with suicidal thoughts. The MTV personality, who has long struggled with substance abuse, talked about considering suicide, revealing he went so far as to look up how to tie a noose online. Long year: Margera has been residing in rehab for a year in the wake of a September 2021 incident in which authorities answered an emotional disturbance call Big day: In May, the skateboarder celebrated 'one year of treatment' for drug and alcohol abuse at a Boca Raton facility and planned on attending outpatient treatment classes for the next two months In June, Margera privately settled his wrongful termination lawsuit against the Jackass creators over his firing (due to testing positive for Adderall) from the successful fourth film, Jackass Forever. Also, in June, Jackass director Jeff Tremaine said Bam threatened him and his family in a successful petition to obtain a temporary restraining order against the one-time MTV star. In a text message, Bam vowed to Tremaine, 'I'm gonna kill you in one mother f****** punch.' The bad blood stems from Bam's removal from Jackass 4 in February amid concerns from producers about his dependability and sobriety. Recovering: In February of last year, the former Jackass star shared a troubling video admitting he had been dealing with suicidal thoughts Insiders told TMZ that Margera failed to meet stipulations of an agreement from producers that included drug testing, breathalyzer testing, taking his prescribed medications, and visits with a mental health professional. In May, Jackass staple Steve-O took to Instagram to defend Tremaine and Knoxville for helping organize a life-saving intervention when he had severe substance abuse issues. 'Everyone bent over backward to get you in the movie, and all you had to do was not get loaded,' Steve-O said. 'You've continued to get loaded; its that simple. We all love you as much as we all say we do, but nobody who loves you can enable or encourage you to stay sick.' David Walliams celebrated his close friend and old flame Keeley Hazell's 35th birthday with a sweet Instagram post on Sunday. The comedian, 50, shared a snap of the two cuddling up in a swimming pool as he praised the model, with whom he was romantically linked more than a decade ago. In the snap busty Keeley - whose modelling resume includes lads' mags Nuts, FHM and Zoo Weekly - wrapped her arm around the Britain's Got Talent judge as she soaked up the sun in a nude bikini. Pals: David Walliams celebrated his friend and former flame Keeley Hazell's 35th birthday with a sweet Instagram post on Sunday The model and actress shielded her eyes behind oversized shades while her blonde tresses cascaded to her shoulders. David also wore a pair of sunglasses as he beamed for the camera, his dark hair slicked back. He captioned the snap: 'Happy Birthday Beautiful @keeleyhazell'. Walliams had previously referenced Hazell's 34th birthday in 2021 while sharing a photo of himself adjusting her hair. Captioning the photo, he joked: 'Huge congratulations to @keeleyhazell who won a competition to meet me.' Old times: Walliams had previously referenced Hazell's 34th birthday in 2021 while sharing a photo of himself adjusting her hair Pals: Despite rumours that the duo are more than friends, Keeley is thought to be in a relationship with American actor Jason Sudeikis (pictured in 2021) The pair are understood to have remained close following a brief romance prior to Walliams' marriage to model Lara Stone in 2010, and reportedly offered her the use of his home as she pursued an acting career. 'He has a big empty home and was grateful for the company so it suited both parties,' a source told The Mirror in 2020. His latest post comes after Keeley's brief romance with actor Jason Sudeikis reportedly fizzled out, according to E! news. Keeley and Ted Lasso actor Jason were first linked in February last year following his split from wife Olivia Wilde, who is now in a relationship with Harry Styles. Although insiders claimed at the time that their relationship was 'never anything serious', the former flames appear to have now good their separate ways for good. In July 2020, it was reported David had moved former page 3 girl Keeley, into his London home for nine months after she returned from the US. Splitsville: It comes after Keeley's brief romance with actor Jason Sudeikis, 45 (pictured) reportedly fizzled out Although they reportedly share a 'special chemistry', it was previously claimed that David and Keeley are just close pals and share a long-standing friendship. A source previously told The Sun: 'David and Keeley go way back and have kept in touch since she attempted to break into acting in the US. 'He has a big empty home and was grateful for the company so it suited both parties. During her glamour modelling days, David was known as a keen admirer but now sees her very much as a close pal. Keeley also used David's pad as a base while renovating her new home in London She moved out just before lockdown.' Ex: David's most high-profile relationship to date was with Dutch model Lara Stone (pictured) with whom he shares son Alfred, nine. The former couple wed in May 2010 after just one year of dating, and split in October 2015 David's most high-profile relationship to date was with Dutch model Lara Stone, with whom he shares son Alfred, nine. The former couple wed in May 2010 after just one year of dating, and split in October 2015. He recently why he wants to keep his young son out of the spotlight, wanting his son to be able to grow up just like other kids. Speaking to HELLO! Magazine, David said: 'I knew what I was getting into, this is what I signed up to. Making a television programme, being in the spotlight is unavoidable and if you're a kid, it must be quite hard.' David explained : 'You don't know what they going to want to do with their lives. They might choose to do something completely private, in which case, there doesn't seem to be any advantage to being in the spotlight.' It comes after he enjoyed a steamy date night in Australia with Ugandan-Australian actress Suzan Mutesi just three days after a chance meeting. The Little Britain star took Suzan, 36, to see Baz Lurhmann's Elvis at Hoyts cinemas in Sydney's Moore Park. According to an eyewitness, the pair 'couldn't keep their hands off each other' and shared a passionate kiss during the almost three hour movie. 'They were sitting in the front, we had to walk past them to go into our seats,' said the spy. 'During the movie they were all over each other and even shared a passionate kiss,' they added. Dani Dyer has reportedly raked in around 750,000 since becoming a single parent when her ex Sammy Kimmence was jailed for scamming pensioners. The Love Island star, 25, appears to be doing better than ever as she has worked on several big work projects since the traumatising break-up. She has been away filming a secret travel project in Italy with her TV star father Danny - who she has also launched a podcast with. Career: Dani Dyer has reportedly raked in around 750,000 since becoming a single parent when her ex Sammy Kimmence was jailed for scamming pensioners Dani has also secured deals with fashion brand In The Style and Surf laundry powder since winning the 2018 series of Love Island with ex flame Jack Fincham. Accounts for Danis firm I Want It, I Got It Ltd were listed at Companies House this week. The Sun reported they show a cash reserve of 427,412, while the books reveal a Corporation Tax bill of 85,792 for 2021 up from 52,677 in 2020. Corporation Tax is 19% of a firms earnings but with big expenses for clothes, travel and living allowances deducted, her income would have been around the 750,000 mark. The star is listed as the company's only director. Doing well: The Love Island star, 25, appears to be doing better than ever as she has worked on several big work projects since the traumatising break-up Dani left Santiago's father when he was jailed for three-and-a-half years for scamming elderly men out of 34,000 in 2021. She spoke of the struggles she faced after giving birth to Santiago on BBC's Tiny Happy People in April, explaining she has relied on the support of her EastEnders star dad Danny Dyer, 45, and mum Joanne Mas, 45, since becoming a single mother. Dani said: 'The way they have been there for me is honestly just such a dream. There have been some long nights, if Santi's not been well, where I really struggled and I've just needed to have a chat or a sleep in the afternoon. 'And they've been there for me. Knowing I've got them, I am blessed with that.' Beaming: She has been away filming a secret travel project in Italy with her TV star father Danny - who she has also launched a podcast with Dani found love with her current boyfriend Jarrod Bowen last year, with the couple going public with their relationship in December. The reality star recently hinted that she was moving in with her boyfriend and was ready for a proposal. While taking part in an Instagram Q&A, Dani was asked about her living situation with Jarrod. She responded: 'We are very back and forth between two houses but soon we will be for sure.' The mother-of-one was then asked if she plans on getting engaged anytime soon to which she replied: 'Asked if she thinks he will propose soon, the mum-of-one admitted: 'Well that's down to him. I think I'm wife material to be honest.' Chinese FM to attend general debate of 77th session of UN General Assembly, related high-level events Xinhua) 09:48, September 18, 2022 BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly from September 18 to 25, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced Saturday. According to Mao, on the margins of the general debate, Wang will host a ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative, attend the meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations and the dialogue of foreign ministers of China and the Quartet of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), hold a group meeting with the foreign ministers of the Troika of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Wang will also have bilateral meetings with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly and the heads of delegation or foreign ministers of some countries, Mao said. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) Beijing is pulling out all the stops to stabilize the job market, but China's youth unemployment remains stubbornly high. SCMP After graduating with an economics degree last year, Zhe Ye had his eyes set on China's civil service, a career of increasing appeal for young Chinese craving job stability. But with an estimated 2.12 million sitting the civil service examination in 2021, competition was extremely tight, and Zhe missed out. He has not had much luck since. "I felt anxious this year when I saw some job announcements requiring only 2022 and 2023 graduates," said the 23 year old from Hubei province. "I submitted more than 20 resumes, all of which went unanswered." It is not going to become any easier, either. Zhe will soon be competing for jobs with a record 10.76 million Chinese students graduating later this year. Beijing is pulling out all the stops to stabilize the economy and the job market ahead of the 20th party congress next month, but China's youth unemployment remains stubbornly high. Data released on Friday showed a slight improvement, with the jobless rate for those aged 16-24 at 18.7 per cent in August, down slightly from a record high of 19.9 per cent in July, the National Bureau of Statistics said. The State Council, China's cabinet, last week said it would scale up support for start-ups to help create jobs, ordered banks to extend special loans to key internet companies and promised subsidies for college students yet to find work two years after graduation. Given the scale of the challenge, whether it will make a difference remains to be seen. Nationally, the number of recruitment ads fell by 19 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, while the number of job applications rose by 135 percent, according to a July report by the China Institute for Employment Research at the Renmin University of China. China's youth unemployment rate (16-24) / SCMP Kate Winslet was taken to hospital this weekend after injuring her leg on the set of her new film in Croatia. The actress, 46, who plays legendary American photojournalist Lee Miller in the flick, was filming in the village of Kupari when she lost her footing. Photos obtained by the Croatian press show the star arriving at Dubrovnik Hospital in a black van while accompanied by a number of people. Mishap: Kate Winslet, 46, was taken to hospital this weekend after injuring her leg on the set of her new film in Croatia (pictured 2018) Kate was checked by medics and was given the all-clear to head home. A representative for the screen star told MailOnline: 'Kate slipped and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure required by the production. 'She is fine and will be filming, as planned, this week.' Accident: The actress, who plays legendary American photojournalist Lee Miller (pictured) in the flick, was filming in the village of Kupari when she lost her footing Kate was announced as the star of a new biopic about Vogue cover model-turned-war correspondent Lee Miller in 2020. The film, called Lee, will follow the life and experiences of the photojournalist as she travels to the frontline of World War II and tries to expose the horrific truths of the Nazis. Throughout her journey she then comes to realise the truths of her own past. The film will be directed by Ellen Kuras who was the cinematographer of Kates 2004 hit film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which also starred Jim Carrey. It is adapted from the book The Lives of Lee Miller, written by Lee's son, Antony Penrose. Oscar-winning actress Kate, who is also producing the film, previously said of her role: 'A woman I admire tremendously and whom I am so thrilled to be playing in this film. An extreme lover, thinker, life liver, cook, Vogue cover girl, war correspondent, icon, mother.' Working hard: Kate was fighting fit as she shot underwater scenes for her new role in the upcoming Avatar movie earlier this month Kate was fighting fit as she shot underwater scenes for her new role in the upcoming Avatar movie earlier this month. The role involves her getting back in the water tank to shoot underwater scenes - after previously ending up with hypothermia. Kate, who is best known for portraying Rose in Titanic, spent months in the water while filming the emotional 1997 movie and was left ill because of it. But that hasn't stopped the star from positively thriving in her new role in the Avatar sequel The Way Of Water. The Oscar-winning actress plays Ronal - one of the underwater beings closely related to the Na'vi. Producer Jon Landau was in London on Wednesday to screen some footage and (very gently) start to beat the drums to promote his new sci-fi blockbuster. He told Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff: 'Kate broke a free-diving record among the cast. It was six minutes 50-something but for Kate we agreed to call it seven. She was phenomenal.' Kate was apparently particularly delighted to beat Tom Cruise, who famously performs his own stunts and managed a six-minute free dive while making Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation in 2015. Young actress Bailey Bass who plays Ronal's daughter Tsireya in The Way Of Water, said: 'Kate holds the record she set it during training. I managed six minutes and 30 seconds.' All the cast went through dive training to prepare for the picture which is set over a decade after the events of the first film. Bridgerton's Rege-Jean Page will reportedly star in a television reboot of the classic western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. According to The Mirror the actor, 34, will play outlaw Butch, made famous by Paul Newman in the 1969 film, with the action being transported to an 'alternative America'. The Amazon series entitled simply Butch and Sundance will be helmed by Marvel directors the Russo brothers with hopes of spin-offs and a larger franchise to follow. Coming soon: Bridgerton star Rege-Jean Page, 34, to star in a 'TV reboot of 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, set in an alternative America Rege-Jean is joined by Top Gun's Glen Powell, 33, who is said to be stepping into Robert Redford's boots as The Sundance Kid, with both actors serving as executive producers. Based on a true story, the original film, which has been ranked the 73rd greatest movie of all time by the American Film institute, follows the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy, and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the 'Sundance Kid'. The duo are on the run after a string of train robberies and later flee to Bolivia alongside Sundance's lover Etta Place, played by Katherine Ross. MailOnline have contacted Rege-Jean's representatives for comment. Original stars: Robert Redford (left) played The Sundance Kid and Paul Newman (right) starred as Butch Cassidy in the 1969 original It comes after Rege-Jean's name was again rumoured to be in contention to take on the role of James Bond after movie bosses teased a special upcoming announcement. Sharing a cryptic post of a retro typewriter, the account - under the late writer Ian Fleming's name [he died in 1964], teased the announcement for October 5, which has officially been dubbed 'James Bond day'. 'See you on James Bond Day! #007,' penned the account- adding eyeball emojis. Joining forces: Rege-Jean will be joined by Top Gun's Glen Powell, 33 (pictured) who is said to be stepping into Robert Redford's boots as The Sundance Kid, with both actors serving as executive producers Movie makers: The Amazon series entitled simply Butch and Sundance will be helmed by Marvel directors the Russo brothers (pictured) with hopes of spin-offs and a larger franchise to follow He told The Mirror: 'Ah, the B word. I think that if you are British and you do anything of note, that other people take notice of, then people will start talking about that.' However despite being the bookies favourite, the Bridgerton star said he was bemused by the idea of making any plans at 'this moment in history' and has 'given up' doing so. October 5 is also known as James Bond Day for fans of the long-running franchise - as it is the date of the 1962 World Premiere of the first James Bond film. Big screen: Based on a true story the original movie, which has been ranked the 73rd greatest film of all time by the American Film institute This day of celebrations first began in 2012 when the Bond films celebrated their golden anniversary - holding events all around the globe. No Time To Die marked Daniel Craig's fifth and final film, raising questions of who will be taking on the role. Tom Hardy seemingly confirmed that he wants to be the next 007 - by refusing to talk about the part in fear it will get him blacklisted. Speaking to the Daily Beast in 2017, he admitted: 'If I mention it, its gone.' Coming soon: It comes after Rege-Jean's name was again rumoured to be in contention to take on the role of James Bond after movie bosses teased a special upcoming announcement He explained: 'You know, theres a saying amongst us in the fraternity of acting, and in the fellowship of my peer group, that if you talk about it youre automatically out of the race. So I cant possibly comment on that one!' While Henry has been on record for years indicating he's still interested in the coveted role should an opportunity arise. In the running: he said: 'Ah, the B word. I think that if you are British and you do anything of note, that other people take notice of, then people will start talking about that' News: No Time To Die marked Daniel Craig's fifth and final film, raising questions of who will be taking on the role He told The Sunday Times in 2021 that 'time will tell' if he becomes the latest actor to portray the iconic role, with Daniel Craig exiting the action franchise. 'You don't know which direction they want to take Bond in and so I like to say that everything's always on the table,' he said. The Superman star, who was up for the role in 2005 when Daniel was cast, speculated on who could be eyed for the role. Could it be? Fans are eager to know who will be taking on the role - including Henry Cavill (left) and Tom Hardy (right) He told GQ in 2020 that he 'would absolutely jump at the opportunity' if it arose, as he 'would love to play Bond' and that 'it would be very, very exciting.' Fans have been reliving the famous James Bond sketch between Daniel Craig and Queen Elizabeth II, following her death last week at age 96. The world saw a more spirited side to Her Majesty when she made a cameo appearance in director Danny Boyle's opening ceremony for the Olympic Games. In the comedy sketch, Craig, 54, called at Buckingham Palace to summon the Queen to the event. Looking back on the time with fond memories, the actor described filming a scene with the Queen for London 2012 as "an incredible thing" while admitting the country will never again see the likes of the late monarch. The Queen, who was sitting at her writing desk, made him wait before greeting him with the words: 'Good evening, Mr. Bond.' Old times: Fans have been reliving the famous James Bond sketch between Daniel Craig and Queen Elizabeth II, following her death last week at age 96 (pictured in the sketch) They walked together, along with some of her corgis, towards a helicopter and set off, flying over London to the Olympic Stadium, concluding with a stunt double of the Queen parachuting into the arena. Seconds later, the real Queen, wearing the same peach dress as the stunt double, entered the stadium to rapturous applause. Reflecting on the scene, Craig told the BBC at the Toronto International Film Festival: 'What an incredible thing. We will not see the likes of her ever again. 'To be alive during her reign is something else. (I'm) very saddened, so I suppose good luck to Charles, really.' They have been going from strength to strength after coming second on the ITV2 dating series Love Island in 2019. And Molly-Mae Hague puts on a loved-up display with her boyfriend Tommy Fury during romantic trip to Switzerland after the boxer revealed his plans to propose 'very soon.' The PrettyLittleThing Creative Director, 23, bundled up in a khaki padded jacket, teamed with beige cargos while posing with Tommy, also 23, in front of the countries stunning scenery in her latest Instagram post. Couple: Molly-Mae Hague puts on a loved-up display with her boyfriend Tommy Fury during romantic trip to Switzerland after the boxer revealed his plans to propose 'very soon' Molly wore her blonde tresses back in a ponytail and donned a pair of orange sunglasses on top of her head, while carrying a black Chanel shoulder bag. Meanwhile, Tommy cut a casual figure in a pair of brown cargos, a white t-shirt and a black jacket. Molly captioned the sweet snaps: 'Exploring with you' The couple spent the day at the top of Mount Pilatus where they enjoyed a fun toboggan activity with Molly's sister Zoe and her fiance Danny Rae. Last month, after three years together, Tommy revealed he plans on proposing to his girlfriend Molly-Mae 'very soon'. Incredible: The PrettyLittleThing Creative Director, 23, bundled up in a khaki padded jacket, teamed with beige cargos while posing with Tommy, also 23, in front of the countries stunning scenery in her latest Instagram post Fun day out: The couple spent the day at the top of Mount Pilatus where they enjoyed a fun toboggan activity Low-key: Tommy cut a casual figure in a pair of brown Nike cargos, a white t-shirt and a black jacket The boxer took to his Instagram Stories to give his 4.2 million followers an update on his relationship with the PrettyLittleThing Creative Director. While catching up with his fans during the Q&A session one person asked Tommy: 'When is Molly getting that ring... I think it's time' His response was: 'It was probably time about six months ago but it's coming very soon' Cute: Molly and Tommy have been in a relationship since meeting on Love Island in 2019, the couple exceeding expectations after viewers misjudged their commitment to each other Molly and Tommy have been in a relationship since meeting on Love Island in 2019, the couple exceeding expectations after viewers misjudged their commitment to each other. The couple moved in together in September 2019 and have been going from strength-to-strength ever since. In October, Molly admitted 'I'd like a ring soon, please' while talking about her romance with Tommy, which she described as 'perfect.' She said: 'It's been the best two and a bit years of my life with everything, with my work, with my relationship. I'm just so lucky.' It comes after the pair sparked engagement rumours when they were spotted at a jewellers in Dubai last month. The couple eyed-up a six-figure engagement ring during their sun-drenched getaway, according to reports. In a picture obtained by The Sun, the reality stars sat next to each other in Cara Jewellers during their trip to the United Arab Emirates, where Manchester-born Tommy allegedly insisted that his girlfriend's ring must be a 'top of the range, flawless gem'. A source at the sophisticated showroom told the publication that Pretty Little Thing's creative director spoke for an hour about how she wanted the ring mounted, before Tommy sighed: 'I'm just here to pay for it, mate.' Advertisement London Fashion Week paid its own tribute to Her Majesty the Queen on Sunday evening as a host of stars attended Christopher Kane catwalk show on the eve of her state funeral. Laura Carmichael, Daisy Lowe, Lara Stone and Jourdan Dunn were all in attendance as the Scottish designer unveiled his latest collection at Camden Roundhouse, with all paying tribute to our longest serving monarch by wearing funereal black. Leading the glamour on a subdued evening in the English capital, Downton Abbey star Laura, 36, opted for a smart black leather miniskirt teamed with a statement sweater as she prepared to take her seat on the front row. She added to the look with a pair of strappy black heels, while her hair was naturally styled with a simple side-parting. As the United Kingdom remains in a period of mourning for the Queen, who will be laid to rest on September 19, the actress appeared to be one of few guests to opt for something other than traditional black evening wear. In attendance: Laura Carmichael (left), Daisy Lowe (centre), and Lara Stone (right) were all in attendance as Scottish designer unveiled his latest collection at London Fashion Week, with all paying tribute the Queen's passing by wearing funereal black Elsewhere Daisy Lowe, 33, opted for a sweeping black gown and matching suede for her latest public appearance, just days after confirming her engagement to long-term boyfriend Jordan Saul. She offset the look with a shimmering gold handbag, while generously applied red lipstick gave an otherwise subdued ensemble an added splash of colour. The model showed off her eye-catching diamond engagement ring at the star-studded event as her boyfriend recently proposed - two years after the couple got together. Looking good: Leading the glamour on a subdued evening in the English capital, Downton Abbey star Laura opted for a smart black leather miniskirt teamed with a statement sweater as she prepared to take her seat on the front row Quite a difference: The actress appeared to be one of few guests to opt for something other than traditional black evening wear, with Daisy Lowe opting for a rather more sombre look on the night Striking: Daisy opted for a sweeping black gown and matching suede for her latest public appearance, just days after confirming her engagement to long-term boyfriend Jordan Saul (not pictured) Dazzling: The model showed off her eye-catching diamond engagement ring at the star-studded event as her boyfriend recently proposed - two years after the couple got together Loved-up: Lara cosied up to he husband David Grievson who she married in a private ceremony last July Joining the socialite, supermodel Lara Stone made her own concession to the Queen's passing in a sequined black dress with sheer detailing. The Dutch star, 38, rounded off her look with a pair of strappy black heels - while limited accessories - a recurring theme on the night - added to its sombre tone. The beauty opted for a bronzed makeup palette which accentuated her natural features, while styling her golden locks straight. Meanwhile, Nicola Coughlan looked the epitome of chic in a black long-sleeved dress which featured a plunging sweetheart neckline and diamante detailing. Fashionista: Jourdan Dunn showed off her incredible figure in a black cut-out dress, teamed with a pair of leather knee-high boots Gorgeous: The model, 32, opted for a glam makeup look with a nude lip, while styling her brunette locks poker straight Beaming: Raye cut a glamorous figure in a satin dress with a unique tassel bottom Stylish: Hana Martin flaunted her tiny waist in a black figure-hugging dress, teamed with a pair of knee-high boots and a small shoulder bag Looking good: Clara Amfo put on a leggy display in a black mini dress with gold strap detail which matched her chunky heels The Bridgerton star, 35, elevated her height in a pair of black pointed heels and kept the look simple as she opted to accessorise with only a selection of silver rings. The luxury brand was launched by it's name sake, Scottish designer Christopher, alongside his sister Tammy back in 2008. His show stopping designs have been worn by the likes of First Lady Michelle Obama, the Duchess of Cambridge, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway. Elegant: Meanwhile, Nicola Coughlan looked the epitome of chic in a black long-sleeved dress which featured a plunging sweetheart neckline and diamante detailing Chic: The Bridgerton star, 35, elevated her height in a pair of black pointed heels and kept the look simple as she opted to accessorise with only a selection of silver rings (pictured with Lara Stone) Front row: (L to R) Nicola Coughlan, Raye, Clara Amfo and Saffron Hocking Channel 10's decision to dispatch its star presenter Lisa Wilkinson to the UK to cover the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II has raised eyebrows among television insiders. Wilkinson is, of course, the wife of journalist and commentator Peter FitzSimons, Australia's most vocal republican and the chair of the Australian Republic Movement. The 'irony' of her arrival in London to front Channel 10 and The Project's coverage of Her Majesty's funeral on Monday was apparently not lost on many industry figures, reports The Australian's Media Diary. Channel 10's decision to dispatch its star presenter Lisa Wilkinson to the UK to cover the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II has raised eyebrows among television insiders While the Australian Republic Movement (ARM) has temporarily suspended its push for a republic until after the Queen's burial, its leader FitzSimons has long campaigned for the British Royal Family to be eradicated from Australian political life. He has previously made statements criticising King Charles III, formerly the Prince of Wales, telling Daily Mail Australia in June he expected republican sentiment to 'get a surge once Australia leans in close and looks at' the new king. FitzSimons also drew the ire of monarchists earlier this month by issuing a statement about the Queen's death before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a chance to. However, sources at Channel 10 said there were no misgivings about sending Wilkinson, who has impeccable knowledge of royal matters from her decades as a magazine editor. Wilkinson is, of course, the wife of journalist and commentator Peter FitzSimons (right), Australia's most vocal republican and the chair of the Australian Republic Movement The 'irony' of her arrival in London to front Channel 10 and The Project's coverage of Her Majesty's funeral on Monday was apparently not lost on many industry figures The Queen's funeral is also a 'logical' assignment for the veteran broadcaster, a network insider told Media Diary, as she covered the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for The Project in 2018. Before that, she spearheaded Nine's coverage of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011 when she co-hosted the Today show with Karl Stefanovic. Poll Would you vote for Australia to become a republic? Yes No Depends on the type of republic Unsure Would you vote for Australia to become a republic? Yes 122 votes No 1005 votes Depends on the type of republic 94 votes Unsure 23 votes Now share your opinion Christopher Bendall, The Project's executive producer, claimed to not know whether Wilkinson was a monarchist or a republican, like her husband. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for comment. It comes days after Wilkinson's former Today co-anchor Stefanovic and his on-air partner Allison Langdon criticised 'rude' republicans calling for a debate on the monarchy before the Queen has even been buried. Stefanovic said on Saturday it was inappropriate to even be having the conversation during a period of mourning, before taking aim at FitzSimons and former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, a founding member of the ARM. He remarked that having 'pasty white guys' as the figureheads for the movement would guarantee its failure. 'There's still people out there doing it [pushing for an Australian republic]. I just think it's so rude,' Stefanovic said on air. While the Australian Republic Movement (ARM) has temporarily suspended its push for a republic until after the Queen's burial, its leader FitzSimons has long campaigned for the British Royal Family to be eradicated from Australian political life 'Let me tell you, it is not going to happen while you've got pasty white guys like Peter FitzSimons and Malcolm Turnbull fronting up in Australia.' Langdon agreed, adding: 'I did tell Peter if he was at the front of the movement, I would always vote for a monarchy.' Australia last held a referendum on becoming a republic in 1999, with the country deciding to remain a constitutional monarchy. Britain, world leaders and royalty from across the globe will on Monday bid a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth, the last towering figure of her era, at a state funeral of inimitable pageantry. At 5:30am GMT, an official lying-in-state period ends after four days in which hundreds of thousands have queued to file past the casket of Britain's longest-reigning monarch at London's historic Westminster Hall. They, like many across the globe including U.S. President Joe Biden, had wanted to pay tribute to the 96-year-old who had spent seven decades on the British throne. 'You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years,' Biden said. 'We all were.' Sources at Channel 10 said there were no misgivings about sending Wilkinson (left, with The Project's UK correspondent Lucy McDonald) to England to lead the network's coverage. She has impeccable knowledge of royal matters from her decades as a magazine editor and also covered the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for The Project in 2018 Shortly before 11am GMT, the oak coffin, covered in the Royal Standard flag with the Imperial State Crown on top, will be placed on a gun carriage and pulled by naval personnel to Westminster Abbey for her funeral. Among the 2,000 in the congregation will be some 500 world leaders, including Biden, Emperor Naruhito of Japan, Wang Qishan, the Vice President of China, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Queen's great-grandchildren, Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, seven, the two eldest children of now heir to the throne Prince William, will also be attending. 'Over the last 10 days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world,' Charles, Elizabeth's son and the new king, said in a statement. 'As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief.' Elizabeth died aged 96 on September 8 at her Scottish summer home, Balmoral Castle. Her health had been in decline, and for months the monarch who had carried out hundreds of official engagements well into her nineties had withdrawn from public life, although just two days before her death she had appointed Liz Truss her 15th and final prime minister. Such was her longevity and her inextricable link with Britain that even her own family found her passing a shock. 'We all thought she was invincible,' Prince William told well-wishers. It comes after Today co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon (pictured) criticised 'rude' republicans calling for a debate on the monarchy before the Queen has even been buried The 40th sovereign in a line that traces its lineage back to 1066, Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952, Britain's first post-imperial monarch. She oversaw her nation trying to carve out a new place in the world, and she was instrumental in the emergence of the Commonwealth of Nations, now a grouping comprising 56 countries. When she succeeded her father George VI, Winston Churchill was her first prime minister and Josef Stalin led the Soviet Union. She met nearly every major figure from politics to entertainment and sport including Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Pele and Roger Federer. Despite being reputedly just 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, she dominated rooms with her presence and became a towering global figure, praised in death from Paris and Washington to Moscow and Beijing. National mourning was observed in Brazil, Jordan and Cuba, countries with which she had little direct link. 'Queen Elizabeth II was without any shadow of a doubt the best known figure in the world, the most photographed person in history, the most recognisable person, and the fact that world leaders are going to be pouring into London for the funeral... is saying a lot about this iconic figure,' historian Anthony Seldon told Reuters. Transport chiefs said one million people were expected in central London for the funeral, while police say it will be the biggest security operation ever in the capital. King Charles, his siblings and sons Princes William and Harry and other members of the Windsor family will slowly walk behind the coffin as it is taken on the gun carriage to Westminster Abbey, led by some 200 pipers and drummers. The tenor bell of the Abbey - the site of coronations, weddings and burials of English and then British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years - will toll 96 times. In addition to dignitaries, the congregation will include those awarded Britain's highest military and civilian medals for gallantry, representatives from charities supported by the Queen, and those who made 'extraordinary contributions' to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Tens of millions in Britain and abroad are expected to watch the funeral of the monarch, something which has never been televised before. It will end with the Last Post trumpet salute before the church and the nation falls silent for two minutes. Australia last held a referendum on becoming a republic in 1999, with the country deciding to remain a constitutional monarchy. (The Queen, who died on September 8, is pictured in 2018) Afterwards, the coffin will be brought through central London, past the Queen's Buckingham Palace home to the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, with the monarch and the royal family following again on foot during the 2.4-km procession. From there, it will be placed on a hearse to be driven to Windsor Castle in west London for a service at St George's Chapel. This will conclude with the crown, orb and sceptre - symbols of the monarch's power and governance - being removed from the coffin and placed on the altar. The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the royal household, will break his 'Wand of Office', signifying the end of his service to the sovereign, and place it on the casket. Britain, world leaders and royalty from across the globe will on Monday bid a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth, the last towering figure of her era, at a state funeral of inimitable pageantry. (Pictured: U.S. President Joe Biden, right, accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden, centre, are welcomed by Master of the Household Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, left, as they arrive at Buckingham Palace for a State Reception in honour of the late Queen on Sunday) It will then be lowered into the royal vault as the Sovereign's Piper plays a lament, slowly walking away until music in the chapel gradually fades. Later in the evening, in a private family service, the coffin of Elizabeth and her husband of more than seven decades Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99, will be buried together at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where her parents and sister, Princess Margaret, also rest. 'We're so happy you're back with Grandpa. Goodbye dear grannie, it has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters and we're so very proud of you,' grandchildren Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie said. Jennifer Lawrence was spotted out and about in New York City earlier Sunday afternoon for a quiet stroll. The Oscar winning actress, 32, opted for comfort and donned a pair of leggings along with a plain shirt. The mother of one recently celebrated the premiere of her latest film, Causeway, at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier in September. Sunday stroll: Jennifer Lawrence, 32, kept her look simple and casual as she enjoyed a walk out in the big apple earlier on Sunday The Hunger Games alum wore a pair of comfortable, black leggings to stay warm in the early fall winter. The beauty added a short-sleeved, dark gray T-shirt, and slipped into a pair of black sneakers as she walked around the big apple. Jennifer wore a blue cap with Larsen's printed in white letters on the front to add a pop of color to her overall ensemble for the day. Stylish casual: The Hunger Games alum opted to stay comfortable as she took time for a walk in the city Jennifer slung a dark green, crossbody purse over her shoulder to hold a few items she might need during her stroll. Her long blonde locks were styled into a low ponytail to prevent any loose strands from falling into her face. The star was pictured carrying her smartphone in her left hand during her outing to help her keep track of time amid her busy schedule. She appeared to be enjoying her time out in the bustling city as the weekend wound down to a close. The Red Sparrow actress was also spotted getting some fresh air while taking a stroll in New York City on Saturday afternoon. The star appeared to be making the most of the pleasant late summertime weather as she cut a casual figure during her outing. Stepping out: The Oscar winner was spotted while taking a stroll in New York City on Saturday afternoon Big fan: Lawrence wore a black T-shirt that featured a graphic for Lizzo as she strolled along the Big Apple's streets Lawrence wore a black T-shirt that featured a graphic for Lizzo as she strolled along the Big Apple's streets. The Hunger Games star donned a set of matching leggings as well as a pair of Adidas sandals. The Academy Awardwinning actress accessorized with a stylish green purse and a pair of dark sunglasses. The top part of her gorgeous blonde hair was covered with the same Larsen's blue cap, although several of her locks fell onto her shoulders and back. Jennifer jumped back into her passion for acting after welcoming her first child earlier this year, whom she shares with husband, Cooke Maroney. She starred in the psychological drama feature, Causeway, which premiered earlier this month at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Recent events: Lawrence starred in the psychological drama feature Causeway, which premiered earlier this month at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival The movie is centered on a soldier who attempts to adjust to civilian life after suffering a brain injury during a tour of duty in Afghanistan. In addition to Jennifer, the movie stars Brian Tyree Henry, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Linda Emond, among others. Lawrence signed on to appear in the feature in 2019, when much of its cast was brought together. The movie's director, Lila Neugebauer, spoke about the film during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. She described the project as 'an intimate film that wants to be close to the bone and wants to be quite personal.' Collaborator: The filmmaker went on to express that she was grateful to have been able to work with the Silver Linings Playbook star; Lawrence is seen earlier this month in Toronto The filmmaker went on to express that she was grateful to have been able to work with the Silver Linings Playbook star. 'Jen has been a really astonishing partner as well. It was very clear to me very quickly that we have a deep shared understanding of the project and shes a really collaborative spirit,' she said. Causeway has since received widespread critical acclaim and currently holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie will be released both in theaters and on the Apple TV+ streaming service on November 4. Daisy Lowe appeared to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen on Sunday while attending the Christopher Kane show during London Fashion Week. The model, 33, looked elegant in a sweeping funeral black gown and matching suede boots while posing for photographers at The Roundhouse. It comes just weeks after she confirmed her engagement to long-term boyfriend Jordan Saul, who she first began dating in the summer of 2020. Looking good: Daisy Lowe appeared to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen on Sunday while attending the Christopher Kane show during London Fashion Week Daisy recently gave a candid insight into her sex life and admitted she feels happiest when having sex 'two or three times a day'. The star also explained that orgasms are a great way to 'relieve stress'. Speaking to The Sun, she said: 'I always knew good sex made me feel a lot better - orgasms are so good for stress relieving.' Chic: The model, 33, looked elegant in a sweeping funeral black gown and matching suede boots while posing for photographers at The Roundhouse Out of this world: She accessorised her look with a shimmering gold handbag Lucky lady: It comes just weeks after she confirmed her engagement to long-term boyfriend Jordan Saul, who she first began dating in the summer of 2020 Noting that she mainly has sex 'every other day', Daisy expanded: 'On a great day, two or three times a day if thats where it gets to.' Detailing what get's her in the mood, the star said that lingerie from brand Agent Provocateur makes her feel 'sexiest', but comfy T-shirts also have a similar effect. Further in the chat, Daisy pointed out her biggest 'turn-ons' - noting that good driving and kindness was the key to her heart. Gang: She was joined by Jourdan Dunn (left) and Eric Underwood at the lavish event Woah! Jourdan put on a busty display in a black cutout midi dress and PVC boots Pals: Eric and Daisy appeared to be in high spirits as they sat in the front row Who is Daisy Lowe's fiance Jordan Saul? Jordan and Daisy first began dating back in the summer of 2020 when they were spotted on a romantic outing together in a London park He is thought to work as a new home consultant for an estate agent. An avid traveller, Jordan openly documents his various international adventures, including regular stops in South Africa and plenty of ski trips Jordan and Daisy appear to have first bonded over their love of animals, with one of their first dates being a trip to the zoo. Advertisement Daisy, who has been dating beau Jordan for almost two years, often speaks candidly about body openness and positivity. In March, she revealed she felt like an 'elephant' during her career as she compared her curvy figure to other women's 'stick-thin' bodies. The fashion model admitted that she 'constantly pulled myself apart' and said she was told by others that she was 'curvy' when she was in reality a size six or eight. Speaking on the That Gaby Roslin Podcast, she said: 'Being a model full-time for ten years and throughout my career always being very conscious of wanting to champion real women's bodies and being curvy. 'And being told you're curvy even though at the time I was six to eight which looking back is ridiculous, and feeling like an elephant in comparison to all these stick-thin - wonderful, beautiful in their own way - models.' Daisy - who is the daughter of designer Pearl Lowe, 51, and the rocker Gavin Rossdale, 56 - said that she loved her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 as it was the first time in her career that she was told that her body was 'good'. She said: 'For the first time in my career I was actually being told that what my body was doing is really good and being really proud of what my body could achieve - rather than constantly pulling myself apart.' Jourdan Dunn honoured Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by dressing in black as she attended the Christopher Kane show during London Fashion Week on Sunday. The model, 32, looked ravishing in the figure hugging frock which boasted intricate straps and racy cut outs. Jourdan posed up a storm in the slinky ensemble before taking her front row seat at the star-studded Camden Roundhouse event. Honour: Jourdan Dunn honoured Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by dressing in black as she attended the Christopher Kane show during London Fashion Week on Sunday The stunner opted for a radiant palette of make-up and completed the look with a pair of black PVC boots. Jourdan let glossy raven tresses cascade to her shoulders in a gentle curl as she accessorised the chic look with a pair of gold earrings. Following the show she caught up with some of her famous friends including Daisy Lowe and American ballet dancer Eric Underwood. Chic: The model looked ravishing in the figure hugging frock which boasted intricate straps and racy cut outs The luxury brand was launched by it's name sake, Scottish designer Christopher, alongside his sister Tammy Kane back in 2008. His show stopping designs have been worn by the likes of First Lady Michelle Obama, the Duchess of Cambridge, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway. It comes after Jourdan showed off her modelling credentials in a leggy leather mini skirt as she joined Channel 4's The Big Breakfast to give a 'pouting class' earlier this month. Strut: Stunner: The stunner opted for a radiant palette of make-up and completed the look with a pair of black PVC boots Gorgeous: Jourdan let glossy raven tresses cascade to her shoulders in a gentle curl as she accessorised the chic look with a pair of gold earrings Pals: Following the show Jourdan (left) caught up with some of her famous friends including Daisy Lowe (right) and American ballet dancer Eric Underwood (centre) Presenters, AJ Odudu and Mo Gilligan, asked the supermodel to reveal her secrets to the 'perfect pout.' Looking simply sensational in a lilac silk blouse and patent mule heels, the model laughed as she explained: 'You have to suck it in!' 'Well especially for those who don't have cheek bones, you have to suck it in, suck in your cheeks!' Smiles: The supermodel beamed before heading into the swanky event Wowza: They enjoyed the newest looks from the designer that has dressed the likes of of First Lady Michelle Obama, the Duchess of Cambridge, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway 'I look like I've been punched in the face or swallowed my dentures,' guest Ross Kemp joked, as he tried to mimic Jourdan. Mo chimed in: 'My favourite pose is when you look like you are just about the sneeze, like a Victoria's Secret model.' Guest Olivia Attwood then confessed that her secret to the perfect photo was training her boyfriend on how to take the snap properly, before she joked that a cosmetic doctor also helped. Secrets: It comes after Jourdan Dunn showed off her modelling credentials in a leggy leather mini skirt as she joined Channel 4 's The Big Breakfast to give a 'pouting class' earlier this month It comes after Jourdan revealed to Harpers Bazaar, she had decided to quit modelling to focus on acting after finding 'the one' in fiance Dion Hamilton. She said: 'Before lockdown, I decided I wanted to take the time to focus on acting. When lockdown happened, it felt like the perfect time to dedicate to it. I started therapy' Focusing on her acting, she said she wanted to be in Marvel films, on stage, whatever was possible for her. The actress said she would like to be in Marvel films so that her son Riley, 11, will think she is the 'coolest mum ever.' She is keeping the acting dream alive, speaking out previously and saying she wants to be 'flipping amazing.' Adilabad: When the founding fathers of the Indian republic sat down to write the Constitution, the feature that they gave utmost importance was equality. It was the cornerstone on which the Constitution stands. They wanted to each individual to enjoy equality in opportunity as well as treatment. But even 75 years after independence, successive governments failed to make good this constitutional pledge to several sections of people. Women are one of the sections who are facing the unjust treatment. Equality still eludes them in every sphere of their lives be it at home or workplace. The more the womens field of operations goes farther from the limelight, the more the magnitude of bias increases. Rural India especially agriculture is prime example of such inequality between men and women. Womens contribution is the key to three-quarters of farm-related operations. If one travels to the hinterland, one could invariably spot many women wearing a shirt and a trouser over their traditional attire engaged in farming operations. But the patriarchal structures that run deep in the society make equality a distant dream for them. The disparity is more pronounced in wages. While a woman gets Rs 200-250, a man gets Rs 400 to 500 per day for their work in agriculture. According to land owners, who are most often men, defend the wage differential, and claim that men get more wages because of the kind of work that they do. There is a strong notion among the people that men take up hard work that women cant perform and therefore womens work is quite easy. While men tile land and spray pesticides, women engage in farm operations by bending their bodies hundreds of times while picking cotton, mirchi, among others, planting paddy, cutting crops, and weeding and sowing seeds. All the farm activities that women perform require a unique skill. We do not get equal treatment. Though we work on par with our male counterparts in agriculture, we observed that men face mental pressure as far farming is concerned, unlike women, said Gunnamma Gunjala, 35, of Thantholi village of Adilabad Rural Mandal. While stating that women feel safe and secure when they are with their men, Maddikuntla Sujatha of Thantholi insisted that they are not weak and they could fight for their rights, whenever it was required. We can even question our men. But we always try to be within our limits, she said. Despite the work that women undertake require unique skills, women wont get wages equal to that of their male counterparts in agriculture operations. Narayana Maddikuntla, considered a big farmer of Adilabad, acknowledged this gap in wages. He, however, attributes discrimination towards women in wages because of they are considered to be the weaker gender, especially when it comes to working for longer hours, undertaking labour-intensive work, and lifting heavy objects. While acknowledging that the work done by the women is more important in agriculture and admitting that agricultural activity will not move an inch without the involvement of the women, he dismissed the need to question the status quo. This was the tradition that was handed down from our forefathers, Narayana said. Things may change; he said if the women foray into areas which are traditionally regarded as male bastions. According to The Fifty years of Oxfam in India document under the title of Right to Gender Equality notes that millions of women in India are not only poor but they are also oppressed. It further notes that Individually and collectively, women gain confidence from their improved economic position and take on issues of domestic violence, alcoholism, dowry harassment, equal wages, and harassment by the police or forest department personnel. Women farm workers come from the SC, ST, and BC communities. According to the 68th Round of the National Sample Survey, as many as 64.1 per cent of SC and ST women were engaged as workers in agriculture in 2011-12 in India. The women also are left away from farming operations during the menstruation period. Going by the names of schemes, the government appears to have ignored the contribution of women agriculturalists. The slogans Rythu Bidda, Rythe Raju, Vyavasayanni Panduga Cheddam and Rythunu Rajunu Cheddam often declare the men to be the key part of the schemes. MGNREGS AND ITS ROLE: The central government-sponsored MGNREGS or the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme turned out to be a ray of hope as it pays wages equally to men and women. According to social activist Chakradhar Buddha, the MGNREG scheme is a testimony to what governments can achieve as far as gender equality wages, working conditions, and the nature of work are concerned. He noted that the MNREGS has played a pivotal role with regard to womens participation in rural jobs. LAND OWNERSHIP AND ITS FALLOUT: The womens ownership of agricultural land increased after the distribution of three-acre land under the Dalit Basti scheme by the Y.S Rajasekhar Reddy government in 2004. Apart from this, men have transferred pieces of big land holdings to the womens names to cash in on the governments welfare schemes. The situation, however, continues to remain dismal, especially for those who have lost their husbands. In most cases, the in-laws refuse to transfer the property to their daughter-in-law as they fear that she may remarry which could result in the loss of their property. Citing the impending marriage of their grandchildren, they put off transferring the property to the woman, making her lose out on the governments welfare schemes. MEDIA AND ITS ROLE: B. Kondal Reddy of an agricultural NGO Rythu Swarajya Vedika said the mainstream media plays a key role in creating a perception among the people about the farmers. It generally depicts a farmer as a man with headgear carrying a plough on his shoulder. While reporting on farmer suicides, he said the media typical report only about male farmers. He urged the media to use words and symbols that show both male and female farmers while writing about or discussing the farmer issues. DESIGNING MORE INCLUSIVE TOOLS AND POLICIES: The government should take steps to design agriculture tools that are suitable for women farmers, said S. Ashalatha of Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM). The agricultural tools should be lighter in weight and easy to handle to encourage more women to engage in operations like tilling and spraying pesticides. So far, the tools have been developed keeping men in mind, she explained. Ashalatha further urged the government to relook at the policies and change the criteria to be recognised as farmers to reflect womens role and include them as beneficiaries of the government policies. She underscored the need for effective on-ground implementation gender budget so that women get their due share of recognition, avail the benefit of welfare schemes and also enjoy self-respect. Once their husbands pass away, Ashalatha said women are denied loans and deferred payments for seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides, assuming that women may not be able to repay loans on time. She also claimed that women were worst affected by the governments land acquisition for development projects as the onus of repaying loans often fell on them. The increasing feminisation of agriculture on account of the migration of men further exacerbated their condition as they were side-lined from decision-making in corporate-driven agriculture. HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court sought a reply from the state government for excluding staff nurses, who have BSc degrees and 10 years of work experience from promotions. Notices were issued to the principal secretary and commissioner of health, medical and family welfare department, and the directors of public health and medical education in this regard. Aggrieved staff nurses had challenged Rule 2b of the Telangana State Subordinate Service Adhoc Rules issued in G.O. 76, dated July 14, 2022, amending the existing adhoc rules under GO 679, dated April 19, 1966. The order prescribed the promotion of only those in the multi-purpose health assistant category, with three-year work experience, to the cadre of public health nurse teaching, thereby excluding the regularly appointed staff nurses, with experience between 10 and 25 years. The court adjourned the matter to November 24. The women blamed official negligence after iron rod from under progress metro work falls on head (Replesentational Image/DC Image) HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court responded to a petition filed by a city resident who suffered a head injury when an iron rod fell on her at a Metro Rail station in 2017. She is seeking compensation of Rs 1.7 crore from Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited, L&T and the municipal department, stating that their negligence had caused the injury. Justice Tadakamalla Vinod Kumar asked all the respondents to submit their stand on the petition. Uzma Hafeez, a resident of Rein Bazaar, a nutritionist and dealer of nutrition products, said that she was paying a heavy price for the recklessness of civic authorities. She submitted that her family, including five children, had been in a financial crisis since the incident. The incident occurred when Uzma Hafeez was travelling with her husband on March 11, 2017, on a two-wheeler from their home to the office. When they were near the Nampally Metro Rail station, where work was underway, a heavy iron rod utilised for shifting railway tracks fell directly on her head and pierced her skull. She fell unconscious and was taken to hospital. She said she was suffering from seizures, short-term memory loss, walking imbalance, hazy vision and partial hearing as a result of eardrum perforation and other health ailments following the incident. Nampally police registered a case under Section 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC against L&T, which holds the construction contract of Metro Rail. When she approached consumer forum for compensation, which rejected her application on the ground that she could not be treated as a Metro Rail consumer or customer. She approached the High Court, which in turn asked the stand of the respondents and adjourned the case to October 13. The Popular Front of India (PFI) charged the BJP with 'conspiring' against it MANGALURU: The Popular Front of India on Wednesday charged the BJP with 'conspiring' against it and using the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to implicate it in the case relating to the murder of a BJYM leader. The PFI outburst comes after the NIA conducted searches across 33 places in Karnataka covering Mysuru, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts on Tuesday in connection with the murder of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader Praveen Nettar. Nettar was hacked to death on July 26 when he was returning home after closing his poultry shop in Dakshina Kannada district. "You have seen the developments taking place since Tuesday. We can see the system in which the BJP is misusing the NIA in Nettar's murder case to target the Muslims on the pretext of action against the leaders and members of the Popular Front of India," PFI state secretary A K Ashraf said in a press conference. The PFI strongly condemns the BJP government's conspiracy against the outfit, he said. Ashraf said apart from the serial murders in Dakshina Kannada district, such incidents have been reported in other parts of the State, including the murder of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha in Shivamogga. He demanded that in incidents where Muslims were killed, the cases should be given to the NIA for a thorough probe. The BJP OBC Morcha workers will explain to community members how the other political parties have cheated them and treated them only as vote banks. DC Image NEW DELHI: Realising that the OBCs will play an important role in the upcoming assembly election held over till the end of next year and the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, the BJP will start a massive campaign to reach out to the communities in coming days. The OBCs constitute over 50 per cent of the countrys population and play an important and decisive role in elections. The OBC reach out campaign will start from poll bound Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and followed by Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other states. During the recent national executive meet of BJP OBC Morcha in Jodhpur, union home minister Amit Shah asked to reach out to the OBC communities with the work of the Modi government. The BJP OBC Morcha national president and Rajya Sabha member Dr K Laxman told this newspaper that OBC communities play an important role in electoral politics and in coming days party workers will reach out with the work of Narendra Modi to the communities across the country. The BJP OBC Morcha workers will reach out to OBC communities across the country starting from poll bound Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka in the coming days and share the information about the works done by Prime Minister Modi for the communities at booth level, Dr Laxman said. The BJP is also planning to reach each community or caste of OBC through separate meetings. We will reach to all the castes and sub-castes of OBC across the country before the next Lok Sabha polls. We will also reach out to OBC in minority communities, he said. The BJP has planned to organise intellectual and entrepreneurs meet apart from caste specific meets in coming days. The BJP OBC Morcha workers will explain to community members how the other political parties have cheated them and treated them only as vote banks. Laxman blamed Congress and Communists for betraying the OBC communities by working for them. Congress and Communists have betrayed the OBC communities since independence. It is the Modi government who is continuously working for upliftment of OBC communities through several initiatives like giving Constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes or providing reservation in central education institutes. Prime Minister Modi also made 27 ministers from OBC communities in his cabinet. It is the Modi government who worked for their welfare, Dr Laxman said. HYDERABAD: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday called upon the people of Telangana to forget parties that enjoy power but forget the core objective of scripting Mahan" Telangana. Shah called these parties traitors as they came to power by exploiting the sacrifices made by thousands of people in the Hyderabad liberation struggle but were ashamed of paying tribute to those who lost their lives. He was speaking at the 75th Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations organised by the Centre at Parade Ground. The minister said that successive governments were afraid of celebrating Liberation Day because of vote bank politics though they had made tall promises in this regard either during the election campaign or political agitations. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi had decided to celebrate Liberation Day officially, the rest of the political outfits too decided to celebrate it but were still afraid of calling it liberation. Apne dil se yeh dar ukaad kar phekdo. Ab Razakar is desh ki nirnay nahi kar sakte (erase the fear of Razakars from your mind, they dont decide anymore), he said and thanked the Prime Minister for honouring the sentiments of the people of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana where the erstwhile Hyderabad State was spread with the decision to celebrate Liberation Day. Amit Shah assured that the Centre would make the celebration an annual event, notwithstanding certain parties ignoring their duty of paying tribute to the martyrs. We will celebrate with greater fervour, he said and urged the universities in the three states to research and document the atrocities of Razakars and the brave struggle of people against them to instil patriotic fervour among the younger generations. Shah said the draconian laws that were brought out by the Nizam in the name of efficient administration had, in reality, benefited him and the Razakars rather than the people. He referred to the laws that helped Nizam protect his assets, snatch peoples lands and enforced Urdu as the medium of instruction. When India breathed (the air of) freedom, the people of Telangana were still suffering from the autocratic rule of Nizam and the atrocities of Razakars, Amit Shah said. The region, Shah said, would have continued to suffer but for the brave and timely Police Action launched by then home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The dream of Akhand Bharat nurtured by Mahatma Gandhi would have been incomplete without loh purush (Iron Man Patel, he said. Amit Shah recalled the contributions of organisations like the Arya Maha Sabha, Hindu Jagruti Samiti, Hyderabad State Congress and individuals including Sardar Papanna Gaur, Turrebaz Khan, Moulana Alauddin, Bhagya Reddy Varma, Pandit Narendra Arya, Vande Mataram Ramachandra Rao, Shoebullah Khan, Mogiliya Gaur, Doddi Komarayya, Chakli Ilamma, Narayan Rao Pawar, Jagdish Arya and Gandaiah Arya who displayed supreme bravery while fighting the Nizam's security forces. Earlier, he reviewed the parade by Central security forces and cultural programmes depicting the local traditions. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Union tourism minister G. Kishan Reddy and Karnataka minister B. Sriramulu spoke on the occasion. Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla was present. On the ocassion of Hyderabad Liberation Day, TPCC president Revanth Reddy pays floral tributes to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former deputy Prime Minsiter Sardar Vallabhai Patel at Gandhi Bhavan. (P. Surendra/DC) Hyderabad: Staking claim to the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent Indias first home minister, TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy said that it was a collective decision of the Jawaharlal Nehru government to send armed forces to free Hyderabad State from the clutches of the Nizam. After hoisting the National Flag at Gandhi Bhavan marking the commencement of the year-long Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations, Revanth Reddy asked Union home Minister Amit Shah if he was in the city without the prior approval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apparently Shah has no knowledge of history. People like him must read history books and understand that it was the Congress and the Communists who took active part in the armed struggle. How can you stake claim to that legacy? It was Patel who laid the foundation for the Gandhi Bhavan. Sardar Patel shall remain part of the Congresss family and will be remembered as the man who banned the RSS. You dont have the moral right to even garland his state, Reddy said, referring to Amit Shah. The PCC chief blamed the TRS government for providing scope for the BJP to penetrate deep into the state with its inept governance. He alleged that Amit Shah was in Hyderabad with the sole purpose of engineering divisions on religious grounds while the Congress was trying to unite the country. While distracting the youth through your narratives and social media, your party in the background is benefiting a few corporates, he alleged. Revanth Reddy questioned BJP leaders, particularly Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, why there were no celebrations in Gujarats Junagadh ,which was another princely state that had resisted merger with the Indian Union. Police had arrested raja Singh on August 25 after serving him notices in two separate cases pending against him. DC File Image HYDERABAD: Goshamahal MLA T. Raja Singh wife Usha Bai met Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan here on Sunday and sought her help to secure the release her husband from jail. She said that Raja Singh had pointed out anti-people policies of TRS government frequently due to which he was arrested. She alleged that the police had registered false cases including under the Preventive Detention Act against Raja Singh. "I am fighting against false cases in the court," Usha Bai told the Governor. Police failed to prove the charges against Raja Singh. Usha Bai alleged that the police officials had not registered cases against other politicians when they made objectionable comments. She urged Governor Soundararajan to take the initiative for the release of Raja Singh. She submitted a memorandum to the Governor on the matter. Raja Singhs family members accompanied Usha Bai. Police had arrested raja Singh on August 25 after serving him notices in two separate cases pending against him. Police also invoked the Preventive Detention Act against the MLA. He continues to remain in jail. He was accused of spreading hate in a video. He was earlier arrested on August 23 but secured bail within hours over procedural issues. The BJP leadership suspended him from the party. Hyderabad: Senior Congress leaders, including mandal incharges and elected representatives, accelerated the partys campaign in Munugode for the upcoming bypoll. Among a flurry of activities, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, the Munugode mandal incharge, oversaw a coordination meeting with party members on Sunday. This followed a visit by N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to Choutuppal over the past few days. On Sunday, PCC chief A. Revanth Reddy welcomed around 300 members, from the Left parties and the TRS in Munugode, into the party fold at his residence in Jubilee Hills. Meanwhile, on the second day of her door-to-door campaign Intintiki Congress, the party candidate for the upcoming poll, Palvai Sravanthi, campaigned in Idikuda village of Chandur mandal and Gattupal mandal. On the first day, Saturday, she had covered Tummalapalli village in Nampally mandal. Bhatti called on the election coordinators and booth committee incharges to remain steadfast towards ensuring the partys win. Explaining the various tactics adopted by the party for maximum utilisation of publicity material, Bhatti hailed the Munugode public as fighters who proved their valour without submitting to adversaries at a press conference. He also cautioned BJP that it would not get the support of the public. Bhatti said that the TRS, which has failed to fulfil promises made earlier, was trying to lure people with money and liquor. He called upon Munugode voters not to fall prey to such tactics while exercising their franchise, and to instead focus on long-term priorities. People of Munugode are ready to bring TRS and BJP to their knees, as they cannot be lured by money or anything other lures, he said. It is learnt that nearly 60 YSRC legislators were found to be poor performers. Jagan gave time to them and a dozen legislators performances had been improved. The CM would review the performances of legislators by giving them grades and marks. PTI VIJAYAWADA: The YSRC high command would review the performance of the party MLAs before starting the ticket allotment process for the next assembly elections in 2024. Chief Minister Jagan Reddy recently issued a strong warning that ministers who recorded poor performance might be sacked. He is now readying for a review to analyse legislators performances on the basis of marks and grades. Jagan recently conducted a review meeting with MLAs, ministers, YSRC regional coordinators and assembly constituency in-charges. He would now conduct a meeting to review their performance. The AP Assembly sessions started on September 15 and will continue till September 21. Jagan reaffirmed his stand about developing Amaravati as the legislative capital and formation of the executive capital and judicial capital in Vizag and Kurnool. He affirmed that he would not flinch from his decentralised development policy. According to party sources, Jagan will adopt the 3 capitals decision as the main YSRC agenda to seek votes for the next elections. Hence, he would instruct legislators and leaders to take the decentralised development cause to the masses, explaining the YSRCs dedication to develop all regions of AP. The sources said that since all legislators are available for the assembly session now, there is a likelihood of conducting the review meeting at any time in the next three days. During this, Jagan will analyse the performances of MLAs. The CM had, in the earlier meeting with legislators, given eight months time to MLAs for betterment of their performances and said he would review their scores from time to time. Accordingly, the IPAC teams and other surveying agencies are submitting reports to Jagan. It is learnt that nearly 60 YSRC legislators were found to be poor performers. Jagan gave time to them and a dozen legislators performances had been improved. The CM would review the performances of legislators by giving them grades and marks. He will give a powerpoint presentation in the meeting and would give clarity on tickets on the basis of the ratings of the sitting MLAs, a party source said. Further, the CM will issue a final warning to the legislators who are still lagging behind in performance, despite having given them chances for better performance through the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam mass contact programme. The CM is also planning to start a tour of districts and he would hold Rachabanda meetings like his father YSR, the source said. Political analysts say Jagan is targeting to win 175 seats. Hence he is analysing the performances of legislators every month to choose strong candidates for the next elections. Jagan is giving funds to every constituency to resolve local issues on a priority basis during the mass contact programme. But nearly 40 legislators are still showing negligence hence they are in the danger zone. Out of 119 Assembly constituencies, 31 are reserved of which SCs account for 19 and STs 12. (Photo: PTI/Representational Image) Hyderabad: TRS leaders and cadre are eyeing a repeat of the clean sweep of the Assembly seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) communities on the back of the pro-SC, ST decisions being announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao since September 3. Out of 119 Assembly constituencies, 31 are reserved of which SCs account for 19 and STs 12. In 2018, TRS won 16 SC and six ST seats. Subsequently, two SC MLAs and four ST legislators from other parties joined the TRS, giving it a total of 18 SC and 10 ST seats in the Assembly. The TRS had lost Nakrekal in undivided Nalgonda district, Sathupalli and Madhira in the undivided Khammam districts that are reserved for the SCs. It also lost Mulug seat in undivided Warangal district, Wyra, Aswaraopeta, Yellandu, Bhadrachalam and Pinapaka in the undivided Khammam districts reserved for STs. However, Nakrekal Congress MLA Chirumarthi Lingaiah, Wyra legislator Ramulu Naik who won as an independent candidate, TDP MLAs from Sathupalli and Aswaraopeta, Sandra Venkata Veeriah and Mecha Nageswara Rao joined TRS soon thereafter. Congress MLAs from Yellandu and Pinapaka, Banothu Hari Priya and Rega Kantha Rao also joined the TRS. At present, only Mulug and Madhira seats reserved for SCs and Bhadrachalam seats reserved for STs are not represented by TRS. Rao has laid special focus on SC and ST reserved seats to make a clean sweep again in the next Assembly polls. In the Cabinet meeting held on September 3, he announced that he would extend Dalit Bandhu scheme to another 1,500 families in every Assembly constituency. He inaugurated Adivasi Bhavan and Banjara Bhavan in Banjara Hills on Saturday with modern amenities for STs to organise functions and programmes free of cost. The TRS held a massive Adivasi and Banjara public meeting in NTR Stadium on Saturday in which Rao announced enhancement of reservations for STs from four per cent to 10 per cent, launch of Girijan Bandhu for landless STs and accorded ownership rights on podu lands to tribals. The Chief Minister also named the new Telangana Secretariat complex after Dr B.R. Ambedkar. TRS leaders and cadre are undertaking a massive campaign on the recent pro-SC, ST decisions. They have planned celebrations in these constituencies for the next two weeks to garner support. They are taking out rallies and are performing 'ksheerabhishekams' (pouring milk on Raos portraits) as a thanksgiving gesture. The national mourning in the UK has brought out the best in everyone suddenly differences have been buried, and the nation is united in grief. But everything has a pall of unreality to it. Even though she was 96, and we should have known this could happen anytime we are still unprepared. The nation is struggling to move forward while attention shifts inexorably to the funeral this coming week. Only after that will the world start functioning again. Since the last time a funeral of this grand nature took place was much before the age of television, many are not aware of the intricacies of it. To make it real, Londoners and others from all over the country are heading for Westminster Hall. Londoners, especially, have reserves of infinite patience as they stand in queues. This time, it is in a sombre cause. The queues outside Westminster Hall at the south east corner of the Palace of Westminster are literally miles long. They snake around the river from Westminster Bridge all the way beyond London Bridge. Given the occasion, people are sad but very patient. They have come to pay their final respects to a most beloved monarch. We had just celebrated her Platinum Jubilee a month or so ago, and in sharp contrast to this, London was then on just a happy holiday. But after her death, which involved saying goodbye to one monarch and greeting another, the well oiled, tried and tested machinery has got into faultless action. The Queen is Dead; Long Live the King is pronounced with such panache that you may think they had just rehearsed it last night. The difference is, it is all being televised fully for the first time. The Queen, who has just gone, pioneered TV appearances of the royalty in the mid-seventies of the last century. She was a real professional. She went on to deploy zoom to connect during the pandemic and kept in touch with the world. Now her departure is being shown on the TV minute by minute. So in that sense her funeral is being attended by many other people than ever before, some only through television. Westminster Hall where her coffin is lying in state is the oldest structure in the parliamentary complex. It was standing in its current spot before William the Conqueror arrived in 1066. It has a classic hammer beam roof and has enough room to sit members of both Houses of Parliament all 1,500 of them. It has seen some historic events such as the trial of Warren Hastings (acquitted) as well as Thomas Moor who was sanctified later. It was the place where Churchill lay in state after his death and so did most of the royalty. The very high ceiling is exceeded only by the Big Ben. Literally a million may pass by as they say their own brief farewell to their Queen. It is such a rare event (as no other previous royal or statesman has received this much affection) that professors of psychology have mounted a special study of queuing behaviour. Perhaps, never again in the history of mankind will so many gather to bid farewell to just one person. At least not in the UK. Yet soon the body will move across the road to the Westminster Abbey. London then will come into its special powerful role. Around 500 heads of state monarchs from Asia and Europe, heads of state with their spouses plus other worthies will descend on London for the funeral. (Many of them will return for the coronation of King Charles III but that is later). Given London traffic even on normal working days, the authorities have decided that they will all ride in a bus to their destination. No presidential car for Joe Biden or a horse carriage for the emperor of Japan they, including the President of India, will have to get on the bus (even though it is a special one, and not the red double-decker that we all ride) from their hotels or houses and come to the Abbey. Luckily the Abbey, also another vast old structure, will be able to contain them all. Attention has already turned to how the new monarch is getting on. King Charles III was never known for patience or a calm demeanour. People knew that, but while the media was quick to critique, many took their cue from the Queen who did not comment publicly on anything her children did or did not do. The erstwhile Prince of Wales has had his share of criticism in the past and he is unlikely to escape the scrutiny now either, as he is being watched live on TV. His tantrum when his pen was leaking is now doing the rounds globally and will be a good lesson of how not to behave in public. Not a very smooth opening, but Londoners would be sorely disappointed if he suddenly behaved impeccably. So, probably, we will all learn to adjust to his eccentricities. Meanwhile, it is farewell, beloved Queen. TORONTO: Hydrogen fuel cell maker Loop Energy said on Sunday that its latest cell system can deliver better fuel economy than a diesel engine at current price levels. The Burnaby, Canada-based company said that - based on a pan-European diesel cost of $1.91 per litre on Sept. 5 and $10 per kg of hydrogen - a truck could travel just over 111 miles (179 km) on $100 worth of fuel using its new S1200 hydrogen fuel cell system versus a little over 109 miles for an equivalent diesel truck. As the auto industry makes the shift to zero-emission electric vehicles (EVs), big freight truck makers like Daimler Truck and Volvo are investing heavily in hydrogen fuel cells to haul freight long distances because batteries weigh too much to make electric trucks viable. Hydrogen fuel cells run hydrogen through a catalyst that produces energy and heat to power a small battery that drives the truck - the only emission from these cells is water. Hydrogen fuel cells have faced two challenges for broad adoption: they have so far been less efficient than diesel and fuelling infrastructure in Europe is virtually non-existent. Nyland said the new cell system essentially addresses the first of those challenges. "This brings the future forward," Loop Energy Chief Executive Ben Nyland told Reuters. "This product delivers the economics that are needed for adoption today." Nyland said that Loop Energy aims to provide the fuel cell system to startup truck makers and as part of hydrogen powertrains provided to big truck makers by major suppliers. The company's biggest shareholder is US engine maker Cummins, which holds a more than 20% stake in Loop Energy. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said one Treasury recommendation is that the U.S. advance policy and technical work on a potential central bank digital currency, or CBDC, so that the United States is prepared if CBDC is determined to be in the national interest. (Photo: AP) WASHINGTON: The Biden administration is moving one step closer to developing a central bank digital currency, known as the digital dollar, saying it would help reinforce the US role as a leader in the world financial system. The White House said on Friday that after President Joe Biden issued an executive order in March calling on a variety of agencies to look at ways to regulate digital assets, the agencies came up with nine reports, covering cryptocurrency impacts on financial markets, the environment, innovation and other elements of the economic system. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said one Treasury recommendation is that the U.S. advance policy and technical work on a potential central bank digital currency, or CBDC, so that the United States is prepared if CBDC is determined to be in the national interest. Right now, some aspects of our current payment system are too slow or too expensive, Yellen said on a Thursday call with reporters laying out some of the findings of the reports. Central bank digital currencies differ from existing digital money available to the general public, such as the balance in a bank account, because they would be a direct liability of the Federal Reserve, not a commercial bank. According to the Atlantic Council nonpartisan think tank, 105 countries representing more than 95% of global gross domestic product already are exploring or have created a central bank digital currency. The council found that the US and the UK are far behind in creating a digital dollar or its equivalent. Treasury, the Justice Department, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other agencies were tasked with contributing to reports that would address various concerns about the risks, development and usage of digital assets. Several reports will come out in the next weeks and months. Eswar Prasad, a trade professor at Cornell who studies the digitization of currencies, said Treasurys report takes a positive view about how a digital dollar might play a useful role in increasing payment options for individuals and businesses while acknowledging the risks of its development. He said the report sets the stage for the creation of agency regulations and legislation that can improve the benefit-risk tradeoff associated with cryptocurrencies and related technologies. The Blockchain Association, which lobbies lawmakers on Capitol Hill, said in a statement that the White House reports are a missed opportunity to cement U.S. crypto leadership. These reports focus on risks not opportunities, the statement reads, and omit substantive recommendations on how the United States can promote its burgeoning crypto industry, including job creation, improvements to the financial system, and expanded access for all Americans. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers have submitted various pieces of legislation to regulate cryptocurrency and other digital assets. Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, said in an emailed statement that the report seem to kick the can down the road she said, we dont see clear recommendations. The director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, told reporters that weve seen in recent months substantial turmoil in cryptocurrency markets and these events really highlight how, without proper oversight, cryptocurrencies risk harming everyday Americans financial stability and our national security. It is why this administration believes that now more than ever, he said, prudent regulation of cryptocurrencies is needed. He said on Friday that the Administration plans to execute a comprehensive action plan with priority steps to mitigate key risks of cryptocurrencies among others, money laundering and financing for terrorism. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Veteran Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, on Saturday, without naming the TMC or others, cautioned the Opposition space not to "weaken" or "backstab" the Congress. His remarks came while addressing a presser in Kolkata. "Opposition unity is a consistent talk. Without a strong Congress, a united Opposition is impossible. Many parties want Opposition unity so that Congress is weakened. We will not let it happen. Opposition parties should know that if you want to come along with Congress, then don't weaken it. Do not backstab the Congress," he said. The Congress leader said without his party at the fulcrum, no Opposition unity is possible. "This third front experiment we had is not an experiment that should be repeated." Also Read | NCPCR has become an RSS affiliate, says Jairam Ramesh Ramesh clarified that parties shouldn't always intend to get something out of the Congress. "Opposition unity means reaching an understanding. Every party offers something, and receives something. So far, Congress has been offering, and everyone has benefited from it. Some parties even add 'Congress' to their names," Ramesh said. He refrained from naming any Congress break-away factions active in the Opposition politics. He said that Congress cannot be eliminated, and there can never be a 'Congress-mukt Bharat' (India without Congress). "We will strengthen Congress. The change will set in; Congress will become stronger. With initiatives like the yatra and similar attempts, you will see a new Congress," he said, describing the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' as "oxygen" for the party's organisational strength. Also Read | NCPCR seeks action against Rahul over children at Yatra In West Bengal, the Congress, like the Left, has lost substantial political ground, while the BJP has emerged as the main Opposition. At the Centre, both Congress and Trinamool see the BJP as a common opponent. The Trinamool, with its aspiration to grow nationally, sees the possibility of a united Opposition, even without Congress. Ramesh claimed that the "Congress Party is not dead". "Please don't write off Congress. Congress is an elephant, a big elephant. It walks slowly, but when it walks, it does so properly," he said. "People leave the Congress for whatever reasons. Some people are forced, and some have other ambitions, but they never abandon the word Congress. There are many parties. I am not referring to any one political party. There are multiple parties in India which have been formed out of the Congress, but insist on using the word Congress," he added. Senior Congress leader and former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday sought to debunk Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims about previous governments not making constructive efforts on the Cheetah project by sharing an official letter in 2009 that spoke about initiating the project. Ramesh, who is now Congress General Secretary (Communications), called the Prime Minister a "pathological liar" in a tweet while sharing the letter he wrote to M K Ranjitsinh of the Wildlife Trust of India on 6 October, 2009 to "go ahead and prepare a detailed roadmap for the reintroduction of the Cheetah which should include a detailed analysis of different potential sites". Read | Villagers fear land acquisition, human-animal conflict as cheetahs arrive in Kuno This was the letter that launched Project Cheetah in 2009. Our PM is a pathological liar. I couldnt lay my hands on this letter yesterday because of my preoccupation with the #BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/3AQ18a4bSh Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 18, 2022 Releasing three of the eight cheetahs flown in from Namibia into special enclosures in the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Saturday, Modi had alleged that no constructive efforts were made to reintroduce cheetahs in India after they became extinct from the country seven decades ago. "It is unfortunate that we declared cheetahs extinct in 1952, but for decades no constructive efforts were made to reintroduce them in India. Now, with new strength and vigour, the country has embarked on the project of reviving the population of cheetahs during this 'amrit kaal'," he had said. Ramesh retorted, "This was the letter that launched Project Cheetah in 2009. Our PM is a pathological liar. I couldn't lay my hands on this letter yesterday because of my preoccupation with the Bharat Jodo Yatra." On Saturday, Ramesh had tweeted, "The Prime Minister hardly ever acknowledges continuity in governance. The Cheetah project going back to my visit to Capetown on 25 April, 2010 is the latest example. The tamasha orchestrated by the Prime Minister today (Saturday) is unwarranted and is yet another diversion from pressing national issues and Bharat Jodo Yatra." News of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry dying in a car accident in Maharashtra's Palghar district sent shockwaves through the country earlier this month. Official data shows that it was not a one-off incident. The 100-km stretch of Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway between Ghodbunder in Thane and Dapchari in Palghar district has witnessed 262 accidents this year, claiming at least 62 lives and leaving 192 persons injured, police officials said. Over-speeding and error of judgement on a driver's part have played a role in many of these incidents. But officials say that poor maintenance of the road, lack of proper signage and absence of speed curbing measures too are among the factors responsible for the high number of accidents. The stretch near Charoti, where the Mercedes car in which Mistry was travelling met with an accident on September 4, has seen 26 deaths in 25 serious accidents since the start of this year, said a Maharashtra highway police official. Also Read | Over-speeding caused maximum accident-related deaths in 2020: Report The stretch near Chinchoti has reported 25 deaths in 34 serious accidents during the same period, while 11 persons have died in 10 accidents near Manor, he said. "Charoti is a black spot when it comes to accidents, and so is the stretch of some 500 meters beyond it towards Mumbai," he said. The road curves before the Surya river bridge as one travels towards Mumbai and the three-lane carriageway narrows into a two-lane one, he said. "But there is no effective road signage or speed-curbing rumblers warning vehicle drivers before they reach the bridge," the official pointed out. It was here that the car driven by gynaecologist Anahita Pandole at high speed ran into the road divider. Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole who were riding in the backseat died while Anahita and her husband Darius who was in the front-row passenger seat suffered serious injuries. The safety-related guidelines of the Indian Road Congress seemed to have been overlooked by those who are responsible for the maintenance of the road, said another official. While the road comes under the purview of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the private agency which collects toll has the responsibility of maintenance, he added. According to the guidelines, an ambulance must be kept on stand-by every 30 kilometers, and there should also be a crane and patrolling vehicles, the official said. In the wake of the September 4 tragedy, Maharashtra Police has written to the Central Road Research Institute for expert opinion on safety measures that can be introduced and also asked the Central Institute of Road Transport to conduct a road-safety audit of the part of the highway which lies inside Maharashtra. The arecanut growers in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are worried about losing the crop for kole roga, or fruit rot disease, following an increase in rainfall. Arecanut is cultivated on over 97,000 hectares in Dakshina Kannada and 25,481 hectares in the Udupi district. Dakshina Kannada district has received over 3,600 mm of rainfall so far. Owing to heavy pre-monsoon showers in April/May, the growers could not spray the Bordeaux mixture to check the infestation. Further, the extended rainfall has hampered the spraying of fungicide in plantations in the region. Many farmers were not in a position to take up spraying in their plantations during July this year owing to the bountiful showers. Farmers normally take up the first round of Bordeaux spraying in their plantations before the monsoon and later in the month of July. Also Read | Grade, quality of arecanut need not be declared for tax purposes: Karnataka HC Raitha Sangha & Hasiru Sene state secretary Manohar Shetty told DH that several hectares of arecanut plantations in Dakshina Kannada district have been infected with fruit rot disease. The officials claim that arecanut is covered under the weather-based crop insurance scheme (WBCIS) in Dakshina Kannada. However, the Raitha Sangha has been demanding the government announce compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre under natural calamity relief. The farmers have to wait till next September or October to get the insurance amount under the weather-based crop insurance scheme. How can they sustain their livelihood till then? he said. Following the fruit rot disease, the immature arecanuts have rotted and started withering. Heavy showers and an increase in humidity result in the spread of the disease further in the plantation, said farmer Shekar. Udupi Bharatiya Kisan Sangha general secretary Sathyanarayana Udupa said There is a provision for distributing compensation of Rs 28,000 per hectare under natural calamity relief to the farmers whose plantations have been affected by the disease. But, the farmers have spent more than Rs 50,000 for spraying Bordeaux mixture per hectare. Also Read | Centre to take steps to protect arecanut growers interests, says Araga Jnanendra The Kisan Sangha has urged the district administration to disburse at least Rs 50,000 per acre of loss of arecanut crop. DK Horticulture department Deputy Director H R Naik said The compensation under natural calamity relief is distributed only if the crop loss is more than 33 %. If the crop loss is above 33%, then farmers can submit applications seeking compensation. If the growers contact the department, the scientists will visit the affected plantations and they will be informed of the disease control measures. As the rain has receded and there is sunshine, the farmers can spray the Bordeaux mixture to save the crops now, he said. Mahesh Puchchappady, general secretary of Areca Growers Association, said About 30 to 40% of arecanut corps have been affected with fruit rot disease. The major affected areas are Sullia and Belthangady taluks as both the taluks had received heavy showers. New Delhi National Zoological Park assistant veterinary officer Dr Sanath Krishna Muliya, who was part of the delegation that flew down from Namibia with the eight cheetahs to India, hails from Puttur. Terming it as a proud moment, his uncle (fathers brother) Muliya Keshav Bhat, at Guthigar in Sullia taluk, said, It is a proud moment for the country and also for Karnataka as the veterinarian, who was part of worlds first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project, hails from the region. Wildlife and animals were his passion since a young age, he said. Dr Sanath Muliya is the son of late Keshav Bhat Muliya and Usha and is married to veterinarian Dr Priyanka Jasta. Though his father was into jewellery business, he chose a different career, Muliya Keshav Bhat said. He said that Dr Sanath, after studyingPUC at Vivekananda College in Puttur, he did his graduation and post-graduation in veterinary sciences in Bengaluru. He had worked at Bannerghatta in the past. He has studied and worked in Africa as well. He has been part of major projects involving tranquilising and radio-collaring of tigers, and other wild animals. Muliya Keshava Bhat said that he is likely to visit the native place next month to attend a family function. Derry City and Strabane District Council should, as a matter of urgency, convene with the Dail and Westminster to establish a new North-South body for Higher Education in the North West. The call came from Derry University Group, which is fighting for an independent third-level higher education institution for Northwest Ireland, managed autonomously by the city-region. The North-South body for Higher Education in the North West was one of the key proposals in a recent report by the Royal Irish Academys Higher Education Taskforce, which comprises 40 of the leading educationalists on the island. The report will be discussed at a forthcoming conference in Derry hosted jointly by the John and Pat Hume Foundation and the Royal Irish Academy. The conference on The Future Development of Higher Education in the Greater North-West of the Island of Ireland, will take place in the Waterside Theatre on October 11. Titled The role of regions and place in higher education across the island of Ireland, the Royal Irish Academy report said: In the short term, it is concluded that an independent advisory planning body supported by funds from PEACE PLUS, the Shared Island Unit and a major joint UK-EU-Ireland-NI initiative involving sustained commitment, including in transport (road, rail and broadband/digitalisation) infrastructure would be the most appropriate way of developing the collaboration, synergy and institutional structures that are necessary to achieve a step change in the regions prospects. Such an initiative would drive the economic, social and cultural development of the north-west of the island, underpinning a north-west economic corridor with unique strengths and opportunities. It would also demonstrate that, notwithstanding the difficulties that have emerged over Brexit, the UK, EU, Ireland and NI remain committed to continued peace and prosperity across the island of Ireland, and to collaborative and synergistic links between Ireland, the UK and Europe." "The Taskforce recommends the creation of a NI tertiary education oversight body to advise government, help define sectoral mission and ensure greater coordination and regional distribution within the university and FE sectors. Given the critical nature of tertiary education in determining the economic, social and cultural welfare of NI, the establishment of such a body warrants high priority within the NI Executives agenda. Speaking to Derry News, Derry University Group spokesperson, Garbhan Downey, said: The Royal Irish Academy taskforce has provided a blueprint which will deliver the independent university for the North West and will also drive the economic regeneration of Derry and Donegal. The Derry University Group welcomes the Hume Foundations support for the RIA proposals. The next key step will be for Council, which is also meeting with the Royal Irish Academy this autumn, to convene with the Dail and Westminster to establish the new North-South body for Higher Education in the North West as envisaged by the Academy. Once this North-South body is in place, its remit will be to develop and constitute the structures for a new cross border university, to be funded from Dublin, London, Europe and the US, again as recommended by the Academy. To ensure that the massive imbalance in university places in the North is corrected, the new university will remain independent of the Belfast universities and will not be dependent on Belfast-controlled funding bodies, said Mr Downey. The Royal Irish Academy also recommended Stormont establish as a priority a new University Regulatory body for Northern Ireland. According to Garbhan Downey such bodies already exist in the South and in Britain. He added: This will help put an end to the generational discrimination which has existed against the North West with regards university provision. Significant readjustment, rectification and reparation towards the North West will also be required to rebalance university provision in NI, again under the supervision of this new oversight body. The Derry University Group has previously made submissions to the Oireachtas, and at Dublins Mansion House and at Westminster. We have also contributed substantiated input into the New Decade New Approach programme and to the Royal Irish Academys recent report into the future of Higher Education on the island. And we are encouraged that, at last, the fruits of the labour are beginning to show. In particular, the Derry University Group commends the Royal Irish Academy on its commitment to university provision in the North West and on the continued good work of the taskforce. We encourage all those interested in higher education in the North West to study and support the Academys proposals. A reception at Buckingham Palace and an event hosted by the UKs new Foreign Secretary are among the events Irelands president and premier will attend around the Queens state funeral. The historic funeral will be one of the rare occasions where both the Irish president and Taoiseach are out of the country at the same time. President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, along with Taoiseach Micheal Martin and his wife Mary, will be among the hundreds of foreign dignitaries attending the funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday morning. This afternoon President and Sabina Higgins attended a service of reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth II at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast pic.twitter.com/Fw5mWZjqHQ President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) September 13, 2022 With most countries invited to send their head of state or head of government, along with their spouses, it is believed that Irelands four-strong delegation is unusual. Mr Martin will also be one of several world leaders that will meet Liz Truss ahead of the state funeral. He is due to arrive in London on Sunday morning for a meeting with the new Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, where he is expected to convey his condolences on the death of the monarch. Political issues are also likely to be discussed, although Downing Street has suggested any meetings between political leaders will be more of a chat than a bilateral session. Good call with British PM @trussliz today.Offered our sincere condolences to the British people on the loss of HM Queen Elizabeth. Agreed to keep in close contact in the weeks ahead. https://t.co/mtH3dMetY8 pic.twitter.com/sGz936V1ze Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 9, 2022 Afterwards, Mr Martin and Mr Higgins will pay their respects at the Queens coffin which is lying in state at Westminster Hall, and will also sign a book of condolence at Lancaster House. The King will host a reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening, which the Martins and Higginses are expected to attend. Following the funeral, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will host a reception for foreign dignitaries at Church House, next to the abbey. The Taoiseach will fly out of London on Monday afternoon on the Government jet, ahead of his trip to the UN General Assembly in New York. Minister Coveney announces additional funding of 2 million to UN Agency for Palestine Refugees Press release The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Simon Coveney, T.D today announced 2 million in additional support for the Palestinian people, following a meeting with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in Dublin. The funding will be allocated to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides essential services to 5.7 million registered Palestine refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. It brings Irelands total contribution to UNRWA in 2022 to 8 million. Announcing the pledge, Minister Coveney said: I am delighted to announce this additional funding for UNRWA. Ireland is a longstanding supporter of the agencys work with and on behalf of Palestine refugees." UNRWA provides a lifeline to the most vulnerable groups within the refugee population and its work continues to be essential. This contribution will help UNRWA to provide critical services such as healthcare, education, humanitarian relief and social services to refugees across its fields of operation." "This includes Gaza, where ordinary people are suffering the effects of hostilities and the ongoing blockade. Notes to editors There are 5.7 million Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Ireland has already disbursed 6 million to UNRWA in 2022, including 5 million in core funding for UNRWAs 2022 Programme Budget, of which 1 million is for use in Lebanon. The other 1 million was allocated to UNRWAs Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal. UNRWAs Programme Budget is used to provide essential services for Palestine refugees in the fields of health, education, microfinance, infrastructure and camp improvement, protection, relief and social services across its five areas of operation. UNRWAs Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal addresses the basic humanitarian needs of Palestine refugees affected by the conflict in Syria. Palestine refugees have been disproportionately affected by this conflict, with an estimated 438,000 UNRWA-registered refugees remaining inside the country, of which almost one third are children. Irelands total assistance to the Palestinian people will amount to 16.5 million in 2022. ENDS Press Office 18 September 2022 Previous Item | Next Item Where to Watch / Stream In Memoriam: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | Funeral Online Theatrical release - Not available on any OTT Platform right now. Advertisements In Memoriam: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | Funeral : Release Date, Trailer, Cast & Songs About In Memoriam: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | Funeral In Memoriam: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | Funeral was released on Sep 19, 2022 . This movie is 5 hr in duration and is available in English language. Prince Charles of Edinburgh and Camilla Parker-Bowles are playing as the star cast in this movie. In Memoriam: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | Funeral is available in Historical and Documentary genres. In Memoriam: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | Funeral - Star Cast And Crew P Prince Charles of Edinburgh Actor C Camilla Parker-Bowles Actor Image Gallery Disclaimer: All content and media has been sourced from original content streaming platforms, such as Disney Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. Digit Binge is an aggregator of content and does not claim any rights on the content. The copyrights of all the content belongs to their respective original owners and streaming service providers. All content has been linked to respective service provider platforms.This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by Advertisements San Francisco, Sep 16 (IANS) An 18-year-old hacker has broken into the internal systems of Uber, reaching company tools including Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform, and employees thought someone was playing a prank. The hacker made himself known to Uber employees by posting a message on the company's internal communication system Slack. "I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach," screenshots of the message circulating on Twitter read. The hacker then listed confidential company information and posted a hashtag saying that Uber "underpays its drivers". The Slack message from the alleged hacker "was so brazen that many Uber employees appear to have initially thought it was a joke", reports The Washington Post. Some employees even responded to the hacker with emoji like sirens and popcorn, as well as the "it's happening" GIF. One unnamed Uber employee told bug bounty hunter and security engineer Sam Curry that staff were interacting with the hacker thinking "they were playing a joke". Uber said in a statement that it was investigating a "cybersecurity incident" while it took Slack offline for employees. "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 posted in a tweet. An Uber employee posted that they were told to stop using Slack as "anytime I request a website, I am taken to a page with a pornographic image" and the message "f*** you wankers". The hacker reportedly said he broke into the Uber systems because "they had weak security". (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 With an aim to make it more user-friendly, tech giant Microsoft has announced that its Teams meeting attendees can now have an interpreter in their preferred language. The feature has been in testing for quite some time but is now generally available. Meeting participants can set their preferred language and then listen to a meeting in that language, reports WindowsCentral. The feature allows meeting organisers to have professional interpreters translate meetings in real-time. Attendees can set their preferred language when they join a meeting and should hear the interpreter's translation at a louder volume than the speaker. Microsoft outlined the key features of language interpretation, which include listening to a meeting in the language they are most comfortable using, collaborating in meetings where multiple languages are spoken, etc. As per the report, language interpretation joined a growing list of Teams features to overcome language barriers. For example, Teams also supports translating typed messages. "Here at Microsoft, we serve a diverse set of global customers, including governmental institutions that hold parliament meetings in multiple languages, multinational and multilingual corporations, businesses that work with vendors around the world, and many more," Microsoft's Shalendra Chhabra, was quoted as saying. "This feature was built to support customers and users who need to communicate in the virtual world across languages," Chhabra added. A Microsoft support document breaks down how to organise a meeting with language interpretation, how to add interpreters, how to choose a language, and how to designate someone as an interpreter. Meeting organisers have to provide their own interpreters. Up to 16 interpreter pairs can be added to any given meeting. The feature works in scheduled meetings, channel meetings, meetings with up to 1,000 people, and webinars. (Except for the headline and cover image, the rest of this IANS article is un-edited) For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in. New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) YouTube is going to make its short-form video app Shorts part of its partner programme that will help millions of creators get a share of the ad money generated in Shorts. YouTube is also making it easier for creators, who don't qualify for the partner programme, make money via tips, subscriptions and merchandise sales, reports The Verge. The aim is to offer better monetisation options than its Chinese rival TikTok and bring more creators back on Shorts. To date, YouTube has monetised Shorts via creator funds, shopping and tips. YouTube last year announced a $100 million fund to begin paying creators who use Shorts. YouTube Shorts is now being watched by over 1.5 billion signed-in users every month with more than 30 billion daily views. In the era of TikTok, Google-owned YouTube Shorts is catching up fast and the company has seen encouraging results in its early monetisating efforts on the short-video making platform. Philipp Schindler, Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer at Alphabet (Google's parent company), said in July that consumers are increasing and consuming short-form videos obviously and they are seeing this across multiple platforms, including YouTube. "We're continuing to see good user engagement on YouTube. Early results in Shorts' monetisation are also encouraging, and we're excited about the opportunities here," Schindler said during a call with analysts. "We're excited about the opportunity," he added. (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 Amid India's escalating crackdown on Chinese companies, China-based smartphone brands are now planning to set up manufacturing plants in countries like Egypt, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Nigeria, according to a Global Times report. The report, citing a Chinese executive based in India, claimed that companies will evaluate bilateral ties, market potential, preferential policies and labour costs to set up manufacturing plants elsewhere. OPPO is going to set up a $20 million mobile phone plant in Egypt. "OPPO's memorandum of understanding with the Egyptian government to set up a $20 million smartphone facility may be a pacesetter," the Chinese executive told Global Times. The OPPO plant's production capacity is scheduled to reach 4.5 million units annually, according to a statement from the Egypt's Council of Ministers this week. The investment will contribute to creating 900 job opportunities over the next three to five years. "The management in Chinese smartphone brands in India felt a palpable sense of being squeezed by the Indian government's crackdown and its (protectionist) actions to improve domestic companies' capability to make sophisticated electronics such as smartphones," the executive was quoted as saying. India has stepped up its crackdown on Chinese firms over the years. The Indian government is looking into cases of alleged tax evasion by three Chinese mobile companies -- OPPO, Vivo India, and Xiaomi. The companies were served notices by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for duty evasion. India has also banned more than 300 Chinese apps, including Tencent's WeChat and ByteDance's TikTok. The country is now bolstering its domestic smartphone and chip manufacturing sector. The Gujarat government has partnered Vedanta and Foxconn, aiming an investment of Rs 1.54 lakh crore to achieve self-reliance in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. Tata Group is also reportedly in talks with Taiwan-based Wistron to ramp up iPhone production capacity by 500 per cent in the country. (Except for the headline and cover image, 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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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Africa has been losing from 5 to 15% of its GDP per capita growth because of climate change and its related impacts, but needs about $1.6 trillion between 2022 and 2030 to meet its nationally determination contributions, says African Development Bank Group Acting Chief Economist and Vice President Kevin Urama. Speaking at a panel discussiontitled African Countries Ownership in Determining Climate Agenda on the side-lines of the Egypt International Cooperation Forum in Cairo on Wednesday, Urama urged developed nations to bridge the climate financing gap. Several senior officials represented the bank at the event, notably its vice president for power, energy, climate and green growth, Dr Kevin Kariuki, and its vice president for private sector, infrastructure and industrialization, Mr. Solomon Quaynor. Collectively, African countries received only $18.3 billion in climate finance between 2016 and 2019 Urama said. This results in a climate finance gap of up $1288.2 billion annually from 2020 to 2030. The chief economist added: These sums reflect how the crisis is. Climate change affects Africa severely, while the continent contributes to only 3% of global emissions. The global community must meet its $100 billion commitment to help the developing countries and African economies to mitigate the impacts of the climate change and to adapt to it. Investing in climate adaptation in the context of sustainable development is the best way to cope with the climate change impacts, adding that gas must remain included in the continents plan for the gradual transition to clean energy. Urama highlighted that since the 1850s, countries have managed to transition away from coal, and used gas as a transition to cleaner energy. He also affirmed that Africa had great potential in terms of green investment opportunities that private sector, including banks, could tap into. Egyptian Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad highlighted Egypts National Strategy for Alignment for both climate mitigation and adaptation. She said it had five key pillars. Fouad explained: The first pillar focuses on how we can adopt a low greenhouse path, which centers on the sectors around renewable transport, gas, industry and waste. The second one relates to adaptation and how best to make the communities more resilient. The third and fourth ones are focused on how to protect coastal zones and have more accessibility and availability of water. The last one is about the need for developing more smart and integrated concoctions and thats the stereotype of a strategy on climate. Fouad added: To fight climate change, you cannot rely on the government alone, nor the private sector alone but its an integration between the government, civil society and the private sector. Ghada Wally, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna said: Women and young people, are among Africas best assets and stressed the importance of exploring avenues to tap into this significant asset for the sake of the continents sustainable development. [1] Nationally determined contributions or NDCs are submitted by countries under the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They represent climate action pledges that aim to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees C, to 1.5 degrees C, over pre-industrial levels. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires A Palestinian academic, with a PhD in Public Law and an MA in International Studies. Legal adviser, independent researcher, and university professor who teaches and has taught in many Palestinian universities. He previously worked as an adviser to the Minister of Justice and the Palestinian Judicial Institute and an expert on civil, government, and international institutions. He has published several books, including Scientific Research on Law (2015), The Diplomacy of National Liberation: The Palestinian Experience (2013), and The Legal System of the PLO (2010), as well as many peer-reviewed studies and pedagogical/vocational curricula. PublishingPageContent As part of the Doctoral Dissertations series, the ACRPS has published Egypts Military Grip on the State: The Army and its Role in Changing the Constitutional Regime by Rashad Twam, with an introduction by Nathan Brown and Farhat al-Harshany. The book is 780 pages long and includes a bibliography and a general index. Egypts Military Grip on the State is based on a complex approach that is at once deductive, inductive, and comparative. The book thoroughly documents the interventions on part of the army and other prominent actors during the transition into the Second Egyptian Republic, relying chiefly upon primary sources which it analyses and synthesises in an opening chapter devoted to the armys role in the transition from the old constitutional regime. Next, it thoroughly transposes these sources in a second chapter devoted to the armys standing within the new constitutional regime. Whereas the first chapter of the book is limited to the case of Egypt, in the second chapter the author compares it with other case studies: Portugal, Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria, South Africa, and France. Although the book keeps to a fixed timeframe (2011-2014), the author enhances his argument by referring to the most significant developments to occur thereafter, particularly the 2019 constitutional amendment. He deconstructs the experience of transition into the First Republic in the mid-20th century, delves into historical experience and legislative precedent, and ultimately carries out an approach blending common law with the study of civil-military relations. Tracing the political role of the Egyptian military prior to the revolution, when the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces maintained its prominence as a political actor despite being ineffectual at pursuing objectives beyond its own interests in that arena, the book begins by reviewing the armys influence under the old constitution. Although the armys relationship with other state institutions vacillated between harmony and conflict, at times taking on legislative and executive authority and at others coexisting therewith, what remains true to this day, the author argues, is that the military apparatus can always hit the reset button and begin anew, as it were, if displeased by the political agenda of elected and appointed officials. After the revolution, the militarys dominant position received an unprecedented constitutional entrenchment that both substantiated its existing privileges and granted it a new level of near-total independence from other state institutions. Having played a central role in this transition, the army remained unaffected by the principle of separation of powers which, in Egypt, has not managed to overcome the dense, extant patchwork of overlapping prerogatives, itself based on power balances at play during the historical moment of the constitutions drafting. Rather, what had changed following the revolution was that the president now had to share power with the army institutionnot with the prime minister, as in a semi-presidential system. Further, the new constitution went beyond weakening the presidency (relatively speaking) vis a vis the army, as opposed to a democratic institution such as parliament or cabinet, to grant the military establishment the right to arbitrate in disputes between other branches of government. Apart from the fact that to have multiple mediating parties is both illogical and ineffective, the odds of a constitutional crisis are higher than ever should the presidency be occupied by a civilian of whom army leadership would not necessarily approve. The political rights of soldiers themselves, nevertheless, are abridged, which would be considered advantageous in many countries so as to avoid conflicts of interest. But in Egypt this has served only to strengthen the militarys power within the state, as individual rights that could compromise military discipline are to be abrogated. The rank and file are a bloc directed by the institution as it pleases, not vice versa; the army, by nature, tends not to accept an internal plurality of opinions and inclinations and must instead present a unified front. Good news for Louths 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 7th October 2022 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 closing date for this years entries is Friday 7th October 2022. The competition night is Friday 28th October in Dublin with Marty Whelan as master of ceremonies. Further information, rules and application form at www. frankmaherclassicalmusicawards .com These are the horoscopes for week commencing September 19, 2022. Aries 21 March 20 April Its all change this week as the Sun leaves Virgo and moves into co-operative Libra for a stay of around a month. Youll be very aware of others needs and feelings, and of how tact and diplomacy can be a crucial tool in edgy discussions. Mind, with a New Moon over the weekend, this could be one of the best times for teamwork or spending quality time with your partner. Taurus 21 April 21 May Youve got this, Taurus! If you felt that an opportunity was slipping away from you, it may be about to make a reappearance. Theres only one caveat, which is that youll need to venture out of your comfort zone. Plus, the week ahead also encourages you to think about getting organized. The more you streamline your affairs, the sooner youll be ready for a brand new beginning. Gemini 22 May 21 June The Sun has a few more days in your domestic sector until it moves into Libra and your leisure zone. Have any projects you need to finish? Now is the time. Mind, with Mercury your guide planet slipping back into Virgo, you may notice where your home needs tender loving care. Have a new romance on the go? The New Moon is excellent for helping it to move forward. Cancer 22 June 23 July An unexpected happening could get the week off to a great start. Whether its an outing, social event or something else, it brings the chance to be with someone whose company is refreshing. Ready to streamline your routines? The Suns move into Libra encourages you to strive for a balance between work and downtime. Want to kick-start a new habit? Go for it this weekend! Leo 24 July 23 August Connect with the right person and you may be given assistance with a goal or career move. Something can click into place that helps you take another step forward. If Mercury in its retro phase has found you in a muddle regarding admin, the Suns entrance into Libra could be a great help in sorting it out. Keen to launch a project? The weekend New Moon might be a game-changer. Virgo 24 August 23 September You may get an opportunity to spread your wings and try out a new experience for size. It could mean moving out of your comfort zone, but you certainly wont regret it. And as the Sun moves into Libra later this week, its time to take stock of your finances and create a helpful budget moving forward. Eager for a fresh financial start? The New Moon encourages you to go for it. Libra 24 September 23 October This week may feel like a rebirth. The Sun leaves a private zone and glides into your sign for a four-week stay. Youll feel your vitality and confidence soar, and youll be ready to make your mark on the world. The weekend New Moon in your sign is the best of the year for you. Its an opportunity to kick-start plans and new habits, and to take a relationship to the next level. Scorpio 24 October 22 November A date or outing to somewhere different could get the week off to a great start, Scorpio. Later, the Sun eases into a private zone for around a month, ushering in a chance to relax and unwind. Use this phase to tie up loose ends and find closure on issues that may be hanging over you. The New Moon might encourage you to start yoga or another practice that helps ease tension. Sagittarius 23 November 21 December Stay alert early on, as an opportunity you wont want to miss could come out of the blue. Youll need to be quick as it wont stay around for too long. Your social zone shows extra promise too, as the Sun journeys through it for four weeks. And with a New Moon here, this is a great time for moving in new circles. Ready to sign something important? Dont ignore the details, Archer. Capricorn 22 December 20 January Your goals and career get a boost as the Sun moves into Libra. It puts you in the spotlight and encourages you to promote your skills, liaise with all the right people and make sure youre known and appreciated. Mind, with Mercury rewinding, dont rush into any agreements. Do your research and get advice if you are uncertain. Its best not to leave anything to chance. Aquarius 21 January 19 February An unexpected gift or small windfall could be yours, Aquarius. It may not amount to much, but it can brighten the start of the week. Plus, theres a positive shift as the Sun moves into Libra and your sector of adventure. This and the weekend New Moon reveal youll be in the mood to traverse new terrain and take on board fresh opportunities, something youll truly relish. Pisces 20 February 20 March Youll be attracted by depth and by the mysterious. The Suns move into an intense and emotional zone for four weeks can be a call to examine your life and let go of anything that isnt working for you. The New Moon over the weekend hints that by doing so youll open up space for fabulous opportunities. Go easy though, as there is a chance of mixed messages, Pisces. Birthday Luck Mondays Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Youll be sensitive to influences, but dont let this stop you from confronting life head on. You have so much to gain by putting yourself in new situations and taking on challenges. Youll begin to soar. Tuesdays Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! You need something new and different in your life to blow away the cobwebs and bring in fresh streams of energy. Dont stick with the tried and trusted. Instead, embrace new paths and opportunities. Wednesdays Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! This isnt the time to be too modest. Youll thrive when you showcase your skills and let others know how talented you are. The more effort you put in, the more good fortune youll attract. Thursdays Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Youll experience a breakthrough that helps you to go from feeling stuck to enjoying life. An event or realization could act as a catalyst that inspires you to let go of the old and embrace the new. Fridays Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! This is an excellent year for relationships, as the more you co-operate, negotiate or compromise, the easier things will be. The love and warmth in your current bond may be rekindled, or a new romance can flourish. Saturdays Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Write down your goals and intentions, and make it a priority to get organized. This year its easy to get distracted and forget what you want to accomplish. Stick to one point and youll get there. Sundays Birthday Luck: Happy Birthday! Youre craving a fresh start, and thats just what youll get. And it will happen when you connect with others on your wavelength. Ready to take a relationship to the next level? This is the year to go for it. Nestled in the heart of Shangri-La, Yunnan Province, between the rolling hills of the ancient city of Dukezong, the newest hotel addition to LUX* Tea Horse Road China LUX* Tea Horse Road Shangri-La will open on 21 September 2022. Curated by the global hospitality group The Lux Collective, LUX* Tea Horse Road China presents one of the worlds greatest travel experiences at beautiful off-grid destinations, imbuing immersive experiences rooted in the cultures of indigenous communities in Yunnan. Conveniently located near famous landmarks, the new hotel is 10 minutes drive from Shangri-La Airport, 20 minutes drive to Kadam Songtsam Monastery and Shikha Snow Mountain, and 30 minutes journey to the nature and biodiversity of Napa Sea Wetland Nature Reserve and Pudacuo National Park. Embracing the tranquility and heritage of this legendary paradise, we have created bespoke experiences to immerse our guests in the mystic of Shangri-La. The launch of this new Shangri-La property marks another milestone for our LUX* Tea Horse Road brand in China, as it transports guests on adventures traversing the past, said Mr Daniel Yang, General Manager of LUX* Tea Horse Road. Yulong Tourism Group and The Lux Collective have partnered since 2014 to build the LUX* Tea Horse Road hotels in Lijiang and Benzilan along with four retreats, said Mr He Xianzhong, Chairman of Yulong Tourism Co Ltd. Shangri-La is an important stop on the ancient tea trade route and we are pleased with this strategic addition LUX* Tea Horse Road Shangri-La. The hotel is designed by award-winning local Yunnan designer Mr Li Zhong. He specialises in creating a deep sense of place by drawing upon the natural surroundings and cultural heritage. Also as the designer of LUX* Tea Horse Road in Lijiang and Benzilan, he harmonises the design style and aesthetics while infusing distinctive local elements from each unique destination. Inspired by historic townhouses of the ancient city of Dukezong (also known as Moonlight City), the hotels 18 exquisitely designed guestrooms and suites are built on the undulating slopes of Little Turtle Mountain. Combining traditional handicraft elements, sleek lines and a neutral palette with the use of natural woods and materials, the design exudes rich Tibetan culture, which is woven into the fabric of the town. Set on highlands at an altitude of 3300 metres, the hotel is equipped with modern technology to enhance the comfort of travellers, including understated furnishings, stylish hairdryers and smart toilets. Its advanced oxygen system provides diffused oxygen to all rooms, and a dual air-conditioning and floor heating system ensures a pleasant temperature throughout the year. Each guestroom looks out to a scenic view, providing an immersive experience of Shambhalas history and culture. Particularly striking is the spacious 95sqm LUX* Suite, with its separate living area and a balcony which oversees panoramic views of the old city, Big Buddha Temple and the giant Prayer Wheel. The LUX* Suite can also be connected to two Deluxe Rooms to form a 220sqm three-bedroom Executive Suite, providing a separate yet intimate space for multi-generational trips and contemporary tribe travellers. Culinary is an important part of Yunnans culture. The all-day dining restaurant Amber, a 15-seat private dining room, Cafe LUX* and Executive Lounge combine to form a modern and versatile dining space. Offering unparalleled city view and local flavours prepared with traditional and modern cooking techniques, it is also a social hub for guests to interact with other like-minded travellers. Collaborating with aromatherapy experts, the Tibetan flower series of Mamma Aroma bespoke amenities is specially designed with wellbeing in mind for LUX* Tea Horse Road hotels. On sustainability, The Lux Collectives Tread Lightly groupwide programme is implemented to achieve its sustainable goals for the greater good and to offset carbon footprint. It focuses on the use of eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, wood and corn husk in its guestrooms to better protect the environment. The hotels signature Collectable Experiences will take guests deep into the mysteries of Shangri-La and to discover the light in their hearts. Guests can learn about Tibetan Buddhism from monks in the monasteries to reflect on life, trace the footsteps of ancient horse caravan paths to explore historic sights, savour local street delicacies or work with craftsmen of the old city to make a personalised tea horse road token. LUX* Tea Horse Road Shangri-La will transport the culturally curious on a unique 1300-year tea horse trail to experience the adventure of the Lost Horizon in the natural and cultural wonders of Yunnan. Exploring with LUX* Tea Horse Road Shangri-La In celebration of the new hotel launch, the exclusive opening package presents 50% off the second night for every two-night stay. Valid from 21 September to 31 December 2022. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Several thousand people participated in an LGBTQ march in Serbia on Saturday to mark the conclusion of EuroPride week, an annual event held in a different European city. Police and right-wing protesters engaged in violent altercations during the march. The march was being disrupted by two right-wing organisations, according to Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who also said that 64 protestors had been detained and that 10 police officers had received minor injuries. As Serbias first openly gay prime minister, Brnabic told reporters, I am quite satisfied that we were able to prevent more serious tragedies. The government had last week prohibited the march in response to concerns from nationalists and religious organisations. However, in response to requests from representatives of the European Union and human rights advocates, it permitted a shorter path for the march. Participants travelled several hundred metres on foot to the Tsmajdan stadium, where a concert was being held. Christopher Hill, the US ambassador to Serbia, and Vladimir Bilcik, the Serbia special rapporteur for the European Parliament, participated in the march. Pride parades were prohibited by Serbian administrations in the past, which angered human rights organisations and others. Early in the 2000s, some Pride marches encountered vehement resistance and were marred by violence. However, recent Pride marches in Serbia have gone off without incident; as a result, Belgrade was selected as this years host city by EuroPride organisers. The 2021 event was held in Copenhagen. The Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia, in collaboration with The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) , has held a Master Trainer (MT) National Meeting. This hybrid activity is the completion of Training of Trainers events held on 4-5 September 2022. The extension officer for sustainable coffee or called the Master Trainer (MT) is the main program of SCOPI since 2015 to disseminate the National Curriculum for Sustainable Coffee Practices. The MT National Meeting in 2022 is the implementation of the SCOPI-ITFC cooperation program that is expected to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between SCOPI MTs and with stakeholders regarding the latest opportunities and challenges in the coffee sector. Furthermore, this activity is also intended as a preparation for future MT competency upgrade programs. The MT National Meeting was opened with remarks from Mr. Richard Atmadja, Chairman of the SCOPI Executive Board. He said that the need for a competent MT is one of the answers to increasing productivity for the Arabica coffee sector. Thus, increasing farmers income in the upstream sector and increasing opportunities for developing Arabica coffee exports with a higher value can be achieved. Through a long-term program with ITFC, SCOPI seeks to raise highly competent extension workers through the Master Trainer Upgrade Program. While the Governor of Aceh Achmad Marzuki, in his speech, represented by Ir. Iskandar Syukri as Expert Staff of the Aceh Governor for Specialty of Aceh, Human Resources and Cooperation Relations, said Tanah Gayo coffee had received the spotlight in both national and international markets. Gayo Arabica coffee production reaches 4% of all premium Arabica coffee production throughout Indonesia. Gayo Arabica coffee is the result of natural resource management by farmers belonging to the people. For this reason, special attention is needed, supported by the multi-stakeholder collaboration to promote sustainable coffee practices in Aceh. Aceh Tengah is one of the centers of the worlds best Arabica coffee processing industry, with 70% of production exported to international markets. However, unpredictable weather conditions are thought to cause a decline in coffee production in Central Aceh. Through the MT National Meeting, it is hoped that there will be an increase in the competence of the extension officers so that coffee farmers in Central Aceh and at the national level can apply GAP and GHP to manage coffee plants in a better and more sustainable way. Drs. Shabela Abubakar, in his speech represented by Mr. Harun Manzola as the Assistant for Economics and Development of the Aceh Tengah. In line with the others, M. Nazeem Noordali as COO of ITFC commented: ITFC focuses on making trade work for everyone in Indonesia by collaborating with leading local entities such as SCOPI to build capacity & facilitate knowledge transfer. We look forward to continuing its successful collaboration program with SCOPI in order to foster sustainable trade by increasing the quantity and quality of Indonesian coffee production. In the forum discussion, the MTs explained how the condition of the coffee sector in each MT work area and the opportunities that could be utilized in the future. The discussion continued with presentations by Mr. Bagus Prassetya as Program Manager of SCOPI and Mr. Arief Wicaksono as LSPP of the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the plan for the MT capacity-building program through national certification in the field of sustainable coffee. To be more focused, the activity continued with the discussion of the follow-up plan of the competency improvement program by each MT in its working area. The last session of the discussion was filled with an explanation from Mr. Nuzul Qudri from World Coffee Research (WCR) regarding integrated efforts in adaptation and mitigation efforts to climate change that threatens the sustainability of coffee cultivation around the world. The MT National Meeting activity was closed with a field visit to BPP Bebesen as a demo plot location for the SCOPI-ITFC cooperation program. The implementation of the MT National Meeting cannot be separated from the support of the Aceh Provincial Government, Central Aceh District Government, Karo District Government, Global Coffee Platform, and PT. Pupuk Iskandar Muda as a subsidiary of Pupuk Indonesia Holding Company through the Ministry of BUMN program, namely PMO Kopi Nusantara. The establishment of PMO Kopi Nusantara is a form of commitment and concern for the Ministry of SOEs to improve the coffee industry in Indonesia through the synergy of stakeholders for developing a good coffee business supply chain ecosystem in Indonesia. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires A POETRY collection by Cork-based poet Anton Floyd will be launched in Nano Nagle Place next week on Culture Night. Depositions, which is published by Doire Press, addresses the topic of the worldwide refugee crisis and population displacement. Floyd was born in Cairo and raised in Cyprus, where he lived through the islands struggle for independence. Educated in Ireland, he studied English at Trinity College and continued his postgraduate studies at University College Cork. He has previously had poems published in The Stony Thursday Book, Ghent Review, Live Encounters, The Shot Glass Journal, Crannog, Inisfail Arts Journal, Skylight 47, Contemporary Haibun on Line, Visual Verse and haiku in Shamrock, Seashores and tinywords. He received the 2019 Literary Award by the Dazzling Spark Arts Foundation in Scotland and his debut poetry collection, Falling Into Place, was published by Revival Press in 2018. Now living in West Cork, he has recently retired after many years teaching and working with Educate Together in Cork city. The poems [for Depositions] started coming in 2014 and a section prompted by the war in Ukraine has been added at John Walshs editorial advice, Floyd said. The selections from the central part of the collection, consisting of 120 haiku-like tercets, has been translated into 20 languages. I have drawn on my own experiences of displacement during the Cypriot War of Independence and the intercommunal strife that followed (1955-1970), as well as my family history of displacement during the pogroms of the Maronite community in the Mount Lebanon region in the 1860s. I returned to the island with my wife and infant son and lived in Cyprus during the 1980s and early 1990s. It was a country traumatised by the Turkish invasion. It still is. "As well as experiencing serious internal population displacement, the country hosted Lebanese and Palestinian refugees from regional conflicts. Cyprus has a sizeable Armenian community with a long memory of genocide. The poet also drew on the experiences of others now living in Cork. I have also consulted extensively with asylum-seekers here, he said. Most of the translators have similarly had some experience of displacement or exile. As a family some 20 years ago here in Cork we acted in loco parentis to two Congalese refugee boys who are now confirmed members of the family. I dedicate the collection to them. All these factors in one way or another have found expression in the poems. All proceeds from the sales of his collection will go to support the work of the UN Refugee Agency. Due to the nature of the topic, I felt it appropriate that all proceeds from sales of the collection should be donated to the agency refugee fund of UNHCR - Ireland, Floyd said. They and Doire Press are fully supportive of the project, as is the management at Nano Nagle Place, which also serves as the Migrant Centre for Cork. Together we have devised a programme for Culture Night that involves live music, a short film made by NUIG and the poetry. The launch event includes readings, a film and a welcome from the UNHCR and music from The Lost Gecko, Gavin Loesberg and Orla Smith-Loesberg, Kiruu - find out more and register for the free event at nanonagleplace.ie. This months meeting of the Cork County Joint Policing Committee (JPC) ended with a presentation to Chief Superintendent Con Cadogan, who is retiring in November. Members of the JPC thanked Chief Supt Cadogan, who is currently in charge of policing in the Cork North and West divisions, for his four decades of service, and Chief Supt Cadogan in turn thanked them for their kindness. JPC chairman, Councillor Cathal Rasmussen, said he wished the chief superintendent well in his retirement. I would like to thank Con personally for his public service over the past 40 years, you served with distinction, and to this committee, and Im quite sure our paths will cross again I a very short time, Cllr Rasmussen said. Tim Lucey, chief executive of Cork County Council, said Chief Supt Cadogans professionalism and generosity had always helped to foster excellent relations between the council and An Garda Siochana, and he wished him every happiness in his retirement. Fine Gael councillor for Ballincollig-Carrigaline, Michael Paul Murtagh, who was co-opted onto the council last year, said he wished to congratulate the chief superintendent on his retirement. All the best, 40 years is an incredible career, and an incredible amount of service to give to the public, Cllr Murtagh said. Aindrias Moynihan, Fianna Fail TD for Cork North West, said he wished to acknowledge Chief Supt Cadogans many years of service. He was very helpful, very courteous, and really he made every effort to serve the community, so go raibh maith agat, Con, Mr Moynihan said. Castletownroche-based independent councillor Frank Roche said he was sorry to hear that Chief Supt Cadogan was retiring. I wish you the best of luck, Con, and I am sad to see you go, because it will be very hard to get anyone to fill your shoes, thanks for all you did. Skibbereen independent councillor Karen Coakley said Chief Supt Cadogan had never lost his West Cork roots and had always remained approachable and helpful. Fianna Fails Kanturk-based councillor, Ian Doyle, thanked the chief superintendent for all of his hard work. Fine Gaels Cllr Kevin Murphy commended Chief Supt Cadogan as an outstanding policeman from the very beginning, saying he had been one of the most respected gardai ever. Deputy Mayor of Co Cork, Cllr Deirdre OBrien, said every councillor was very grateful for Chief Supt Cadogans service. Id like to take the opportunity to wish you every happiness and health for the years ahead, she said. Chief Supt Cadogan said he was humbled by the tributes, and he said he wished to thank councillors and council staff for all of their help over the years, and he wanted to thank the public too. Community policing and community safety are very close to my heart, and I want to thank the people of Cork county and city, and indeed I served in Galway and up-country as well, we got tremendous support. "If you look at An Garda Siochana, its the public and the gardai working together, An Garda Siochana is only as strong as the community it works with, and the community that supports it, he said. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Mountain Road to close this lunchtime The Mountain Road will be closed this afternoon for the Festival of Motoring. Drivers will take to the closed roads from 12pm until no later than 4pm. The motorcade from the Grandstand to Ramsey has been cancelled following the death of the Queen. Today on September 18th, 2022 The House of England in Balboa Park will host an event in its courtyard at the International Cottages. The House of Scotland will join its members, volunteers, media, the Mayor and park visitors and local media to a public celebration of the life, long reign and recent passing of Elizabeth the 2nd, former Queen of England (memorable and iconic queen for more than70 years). Events will be held on the following schedule: From 7:45-8am there will be a live airing of the event on ABC local TV and later at 12pm- 1pm sharp a House of Scotland official celebration including Peggy and Hamish Yuile from the House of Scotland Pipe and Drum Band (SDHOSPB) playing Amazing Grace as opening music for the remembrance and tribute. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria will speak for the occasion along with media coverage and speakers. The House of Scotland members have been invited to bring the family, dress up in kilts and sashes wearing their colors to take a part in history. For those who stop by the HOS cottage there is a condolence sign in sheet that will be sent to the Royal Family! Come in and post your regards and memories. All House of Scotland Members, Cottage Volunteers, and Band were invited to the House of England patio to gather in a formal commencement to memorialize the 2nd Elizabethan era and give a sense of recognition for Elizabeth, her dedication, style, and insight which served Britain well and created the Commonwealth, led England through perilous times and international relationships in the States including California. For many she will be sorely missed, and for others marked as creating a day of remembrance of a time the world moved towards working together and finding its pluck to survive and build back better for generations. An Ionic figurehead, a mother, and a leader for good or tough times leading with grace and strength throughout and bidding us to remember to hold until better times do return. ___________________________ ABC Live: (1) LIVE: Queen Elizabeth II lies in state at Westminster Hall: Special Report | ABC News Live - YouTube Hosting House of England: (20+) House of England - San Diego | Facebook House of England - San Diego, Pan American Plz, San Diego, CA 92101 Annual San Diego Scottish Highland Games Seaside Highland Games - Ventura County Fairgrounds https://www.houseofscotland.org/pipe-band.html Rest in Peace- Elizabeth II Regina now deceased. Thank you from San Diego, California.Blessings to Humanity and the United Kingdom in its time of transition and grief, credit to Bon Jovi, Clear Channel Productions and for educational use only: Two-way trade between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India reached $91.5 billion in 2021, rising by 39.2 per cent year on year, it was noted at the 19th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers meeting held recently in Cambodias Siem Reap. Trade and economic ties between the two sides are starting to recover from the impact of the pandemic, it was observed. Anupriya Patel, Indian minister of state for commerce and industry and Cambodian minister of commerce Pan Sorasak co-chaired the meeting. The ministers took note of the recommendations made by ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) to enhance the ASEAN India economic partnership and the activities undertaken by AIBC in 2022, according to a release by the Indian ministry of commerce and industry. Two-way trade between the ASEAN and India reached $91.5 billion in 2021, rising by 39.2 per cent year on year, it was noted at the 19th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers' meeting held recently in Cambodia's Siem Reap city. Trade and economic ties between the two sides are beginning to recover from the impact of the pandemic, it was observed. They urged 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. They also requested the AITIGA Joint Committee to expeditiously review the AITIGA. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS) B&C: Austrian investment groups B&C, with stakes in stock listes companies Amag, Lenzing and Semperit, takes a stake in Munich based technology company Awake Mobility. The technology company Awake Mobility develops and operates its own hardware and software solutions for real-time vehicle data acquisition from buses, with which reliability, punctuality and environmental friendliness can be significantly increased. B&C Innovation Investments GmbH (BCII), a company of the Austrian B&C Group, has joined Awake Mobility as the lead investor in a capital increase totaling around Euro 4 mn. Austrian production index: The working-day adjusted production index for industries and con- struction increased by 5.1 % in July 2022 compared to July of the previous year, according ... 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. Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - September 18, 2022) - Michael Peres (Mikey Peres) is announcing the launch of four news publications: Peres Daily, Breaking 9 To 5, Israel Now, and Her Forward. These publications will cover a variety of topics ranging from entrepreneurship to fin-tech, travel, and politics. Breaking 9 To 5, Peres Daily, Her Froward, Israel Now (left to right) To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8977/137555_michael%20peres%20-%20publications.jpg Her Forward is the latest addition and consists of a magazine covering women's success stories around the globe. "Her Forward is our most recent project and I believe our team has the right set of unique skills and expertise to make a strong impact in this industry. We're quite excited for what awaits ahead," said Peres. The publication will mainly focus on entrepreneurs and leaders working in STEM and tech-based industries and will empower women aiming to launch their own businesses and succeed in their careers. Peres believes that supporting women working in these industries is crucial in the creation of a more equal society and will benefit all communities at large. Concerning the other publications, Breaking 9 To 5 focuses on the latest news relating to entrepreneurship and travel, Peres Daily covers US-based national and international trending news stories, while Israel Now is a platform publishing articles related to current events in Israel and the Jewish world. These publications were created using resources and infrastructure from Scale My Publication, a startup managed by Michael Peres that creates, manages, and scales news publications in preparation for seed funding or early exit. Their services include server management, web development, search engine optimization, content development, and journalist recruitment. About Michael Peres (Mikey Peres) Michael Peres is a serial-entrepreneur, software engineer, journalist, tech-investor, and author. Peres leverages his expertise to advise entrepreneurs towards developing a mindset to build, grow and scale businesses. He is also the author of The Road Less Traveled, a book that provides insight for aspiring entrepreneurs by documenting the obstacles he faced, how he overcame them, and how others can develop the critical skills needed to take charge of their own future. Contact info: Her Forward Staff contact@herforward.com herforward.com peresdaily.com breaking9to5.com israelnow.news michaelperes.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137555 On June 8, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Tajik Minister of Transport Azim Ibrohim after attending the third "China+Central Asia" (C+C5) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nur-Sultan. Wang Yi said, the China-Tajikistan comprehensive strategic partnership has always maintained a sound and stable momentum of development under the promotion of President Xi Jinping and President Emomali Rahmon. The two countries have taken the lead in building a development community and a security community, and jointly implemented a large number of major cooperation projects that have yielded good results and improved people's well-being. The two sides have always trusted and supported each other in international and regional affairs, constantly injecting new connotations into bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Tajikistan to take the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and follow through on the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, so as to push bilateral cooperation in various fields to new heights and bring more benefits to the two peoples. Wang Yi said, the bilateral trade volume grew by more than 100 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, showing strong resilience. China is ready to constantly explore new areas of cooperation with Tajikistan and help Tajikistan achieve the goals of its four major development strategies of energy, transportation, food and industrialization. China supports and encourages Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Tajikistan and better synergize production capacity. China hopes Tajikistan will improve its business environment. Ibrohim said, China is a great and friendly close neighbor of Tajikistan. The two heads of state have established high-level mutual trust, and the Tajikistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership has been advancing steadily. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, bilateral cooperation has developed rapidly, and China has become Tajikistan's most important trade and investment partner. Tajikistan is sincerely grateful for China's assistance in the country's efforts to implement major livelihood projects, upgrade infrastructure and fight the pandemic. Tajikistan is ready to actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation, and deepen all-round cooperation with China. Tajikistan will facilitate investments by Chinese enterprises in the country. The two sides expressed satisfaction with the launch of Luban Workshop in Tajikistan, the first of its kind in Central Asia. The two sides will strive for early completion of the workshop, so as to deliver early benefits and boost the training of professionals in Tajikistan. Both sides agreed to speed up the establishment of a traditional medicine center in Tajikistan and continue to strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation. The two sides will work to scale up trade, and create new cooperation highlights in areas such as new energy, green technology, transportation and communications. The two sides will continue to leverage the strengths of the joint pandemic prevention and control mechanism at border areas, upgrade and renovate border ports, improve customs clearance efficiency, and ensure the safe and smooth passage of freights. The two sides spoke highly of building a China-Tajikistan community of shared security and destiny, and expressed readiness to deepen cooperation on security, law enforcement, and counterterrorism, so as to jointly safeguard the peace and stability of the two countries and the region at large. Ibrohim said, Tajikistan will always be a staunch comrade-in-arms of China, and will work with China to resolutely fight the three forces of terrorism, separatism, and extremism. Wang Yi said, China will continue to firmly support Tajikistan in safeguarding independence, sovereignty, security and stability, and China is also Tajikistan's most reliable strategic partner. The two sides also exchanged views on the Afghan issue. On 15 September local time, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan in Samarkand. The two heads of state announced 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, President Xi arrived in a motorcade at the International Conference Center where he was warmly received by President Mirziyoyev as he exited the car. Accompanied by President Mirziyoyev, President Xi walked to the square outside the north entrance through the central hall featuring both traditional Uzbek patterns and modern design. President Mirziyoyev held a grand welcome ceremony for President Xi. The two heads of state stood on the podium as the military band played the national anthems of China and Uzbekistan. Accompanied by President Mirziyoyev, President 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. President 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. They have kept deepening their strategic 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. 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. 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. President Xi emphasized that China and Uzbekistan should firmly support each other on issues concerning 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. 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 Chinas massive market. China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to improve the trans-Eurasia transportation corridor and make an early start in constructing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. 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. 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. China supports and will actively take part in Uzbekistans 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 others country and the building of a Luban Workshop, and communicate the facts of 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. Young people from Uzbekistan are welcome to study Chinese in China. 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. President Xi pointed out that China and Central Asian countries have a shared future and a deep stake in each others security and stability. 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 Uzbekistans 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. China will work with Uzbekistan and other regional countries to strengthen the China Plus Central Asia 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 Global Security Initiative (GSI), uphold the common interests of developing countries and contribute to building a more just and equitable international governance system. President Mirziyoyev noted that under the wise leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has made remarkable achievements in its development and the friendly people of China are making firm strides toward realizing the Chinese Dream. He extended best wishes for a successful 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between the two countries, President Mirziyoyev pointed out that President Xis 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. Uzbekistan-China relations fully embody the principle of mutual respect, good-neighborliness and mutual benefit. Uzbekistan appreciates Chinas valuable support for its national development and fight against COVID-19. Uzbekistan is firmly and unequivocally committed to the one-China policy, and firmly supports Chinas position on matter concerning its core interests including those related to Taiwan and Xinjiang. Uzbekistan will always be trustworthy as well as a good neighbor, good friend and good partner for China. Uzbekistan would like to learn from Chinas poverty alleviation experience. It will continue participating actively in the Belt and Road cooperation, advance the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, and enhance cooperation with China in trade, investment, natural gas, new energy, agricultural infrastructure, culture, sub-national ties and people-to-people exchanges. Uzbekistan fully supports the GDI and the GSI, and appreciates Chinas strong support for Uzbekistans SCO Presidency. President Mirziyoyev also expressed readiness to work more closely with China in the SCO, China Plus Central Asia, and BRICS-plus mechanisms, to uphold the Shanghai Spirit and to jointly safeguard security and stability of the region. Following the official talks, the two heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement Between the Peoples 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 China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway (the section in Kyrgyzstan). After the official talks, President Mirziyoyev held a banquet for President Xi, during which they had an in-depth exchange of views on matters of shared interest. Following the banquet, President Mirziyoyev invited President 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. President Xi pointed out that although this may not be a long visit, he had productive discussions with President Mirziyoyev and achieved fruitful outcomes. The world faces many new risks and challenges that require their collective response, according to President Xi. He expressed his readiness to stay in communication with President Mirziyoyev to promote sound growth of China-Uzbekistan relations. Describing President Xi as his respected elder brother, President Mirziyoyev said he always benefits from their meetings. He noted the fruitful outcomes of this historic visit which would point the way for Uzbekistan-China relations and expressed his expectation to maintain close exchanges with President Xi. Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng were present at the relevant events. On September 15 local time, President Xi Jinping accepted the Order of Friendship conferred by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the International Conference Center in Samarkand. President Mirziyoyev delivered remarks before conferring the Order. He said that today was a day of historic significance and that he was deeply honored to confer the first Order of Friendship, the highest honor awarded by Uzbekistan to foreign individuals, on President Xi Jinping. President Xi has made major contributions to deepening Uzbekistan-China friendship, cementing mutual trust and enhancing bilateral cooperation. The people of Uzbekistan have high regard for President Xi. President Xi is the greatest statesman and a preeminent leader in todays world. Under his wise leadership and personal guidance, China has made proud achievements in economic and social development, particularly its victory of the battle against extreme poverty and completion of the building of a moderately prosperous society, which have won extensive respect and recognition from the international community. Chinas international status and influence has been on the rise. President Xi is without a doubt the core of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the core of all Chinese people. President Mirziyoyev expressed conviction that under the strong leadership of President Xi, China enjoys not only a bright today, but also an even brighter tomorrow. President Mirziyoyev wished friendly China peace and prosperity, and the Chinese people happiness and good health. President Mirziyoyev said that under the personal care and guidance of President Xi Jinping, Uzbekistan-China relations have become increasingly mature and full of vitality, and have reached an unprecedented height. President Mirziyoyev noted that the joint statement he signed with President Xi today will surely elevate the Uzbekistan-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height and further benefit the two countries and peoples. President Mirziyoyev put the Order on President Xi. The audience burst into a prolonged applause. President Xi delivered remarks upon receiving the Order. He underscored that President Mirziyoyevs awarding him the Order of Friendship speaks volumes for the great importance Uzbekistan places on China-Uzbekistan ties and the profound friendliness of the people of Uzbekistan towards the people of China. As the renowned Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi wrote, Live in friendship with each other - There is no better lot. As early as over 2,000 years ago, the two great peoples of China and Uzbekistan had exchanged goods and learned from each other through the Silk Road. Thirty years ago, the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Uzbekistan started a new chapter of friendship between the two peoples. The comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries has achieved leapfrog growth with fruitful outcomes in cooperation in various fields. This has boosted the development and rejuvenation of the two countries and injected positive energy into the peace and stability in Central Asia and the world. President Xi noted that he and President Mirziyoyev agreed to deepen the China-Uzbekistan comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era and build a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future. China will work with Uzbekistan to usher in a new chapter of China-Uzbekistan friendship. The Order of Friendship is the highest honor conferred by Uzbekistan on foreign individuals in recognition of their special contribution to growing friendly relations with Uzbekistan, resolving international and regional hotspot issues or supporting the national development of Uzbekistan. This is the first time of awarding the Order. Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and He Lifeng, among others, attended the ceremony. On September 8, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at request. Wang Yi said that under the guidance of the two heads of state, China-Iran relations have demonstrated a momentum of development in an all-round way. No matter how the international landscape may change, the Chinese side will follow the direction identified by the two heads of state, unswervingly develop relations with Iran, continuously expand pragmatic cooperation in various fields, strengthen coordination and collaboration in international and regional affairs, and work towards new progress in the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership. Abdollahian wishes the convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a success, and expressed condolences to the Chinese side over the earthquake in Luding, Sichuan. Abdollahian said that the Iranian side hopes to maintain high-level exchanges with the Chinese side, deepen pragmatic cooperation in agriculture and other fields, strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, and promote the continuous development of Iran-China relations. The Iranian side supports the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping. Abdollahian briefed on the latest progress of the negotiation on resuming the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, saying that the Iranian side is always committed to reaching an agreement, but will not accept the attempt of the US side to achieve its goals through bullying. The Iranian side thanks the Chinese side for its support. Wang Yi said that the Chinese side will continue to support the Iranian side in safeguarding its legitimate and lawful rights and interests. The Chinese side believes that the Iranian side has the wisdom to properly respond to possible changes, firmly safeguard its legitimate and lawful rights and interests, keep standing on the international moral high ground. On September 15, 2022, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Latin American Affairs Qiu Xiaoqi attended the reception marking the 201st anniversary of the independence of El Salvador. More than 80 people, including Latin American diplomatic envoys to China, Salvadoran expats in China, and representatives of the business community, were present. In his speech, Special Representative Qiu Xiaoqi, extended, on behalf of the Chinese government, warm congratulations to El Salvador on its 201st anniversary of independence, and wished El Salvador new and greater achievements in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions. Qiu Xiaoqi said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2018, under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of the two countries, political mutual trust between China and El Salvador has increasingly deepened, and bilateral relations have made remarkable progress, bringing tremendous benefits to the two peoples. He expressed the confidence that under the leadership of the leaders of the two countries, and with the concerted efforts of the people of all walks of life on the two sides, China-El Salvador relations will brave wind and waves, and set sail for an even more brilliant future. Qiu Xiaoqi pointed out that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will be convened next month to scientifically set out the goals, tasks and major policies for the advancement of the Party and country's causes in the next five years and beyond. China and El Salvador are both developing countries. China is ready to enhance mutual learning with El Salvador on state governance to promote better development of their respective countries. Salvadoran Ambassador to China Aldonov F. Alvarez spoke highly of China's remarkable achievements in economic and social development, quoting President Xi Jinping's speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC. Alvarez stressed that China is a true friend and good partner sharing similar goals. His country sincerely appreciates China's valuable support in the past four years since establishment of diplomatic relations, and stands ready to join hands with China in advancing the common development of the two countries on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit. The event was held in a warm and lively atmosphere. Special representative Qiu Xiaoqi and Ambassador Alvarez, among others, jointly unveiled the commemorative envelope marking the 201st anniversary of El Salvadors independence. RCEP expands regional cooperation Xinhua) 09:52, September 18, 2022 NANNING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Ding Xue, a representative of DeARANCHY, a skincare brand from the Republic of Korea (ROK), has been running around at the ROK pavilion during the ongoing 19th China-ASEAN Expo. The expo, which opened on Friday and runs until Sept. 19, spotlights the theme -- "Sharing RCEP New Opportunities, Building a Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area." It is currently being held in Nanning, capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. "This is the first time for us to participate at the expo. All our products are imported from the ROK. After the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), import tariffs have been lowered accordingly, which has increased our price competitiveness," Ding said. This is the second time the ROK is serving as a special partner at the China-ASEAN Expo, a status which has attracted many ROK companies to the 2022 exhibition. The ROK also served as a special partner in 2015. According to Lee Youn Sik, deputy director of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency Guangzhou office, products from 127 ROK enterprises are on display at this year's expo. "Guangxi is the only region in China connected with ASEAN both by land and sea. More ROK companies hope to explore business opportunities in ASEAN countries by participating in the China-ASEAN Expo," noted Lee. "The free trade agreements between the ROK, China and ASEAN have given strong support to regional economic cooperation. And the RCEP, which all three parties have joined, came into force at the beginning of this year, providing broader opportunities for regional multilateral cooperation," said Ahn Duk-geun, the ROK's trade minister, in his speech at the opening ceremony of the expo. The landmark RCEP is the world's largest free trade deal to date. The RCEP countries account for roughly 30 percent of the world's gross domestic product and population. Over 90 percent of trade in goods among approved member states will gradually become tariff-free. Since it came into force on Jan. 1 this year, the agreement has delivered trade dividends, boosted the foreign trade of member countries and expanded the circle of regional economic and trade cooperation. "RCEP is a win-win for all of us. It will expedite regional economic integration, attract investment, and expand market and supply chains amid an uncertain global economic outlook. Since the entry into force of the RCEP, Thai and Chinese entrepreneurs are reaping mutual benefits as a consequence," said Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai. Under the framework of the RCEP agreement, Thai exporters had applied for RCEP certificates of origin worth 204 million U.S. dollars from January to April this year. Thailand had imported goods with a total value of 72.3 million U.S. dollars by utilizing the preferential policies under the RCEP agreement during the same period. The RCEP has also brought tangible benefits to companies in Guangxi, a vital gateway for exchange and cooperation between China and the ASEAN. According to data provided by Nanning Customs, in the first eight months of this year, Nanning Customs had issued a total of 1,165 RCEP certificates of origin with a value of 541 million yuan (about 78 million U.S. dollars). In August alone, Guangxi's trade with RCEP partner countries reached 32.14 billion yuan, an increase of 22.7 percent year on year. "This agreement (RCEP) offers local businesses wider market access and the opportunity to improve regional supply chains and diversify their respective production networks, while helping to reduce the cost of doing business," said Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony via video-link. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) French English Paris, September 17, 2022 The BPCE Supervisory Board met on September 16, 2022 under the chairmanship of Thierry Cahn. After devoting 14 years to Groupe BPCE as Chief Executive Officer of Natixis and then Chief Executive Officer of BPCE, Laurent Mignon notified the Board that he would not be seeking a new term of office and of his decision to pursue a new professional project. This change in governance will become effective by January 2023 at the latest, with Laurent Mignon continuing to serve as Chief Executive Officer of BPCE in the intervening period. In accordance with its internal governance rules, the BPCE Supervisory Board has consequently launched a succession process for the position of Chief Executive Officer of BPCE. Thierry Cahn, Chairman of the BPCE Supervisory Board commented: On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I would like to thank and salute Laurent Mignon for his outstanding work within the Group these last 14 years, firstly at Natixis, which he managed to turn round and put back on a growth trajectory in line with the Groups objectives, then as the head of the Group, by leading a transformation process with both economic and societal objectives. He will leave behind a highly solid group with the means to match its ambitions. The Group has initiated its succession process and I am highly confident in our ability to shortly designate a personality with the capabilities to ensure our Group achieves further growth in the interests of our customers, staff and cooperative shareholders, while continuing to assert our values and engagement in society. Laurent Mignon, Chief Executive Officer of BPCE said: Its with a great deal of emotion that I share this decision not to seek the renewal of my term of office, in order to commit myself to a new professional project by early 2023. All in all, I have devoted 14 years to building, transforming and developing the Group. Groupe BPCE now stands as a powerful and high-performing Group, underpinned by solid governance and the means to continue growing in the interests of the territories in which we operate in France and internationally. We owe this progress to our decentralized cooperative model that keeps us in close proximity to our customers through two powerful brands - Banque Populaire and Caisse dEpargne as well as to our solid expertise in our global business lines - Natixis CIB and Natixis IM and to our dynamic approach to winning business. We also owe it to all the talented people in all our companies and to their outstanding efforts and ability to innovate. I would like to express my warm thanks to all those people - Group and Natixis board members, customers, executive managers, staff and employee representatives who have afforded me their confidence these last 14 years and together made the Group more united, solid and ambitious than ever. About Groupe BPCE Groupe BPCE is the second-largest banking group in France. Through its 100,000 staff, the group serves 36 million customers individuals, professionals, companies, investors and local government bodies around the world. It operates in the retail banking and insurance fields in France via its two major networks, Banque Populaire and Caisse dEpargne, along with Banque Palatine and Oney. It also pursues its activities worldwide with the asset & wealth management services provided by Natixis Investment Managers and the wholesale banking expertise of Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking. The Group's financial strength is recognized by four financial rating agencies: Moody's (A1, stable outlook), Standard & Poor's (A, stable outlook), Fitch (A+, negative outlook) and R&I (A+, stable outlook). Press Contact Groupe BPCE Christophe Gilbert: christophe.gilbert@bpce.fr - 33 (0)6 73 76 38 98 Attachment Washington, DC, Sept. 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) proudly announces recipients of the 2022 Minority Enterprise Development Week (MED Week) Awards. The MED Week Awards are the highest level of national recognition that a U.S. minority-owned firm can receive from the Department of Commerce. These prestigious awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of minority entrepreneurs, as well as the individuals and organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to advancing minority business enterprises. The 2022 National Minority Business Award recipients are: MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AWARDS Robert J. Brown Minority Business Enterprise of the Year is presented to H.J. Russell & Company. H.J. Russell & Company was established in 1952 as a general contracting company. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, H.J. Russell has since grown into one of the largest Black-owned construction services firms in the United States and has expanded to include other service areas such as program management, real estate development, and property management. Minority Construction Firm of the Year is presented to Onyx Enterprises, Inc., a Certified Woman and Minority Owned and Small Business headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and provides engineering consulting, project management and construction management services to local, state, federal government, engineering consulting firms and contractors. The President and CEO is Tarolyn Buckles. Onyx Enterprises has over 34 years of experience in project management and construction management services. Minority Export Firm of the Year is presented to Tecma. The organization was founded over three decades ago by current company president and CEO, K. Allan Russell, along with three mentoring business partners. Tecma designed a business model, the Mexico Shelter Manufacturing Partnership (MSMP), that has helped their clients streamline business operations in Mexico. The companys MSMP now covers sites throughout Mexico with more than 70 operating facilities including Torreon, Rosarita, and Silao. Minority Technology Firm of the Year is presented to LilliiRNB. Lillii RNB, Inc is an enterprise solutions company that specializes in enterprise Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, with a focus on retail technology for point-of-sale systems and returns/refund management. Barbara Jones, founder and CEO, specializes in point-of-sale systems, ACI and EMV hardware upgrades, and omni-channel and e-commerce technologies. Minority Manufacturing Firm of the Year is presented to Piping Technology & Products, Inc. Piping Technology & Products Inc is now known as a one-stop-shop for pipe supports, expansion joints, shock control devices, and more. Piping Technology & Products and its wholly-owned subsidiaries specialize in a wide range of manufacturing techniques that include metal forming, bellows forming, machining, and welding. Minority Marketing & Communications Firm of the Year is presented to The Carter Malone Group. The Carter Malone Group was founded in 2003 by the President and CEO Deidre Carter Malone and is one of the Mid-South areas largest minority and woman-owned public relations agencies. CMG opened its doors with one client and has grown to a current roster of over 30 active client accounts including some of the countrys largest organizations. Minority e-Commerce Firm of the Year is presented to Curacubby. Curacubby is a complete online school management system that handles enrollment, billing and payment processing, account management, reporting, and revenue growth without the complexity found in other solutions. After founder Steven Khuongs son was diagnosed with Autism, a group of passionate parents and educators started a preschool program that offered a whole-child approach to educating children with special needs. Curracubby aims to bridge the gap between quality education and mobile commerce. Minority Veteran-owned Firm of the Year is presented to GC Green Construction Company. A Veteran-Powered certified woman, Native American, and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Company, GC Green consulting services are focused on engagements for water/blue-tech, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resiliency solutions. GCG is working towards combating climate change and climate resiliency. CHAMPIONS OF MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Access to Capital Award is presented to Tom Espinoza of Raza Development Fund and Erica Y. Miles of Wells Fargo. Erica Miles is a dedicated diversity and inclusion (D&I) director with track record of advancing D&I goals at large financial institutions through development of data-driven strategies and policy recommendations. She has served as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, leading work for the Congress first ever Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion. Throughout her time on Capitol Hill, Erica helped draft and enact legislation to provide increased access to capital, markets, and technical assistance for minority business enterprises, among other initiatives. Ms. Miles currently serves as a Senior Consultant, SVP for Wells Fargo Bank, building national relationships with diverse businesses and communities and advising on the banks company-wide diversity, equity and inclusion. Tom Espinoza is the President, CEO, and co-founder of Raza Development Fund (RDF), the largest U.S. Latino Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) for the past twenty years with half a billion dollars in total assets under management. Under Mr. Espinozas leadership, RDF has provided capital to Latino-serving organizations nationwide and organizations have received technical assistance and loans which have leveraged over $5 billion in private capital for education, affordable housing, and healthcare projects serving low-income families and individuals. Distinguished Supplier Diversity Award is presented to Ralph Sagaille of The Walt Disney Company. Through inclusive sourcing practices, The Walt Disney Companys supplier diversity team builds relationships with an ever-growing array of diverse suppliers, as well as certifying agencies and business organizations. In 2021, Disney spent approximately $450 million with certified diverse-owned vendors. Building on their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Disney has committed to increasing their diverse supplier spend to at least $1 billion annually by 2024. Ralph Sagaile serves as the the Supplier Diversity and Sustainability Director. INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION The Ronald H. Brown Leadership Award, inspired by the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce, recognizes an individual who has shown exceptional leadership and achieved significant success in supporting diversity in the public or private sector. This years awards recipient is John F. Robinson, of the National Minority Business Council, Inc. John F. Robinson is one of the twelve founding members of The National Minority Business Council, Inc. (NMBC). For 50 years, under his leadership, NMBC has enhanced the success and profitability of the small business community through the provision of high-quality services, programs, advocacy, and networking support. The Advocate of the Year Award is presented to Jason Trimiew of Meta Platforms, Inc. For two decades, Jason has worked at the intersection of the marketplace and social impact in international microfinance, community and economic development, and venture philanthropy. In 2016, Jason joined Meta (formerly Facebook) to launch and lead the companys supplier diversity program and create more opportunity for diverse-owned firms to do business with Meta and the people and communities that Meta connects. The Abe Venable Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement is granted to an individual who has played an integral role in the creative, technical, or professional progress of minority business development over the course of his/her life. This years recipient is Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. As the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, he directs the firm's investment strategy, governance, and investor relations. Smith has been recognized for his business achievements and philanthropic efforts, including being named one of Forbes 100 Greatest Living Business Minds and a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. He is an advocate for what he calls the "2% Solution," calling on companies to invest 2% of their net profits over the next decade to create equity and mobility for America's underserved communities. Smith is also one of the founding leaders of the Southern Communities Initiative, a catalytic program for racial equity across six southern communities that represent approximately 50% of the Black population in the U.S. to create entire ecosystems that lift up communities through targeted investment. NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: AMPE) between December 29, 2020 and August 3, 2022, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the important October 17, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Ampio securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Ampio class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8201 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than October 17, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants inflated Ampios true ability to successfully file a Biologics License Application for Ampion, the Companys lead product purportedly to treat individuals with inflammatory conditions including, but not limited to, severe osteoarthritis of the knee; (2) defendants inflated the results of the AP-013 study of Ampion and the timing of unblinding the data from the AP-013 study; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, defendants statements about Ampios business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Ampio class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8201 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 lrosen@rosenlegal.com pkim@rosenlegal.com cases@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com In a first, police have blocked an all night memorial gala in honour of the late President Robert Mugabe. The gala set for Highfield in Harare yesterday was organised by the Robert Gabriel Mugabe Legacy Movement. Mugabe passed away a bitter man in September 2019 after he was removed from power in a military coup. In remembrance of the countrys long serving leader, former Zanu-PF youth league leader Jim Kunaka had written to police on September 12 seeking permission to hold a Mugabe memorial gala. In response, Officer Commanding Police Harare South District, Chief Superintendent, M Majojo, said the gala has not been approved. Reference is made to your letter dated 12 September 2022 In the letter, you notified to hold a Robert Gabriel Mugabe memorial gala at Zimbabwe Grounds, Highfield, and Harare from the 17th to the 18th of September 2022 from 1700 to 0600 hours, reads the letter May you be advised that the notice to hold a Robert Gabriel Mugabe memorial gala is not approved. Majojo did not give the reasons for blocking the gala. Ironically, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was celebrating his birthday last week having turned 80 on Thursday. During Mugabes days, all manner of celebrations were held in his name. Millions of dollars were blown during the celebrations despite a sea of poverty in the country. CITE Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo flew to London, United Kingdom, today, September 17 as representative of Nigeria at the state funeral for the late Queen Elizabeth ll, scheduled for Monday, September 19. A statement today, September 17, by Laolu Akande, spokesman of the Vice President, said that Osinbajo would join members of the Royal Family and other world leaders at a number of events lined up for funeral. The statement said that members of the Commonwealth, Heads of State, Governors-General, Prime Ministers, and foreign royal families will be at the ceremonies, including the funeral service scheduled to hold at Westminster Abbey on Monday. It said that Ahead of the service, the vice-president will be among guests and dignitaries to be received by King Charles lll and Queen Consort Camilla, at a reception in Buckingham Palace, on Sunday. The statement said that vice president Osinbajo will hold a bilateral meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly earlier on that day. Queen Elizabeth ll was the Head of the Commonwealth and the longest serving British monarch. She passed on at 96 on September 8 at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The vice-president is expected back in Nigeria after the state funeral on Monday. ENGIE has taken the Final Investment Decision in the development of one of the worlds first industrial-scale renewable hydrogen projects, to be located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the first phase of the Yuri project will produce up to 640 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year as a zero-carbon feedstock for Yara Australias ammonia production facility in Karratha. This will be key to developing a Pilbara Green Hydrogen Hub, serving local and export markets, and building on existing export infrastructure and abundant renewable energy resources in the region. Yuri roadmap As announced in 2021, the Yuri project is being developed with the support of a $47.5-million grant from The Australian Governments ARENA Renewable Hydrogen Deployment Fund and a $2-million grant by the Western Australian Governments Renewable Hydrogen Fund. ENGIE has executed an agreement with Mitsui, pursuant to which Mitsui has agreed to acquire a 28% stake in the joint venture company for the Yuri project, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions under the agreement. ENGIE and Mitsui intend to operate the Yuri project through this joint venture company. The project will include a 10 MW electrolyzer powered by 18 MW of solar PV and supported by an 8 MW battery energy storage system, generating renewable hydrogen for use in Yara Australias ammonia facility at Karratha. Permitting is completed, a 100% offtake contract is in place with Yara and construction is set to commence by November 2022, due to a consortium made of Technip Energies and Monford Group selected as EPC contractor for the project. Once commissioned it will be amongst the largest renewable energy powered electrolysis sites in the world, which will provide lessons to accelerate the hydrogen industry in Australia and demonstrate the ability to integrate electrolysers with ammonia plants. The project will also share knowledge and experiences in the areas of community engagement, permit processes and industry participation. The iPhone 5 was announced on September 12 2012, ten years ago. It was the first iPhone to ditch the 30-pin dock connector inherited from the iPods as it introduced the Lightning adapter. It was the first reversible data connector on mobile devices, previous ones both proprietary and USB had a polarity, that is to say that there was only one correct orientation. While once upon a time this was an advantage over phones that used microUSB, it is now seen as a downside and everyone is just waiting for Apple to adopt USB-C. For all its influence over the smartphone market, Apple is sometimes very slow in adopting new technology. This week we will look at several examples, starting with the just mentioned USB-C. USB-C: 8 years Okay, it hasnt happened yet, but EU legislation has made it all but certain that Apple will switch iPhones to USB-C in 2023. The law wont kick in until 2024, but as new iPhones are introduced late in the year, analysts expect that the switchover will happen in 2023 with the iPhone 15 series. An iPhone X modified with a USB-C port by Ken Pillonel Its not just the EU either, the US and Brazil are considering similar laws that will make USB-C mandatory for phones (and possibly, though not necessarily, other portable electronics). The first Android phones to use USB-C started appearing in 2015, that means that Apple will be 8 years late to the party. The first phone was the LeTV One Max (remember LeTV?). Funnily enough, that also means that the first iPhone with USB-C will arrive 5 years after the first iPad switched away from Lightning (that were the iPad Pros from 2018). Even funnier, Apple released one of the first USB-C devices ever, the 12 MacBook from 2015. Quad Bayer sensors: 4 years After several years of using 12MP cameras Apple finally made the jump to a high-res Quad Bayer sensor. That is only for the Pro models, of course, Apple has a conservative approach to adopting new tech after all. For years the Nokia 808 PureView reigned as the highest resolution camera phone 41MP with a standard Bayer filter. Then in 2018 the select Huawei P20 and Mate 20 would almost match it with 40MP sensors. At the very end of 2018 the Nokia was finally dethroned (in terms of resolution) by the Huawei nova 4 and Honor View 20 and their 48MP cameras. Anyway, the Huawei P20 Pro camera had a Quad Bayer sensor a brand new thing in mobile back then - we had to do a dedicated article to explain what it does. It allows for things like single shot HDR (half the pixels take a short exposure, the other half a long one), the extra resolution enables lossless digital zoom (as the 808 handily demonstrated) and, of course, there is always the option to apply demosaicing to reverse the binning and get a higher resolution photo. By the way, the Nokia 808 PureView was famous not just for the resolution of its camera sensor, but for its size too. The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max sensors are nearly the same size 1/1.2 for the Nokia and 1/1.28 for the iPhones. 5G: 1.5 year The iPhone 11 series arrived in 2019 sporting only a 4G LTE modem. It wouldnt be until the iPhone 12 series in 2020 that Apple would make the jump to 5G. The reason behind this doesnt have anything to do with market strategy or Apple being its usual stubborn self. Instead, it was an unpleasant mix of Apple and Qualcomm having a patent beef and Intels modem division failing to deliver. Apple eventually had to settle with Qualcomm and it is currently using Snapdragon X modems. There were rumors of Samsung, MediaTek and even Huawei potentially supplying modems, but those didnt pan out (Huawei even denied that this was ever an option, Samsung reportedly didnt have modems to spare, MediaTek did want to make it happen, though). All attention is now on Apples own modem division, which includes Intels modem business which was sold to Cupertino in 2019. Some analysts believe that the modem is ready for action, but that it is being held back by patent licensing issues. The first 5G phone was the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, which came out in early 2019. Unless you want to count the Moto Z3, which was unveiled in mid-2018 and had an optional 5G mod (although that only went on pre-order in 2019, so it doesnt really change the math). So, Apple was 18 months behind, it just feels longer because Android makers suddenly released dozens upon dozens of 5G phones. Always On display: 6 years (at least) Apple was a pioneer of LTPO display panels since it needed the extra energy efficiency to enable Always-On Display mode for the Apple Watch Series 5 in 2019. Of course, this same feature wouldnt be available on iPhones until just this week the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max are the first (and only) in the family to have AOD. Back in the day some feature phones could switch their LCDs to transflective mode, which gave them a highly legible, very power efficient mode that allowed them to display the time and notification icons all week long. There were also the oddball phones like the YotaPhone, which had an e-Ink display on its back (this was always on too, since e-Ink only uses power when updating, not when it shows a static image). But putting those aside, the first Android phones to get AOD arrived in 2016 these were the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5. Back then AOD came with a notable hit to standby battery life, these days things are much better. Above we dismissed oddball solutions, but we think one is worth a mention. The LG V10 from 2015 had a secondary display above the main one, which had its own display driver and backlight that allowed it to stay on all the time. Wireless charging: 8 years As with AOD, wireless charging first came on Apple Watches (with the very first one, actually, in 2014), and it would be a few years before it arrives on iPhones. The first smartphone with wireless charging was the influential Palm Pre from 2009. The Pres were the only real option for a couple of years (with their fancy magnetic Touchstone chargers). Other platforms would eventually also offer wireless options with the likes of the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Nexus 4 from 2012. It took a while, but eventually everyone settled on the Qi standard (PMA was a thing for a few years). The iPhone 8 and X generation in 2017, the end of the classic iPhone design and the dawn of the notch, also brought wireless charging support on Apples phones. Then in 2020 Apple unveiled MagSafe, which included magnets to hold the phone and charger firmly attached (and some snap-on accessories like wallets). Of course, the Pre did that from the start. Notch: 3 months Some of you may think that the iPhone X brought the notch curse to this world, but they would be wrong. Well, technically wrong, the iPhone X is certainly the phone that made it popular. But it wasnt the first to have a notch not one but two Android phones beat it to the punch by three months. The Sharp Aquos S2 came out on August 14 and it was followed by the Essential Phone just days later. Both pushed their LCDs up to the top of the phone, leaving the selfie camera into a sort of peninsula, aka the notch. The notch is born: Sharp Aquos 2 The Essential Phone The slim top bezels arent the only thing that tempted Android makers into this design, of course. The iPhone X ditched the fingerprint reader and offered 3D face scanning as a secure way to unlock the phone. Android makers toyed around with similar tech (and related tech like Googles Project Soli radar), but quickly went back to fingerprint readers. Of course, these days that means an under-display fingerprint reader for many phones above the entry-level. That is technology that Apple has refused to adopt so far, despite copious rumors about it. Maybe one day. We think this is a good place to leave things for the day. There is a lot we didnt cover having mentioned the fingerprint reader, the technology predates the iPhone 5s. However, it was the first phone that made the FP reader work well, as earlier attempts (chronicled in this post) didnt get it right. There is more ground to cover, things like water resistance, autofocus on the selfie camera and so on. And the Dynamic Island, which is a punch hole with better marketing. If there is enough interest, we can do a part 2. Chinese tech brand Oppo turned 18 yesterday, and to celebrate the occasion, the company launched the Oppo Global Community. The Oppo Global Community (community.oppo.com) will act as an inclusive and open ecosystem for all Oppo users to make it easier for them to engage, interact, and share information with Oppo and each other. The Community will also act as a hub for different programs launched by Oppo, including the Oppo Product Ambassador Program, the O-Chat open forum, and Oppo Lifesetter. The Oppo Product Ambassador Program provides opportunities for users to experience Oppo's latest products and innovations before others, whereas the O-Chat forum allows users from around the world to talk about Oppo's products and technologies. The Oppo Lifesetter, on the other hand, invites users to share their life stories to help and inspire others. Through the Oppo Global Community, Oppo also intends to provide users and tech enthusiasts a more intuitive and convenient way to access information and updates about Oppo and its activities while also providing them a channel for communicating with Oppo's experts to share their experiences and insights about Oppo's products and services. Additionally, the Oppo Global Community will also provide Oppo's users worldwide an effective channel to communicate with each other directly and talk about their experiences with Oppo's services and products. Aside from launching the Oppo Global Community, Oppo revealed that it currently operates over 2,500 service sites around the world, and from the 10th to 12th of every month, it will offer exclusive benefits to its users at more than 900 service centers in 24 countries as a part of the Oppo Service Day. These benefits include discounts on repair services and free disinfection services. On its 18th anniversary, Oppo also released a series of documentaries, which tell the stories of its employees together with Oppo's growth from their own perspectives. You can watch the documentaries here. ROLLING power cuts being experienced across the country have severely affected operations of the countrys hospitals with reports that mortuaries are struggling to contain decomposing bodies. Zimbabwe has endured acute power cuts for over a decade, while last week, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) warned of more severe load-shedding because of poor generation. Health institutions are among the most affected by the crisis because of lack of funding for alternative power sources such as solar or generators. NewsDay is reliably informed that morticians at Manicaland provinces biggest hospital, Victoria Chitepo Hospital are struggling to deal with dead bodies with its only functioning mortuary being overwhelmed with rotting bodies. The other mortuary at the institution has been out of commission for months. There was chaos at the hospital early this month following the death of six people in a horrific collision involving two Honda Fit vehicles in the border city. Reports indicate that some of the rotting bodies were left lying on the floor. Sources at the hospital confirmed the development to NewsDay yesterday saying the hospital was failing to maintain its mortuaries made worse by the current power cuts. We have a serious crisis at our hospital. At Victoria Chitepo Hospital, our only working mortuary is overwhelmed, the other mortuary is not working. We had a crisis recently after a road accident in Mutare and some bodies were placed on the floor of the only mortuary operating. We had to force relatives of the deceased to come and take the bodies, the source said. Victoria Chitepo Hospital spokesperson Faustina Mutasa yesterday refused to comment on the matter. There is some information we dont give to the Press, we have some limitations. There is some information we are not allowed to give to the people, Mutasa said. There are indications that this situation is similar to what is obtaining in most provinces across the country. Health and Child Care ministry spokesperson Donald Mujiri said he was not aware of the allegations, but promised to check with the provinces. I am not aware of the allegations. I will have to call the provinces, he said. Medical and Dental Private Practitioners Association of Zimbabwe president Johannes Marisa yesterday said power disruptions had hit most hospitals hard. Power cuts have been wreaking havoc on hospitals that have no power backs-ups and not only mortuaries are affected. Theatres have to run, drug storage has been greatly affected and surgical operations have to be done and that needs power, Marisa said. At one point, we had one central hospital in Bulawayo that was affected by load-shedding and its power backup was not reliable. We have another central hospital in Mashonaland West, where its theatre was greatly affected and the generator was not working. Therefore, we advocate for strong power back-ups. Hospitals also need to deal with issues of under-staffing. Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike said the health crisis did not emanate from the health sector, but could be attributed to the wider economic collapse. We recognise that the current health crisis does not emanate from the health sector as it comes from a wider economic collapse and the increasing extent to which people are not accessing basic public services like electricity, he said. Hospitals should be allocated designated power cuts in order to avoid disruptions to essential healthcare services. The government should seriously consider investing in solar energy at public health institutions in order to avoid disrupting healthcare services as solar energy is more sustainable, dependable, efficient, and has long-time cost-effectiveness. Newsday Heavy rains are expected later this afternoon and continuing through Monday, with gusty winds and a high surf advisory in effect. Well probably see showers develop east to west today, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joshua Schank. Schank said Guam can expect 2-4 inches of rain today through Tuesday. A weak circulation system is developing to the east, but that could disappear and re-develop later off to the west, he said. Meanwhile, a surface ridge to the west is weakening, which will cause the trough to the east to drift our way. While rain with possible flooding and gusty winds are expected, we dont expect a tropical storm or tropical depression to hit us, he said. The forecast calls for heavy showers and thunderstorms with gusts up to 30 mph, and hazardous seas are possible. By Wednesday, the circulation will lift to the north and winds will decrease, but periods of showers and thunderstorms will continue as forecast models have another trough or circulation developing to the southeast of Guam. Guam is under a high surf advisory until 6 a.m. Monday, with large breaking waves of 8-11 feet in the surf zone on north- and west-facing reefs. Dangerous swimming and surfing conditions and localized beach erosion are expected. The northwest swell will briefly weaken Monday, dropping surf below hazardous criteria through Monday night. However, surf could become hazardous again along north- and west-facing reefs starting Tuesday, as another northwest swell strengthens. The National Weather Service is warning inexperienced swimmers to remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions. Finding a stable place to stay clean and sober after going through a drug or alcohol treatment program is a constant problem for Guam residents in recovery. This is especially true for former inmates who were in the Department of Corrections Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program, or RSAT, once they leave prison. Second chance These guys really need a chance. They are going through the program for a reason and thats a second chance, said John San Nicolas, a peer specialist at Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness New Beginnings. San Nicolas knows this first hand as a former inmate who served 10 years total at DOC. He changed his life by voluntarily attending the RSAT program to get clean. I did it to keep myself focused, cause Id already been in and out of DOC and you need to get yourself together or you will find yourself struggling, said San Nicolas. Now he is working to help 13 fellow RSAT participants find housing and transition back into society. Salvation Army To help people who need a temporary place to live away from people or places where they used to get high or drink, the Salvation Army Lighthouse Recovery Center is planning to create a transitional housing facility. Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio identified the need for transitional housing after receiving letters from RSAT participants who are close to their release date. The theme that Im getting from the inmates is although they got in trouble and are now in treatment, frankly back at home or their original place of residence before they left, the drug activity continues, Tenorio said during a recent meeting of the Interagency Council for Coordinating Homelessness Programs. San Nicolas said most RSAT participants began their drug use at home with family members, friends or neighbors. Nowhere to go Its such a small island, where are they going to go? You can either go to those people, like your family who are using, or you can go stay on a park bench where no one is using, but thats not a good choice, said San Nicolas. Linda Holmes, a Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center chemical dependency treatment specialist for the RSAT program, said a place to stay for six months would go a long way as participants navigate supportive care and life outside prison. Its not only for their future to better themselves and their families, but ours, too, because they are going to be our neighbors. All we are asking for and need right now is one house, Holmes said. Transitional housing The Lighthouse Recovery Center is working toward creating a safe place for people looking for somewhere more permanent to live. Were in the very early stage of talks to open up transitional housing, said Valerie Reyes, director of the Salvation Army Lighthouse Recovery Center. She said Lighthouse staff are discussing what funds are available, and they have done a walkthrough of a property that could be suitable for 14 men. No date is set for when a building will be acquired or open. Qualifications To qualify for housing in the facility, a participant must have finished core treatment, residential or outpatient, and be gainfully employed. First and last months rent would be paid for by Lighthouse, and the client would pay about $300 to $400 a month to cover power and water costs, Reyes explained. The current plan is to have a two-year time limit, or until a resident is stable with enough financial stability to afford rent on their own. Activities Residents would attend counseling, group therapy sessions and similar activities. Peer addiction support groups and facility staff would lead workshops on resume writing, balancing a checkbook, filling out work forms and other life skills. The beauty of transitional housing is it puts them in a position to start applying all this knowledge and skills they have started to acquire from treatment, said Robert Dames, a chemical dependency treatment specialist for the RSAT through the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center. The general election is approaching and some of Guams younger voters are sharing the priorities and issues they hope candidates will address in the days ahead. I think coming out from the pandemic, a lot of us have faced mental issues. It took a toll on us, said 21-year-old University of Guam student Christianna Ebio. A lot of the youth expressed that there should be programs where maybe we can talk more about how we feel, and how to better interpret our emotions. Ebio also said she feels that a greater focus on helping the islands youth succeed in all areas of life could be key to motivating young adults to pursue higher education goals and professional careers. I have a lot of professors now who remind me that its an investment in your career, what youre doing now, and I think we need more teachers who are passionate in what they do. Because when we have that, it makes us motivated to constantly attend school, said Ebio, who noted that passionate teachers often inspire students to succeed. Sustainability As a Guam Green Growth youth ambassador, Ebio also believes that candidates should help move Guam into a more sustainable future based on a circular economy. I think were more about importing than exporting. Instead of importing goods, we should see what we have here and then export that, Ebio said. Tourism Anthony Layco, 28, said he believes candidates should focus on rebuilding the islands tourism industry because it will help Guam get back on track for economic recovery. Thats basically our main bread and butter. I read articles on how (Guam Visitors Bureau) is saying that our tourism is going to increase soon ... things are changing a lot, Layco said. Just make sure that Guam is ready and safe, so that people dont feel scared to travel because a lot of places are still trying to open up. However, Layco said he is optimistic for Guam as long as future leaders continue to take proper precautions so there wont be further delays to pandemic recovery efforts. I feel were handling it okay. It just takes common sense to make sure were prepared, said Layco. WOMENs Comfort Corner Foundation (WCCF) director Rita Mbatha has written to the secretary of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Walter Chikwana alleging threats and harassment by a top judge, Justice Catherine Bachi-Mzawazi. Mbatha complained to Chikwana alleging that Justice Bachi-Mzawazi was trying to force her to consent to set aside a judgment under Case Number HC49862014. Under the case, Mbatha was awarded US$180 000 by the High Court after she lost her job for reporting her former boss for sexual harassment in a nearly 20-year legal battle. Mbatha reported former Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) chief executive Farai Bwatikona Zizhou for sexual harassment when she worked as his personal assistant between 2002 and 2003. The CZI responded by sacking her. In passing judgment last year, Justice Joseph Mafusire said Mbathas victory had come through blood and sweat. In a letter dated September 16, 2022, in possession of NewsDay, Mbatha alleged that the judgment infuriated Justice Bachi-Mzawazi. She alleged that the judgment was irrational and that Zizhou deserved a second chance and did not deserve to lose property because of a minor infraction and I should, instead, pursue CZI, which had ignored the reports of sexual harassment. I was shocked and called out the judge and told her that it was not proper to make such averments or to invite me in chambers without the applicant present. She then alleged that Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza and the Judge President of the High Court told her she was not the first judge whom I had complained about and that I was wasting my time writing complaints to the JSC as nothing would materialise therefrom, the letter read. Mbatha also accused the judge of being conflicted because she was offering legal advice to Zizhou. I also told Justice Bachi-Mzawazi that I was aware that she was legally advising Zizhou, Mbatha said in the complaint. After refusing to consent to the setting aside of the judgment, Mbatha alleges the judge started to harass and intimidate her. She changed from trying to persuade me to being hostile, began shouting at me alleging that I was intent on tarnishing her image. She began shouting in chambers alleging that I had made the same allegations against Supreme Court judges, this time without mentioning names. It is Justice Bachi-Mzawazi through her misconduct, conduct unbefitting a judge that has displayed that there is no justice, but an abundance of corruption in the (judicial) system. By her conduct, she has committed breaches of judicial ethics as articulated in the code, the letter further read. Allegations against Justice Bachi-Mzawazi come at a time when the Judiciary is under the spotlight for corruption and defeating the course of justice. Newsday By Ishani Sarkar | Published on 2022/09/17 Are you tired of righteous, picture-perfect protagonists who live and breathe justice? Do you find morally ambiguous protagonists far more interesting? Here are my picks for 5 K-Dramas that would be ideal for you! Advertisement "The King of Pigs" Remade in a dramatic format from the animated film of the same name, "The King of Pigs" is a drama that delves into the dark world of school violence, the trauma it causes and its deadly consequences. Starring Kim Dong-wook, Kim Sung-kyu and Chae Jung-an, this drama is a must-watch if you're looking for questionable main characters. Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch "Extracurricular" A gritty tale of crime and desperation, "Extracurricular" is a wild ride. Starring Kim Dong-hee, Park Ju-hyun and Jung Da-bin, this drama shows how academic pressure and compulsion can, quite literally, ruin lives. You might not be able to root for any character here but you will not be able to deny their complexity. Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch "Bad Guys" In "Bad Guys", the eponymous bad guys catch even more bad guys, fairly justifying the title. A detective forms a crew of criminals to combat the rise of violent crimes and as much as you think you won't empathize with them, the sooner you do. Packed with thrill and emotion, "Bad Guys" is thoroughly entertaining, to say the least. Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch "Liar Game" Before "Squid Game" became a global phenomenon, there was "Liar Game". Based on a manga of the same name, this drama stars Lee Sang-yoon, Kim So-eun and Shin Sung-rok. If you want a K-Drama that is brimming with paranoia and makes you distrust every single character, "Liar Game" is exactly what you're looking for. Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch "Strangers from Hell" "Strangers from Hell" might just be one of the finest horror K-Dramas of all time. While it is unnervingly scary, it is also deeply philosophical and makes you re-think the reality of hell. Hell might be other people, as suggested by the alternate title of the drama, but it is also within and that is a concept that our main character grapples with throughout. Starring Im Si-wan, Lee Dong-wook, Lee Jung-eun and more, "Strangers from Hell" is simply a masterpiece. Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch By Ishani Sarkar. THE owner of a convenience store in Caversham was woken in the early hours of the morning by youths attempting to break in. Rawail Singh Bhatia was alerted by a knocking sound at about 2.30am as he slept in the flat above his store, Caversham Food and Wine in Hemdean Road. After opening his bedroom window, he was confronted by two boys who he believes were trying to break in. He believes the youths had come down a side alley, which is blocked by bins, to a storage area behind the shop. There they had jumped on to the roof, which is faced by his bedroom window. Police are investigating the incident, which happened on August 31. Mr Singh Bhatia, 47, said: I opened the window and straight away I saw these two kids. They were just in front of me. It looked like they had something in their hand, like a screwdriver or a crowbar, but Im not sure. One of them I know very well. I think he is the ringleader. I called his name and said, What are you doing? He said, Not me, not me and they jumped off the roof and ran. Mr Singh Bhatia called the police and later provided them with CCTV footage from a camera behind the shop. He believes the youth he recognised was responsible for an incident earlier this year in which 200 worth of vape pens were stolen from the shop counter. Mr Singh Bhatia said: These two kids came in and were wearing masks. Not like covid masks, more like balaclavas that covered everything except their eyes, and a hooded top. We know who they are and without masks we would not have let them in. They bought some things and went outside. They were standing there about two minutes and then they came back. One of them stood by the door so it was going to be open and the other one grabbed all the vapes from the counter and ran. He called police at the time who investigated but filed the case pending further information. Mr Singh Bhatia claims they did not do enough. He said: I told them this was the guy, this was his photo but they didnt even have the guts to go and speak to him. If they had spoken to the family at that point, it wouldnt have happened this time. Mr Singh Bhatia said other shopkeepers in the area had reported similar incidents involving the same youth, who had avoided coming near his shop following the latest incident. He said: He knew that I knew everything, so he has not come close to my shop. On the day before the incident, Mr Singh Bhatia said the boy and a friend were taunting him outside the shop. He said: They were showing me the finger and this and that. I ignored it. The same night, they tried to break in. I dont think it will happen again but you never know. If you steal one chocolate today and I dont stop you, tomorrow youre going to steal a basket, and if I dont stop you then you will steal something bigger. Thames Valley Police are appealing for anyone with information to call 101, quoting reference number 43220391408. A spokesman said: We received a report of two young males on the roof of a commercial premises in Hemdean Road, in the early hours of August 31. No offences were identified following an investigation, which has now been filed. The two individuals identified as being on the roof will be spoken to, alongside appropriate adults, and given words of advice, and we will share information with our partners to safeguard the individuals. Regarding the reported shoplifting in February, this investigation was filed pending further information coming to light as no offender was positively identified. Should Mr Bhatia wish to express dissatisfaction with the service he has received, he can do so by contacting Thames Valley Polices professional standards department. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. The Mount, Straw Dog Writers Guild to Host 2023 Residencies LENOX, Mass. The Mount, Edith Whartons Home, is collaborating with Western Massachusetts Straw Dog Writers Guild in 2023 to offer a unique residency experience for nine emerging writers. Residencies will be for one week and include lodging at Brook Farm Inn in Lenox, a workspace at The Mount, breakfast, lunch, and a $500 stipend. The residencies run weekly from March 5 to March 25 and three writers will be selected for each week. This will be the ninth year The Mount has offered writers an opportunity to create at The Mount and its second year partnering with Straw Dog Writers Guild. The revamped residency now focuses on writers who are developing their craft. There is no prerequisite for being published. "The Mount was conceived as a private retreat by a writer on the verge of her literary ascent; in the 21st century, what better way to share Edith Whartons home and legacy than with an organization of writers devoted to supporting emerging voices," says Patricia Pin, Director of Public Programs at The Mount. "In collaboration with The Mount, Straw Dog Writers Guild is honored to offer residencies to writers early in their careers. Just as Edith Wharton gained her early literary footing at The Mount, our contemporary emerging writers are offered the gift of support and our belief in them," said Jacqeline Sheehan, author and president of SDWG. Additional information, including an online application, is at EdithWharton.org. Applications opened on Sept. 1 and will close on Oct. 1. The $25 application fee will be waived for financial hardship and for Mount and Straw Dog members. Submissions are reviewed anonymously and ranked based on the following criteria: quality of writing, originality of voice, the potential for growth as a writer, and strength of the statement of purpose. For additional information about the residency, please contact Patricia Pin at PPin@edithwharton.org. Central Berkshire Record Show Returns October 2 DALTON, Mass. After a successful inaugural event in the spring, the Central Berkshire Record Show is returning this fall at the Stationery Factory. Hosted by Berkshirecat Productions, it will feature two dozen vinyl dealers, CDs, cassettes, music memorabilia, food truck fare, local craft beer and drinks, and consistent DJ sets. Organizer Andrew Garcia said the first show in May was "super successful" and exceeded expectations. He aims to recapture the spirit and success of that event and make it a set standard. "The place all day long was busy with activity and lots of smiling faces," Garcia said. "And what was cool was to see younger people as well as your standard record collector, so families brought their kids who were just kind of getting into collecting but there were also some seasoned collectors who came early for the VIP part and it was neat to see people stick around and take advantage of the bar and food, which we also had." The event will run Sunday, Oct. 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is 3$ at 10 a.m. and VIP admission is $10 at 8:30 a.m. for those who want a first look. Garcia is a longtime musician and owner of Berkshirecat Records on the second floor of the factory. He created the first event as a "premium record show experience" in an airy light-filled venue rather than a cramped, dark hall that allows people to make a day out of it with multiple activities. He is a native of New York and has lived in Dalton and taught music in the town since the 1990s. Before opening Berkshirecat, Garcia would sell media and records at tag sales. He plans on continuing to do two shows a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. "I feel very grateful to have the space at the Stationery Factory available," Garcia said. "You want it from the customer side but you also want it on the vendor side, a successful day." He pointed out that the factorys passenger elevator that was under construction for the last event is now operational. DJs include Tim Dupree as Pup Daddy Productions and Michael Keleher as DJ Ketchabone. Biggins Diggins food truck will be serving fare and a full bar with craft beer and more will be available. To enjoy the offerings, there are comfortable places to sit as well as free wi-fi. The Stationery Factory is wheelchair accessible and has ample on-site parking. Tickets are available at the door and in advance through Eventbrite. Controversy has broken out on whether Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was deplaned from a Delhi-bound Lufthansa flight in Frankfurt because he was not found fit to travel. The Lufthansa website shows that the flight from Frankfurt was scheduled to depart at 1.40 PM (GMT+2) on Saturday and land in Delhi at 12.55 AM IST (GMT+5.30). However, the flight departed from Frankfurt at 5.52 PM (GMT+2) and landed in Delhi at 4.30 AM IST (GMT+5.30) today. Chander Suta Dogra, director of media communications of AAP told India Narrative that, The Chief Minister was a little unwell and would catch a flight from Frankfurt tonight to return back home, and added that Mann at present is addressing an AAP conclave of all the partys elected representatives being held in Delhi via video conferencing. She said all the national TV channels were showing him participating in the sammelan. However, an Indian co-passenger on the same flight, , who did not wish to be named, alleged in a communication with indianarrative.com that the Chief Minister was not steady on his feet as he had imbibed excessive alcohol and had to be supported by his wife and security personnel accompanying him. The passenger said the departure of the flight was delayed by over 4 hours as the luggage of the CMs entourage which was loaded on the plane had to be taken off. Punjab government officials tried to prevail upon the Lufthansa flight crew not to deplane Mann as he had to attend many important meetings fixed on the next day but they refused to compromise on their flight safety rules, he added. In response, Malwinder Singh Kang, AAP spokesman in Chandigarh when contacted dismissed the information about Mann having been deplaned since he was drunk as bakwaas. People keep saying so many rubbish things, he stressed and added that the CM would return in the next two or three days. Navneet Wadhwa, media in charge of the CMs office said, Mann Sahib will board a flight today evening from Frankfurt around 4.30 PM (GMT+2) and land in Delhi tonight at around 1 AM (GMT+5.30), adding that as per the schedule available with him the CM was to remain in Germany till September 18. When questioned Wadhwa said he would send the schedule but admitted that it did not mention any timings of the CMs departure. Till the filing of this report, Wadhwa did not send the schedule. Mann had gone to Germany on September 11 and was to return on September 18. He visited Munich, Frankfurt, and Berlin and sought investments in Punjab. He attended the worlds leading trade fair, DRINKTEC 2022. He was accompanied by his wife and other senior officials besides security personnel. Also Read: AAP Govt in a fix as Punjab minister caught in plot to extort money from foodgrain traders Our strength lies in the peoples power. Our strength lies in each and every citizen of our country- Prime Minister Modi has stressed, outlining his unique mantra for fostering a vibrant, people centric democracy. The concept of Jan Bhagidari, literally translating to peoples participation implies the role of the collective in the implementation of policies. Harnessing the power of the people has been the central aspect of implementing the PM Modi-led government policies in a populous country like India. PM Modi has shown the benefits of tapping into this power by strongly motivating the masses to do their bit, to check when something is going wrong, flag issues to the government during implementation and motivate others to aid governance. DIALOGUE: A TOOL FOR BETTER GOVERNANCE Jan Bhagidari is incomplete without the continuous process of Jan Samwad (peoples dialogue). The essence of true participative governance rests on the process of holding regular interaction with people to understand ground realities. This is followed by policy papers based on the analysis of the issues with suggestive measures to tackle them. Ideally followed by the implementation of the policy and its feedback from people, the feedback loop is then extended to the beneficiaries based on which the policy further fine-tuned and implemented. Through various means, the government led by PM Modi has taken extensive care to maintain this constant dialogue between the people and the government to empower and ease peoples lives. A fitting example of this bottom-up approach is the PM Fasal Bima Yojana. Maqbool completely depends on rain to grow crops. Earlier if there was no rain, Maqbool would lose almost everything he invested into crops. But today PM Fasal Bima Yojana has brought hopes in their minds. #72ProgressiveFarmers #ModiJiAt72 pic.twitter.com/qedvKywPS3 NAMO App Virtual Meet (@NMAppVrtualMeet) September 17, 2022 Launched by PM Modi in 2016 after combining two major schemes for crop insurance and ensuring sustainable agriculture, it was relaunched again in 2019-2020. The revised scheme is the unique culmination of farmers feedback through various offline and online methods, thus covering a variety of concerns- a true illustration of the power of dialogue used for transformative change. #PMFBY will give Kharif 2022 Fasal Bima Policy document to farmers, interact with them, and take their feedback under the #MeriPolicyMereHaath campaign. This is the step towards the #AatmanirbharKisan. pic.twitter.com/zdvjzaLCtr Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (@pmfby) September 13, 2022 THE ERA OF PEOPLE-LED DEVELOPMENT PM Modi has undeniably been successful in his efforts to motivate the masses to go the last mile. People have answered his clarion calls not once, nor twice but multiple times for converting policies on paper to success in reality. When put in numbers, the numerical and data-driven success of schemes can seem flat or unidimensional. However, the beauty in the schemes envisioned and implemented by PM Modi is in their multi-dimensionality. His words are a testament to the fact that he thinks in terms of holistic development of the people leaving no soul in the journey of holistic development. As a leader, PM Modis resolution to involve every citizen for policies and benefits to reach all is consistent throughout his vision and governance. Take for example the issue of open defecation which was addressed by PM Modi in his first Independence Day speech as Prime Minister. He asked all citizens to take part in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. A mass movement that has now culminated into over one lakh ODF Plus (Open Defecation Free) villages in the country and more than 11 crore toilets have been successful in just 60 months, a feat that has amazed the world. Though it might just seem like a cleanliness mission, it has also ensured dignity and safety for women, saved the lives of numerous children and prevented many girls from dropping out of schools. With the help of #JanBhagidari, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is #TransformingIndia into one of the cleanest nations. Today, the govt has taken every step to ensure sanitation in the form of clean water, access to toilets and waste management systems pic.twitter.com/yW2BY9brXl MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) September 17, 2022 Take another example of the Jal Jeevan Mission ensuring over 10 crore tap water connections in villages alone, so far. In his own words, the success of Jal Jeevan Mission is based on: peoples participation, partnership with all stakeholders, political will and optimum utilisation of all resources. The delivery of such a basic necessity in the lives of the masses is now a reality. Women dont need to travel hours to fetch water, diseases spreading through contaminated water have been curbed while also providing ease of living to rural families. Yet another proof of the strength in numbers is the over 200 crore COVID-19 vaccination record which was no mean feat to achieve in mere 18 months but we did it. While it was the product of the cumulative efforts of many, it was led by PM Modi himself, resonating with his sense of determination to achieve the unachievable and his unflinching faith in his people. Other significant mass movements envisioned by PM Modi during the pandemic when he urged citizens to respect curfews, applaud healthcare workers and light diyas to appreciate those fighting at the forefront also manifested into tremendous positive responses from across the country. Despite the government not setting mandates for citizens to get vaccinated, the people showed promise in choosing the better out of the alternatives they had. Similarly, those who could afford to, chose to let go of their subsidies for LPG and railway subsidies on tickets when no actual subsidies were removed, thus practicing to give it up when they were asked to. If these are not instances of the power of PM Modi-led jan bhagidari in action, then what are? FROM PARTICIPATION TO PROSPERITY Mann Ki Baat, a major success that has been termed widely (and rightfully so) as a social revolution, also finds its base in Jan Bhagidari. Every episode is a curation of a monthly reminder of PM Modis unshaken faith in the transformative power of each individual. A remarkable mass movement Vocal for Local- a clarion call for promoting indigenous trade and encouraging local businesses to flourish has gone a long way in creating awareness among people and boosting entrepreneurship. Today, this mass movement has empowered numerous small businesses, helped sustain start-ups in remote parts of the country and also assisted in reviving traditional crafts. A unique phenomenon, part of the mission for aatmanirbharta in toy manufacturing is PM Modis call for getting vocal about local toys. I want to salute the little children between 5 and 7 years of age. The nations consciousness has been awakened. I have heard from countless families that 57-year-old children tell their parents that they do not want to play with foreign toys. When a 5-year-old child makes such a resolution, it reflects the spirit of self-reliant India in him, said PM Modi during his 2022 Independence day address. Since 2020, PM Modi has urged start-ups to help achieve the feat of becoming a global toy hub and aid to set up toy clusters in the country. Cut to 2022, more toy clusters have come up in the country, events like Toycathon to crowdsource innovative ideas for developing toys based on Indian culture and ethos have gained momentum, toys to be certified according to BIS (Bureau of Indian Certification) standards has become mandatory for all manufacturers thus eliminating many Chinese competitors. At the same time, exports decreased by 70% and imports increased by 61% in FY 2019-22! All such measures have thus culminated in Indian toy exports reaching unfathomable heights and are proof of what a determined nation can do. Democracy is not only giving a contract to one government for five years. In reality it is Jan Bhagidari.- PM Modi The unshakable faith PM Modi has shown consistently in the citizens of the country has yielded unimaginable positive results repeatedly. When policies reach the last mile is when democracy is deemed truly successful. Thus, the essence of PM Modis clarion call remains to be: participation of all leads to the prosperity of all. Also Read: Gati Shakti Master Plana tribute to PM Modis vision for a New India on his 72nd Birthday (Jagat Prakash Nadda is National President of Bharatiya Janata Party) Recent years have seen a rise in the use of the term "bamboo diplomacy" in discussions of Vietnamese foreign policy. A hitherto unexplored idea has been utilized to shed new light on Vietnam's diplomatic achievements since the Doi Moi reform in 1986 and to talk about the lessons that small economies can learn from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. What does bamboo diplomacy mean? The art of bamboo diplomacy is to remain firmly rooted while bending in the direction of the political winds. As a matter of historical record, Nguyen Phu Trong, a Marxist thinker and three-time general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP), is credited with coining the term "bamboo diplomacy". The General Secretary of the VCP, Nguyen Phu Trong, observed that "Vietnamese diplomacy is soft and intelligent but nevertheless tenacious and resolute; flexible, creative but persistent, valiant and robust against all challenges and problems for state independence and people's satisfaction, persistent and patient in preserving the national interests," cited by a local publication Vietnam plus. Reuters The inception At the 29th Diplomatic Conference in 2016, when Trong stated that Vietnam had "created an extraordinary and distinctive school of foreign relations and diplomacy of the Ho Chi Minh era, reflecting the characteristics of the 'Vietnamese bamboo," where the idea of bamboo diplomacy first surfaced. Trong reiterated and expanded on this concept at the first national summit on international affairs held in Vietnam in 2021. The bamboo analogy perfectly captures how Vietnam has manipulated its position in the face of escalating great power competitions, which are a major concern for the nation's security outlook. World Political Review "Bamboo diplomacy" refers to Vietnam's experience of balancing conflicting geopolitical interests over the last three decades in a highly polarised international context. In Asian culture and diplomacy, the image of bamboo is ingrained firmly. For example, Thailand's foreign policy has frequently been compared to bamboo that "bends with the wind." Vietnam's bamboo diplomacy, like that of Thailand, is based on independence and national interests and is flexible and pragmatic. Vietnam's bamboo diplomacy In order to maximize profits while protecting against strategic uncertainties, Vietnam has used bamboo diplomacy to maintain its independence and equidistant position from all major countries. Analysts claim that Vietnam's diplomatic successes in recent years have given this conceptualization of a Vietnamese school of diplomacy a solid empirical foundation. Vietnam changed its foreign policy with Doi Moi from being centered on ideologies to being primarily based on national interests and the tenets of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, and diversification. As a result, the nation has been able to establish a wide range of comprehensive and strategic relationships, maintaining a high degree of socioeconomic development and enhancing its reputation both locally and internationally, claims reports. Getty Images The "four Nos" in Vietnam's 2019 Defence White Paperno military alliances, no siding with one side over the other, no allowing Vietnam to be used as a base for foreign armies, and no using force in foreign politics were firmly upheld. Additionally, Hanoi intends to maintain its partnership with its neighbour to the north. A "Vietnamese approach" that is neither pro-China nor the pro-the United States may be projected through "bamboo diplomacy," reported the Diplomat. In the context of the Russia-Ukraine war According to reports, Vietnam's adherence to bamboo diplomacy has only become stronger as a result of the divisive Russia-Ukraine war. Given its historic ties to the former Soviet Union, the Vietnamese population is divided about the conflict at home. Experts believe these internal conflicts and criticism of Vietnam's position on the conflict from the outside may turn out to be more polarising in the future. Vietnam rejects joining the West in denouncing Russia while emphasizing the need for all parties to uphold international law and the UN Charter. Kashmir is traditionally known for its apples, walnuts, saffron, chinar, pine trees and tulips, but this time Kashmir has come into the limelight for the cultivation of lavender. Nissar Ahmad Lavender is an aromatic flowering plant cultivated extensively across temperate regions for ornamental use or as a culinary herb. Lavender cultivation is seen as a big development by the farmers community in Kashmir. Lavender cultivation picking up Ghulam Hassan, 52, a farmer from south Kashmirs Anantnag town said that lavender cultivation is picking up in the valley. I have started cultivating the lavender in my fields and there is a good response from everyone. I also have good buyers as well, he said. Nissar Ahmad Hassan said that they are earning good in this business as compared to other work. The oil extracted from the lavender has a good price and farmers are earning between Rs 15,000-20,000 from one kanal of land, he said. Another lavender farmer Nisar Ahmad from Shopian district said that Anantnags Serhama lavender farm has become a popular visitor attraction. Locals and foreigners make a beeline to witness the lavender bloom. Every day you can witness a huge number of tourists in our fields clicking selfies there, he said. He added that this flower is also giving a boost to the tourism Industry in Kashmir. Lavender in 20 J&K districts Officials said that lavender cultivation is being practiced in almost all twenty districts of J&K while Kashmir has taken up this prestigious farming recently. Nissar Ahmad Cultivation of lavender has changed the fortunes of farmers in J&K under Aroma Mission or Purple Revolution, an initiative of the central government towards transforming the lives of UTs farmers community. Pertinently, Purple or Lavender Revolution was launched in 2016 by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology through the Council of Scientific and Industrial Researchs (CSIR) Aroma Mission. The aim of the mission is to support domestic aromatic crop-based agro-economy by moving from imported aromatic oils to homegrown varieties. Under the mission, first-time farmers were given free lavender saplings while those who had cultivated lavender before were charged Rs 5-6 per sapling. Farmers are happy Farmers are happy with farming of unconventional aromatic plants under Aroma Mission. The mission promotes cultivation of aromatic crops for essential oils that are in great demand by the aroma industry. In J&K, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu (IIIM Jammu) are the two bodies responsible for taking the Aroma Mission forward. Nissar Ahmad The CSIR Aroma Mission is envisaged to bring transformative change in the aroma sector through desired interventions in the areas of agriculture, processing and product development for fuelling the growth of aroma industry and rural employment. It is expected to enable Indian farmers and the aroma industry to become global leaders in the production and export of some other essential oils in the pattern of menthol mint. Lavender growing has increased rural farmer employment, sparked entrepreneurship in the production of aromatic oils and other aromatic products and reduced imports of essential and aromatic oils. 1,000 families into business At present more than 1,000 farming families are cultivating the lavender on more than 200 acres in different parts of J&K. Each farmer has employed at least five other people. Thus, the mission has already employed over 6,000 families. Waseem Andrabi The farmers say that lavender grown over one hectare of land gives them a minimum of 40 litre of lavender oil. Lavender farming has not only helped increase farm incomes but also provided employment to women farmers who are growing the crop and earning a steady income. Lavender water, which separates from lavender oil, is used to make incense sticks. Hydrosol, which is formed after distillation from the flowers, is used to make soaps and room fresheners. An official of IIM-Jammu farmers get help from IIIM-Jammu to sell their produce. Many private companies also procure lavender extracts from the farmers. Notably, Doda district is leading the way and four distillation units have been set up by CSIR-IIIM Jammu in the district. Farmers from remote areas of district Doda reach these plants for extraction of lavender oil. More than 800 progressive farmers of Doda have adopted aromatic cultivation which has now proved out to be profitable. Official Say A senior official of Agriculture Department Kashmir wishing not to be named said that they have been helping the lavender farmers at every moment. The government is serious about promoting the lavender crop and has set up a mission to take it to the next level which can bring employment as well, the official said. We have been always telling the farmers that the government is always there for any help, he added. For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News. Art is one of the best kinds of therapy and, honestly, anyone who takes it up only benefits from it. Teacher asks first-grade students to draw her picture and the result is epic Speaking of this, a school teacher from Islamabad in Pakistan named Nishat recently asked her students to draw a picture of her. The woman posted a masked selfie for reference on Twitter. Asked first graders to draw a picture of me. The results were hilarious. Here's a reference picture of how I looked, she wrote along with the picture. Check out the Tweet here: Asked first graders to draw a picture of me. The results were hilarious. Heres a reference picture of how I looked: pic.twitter.com/vhC6bwXIf7 Nishat (@Nishat64) September 15, 2022 After sharing her own picture, she shared all the pictures drawn by her students. She rated the drawings of her students and they seemed pretty good. Ms Nishat posted a picture with the caption, Off to a flimsy start, but love the hair. The body is giving me a vodka bottle. But overall, 5/10. In the second picture, she wrote, I have been meaning to shave my head for a while and I see a reflection of that dream in this. The hands look like clouds though, so 4.5/10. "Patriotic vibes super opposite to the real Nishat. The eyelashes are super on fleek. Don't know what's going on with the dress but will give it a 6.5/10, she rated the third picture. There were a lot more pictures as well. Off to a flimsy start, but love the hair. The body is giving me vodka bottle. But overall 5/10 pic.twitter.com/AzR5d0Eqbl Nishat (@Nishat64) September 15, 2022 Massive improvement over the last one. The earrings are so on point. The hair is pretty much on spot. Ill give it a 9/10 pic.twitter.com/rHfdVn1KZo Nishat (@Nishat64) September 15, 2022 The iPhone had me on the floor. Love how bitchy my eyes look. Theres a great deal of attention to detail. Ill give it an 8/10 pic.twitter.com/x2gBdYnu4H Nishat (@Nishat64) September 15, 2022 Patriotic vibes super opposite to the real Nishat. The eye lashes are super on fleek. Dont know whats going on with the dress but will give it a 6.5/10 pic.twitter.com/hZVHZOlp68 Nishat (@Nishat64) September 15, 2022 Due to high number of requests I am sharing some more works of art. This ones pretty minimal, very modern. So Ill rate it a 6.5/10 pic.twitter.com/lZKoTRSaB2 Nishat (@Nishat64) September 16, 2022 After the teacher shared her ratings, people on the internet were full of awe. Here's how they reacted. They loved the cute drawings and even cuter ratings of these art pieces. One user wrote, "You and your students made my day. All young artists deserve an appreciation award and of course, they are lucky to have a great teacher." You and your students made my day. All young artists deserve an appreciation award and of course, they are lucky to have a great teacher. Dr. Uzma Qudrat (@QudratUzma) September 16, 2022 They are drawing it much better than what I would have managed... Last year I drew a mango for my nephew and my aunt couldn't recognise the fruit. Dr.Mahesh Rath,MD (@drmaheshrath) September 16, 2022 You can tell the personality of each child buy the pressure they have applied and the detail or lack of it..Then, what part of your face has drawn their attention. Lima (@Layma2021) September 16, 2022 adorable art pieces indeed. so cute. JM (@joanmeesem) September 16, 2022 What did you think? For the latest trending stories, follow us on Telegram. Up to 3,000 people attended a cost-of-living protest in Cork City today, with many attendees warning that they face the stark choice of deciding between heating or eating this winter. Friends Annette OMahony, 62, and Sheila Hegarty, 64, who live in Mahon and Dublin Hill, respectively, say they are terrified about the uncertainty surrounding rising heating bills this winter. Annette says the Government is living on another planet in suggesting that people put on extra clothes this winter in order to stay warm. She says many people would dip into their savings to pay their utility bills but nobody has savings any more". Sheila is on the widows pension. She says people like her are really struggling". The cost of electricity, fuel food. If you run a car. I really feel anyone on a state pension is afraid. They are talking tiny increases (for us) in the budget. What will we get? Maybe 5 next year. You cant budget when you dont know what is coming doing the road. People are living hand to mouth. "A lot of elderly people who would have had money have probably given it to youngsters to try and give them a start. Donna Alexander from Douglas in Cork city, who is in her mid-30s, feels she did everything the right way in life. However, she is struggling to pay her bills. I am angry. I am working full time. I have done everything the right way. I have gone to college. I pay my taxes. I work hard. Now I feel I am bleeding money just to survive. "It is everything. It is not just fuel. It is food, it is electricity. It is so unfair. I am sick and tired of seeing the Government basically protect the people who are doing this. Protect the organisations that are causing this instead of doing what they are elected to do which is to serve the public. Thousands of people took part in the protest over the cost-of-living crisis. Picture: Larry Cummins Donna says that keeping the house warm is going to be an impossible task this winter. It is coming down to the idea of do we heat the house only x amount of days a week? Or do we try to do without unless it gets really cold. "Do we just buy a load of candles instead of turning on the lights? It is at that point for me. Not turning on the immersion and washing in cold water in the middle of winter. I am young but there are older people where that will kill them. "I volunteer for a food waste charity where basically I collect surplus food once a week and you put the food on the app and it is collected for free. The numbers on that have shot up. It is everyone. It is people with kids. It is older people. It is single people. Gerry Miller from Patricks Hill in Cork City says he has been paying taxes since 1966 but all the money seems to be doing is propping up lame-duck governments". The only skill they have is to successfully hoodwink a couple of thousand people to vote for them. And when they go up (the chain) they pull the ladder up after them. 'Old people need their heating' Antoinette Burke, Families Unite for Services and Support, at the protest. Picture: Larry Cummins Edith Busteed, aged 23, from Turners Cross, attended the protest with her mother, Kate, who is a child care worker and says her wages are small in spite of her having a degree. My wages are ridiculous. I see my bills soaring. Old people need their heating. Vulnerable people need their heating. If you are in a situation of domestic violence, how are you supposed to leave," says Kate. "It is brilliant to see people rising up. The Government throwing a lump sum at bills isnt going to do anything. Edith, who works with ROSA, the Socialist Feminist Movement, says while prices are rising, wages are staying the same. The people who are hit the most are those who dont have a lot. We need to stand up. We cant take it anymore. There is power in the people. There are multiple problems. You have the housing crisis. People are sick of it all. Sinead Roche, UCC student union, speaking at the protest Picture: Larry Cummins Among the speakers at today's protest was Socialist Party TD for Cork North Central Mick Barry, who says that people are tired of the constant struggle to survive in this country. We refuse to go hungry or to let others go hungry. We refuse to freeze our homes this winter. We will not carry a can that is not a crisis or our making," he says. "Do the Government think that we fail to see the mass profiteering going on around us? 2m in profit a day by the ESB. Energy credits are not going to cut it. We want and demand a freeze on price increases. Other speakers included Valerie Conlon, former Debenhams shop steward who took part in the historic picket in the city when the firm closed its Irish operations; Antoinette Burke of Families Unite for Services and Support; and Sinead Roche of University College Cork student union. China express delivery volume up in Jan.- Aug. Xinhua) 09:52, September 18, 2022 BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's courier service providers reported a steady increase in express delivery volume in the first eight months of 2022, data from the State Post Bureau showed Saturday. From January to August, the country's courier companies handled a total of 70.3 billion parcels, up 4.4 percent year on year, the bureau said. Their business revenue came in at 676.44 billion yuan (about 97.6 billion U.S. dollars) during this period, rising 3.9 percent from a year ago. In August alone, the sector's revenue rose 5.2 percent year on year to 88.39 billion yuan. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) Italy could be on the verge of electing its first woman premier a prospect that delights some Italian women, but dismays others. Should opinion polls prove accurate, Giorgia Meloni and the far-right Brothers of Italy party she co-founded less than a decade ago will triumph in the September 25 election. Ms Meloni might then be asked by Italy's president to try to form a viable coalition government with right-wing allies. For many female voters, it is a question of gender versus agenda. Some worry that Ms Meloni, who exalts motherhood, might seek to erode women's rights, including abortion access. Head of the Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, delivers a speech during a rally on July 4, 2020, on Piazza del Popolo in Rome. Picture: Tiziana FABI / AFP But for her supporters, what matters is her conservative "God, homeland, and family" platform, not her gender. Brothers of Italy has roots in a neo-fascist movement that hailed the legacy of Benito Mussolini, who was known to bestow prizes on women who had many children. The party took around 4% of votes in the last election, in 2018, but according to some pollsters, it could win nearly 25% in this one. 'Going backwards' Licia Donati, as a young Communist activist in the 1960s, fought for the legalisation of divorce, which came in 1970. She also mobilised so Italian courts would recognise that wives have the same right to justice as husbands in a country where, until 1981, laws sanctioned leniency for men who had murdered women to preserve "family honour". If Ms Meloni does become Italy's first female premier, it would be "a rupture [with the past] in the sense she is a woman, but it would be going backwards in terms of the conservative women's culture", said Ms Donati, 84, a Tuscan native who lives in Rome. Giorgia Meloni during an interview in Marina di Pietrasanta. Picture: Riccardo Dalle Luche / ANSA / AFP Ms Donati said that if she could speak to the politician, she would say: "What battle did you wage for women, what did you do? Nothing." Ms Meloni, 45, is the only main party leader who did not join premier Mario Draghi's pandemic national unity government in 2021. After populist forces, including two of Ms Meloni's campaign allies, withdrew support for Mr Draghi in July, the former European Central Bank chief's coalition collapsed, prompting an early election. 'Cemeteries for aborted foetuses' Oria Gargano, whose BeFree organisation in Rome helps women who have suffered domestic violence, noted with dismay that a Brothers of Italy politician has pushed for the establishment of cemeteries where aborted foetuses can be buried, and to post the names of women who aborted, even without their permission. Recently, Ms Meloni angered women by retweeting a video of a woman being raped in a street "for the simple fact that it was an immigrant who raped her", Gargano said. Ms Meloni has derided most of the migrants overwhelmingly men who sail towards Italy's shores on smugglers' boats as freeloaders who do not deserve refugee status. She has generally refrained from pitching for women's votes simply on the basis that she is a woman. But Ms Meloni has snapped back at contentions that it would not be a victory for women if she becomes premier. "I challenge anyone to say that that would not mean breaking the glass ceiling," the Italian news agency ANSA quoted her as saying when she came to the Monza track for a Formula 1 race. I am a woman, so saying that you're not a woman if you say the things I say, frankly, makes me laugh." According to pollsters, Ms Meloni attracts slightly more male than female voters. As a young woman, senator Emma Bonino, leader of the tiny +Europe party, which is allied in the campaign with Ms Meloni's rival, Democratic Party chief Enrico Letta, pushed to make divorce and abortion legal. During this election campaign, Ms Meloni has been pressed to say whether she will uphold Italy's law legalising abortion through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or later if a woman's health or life is endangered. She insists she will respect the law, but wants it implemented in a way to provide help for women who decide to give birth. She'll be shrewd no big debate, simply 'we won't apply' [the law]," said Ms Bonino. Several political rivals have cited a shortage of medics willing to perform abortions in some parts of Italy, including the Marche region, which is governed by Ms Meloni's party. Under the 1978 law, personnel in Italy's public health system can declare themselves "conscientious objectors" to avoid performing the procedure. At Ms Meloni's first campaign rally last month in Ancona, a city in Marche, about 1,000 wildly cheering supporters far outnumbered the couple of dozen protesters, most of them women, on a side street. "You ooze hate and you don't represent me," read one protesting woman's placard. Ms Meloni, who has a young child with her male companion, decries what she calls LGBTQ "lobbies", scoffs at the concept of gender fluidity, and supports Italy's ban on adoption by single people. "Traditional" families, for her, are the bedrock of society. Reception among women Her conservative views are off-putting to some women, including Alice Riboli, from Aosta, northern Italy, who at 18 can vote for the first time. "It would be better to see a woman in politics hold a role of that kind [such as premier], but perhaps not her," said Ms Riboli. "Maybe someone with ideas a little more open, more current." But other women back Ms Meloni's agenda. Lavinia Mercante, 25, from Rome, said she backs her "as a politician, not as a woman". Ms Mercante wants to see the political right come to power. Still others are indifferent to female empowerment as a campaign theme they just want a government with staying power. Since 2018, Italy has had three different ruling, oft-squabbling coalitions, from across the political spectrum. "I think I don't care if the right or the left wins," said Caterina Bazzani, 52, a financial consultant from Agrate Brianza in northern Italy. I want a government, voted for by Italians, that will last five years and accomplish its programme." As for Ms Meloni, she says: "Some people say she should get into office because she's a woman, but I'm not thinking that way. It's enough for me that she is capable. Man or woman, it's the same to me". US President Joe Biden has visited Westminster Hall to pay his respects to the queen. Mr Biden arrived with his wife Jill at the lying in state shortly before 5pm on Sunday, ahead of his attendance at Mondays funeral. They were joined by the US ambassador to the UK, Jane Hartley. Joe Biden views the coffin (Jacob King/PA) Large crowds were gathered behind barricades near Buckingham Palace and Parliament Square Garden ready to take photos of the motorcade. Some children were sitting on their parents shoulders trying to get a view. Security was tight and road crossings were closed ahead of the visit as rumours spread through the crowd about the imminent arrival of the president and his entourage. Mr and Mrs Biden were greeted at Westminster Hall by Black Rod Sarah Clarke. (PA Graphics) Air Force One touched down at Stansted Airport just before 10pm on Saturday evening. The president had been due to meet prime minister Liz Truss on Sunday, but the talks were cancelled on Saturday. A full bilateral meeting was scheduled for Wednesday when the leaders are set to be in New York for the UN General Assembly. VMware is more relevant than ever, says CEO Raghu Raghuram. The company is positioning itself as the centre of the multicloud universe, a move it says will place it at the forefront of app development for the next decade of computing. VMware has been important and influential, there's no denying that. The ability to virtualise server hardware drove huge gains in minimising hardware footprints, miniaturising data centres, increasing uptime and reliability, providing greater recovery times, and is the backbone of what we now call cloud computing. However, at the same time, there's a risk the company's success has collapsed a major part of its reason for existence. After all, if organisations increasingly move from on-premises data centres to public clouds - and are no longer managing their own hardware and servers - this means the traditional company is no longer necessarily using VMware for that purpose. Ah, but many organisations have complicated applications and find it simpler to transition their on-premises virtual machines, or VMs, to the equivalent on cloud platforms. Thus, they still run VMs, albeit not on their own physical hardware. Well, yes, to an extent. They may move from VMware to AWS EC2s or Azure VMs instead. Or even if they do take up VMwares own VMware on Cloud product and run VMware on AWS or elsewhere, chances are they wont want to do this forever. Cloud computing isnt cheap despite the hype and running a workload 24x7 drives up the bills. The ultimate goal is to re-platform your apps to elastic, serverless resources and pay only for necessary consumption. So perhaps as we make our way through the 2020s and begin looking at the 2030s and beyond you might, fairly, think the traditional VM is on its deathbed. Well - VMware's heard all that and most definitely thought about it, and the company is not going away anytime soon. VMware's strategy for the next decade Instead, VMware's strategy is to continue providing support for legacy applications using virtual machines, while also providing a great suite of products to aid developers and operations teams in managing and deploying modern container-based applications. Sure, you could use Kubernetes yourself but VMware's Tanzu makes it easier. Tanzu literally means portable container in Japanese, and just as vSphere is the foundation of your enterprise, Tanzu is the foundation of your cloud-native architecture. Make no mistake, "Kubernetes is good news, no matter what cloud you're talking about," says VMware senior Vice President Tanzu Edward Hieatt. However, Tanzu provides architectural things above, to hide the complexities of Kubernetes. It provides the DevOps operator with a consistent interface across any cloud. Its more packaged and less do-it-yourself. Developers can write code and not even know or care which cloud it runs on. In fact, VMware's vision for the next decade of computing is for a world of modern, multi-cloud applications, with IT teams able to stand up any application on any cloud, as needed, with full control but no headaches. It will be a consistent set of tools and APIs that make the underlying cloud immaterial. This strategy is built on three components: Tanzu, of course; the DPU - a new processor emerging on server hardware; and VMware Aria, a brand new product that finds all your cloud resources and delivers insights and, importantly, manageability. Just as VMware abstracted away hardware in the past, allowing you to run Linux on Windows servers, or Windows on Linux servers, or maintain a legacy Windows NT application on modern servers, and vMotion servers from one box to another or snapshot and restore virtual hard drive images - so too it now is abstracting away the cloud, allowing the same platform-agnosticism and consistent approach and management to deploying the applications of the future. Multi-cloud "Multi-cloud is a confusing term," Hieatt says. "I used to think it meant you could run the same app on any cloud and bounce it around. And, sure, this is a part of it. But its more than this; its about your apps (say) running in a container on AWS that leverage a machine learning API on IBM Watson which draws data from Snowflake and the Google Cloud maps API. You might ask if this is a realistic scenario. Don't companies prefer to stick with one cloud? Even in my own network, I have those scoffing about multi-cloud. Yet, I've been there. I've got stories and youll have your own. My own stories of multi-cloud For example, one company I worked with was all-in on AWS. Though it had acquired another company that also used AWS, so now had multiple AWS tenancies with separate VPCs and separate identities. Even so, it still considered itself to work with a single cloud. Then it acquired another business that was an Azure shop. This acquisition had applications that stored client data in unique databases, so it had over 400 SQL Server databases using Azure SQL Server. There was talk of migrating to AWS, but only briefly. Not only was it a lot of work to migrate the application, its VMs, its networking, and other items, but AWS RDS SQL Server has a limit of up to 100 databases per RDS instance, depending on size while Azure SQL Server has no such limitation. The result is the company continues to operate on both AWS and Azure unambiguously. In another case, I worked with a company that was an exclusive AWS shop. Well, so they said. The developers loved AWS, and all their development was on AWS. Except it wasnt. Some services ran on Azure, and there was even GCP in the mix. In fact, that company had to consider its costs carefully when COVID hit. So much so that the cloud costs had to be slashed, and serious changes were considered. Could it move to Azure? At the time, Microsoft billed for Azure in Australian dollars while AWS billed in US dollars, and as such, the monthly spending fluctuated. To their frustration, as they were considering this, Microsoft announced it would now bill in US dollars, too - so there went that competitive edge it once had on local pricing. Ultimately, the business moved to a local hosting organisation, effectively turning from cloud to on-premises, even if it was somebody elses premises. Then we have sovereign cloud considerations - which can affect companies that deal with governments, not only government departments. So no matter how pure you feel your environment may be, the chances are high you already have multiple clouds in the mix or you will, and even that you might change clouds for some reason or another. Multi-cloud is here, and isn't going away, and VMware says its tooling is going to be the centre of that multi-cloud universe. Modern app development Hieatt gives a humorous example; back in the day, the big banks would send "a guy with a briefcase to the rich guys house to show his stock portfolio. Now the rich guys are 30-year-olds who dont want you to show up at their house. They just want their results on their iPad, and the big bank has to modernise to remain competitive. "We can help you become great at building an app but to do that you have to get into this way of building apps, he says - that is, a modern, containerised approach. VMware is so serious about providing a consistent experience across all clouds that it is embracing competitors implementations of Kubernetes and providing support for Red Hat OpenShift, AWS EKS, and others. The agnosticism makes it more powerful, Hieatt says. What's more, you can start for free with the Tanzu Community Edition. VMware Aria Now, Tanzu is for developers, while VMware Aria - a brand new product - delivers near real-time data on costs, operations, and automation across all your clouds. It provides unified visibility, federation across tools, unified management and end-to-end services. You can read more online and also check out a VMware lab to try it for yourself. Aria came into being to help VMware themselves solve the problem of multi-cloud management. "Multi-cloud management is a huge problem today," Raghuram said. "I see the bills for multi-cloud every day, millions of dollars on building and managing new apps. I understand deeply the challenges of building new apps on the cloud and managing to a high level of security, and resiliency. Thus was born Aria, VMware's own way of managing the platform, and driven by a core concept known as the Aria Graph. "Google first created a graph of the web, and weve done something similar - a graph of all your cloud assets, VPCs, on-premises equipment, Kubernetes clusters, and so on. We can do all sorts of security and automation using this graph we could never think of before. Its the core of our multi-cloud strategy and should be at the core of your multi-cloud strategy, he said. The future is upon us VMware is betting the farm on modern apps as the future of technology over the next decade. The company hasnt come at it half-cocked either, nor adopting any wait-and-see approach. VMware has come out fighting with the tools and resources and new hardware support to provide your company with a single platform to build, develop, spin up, tear down, consume, and manage all your cloud services with ease and with no concern for where you deploy. Just as VMware freed the data centre all that time ago from hardware dependency and increasing server hardware spend, so too VMwares strategy for the next decade can free you from reliance on any specific cloud and with that, allow you to deploy wherever it makes sense based on price and other features, and then change it whenever you need with no re-tooling or re-development. The name of the business remains VMware but it may as well now be KubernetesWare, jokes VMware vice president and managing director ANZ Brad Anderson, or even AppsEverywhere. If your business relies on a workforce that is often spread out across a location, even multiple locations, then Workforce Connect by Zebra Technologies is for you. Zebra Technologies' Workforce Connect is a fully-featured collaboration and communications tool that runs on mobile computers, providing a phone system in your pocket with full VoIP telephony. This means your workers can log in, call each other, send messages, transfer calls, have ring groups, and all the things you might expect from desk phones - but without being tethered to a desk. Workforce Connect Push-To-Talk (PTT) Pro also adds CB-like functionality. However, thats really only the start. If you're in retail, transport, logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, and similar industries no doubt youre well familiar with the idea of a handheld device for scanning barcodes. Others of us will have seen such units at retail stores, with the staff able to scan something and give pricing information or check inventory right on the ground while talking to a customer. In fact, chances are you've already seen a Zebra unit out in the wild somewhere. At heart, its truly a portable computer that aims to maximise the range of actions that can be performed in the field without having to walk back to a desktop, or carry around a large device, or leave customers alone while running off to find information. It begins with the profile manager, where staff can log in using a variety of options - even scanning the barcode on their own ID card for example - and for a rich suite of use cases. It means your staff can talk to each other despite physical location, it means they can more rapidly and easily solve problems, raise tasks - clean up in aisle five - and can spend more time with the customer. It also features duress capabilities so a worker in a difficult situation can sound the alarm, sending an alert to others with whatever rules you configure. These can go to others in your organisation, or to an external service, but work to ensure your workers are never truly alone. iTWire gave it a go for ourselves; we loved the ease of signing in, and we loved the ability to raise tasks. Now, whenever you see something that must be done you can log it right then and there. Theres no forgetting about it on your way back to the office. We enjoyed the crisp, clear voice - making calls was natural and simple, but with greater functionality than you get in your normal mobile phone app and all configured for your workforce. For instance, making a group call was simple, and signing out and in again to change our configuration based on the duty for the day was effortless. It really is an impressive and remarkable product, putting all the power of a business phone system in the hands and pockets of your workforce, along with improved collaboration, improved efficiency, enhanced customer service, and overall greater staff satisfaction in being able to resolve problems simply, keep in touch, self-service, and be confident they are safe and protected even when alone. It really is a solution that turns your team from merely transacting to enjoying meaningful interactions. Zebra also offers a range of accessories that allow simple single-button operation, earpieces, and others. See it in practice here with Zebra Technologies engineering sales manager ANZ Dan Park. See Zebra's overview here also: Imagine the possibilities for your business. When it comes time to rest your mind, what better way than turning off your digital equipment and resting in your backyard with a pizza oven? Ooni has a cult following in the USA< the UK, and Europe, and is now in Australia Ooni is not only a popular brand, but it is the only brand to have one of its home pizza ovens - the Ooni Karu 16 - approved by the True Neapolitan Pizza Association, a not-for-profit organisation in Italy that promotes and protects true Neapolitan pizza worldwide. Now, with the official launch of its local website Australians can easily purchase Ooni's range of multi-fuelled, portable, outdoor ovens. They reach a temperature of 500C in under 20 minutes and cook incredible pizzas in 60 seconds. If you, like me, recognise digital devices are taking over your life - your phone, your tablet, your watch begging for attention at all times - what could be better than settling down in your backyard (out of Wi-FI reach, hopefully) or camping with your own pizza oven and some cold drinks? Hey, take it from me - it's doctor's orders. Well, not a medical doctor, but does a PhD in Computer Science count? The Ooni brand was created in 2012 by husband and wife duo Kristian Tapaninaho and Darina Garland. Ooni general manager Australia Jeff Morrison said "were incredibly excited to finally launch in Australia. We know that Aussies have a famous love for food and the outdoors, and were coming to market at a fantastic time ahead of the summer season. We cant wait to help even more Aussies make pizza with our ovens." Founder and co-CEO Kristian Tapaninaho said Australians have much to look forward to from the brand. Ooni was founded on the simple idea that everyone deserves great pizza. From our backyard beginnings, weve gone on to sell our pizza ovens all over the world and were proud to add Australia to the list. The lineup includes Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven: Oonis signature Pizza Oven with flexible fuel options Huge cooking area to cook 16 pizzas Reaches 500C in 15 minutes Glass drop-down door and mounted thermometer More information here. Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven: A compact, powerful outdoor oven created for convenience Fits in any outdoor space Cooks a 12 pizza in just 60 seconds Perfect for camping, weighing under 10kg (9.25kg) Connects directly to your gas bottle More information here. There is also a range of accessories and recipes online to further optimise your Ooni experience. 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. The EU presidency on Saturday called for the establishment of an international tribunal for war crimes after new mass graves were found in Ukraine. "In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent," said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic which holds the European Union's rotating presidency. "We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals," he added in a message on Twitter. "I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression." The appeal follows the discovery by Ukrainian authorities of around 450 graves outside the formerly Russian-occupied city of Izyum with some of the exhumed bodies showing signs of torture. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, in his evening address, said that "new evidence of torture was obtained" from the bodies buried there. "More than 10 torture chambers have already been found in various cities and towns liberated in Kharkiv region," he added, describing the discovery of electrical implements for torture. "That's what the Nazis did. This is what Ruscists do. And they will be held accountable in the same way -- both on the battlefield and in courtrooms," he promised. "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. - 'Probably 1,000 tortured and killed' - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the mass graves likely provided more evidence that Russia is committing war crimes in its pro-Western neighbour. French President Emmanuel Macron described what had happened in Izyum as atrocities. The Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said there were "probably more than 1,000 Ukrainian citizens tortured and killed in the liberated territories of the Kharkiv region". The United Nations in Geneva has said it hopes to send a team to determine the circumstances of the deaths. The macabre discoveries came a little more than five months after the Russian army, driven out of Bucha near the capital Kyiv, left behind hundreds of corpses of civilians, many of whom had signs of torture and summary executions. On Thursday, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she wanted Russian President Vladimir Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine. In Washington, US President Joe Biden warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin against using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in the wake of serious losses in his war in Ukraine. "Don't. Don't. Don't," Biden said, in an excerpt from an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" aired Friday evening. "You would change the face of war unlike anything since World War II," Biden said. - 'Pushing them back' - On the ground, Ukrainian forces have recaptured thousands of square kilometres in recent weeks thanks to a counter-offensive in the north-east and now threaten enemy positions in the south, as the fighting and bombings continue. The Russians "are angry because our army is pushing them back in its counter-offensive," said Svitlana Shpuk, a 42-year-old worker in Kryvyi Rih, a southern town, and Zelensky's hometown, which was flooded after a dam was destroyed by Russian missiles. Synegubov said an 11-year-old girl had been killed by missile fire in the region. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of Donestk in eastern Ukraine which has been partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014, said on social media that a thermal power plant was "shelled by Russian invaders" on Saturday morning in Mykolaivka. Ukrainian firefighters were battling the blaze, he said, adding that the Russian shelling had led to interruptions to drinking water supply. "The occupiers are deliberately targeting infrastructure in the area to try to inflict as much damage as possible, primarily on the civilian population," he charged. He had earlier reported that two civilians had been killed and 11 wounded in the past 24 hours by Russian fire. - Few residents on the streets - In its daily briefing in Moscow, the Kremlin said it had carried out "high-precision" strikes against Ukrainian positions in the Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions. In the northeastern town of Kupiansk, which was recaptured last week by Ukrainian forces, clashes continued with the Russian army entrenched on the eastern side of the Oskil river. Few residents ventured out into the streets where Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers were moving about. A column of smoke rose over the east of the city, where an ammunition depot was burning. In the centre of the small town, the damaged police station stood deserted, the tattered red flag of the Russian army lying on the ground outside. The Ukrainian army in a statement said "the enemy carried out four missile strikes and 15 air strikes during the day, as well as more than 20 multiple rocket launcher strikes on civilian and military sites in Ukraine". In the relative calm of Kyiv on Saturday, hundreds of Ukrainians took part in a farewell ceremony at the national opera house for former ballet dancer and later teacher Oleksandr Shapoval. He was killed at the age of 47 in the east of the country while fighting the Russians. Shapoval was hit by mortar fire on September 12, near the town of Mayorsk in the Donetsk region. Meanwhile Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant began receiving power from the national grid once again, the UN's atomic agency (IAEA) said Saturday, after it was cut off from external power, raising the risk of an accident. The Russian-occupied plant, the largest in Europe, had been cut from the national grid since September due to shelling. bur-lpt/pvh/gw CBS CORPORATION China has increased its spending on coal amid extreme weather, domestic energy shortages and rising global fuel prices raising concerns that Beijings policies could hamper the fight against climate change. The country is the worlds largest emitter of greenhouse gases that drive global warming, and President Xi Jinping has pledged to reduce coal use from 2026 as part of a broad set of climate pledges. Beijing has committed to achieving its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Total carbon emissions in China have fallen for four consecutive quarters due to an economic slowdown, research by climate monitor Carbon Brief showed in early September. But at the same time, slowing growth has prompted authorities to rely on chimney industries to boost the economy. The push to bolster coal power which still accounts for most of Chinas energy supply has alarmed analysts, who warn it will complicate an eventual transition to a renewable-dominated energy mix. Frightened by an energy shortage last fall, Chinese authorities in the spring ordered coal producers to add 300 million tons of mining capacity this year the equivalent of an extra month of coal production for the country. According to Greenpeace, regulators approved the equivalent of half of the total coal-fired capacity approved in 2021 in the first quarter of 2022 alone. inefficiencies Authorities have also burned and mined more coal in recent weeks to meet increased air-conditioning needs and compensate for shrunken hydroelectric dams during Chinas hottest summer on record. Premier Li Keqiang in June called for release as much advanced coal capacity as possible and implement long-term coal supply. The independent Climate Action Tracker warns that even Beijings most binding climate targets would reach global warming of three to four degrees Celsius before the end of the century well above the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1, 5c To meet that goal, China would need to reduce emissions as early as possible and well before 2030 as well as cut coal and other fossil fuel use much faster than currently planned. Beijings unwillingness to move away from coal stems in part from inefficiencies in its power grid that prevent excess energy from being transported across regions. Coal and gas provide local officials with a ready-to-go source of energy and, in practice, are the only way local officials can avoid power shortages, energy researcher Lauri Myllyvirta wrote in a Carbon Brief report. Politically decisive year China has made real progress in building renewable energy capacity. Current solar capacity in the country accounts for almost half of the worlds total, according to the San Francisco-based non-governmental organization Global Energy Monitor (GEM). But unlike wind or sunlight, coal and gas stocks can be held for long periods and deployed as needed, giving local authorities a sense of security. However, building more coal plants means less focus on fixing grid issues, Myllyvirta told AFP in a comment, warning plant owners to slow down the transition as they will have an interest in using their brand new plants. At the same time, the central government wants to avoid widespread power outages that we experienced in the northeastern provinces last winter in this politically crucial year for Xi, Byford Tsang, senior policy adviser at climate think tank E3G, told AFP. President Xi is expected to win an unprecedented third term in power at a major Communist Party gathering next month. Tsang said skyrocketing international energy prices caused by Russias invasion of Ukraine also prompted Beijing to prop up domestic coal production, pointing to a 17.5 percent drop in coal imports in the first half of this year compared to the previous year. But expanding coal capacity as a quick fix contradicts immediate annual cuts in coal consumption that the UN and leading research organizations have been calling for, GEM analysts said. GEM said all of Chinas proposed new mines combined could emit up to six million tons of the greenhouse gas methane a year once operational. According to World Bank data, this roughly corresponds to Austrias annual methane emissions. The more coal China builds now, the more difficult it will be to finance and implement renewable energy projects later, Wu Jinghan, climate and energy project manager at Greenpeace East Asia, told AFP. A bus crash in southwest China killed 27 people on Sunday, police said, making it the countrys deadliest road accident so far this year. The accident happened on a highway in rural Guizhou Province when the vehicle carrying a total of 47 people tipped over on its side, Sandu County Police said in a statement released on social media. The other 20 people were being treated for injuries and emergency services were dispatched to the scene, police said, without giving further details. The accident happened in Qiannan Prefecture a poor, remote and mountainous part of Guizhou inhabited by several ethnic minorities. Two social media posts by the China Road Network monitoring service, which have since been deleted, said the accident happened around 2:40 a.m. (1840 GMT on Saturday), according to screenshots posted on the Twitter-like Weibo were spread. Social media users angrily questioned why a passenger bus was driving down a motorway in the early hours when many main roads in the province were closed to regular traffic. This feeling cannot be represented simply by lighting a candle and saying RIP, reads a Weibo post that has more than 15,000 likes. One hundred toll booths are closed in Guizhou due to Covid-19 restrictions, and long-distance passenger travel across China is banned between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Guizhou is in the midst of a Covid outbreak that has seen more than 900 new infections in the past two days alone. The provincial capital Guiyang, home to six million people, went into lockdown in early September. According to police, the bus was headed south toward Guiyang in Libo County. Unconfirmed photos shared widely on social media on Sunday showed a gold-colored passenger bus, its roof completely crumpled, being towed by a truck. Another viral photo showed the bus traveling at night before crashing, with the driver and passengers wearing white hazmat suits, which are still commonly worn in China for protection against Covid-19. AFP could not verify the photos. Traffic accidents remain fairly common in China, where erratic enforcement and lax safety standards have resulted in a string of fatalities over the years. Guizhou has also seen other transportation accidents. In June, a train driver was killed when a bullet train derailed in Guizhou province. The United Nations on Sunday called on the Taliban to reopen high schools for girls across Afghanistan, condemning the ban, which began exactly a year ago, as tragic and shameful. Weeks after the hardline Islamists seized power in August last year, they reopened high schools for boys on September 18 but banned secondary school students from attending classes. Months later, on March 23, the Ministry of Education opened secondary schools for girls, but within hours the Taliban leadership ordered them closed again. Since then, more than a million teenage girls across the country have been deprived of an education, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said. This is a tragic, shameful and totally avoidable anniversary, said Markus Potzel, acting head of UNAMA, in a statement. It is deeply damaging to a generation of girls and to the future of Afghanistan itself, he said, adding the ban has no parallel anywhere in the world. UN chief Antonio Guterres called on the Taliban to lift the ban. A year of lost knowledge and opportunity they will never get back, Guterres said on Twitter. Girls belong in school. The Taliban have to let them back in. Several Taliban officials say the ban is temporary, but they have also offered a litany of excuses for the closures from a lack of money to the time it will take to reshape the curriculum along Islamic lines. Earlier this month, Education Minister Noorullah Munir was quoted by local media as saying it was a cultural issue as many rural residents did not want their teenage daughters to go to school. Year of Disappointment- Year 12 student Kawsar, who gave a fictitious name to protect her identity, said she was frustrated that her high school had been closed for a year. Its been a dark year, a year of stress and disappointment, she said. It is our primary right to have an education. Society needs doctors and teachers, only boys cannot meet all the needs of society. Many conservative Afghan clerics within the Taliban are skeptical about modern education. Last month, authorities announced they would increase compulsory religious education at state universities, although no subjects would be eliminated from the current curriculum. Responding to the education ministers comments in local media, Kainat, a school teacher, said parents and families across Afghanistan are interested in teaching their daughters. They want their girls to achieve what they strive for, every family wants their children, including girls, to serve the nation, said Kainat, who also gave a fictional name. Its wrong to say that people in Afghanistan dont want an education for their girls. After seizing power on August 15 last year during the chaotic withdrawal of foreign forces, the Taliban promised a softer version of their tough Islamist regime in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. But within days they began imposing severe restrictions on girls and women to conform to their strict vision of Islam effectively squeezing them out of public life. Aside from closing high schools for girls, the Taliban have barred women from many government jobs and also ordered them to cover themselves in public, preferably with an all-encompassing burqa. The United Nations on Sunday called on the Taliban to reopen high schools for girls across Afghanistan, condemning the ban, which began exactly a year ago, as tragic and shameful. Weeks after the Taliban seized power in August last year, the hard-line Islamists reopened high schools for boys on September 18, 2021, but banned secondary school students from attending. Months later, on March 23, the Ministry of Education opened secondary schools for girls, but within hours the Taliban leadership ordered classes to be closed. Since then, more than a million teenage girls across the country have been denied an education, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said. This is a tragic, shameful and totally avoidable anniversary, said Markus Potzel, acting head of UNAMA, in a statement. It is deeply damaging to a generation of girls and to the future of Afghanistan itself, he said, adding the ban has no parallel anywhere in the world. UN chief Antonio Guterres called on the Taliban to lift the ban. A year of lost knowledge and opportunity they will never get back, Guterres said on Twitter. Girls belong in school. The Taliban have to let them back in. Several Taliban officials say the ban is temporary, but they have also offered a litany of excuses for the closures from a lack of money to the time it will take to reshape the curriculum along Islamic lines. Earlier this month, the education minister was quoted by local media as saying it was a cultural issue as many rural residents did not want their daughters to go to school. After seizing power on August 15 last year amid a chaotic withdrawal of foreign forces, the Taliban promised a softer version of their harsh Islamist regime that ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. But within days they began imposing severe restrictions on girls and women to conform to their strict vision of Islam effectively edging them out of public life. Aside from closing high schools for girls, the Taliban have barred women from many government jobs and also ordered them to cover themselves in public, preferably with an all-encompassing burqa. In the rapidly fading light of a rainy Antigua dawn, Mike Rose, chairman of the Royal Naval Dead Club, leads a circle of loyalists to increase their daily ration of rum and pay tribute to King Charles III. to toast For the King, God bless him, say a dozen or so people, standing in a semicircle in front of Rose as they down the spicy toddy delighted to be drinking for the first time since the death of Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month got words right and toasted her son rather than her. A mistake that is easy to make after all, this was the way to toast the Queen at 6 p.m. every evening since 1991. Weve never missed a tot, 81-year-old Rose, originally from the UK, told AFP as rain battered the roof of the waterfront Galley Bar in the tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. They carry on a tradition that began in 1655 when the British Royal Navy began giving their sailors half a pint of rum a day. Yes half a pint of rum every morning. It was almost a century before admirals began to reevaluate the wisdom of this idea. They ordered the ration to be diluted and divided into two portions. Somehow, problems with drunkenness among seafarers persisted perhaps because, as Rose points out, three parts water to one part rum is still one part rum. In 1850 it was recommended that the daily ration be abolished. That advice was ignored, but the Navy at least began reducing the ration, eventually ending up at one-eighth of an Imperial pint a tot, or 71 milliliters (2.4 ounces) per day. Black Dead Day It was not until 1969 that the admirals finally conceded in a written reply to the deputies that the rum question is no longer compatible with the high efficiency requirements of the Navy. Some sailors wore black armbands or held mock funerals at sea as they drank their last drink on July 31, 1970Black Mens Day. Rose, who served as Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy and drew his daily ration for years, remembers it well. After Black Dead Day, he admits, he continued to drink it unofficially. He served in Antigua and Barbuda, a former British colony, and stayed when he retired, drinking his tot every night. Eventually others joined in, he explains. Now members believe theyre the only such club in the world that still has its daily grog and they have it daily, through hurricanes (theyve been known to toast over FM radio), Covid (Zoom toasts ) and all the other obstacles that life in Antigua throws in their way. Members can only join while in Antigua and have passed a rigorous test, including a naval history section. Although only a handful made it to the bar the night AFP visited due to the weather, they now number about 500 people worldwide. Their loyalty was rewarded when Prince William enjoyed lunch with them in 2008 as serving officer on HMS Iron Duke. special mix The Royal Navy was Britains means of expanding colonization around the world, and Antigua and Barbudas 97,000 residents are largely descended from Africans who were enslaved by the British and taken to the Caribbean. The country became independent in 1981 but retained the Queen as head of state. Now the tiny nations prime minister wants to hold a referendum on severing that last link though it may not materialize for years and Antiguans reserve judgment for now. Rosa is skeptical. Ill actually believe it when it happens, he says. The Tot Club includes Antiguans as well as Americans, Germans and even, whispers circulate around the Galley Bar, some French. Most of the members AFP visited that evening appear to be English expatriates living and working on the island. The only thing they ask of visitors is loyalty or, in the case of non-Brits, respect for the monarchy. Queen Elizabeths death is huge, says Rose. But of course her loyalty is to the crown, not the woman. They will continue to gather nightly to toast Charles with their own blend of Antiguas prized English Harbor Rum a blend made especially for them. I think from what Ive seen over the past few days hell be fine, says Rose of the new monarch. Kim Go Eun flaunts her preppy and dainty visuals in her recent pictorial with Marie Claire Korea, and also talks about her newest Netflix hit "Little Women." She dishes out her honest thoughts on latest work, acting role and co-stars. Marie Claire Korea Highlights Kim Go Eun's '90s Chanel Visuals Kim Go Eun makes everyone swoon with her preppy looks in her recent pictorial with Marie Claire Korea! On September 17, Marie Claire Korea released exclusive photos of Kim Go Eun clad in her Chanel coordinates, reminiscent of the classic vintage looks of the luxury brand. Kim Go Eun decorates the magazine's October 2022 issue with her femininity and charisma. In the photos, the "Little Women" actress dons her Chanel tweed jacket, which is the brand's iconic style. The star exudes a warm and lovely autumn vibe that transcends time and generations. Don't miss Kim Go Eun's pictorial in the latest issue of Marie Claire Korea this October! Kim Go Eun Shares Honest Thoughts On 'Little Women' Role, More After her brief pictorial with Marie Claire Korea, Kim Go Eun sat down and talked about her new drama "Little Women." It follows the story of three destitute sisters whose lives change as they get entangled with the richest and most influential family in South Korea. When asked why she chose to appear in the series, Kim Go Eun admitted that she chose "Little Women" because of Jung Seo Kyung and Kim Hee Won, the veterans behind the production of the series. With only four episodes, "Little Women" has hooked the world with its intricate storyline and intense plot progression. According to the actress, the main reason why "Little Women" is such a hit is the chemistry between on-screen sisters Kim Go Eun, Nam Ji Hyun and Park Ji Hu. Kim Go Eun describes Oh In Joo, her character, as a rash and impulsive person. She reasons, "Despite her firmness, she's someone who acts on impulse without using her brain." Because of this, Oh In Joo sometimes makes things worse. Kim Go Eun confesses that she sometimes hates her characters due to this but because of Oh In Joo's big heart and determination, she feels like her character is a real person-alive and true. The actress then praised her co-stars Nam Ji Hyun and Park Ji Hu, saying, "Nam Ji Hyun is like a huge boat, moving calmly across the sea. She's an incredibly great person whom I love." "Park Ji Hu, like her sisters, is a bold person," Kim Go Eun stated. "I was able to act with her because of her maturity and openness to do new things." Don't miss Kim Go Eun's full interview in Marie Claire Korea's newest issue! Even more so, catch her in the new episodes of "Little Women" this weekend! "Little Women" airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 p.m. KST on tvN and Netflix! KDramaStars owns this article. Written by Elijah Mully. Park Chang Ho (Lee Jong Suk) discovers Go Mi Ho's (YoonA) illness after she stepped up and reveals Choi Do Ha's (Kim Joo Hun) involvement in the NK Chemicals in "Big Mouth" Episode 16. Will she recover? 'Big Mouth' Episode 16: Election Debate Turns Upside Down for Choi Do Ha & Park Chang Ho Choi Do Ha has all the cards to use against his opponent, Park Chang Ho. He even sabotaged the whole debate to grill Park Chang Ho. However, it became a fierce battle for both as they prepared strong evidence that could ruin their candidacy. Choi Do Ha mentioned Park Chang Ho's relation to the virtual currency fraud case. He asked if the lawyer will withdraw his candidacy if he is proven guilty of it. The lawyer answered it bravely and said that he would take responsibility and step back. In his attack, Park Chang Ho discussed the NR Forum and its newfound formula NF9. As a supporting document, he presented the news article published in 1992, which said that Jo Hae Soo, the developer of NF9, committed suicide. Go Mi Ho Reveals Herself as Victim of NK Chemicals Meanwhile, Go Mi Ho, Jerry (Kwak Dong Yeon), Chairman Yang (Song Kyung Cheol), and his people went to the fish farm. They discovered that the wastewater from the underground water chemical part was generated during the NF9 purification process, and a lot of radioactive material was mixed. After collecting all the evidence at the fish farm, Go Mi Ho and Jerry headed to the broadcasting station. They sent a video containing the testimony of the fish farm owner to Kim Soon Tae (Oh Eui Sik). Go Mi Ho arrived and participated as a citizen representative. Go Mi Ho then revealed all about the illegal work that Choi Do Ha did. This time, Park Chang Ho found out that his wife was diagnosed with acute lymphoma. Everyone was shocked by Go Mi Ho's revelation. This also caused Choi Do Ha to be investigated in court. Though Choi Do Ha won the election, his wife Joo Hee (Ok Ja Yeon) couldn't remain silent about her husband. She sent his burner phone to Go Mi Ho to use it against him. However, on the day of the trial, she didn't show up to testify against her husband, which made Choi Do Ha win the case. Go Mi Ho Dies While Park Chang Ho Hailed as New Big Mouse Go Mi Ho collapsed after the trial and was rushed to the hospital. Park Chang Ho stayed by her side until she woke up. Unfortunately, minutes later after their bittersweet conversation, Go Mi Ho passed on. Park Chang Ho, on the other hand, went to Choi Do Ha and watched him die after consuming the NF9 chemical that was placed in the pool. miho: i love you chango chango: i love you too, miho. he held her gently as she closed her eyes and miho just died in front of him #BigMouth #BigMouthEp16 #LeeJongSuk #YoonA pic.twitter.com/yiEXw8Qtp3 (@warmsukkie) September 17, 2022 He rescued Hyun Joo Hee, who was imprisoned by Choi Do Ha and was able to prove the correlation between NF9 and Gucheon cancer patients through Seo Jae Young's papers. The VIPs were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Gong Ji Hoon (Yang Kyung Won) took office as the CEO, and Park Chang Ho anonymously donated a large amount of money to the orphanage and nursing homes of Gucheon City. Park Chang Ho then became the new Big Mouse and recalled what Go Mi Ho wanted him to be. "I want you to become a good Big Mouse. A kind and righteous Big Mouse." IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Hate Kim Joo Hun? 'Big Mouth' Villain Has People Cracking Up With His Reaction To Angered Viewers Were you satisfied by "Big Mouth" Episode 16? Tell us your thoughts in the replies/comments! For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity updates, follow KDramastars on Twitter and Facebook. KDramastars owns this article. Shai Collins wrote this. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form The War at Home, a brand new TV documentary which captures the Irish response to the crisis in Ukraine is set to air on RTE One and RTE Player, Monday 19th September at 9.35pm. This moving, inspiring and engaging documentary offers a human insight into the first-hand experiences of those who have been displaced, the continuing generosity of the Irish people and the challenges that lie ahead. It also follows the experiences of Ukrainians forced to travel to Ireland, as they and the already established Ukrainian community here watch the destruction of their motherland unfold from a distance of 3,000km. The documentary charts this period of turmoil from the invasion back in February to the continuing crisis which has seen over 40,000 refugees enter the country, and follows nine Ukrainian and Irish individuals who each share their remarkable stories and experiences. Some of the interviewees include Grace Kennedy, a law tutor at the University of Galway, who left her job at the beginning of the war and has since raised over 70,000 and organised aid, transport and support. To date, she has brought over 5,000 Ukrainians to Ireland safely and into homes with the help of bus driver Aidan Geraghty from Roscommon. A number of the refugees who Grace and Aidan helped to bring home also share their experiences of arriving and settling into new homes in Ireland. Luba Healy, a Ukrainian woman living in Trim who drove over 3,000km from Meath to Ukraine after finally persuading her 99-year-old grandmother and 70-year-old mother to leave the war-torn country for safety shares their emotional story. Anatoliy Prymakov, a Ukrainian-Irish man describes putting his life on hold to run the Ukrainian Crisis Centre in Dublin, while Kildare-based volunteer Rose Marie Hayden gave up her job as a solicitor to volunteer with the Irish Red Cross in Maynooth university, where Ukrainian refugees are being housed. Anton Krasun, a Ukrainian living in Dublin, talks about his role in the development of the Call Russia' initiative, an international campaign that urges Russian speakers to help change Putins narrative by cold calling 40 million Russians with information about the war in Ukraine. The War at Home will air on Monday 19th September at 9.35pm on RTE One and RTE Player. An Oak Grove HS student also died from a fentanyl overdose at the beginning of the school year, and now three student overdoses were reported this week. By Kim Hyun-bin Hyundai Motor Group is striving to win support in Africa for Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030. Kia CEO Song Ho-sung departed for Africa as a special envoy for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to host the Expo, Sunday. According to the company, Song will visit South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe for six days through Sept. 23. Song is the first businessman to be dispatched overseas as the minister of foreign affairs' special envoy for Busan's bid to host the Expo. Africa has 45 member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which is the second largest following Europe with 48 members. "Africa has the second largest number of members of the international organization on the Expo after Europe, so this visit is very meaningful," a Hyundai Motor Group official said. Song will visit Johannesburg and Pretoria, the administrative capital, of South Africa, Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, and Harare, the capital of the Republic of Zimbabwe, to meet with high-ranking government officials and key figures from ministries related to foreign affairs and trade. At those meetings, he plans to explain Busan's competitiveness and future vision and seek support for the southern port city's bid. He plans to emphasize that Korea is the best country to support the growth of African countries by sharing the case of the country's transition from an economic aid recipient to a donor nation. The CEO will also seek future cooperation between these countries and Hyundai Motor Group. Hyundai Motor Group has been operating "Green Light Project," a social contribution project in Africa since 2012, and there will be discussions on the possibility of various social contribution projects in the future. In addition, Song plans to exchange opinions on the supply and charging of electric vehicles (EV) in Africa. Last month, Hyundai Motor Group formed the "Busan Expo Promotion Support TF team," the first among large domestic companies to do so. Song, who leads the TF, has served as the head of Kia's European operations and global business management headquarters. In July, Hyundai Motor Group invited high-ranking ministers and vice ministers from 10 major Latin American countries to "Hyundai Motor Studio Busan" in support of the Expo bid. slide 2 of 6 Red Velvet Seulgi is returning home from New York, USA after finishing overseas schedule through Incheon International Airport on the 15th. Sunmi's backup dancer Cha Hyunseung revealed that he can't date anyone because of the female idol. Keep on reading to know his reason. Sunmi's Backup Dancer Cha Hyunseung Says He Can't Date Anyone Because of Her On Sept. 16, Episode 9 of "Show!terview with Sunmi" was released and Sunmi's popular backup dancer Cha Hyunseung was the guest. Cha Hyunseung first went viral back in 2018 when he was performing Sunmi's "24 Hours" alongside the female idol at the Waterbom Festival. Because of this, he became known as "Sunmi's tan backup dancer." The two were even rumored to be more than friends because of their chemistry on stage at that time. Hyunseung went on to gain more fans when he appeared on Netflix's famous reality dating show "Single's Inferno." In the new episode of "Show!terview with Sunmi," Sunmi and Cha Hyunseung talked about an array of topics, from their viral "24 hours" fancam, shocking DMs he received, their true feelings for each other, and more. At one point, their dating rumor was brought up. Sunmi said, "There used to be a rumor saying that you and I are dating." But that's not the only rumor. Cha Hyunseung shared that people often make other assumptions about him. He stated, "There's another rumor... You know, our choreography is kind of explicit." READ MORE: Sunmi Draws Attention for Latest Appearance Following Attitude Controversy He then detailed that people thought since their choreography is so intimate, there's no way that he and Sunmi wouldn't catch feelings for each other- unless he isn't straight. So, sometimes, he gets mistaken as gay. "[They say], 'Considering they've been doing that for years, they must be together. Otherwise, he must not be straight,'" the backup dancer stated. Cha Hyunseung went on to point out the irony that while Sunmi encourages him to date someone, his relationship with her is actually the reason he can't. So, the female idol is "one of the reasons" he's having a hard time looking for an actual significant other. "As much as she always tells me to see someone, one of the reasons that I can't see someone is you," he revealed. Sunmi was naturally shocked after hearing what he said and quickly asked, "Are you blaming me?" She then asked him if he had ever considered her as more than just a friend. Sunmi asked, "Then let me ask you a question... While there's the rumor, have you ever taken me as more than just a friend?" Before the idol can even finish the question, Cha Hyunseung immediately responded, "Never." Out of shock, Sunmi stood up from her seat and adorably complained, "Hey! Wait! How could you answer this quickly? How can you answer it even before I finish the question?" Sunmi asked once more, "Not even once?" Hyunseung then explained that he sees the female idol as a "spoiled, mischievous little sister." Do you think Sunmi and Cha Hyunseung look like a brother-sister or a couple? Share your thoughts in the comment box below! Sunmi to Perform at KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia In other news, Sunmi will participate at the upcoming KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia. This is the first time that the convention will take place in the country. Sunmi is scheduled to perform on Day 1 of the event on Sept. 30 local time. For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns this article Written by Maria Scott On September 17 KST, the Korean Business Research Institute announced the brand reputation rankings for boy group members for the month of September this year. Curious if your bias made the list? From BTS Jimin to ASTRO Cha Eun Woo, keep reading to know the full list of the most popular boy group members for September 2022! BTS Jimin Remains Most Popular Boy Group Member for 44th Month in September 2022 Once again remaining at the top spot for his 44th non-consecutive month as the most popular boy group member is BTS' frontman Jimin! For the month of September, Jimin continues to remain at No. 1 after amassing a total brand reputation index of 5,365,458 according to the Korean Business Research Institute. His total index includes a participation index of 600,562, a media index of 566,973, a communication index of 2,391,260, and a community index of 1,806,663. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS Jimin Solo Debut Coming Soon? Idol Sparks Anticipation With This Post Just like the previous month, the "With You" hitmaker's brand reputation index for this month saw a decrease of 10.72 percent, as compared to his index of 6,009,493 back in August. When it comes to Jimin's related terms, his highest-ranking terms include "congratulate," "approve of," and "record." While his highest-ranking for keyword analysis are "With You," "ARMY," and "hanbok." For his positive-negative ratio, Jimin has a positive ratio analyzed to be 87.69 percent. ASTRO Cha Eun Woo and Kang Daniel Take Top 3 Most Popular Boy Group Members in September 2022 Following behind Jimin once again is ASTRO member Cha Eun Woo, who stays as the second most popular boy group member for August for another month. According to the Korean Business Research Institute, the ASTRO member's brand reputation index totals 4,539,716, along with a participation index of 1,280,648, a media index of 858,329, a communication index of 804,547, and a community index of 1,596,191. Compared to his brand reputation index of 4,934,171 in August, his index also marked a 7.99 percent decrease this month. And lastly, rising several spots to become the third most popular boy group member is former Wanna One member Kang Daniel. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Kang Daniel Proves He's Perfect Fit As 'Street Man Fighter' Host Due To THIS This month, Kang Daniel's brand reputation index is 4,097,956, with a participation index of 1,413,624, a media index of 758,526, a communication index of 742,909, and a community index of 1,182,897. Kang Daniel's index marked a 126.13 percent rise compared to his brand reputation index of 1,812,228 in August. Top 30 Most Popular Boy Group Members in September 2022 1. BTS Jimin 2. ASTRO Cha Eun Woo 3. Kang Daniel 4. BTS Jungkook 5. BTS Jin 6. BIGBANG G-Dragon 7. BTS V 8. Ong Seongwu 9. WINNER Seungyoon 10. Kim Jaehwan 11. WINNER Song Mino 12. Hwang Minhyun 13. BTS Suga 14. Ha Sungwoon 15. SHINee Key 16. Super Junior Heechul 17. BTS RM 18. BTS J-Hope 19. Park Jihoon 20. SHINee Minho 21. Super Junior Kyuhyun 22. WINNER Jinwoo 23. THE BOYZ Hyunjae 24. SEVENTEEN Mingyu 25. Yoon Jisung 26. NCT Jaehyun 27. MONSTA X Hyungwon 28. SEVENTEEN Wonwoo 29. 2PM Junho 30. SEVENTEEN Jeonghan For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz. KpopStarz owns this article. Written by Robyn Joan Korba, Sep 18: Two senior citizens were killed in separate incidents of elephant attacks in Chhattisgarh's Surajpur district on Sunday, forest officials said. The incidents took place in Premnagar forest range, where a herd of 12 elephants has been roaming around since last week, they said. The first incident took place around 12.30 am near Abhaypur village, where one of the victims Manbodh God (70) and another villager were having dinner after performing rituals at a temple in the forest, said Sanjay Yadav, divisional forest officer of Surajpur forest division. Wild Elephant With Mouth Injury Dies Near Tamil Nadu-Kerala Border On seeing the herd, the villager managed to escape but one of the elephants caught hold of Manbodh and trampled him to death, he said, adding that villagers had been warned against venturing into the forest. Similarly, Raimati God (70) was attacked by the same herd while she was asleep in her hut in Janardanpur village. She died on the spot, he said. Tamil Nadu: Female Elephant, Newborn Calf Found Dead in Tea Estate Near Valparai; Autopsy Says Complication During Delivery Cause of Deaths Forest officials rushed to the scene of the incidents and sent the bodies for post-mortem, the official said. A team of forest personnel has been tracking the movement of the herd, and villagers have been alerted, he said. Family members of each of the victims were given an immediate aid of Rs 25,000, while the remaining compensation of Rs 5.75 lakh each will be given after the completion of formalities, officials said. Human-elephant conflicts in the state, particularly in the northern part, has been a major cause of concern for the last one decade. The menace has been to districts in the central region in the last few years. The districts facing the menace include Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, Surajpur, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Gariaband, Balod, Balrampur and Kanker. According to the forest department, more than 210 people were killed in elephant attacks in the state in the last three years. Srinagar, Sep 18 (PTI) Clerics arrested under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) kept instigating the youth despite several warnings, Kashmir Additional Director General of Police Vijay Kumar said on Sunday. "We had ample evidence and that is why we had called them several times and tried to convince them not to instigate the youth, the people. When they did not stop, they were booked under the PSA," Kumar told reporters in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. Also Read | Bhopal Shocker: Minor Girl on Bicycle Dragged Inside Auto, Molested in Broad Daylight in Ratibad; One Arrested. In the last few days, about half a dozen people, including clerics, have been booked and arrested here under PSA, which the ADGP termed the last resort for the police. He said the evidence against them can be shared with the media "if need be". Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Upset Over Barking, Man Kills Dog by Shooting in Bengaluru's Madagondanahalli, Case Registered. Asked if there were more clerics on the radar, the officer said the police have evidence against others and will act accordingly. "We have several instruments other than the PSA. We call them up (clerics) and try to make them understand. If they do not understand, then we act... PSA is the last resort," he said. Kumar also claimed there are reports against the banned Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) that it is carrying out activities secretly. "Maintenance of law and order is not just the responsibility of the police, but everyone, be it civilians, forces or the media. This year, law and order was maintained very well, tourists came, the internet wasn't shut down, the markets, schools and colleges were not shut. Who benefited from it? It is the society that benefits. We have to maintain this atmosphere," he said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Sep 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court is scheduled to deliver on Monday its verdict on a suo motu plea on framing of guidelines on how and when potential mitigating circumstances be considered by courts during trial in cases which entail the death penalty as the maximum punishment. A death sentence is irreversible and every opportunity should be given to the accused for consideration of mitigating circumstances so that the court concludes that capital punishment is not warranted, a bench headed by Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit had observed while reserving its verdict on August 17. Also Read | Tamil Nadu Shocker: Woman Complains of Sexual Abuse by Her Father; Parents and Uncle Held. The top court, on its own, had taken note of the issue saying that there was an urgent need to ensure that the mitigating circumstances for conviction of offences that carry the possibility of a death sentence are considered at the trial stage. The case was titled as Framing Guidelines Regarding Potential Mitigating Circumstances to be Considered While Imposing Death Sentences. Also Read | Gurugram Shocker: Couple Die by Suicide by Consuming Poisonous Substance After Dispute Over Milk. It had said for an offence carrying capital punishment, the state must, at an appropriate stage, produce material that is preferably collected beforehand, before the Sessions Court disclosing the psychiatric and psychological evaluation of the accused. The bench had said currently, the crime and its nature, whether it falls under the rarest of rare category, are discussed and the criminal and the mitigating circumstances favouring him are only dealt with at the time of sentencing. In criminal law, mitigating circumstances are factors that help lessen the guilt of an offender and encourage the judge to be more lenient with the sentencing. Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, assisting the bench as an amicus curiae (friend of court), had submitted that mitigating circumstances are to be framed as per the earlier orders of the apex court. Attorney General K K Venugopal, who was also assisting the bench, said that the task to consider mitigating circumstances against the award of death penalty can be left to the high courts which, in any case, have to approve the capital punishment. The bench said that it would deprive the lower court judge an opportunity to have a look at the mitigating circumstances favouring the accused. The suo motu case has been registered to examine and institutionalise the process involved in collection of data and information to decide award of death penalty. The matter had arisen from a plea of a man named Irfan challenging the death penalty imposed on him by the trial court and confirmed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The bench, earlier, had decided to examine how courts dealing with a death sentence case can procure a comprehensive analysis about the accused and the crime, especially the mitigating circumstances so that the judicial officer concerned can decide whether the death sentence needs to be awarded. Prior to this, an application was filed by 'Project 39A of the National Law University, Delhi, an anti-death penalty body, seeking the nod for an investigator who would collect mitigating information in favour of the accused to argue on the sentencing. (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 18 (PTI) Kishan Lal, who lived in Tughlaqabad area of Delhi, was stabbed to death on a cold February night in 1997 and the killer was untraceable. Lal, who worked odd jobs, had left behind his wife Sunita, who was pregnant with their first child at the time. Also Read | Tamil Nadu: Shopkeeper in Tenkasi Arrested for Refusing to Sell Candies to Scheduled Caste Children. Litigation started in the death case and the Patiala House Court declared absconding suspect Ramu, a daily-wage earner, as a proclaimed offender. He lived in the same neighbourhood as Lal. His case file from the pre-digital era continued to bite dust for over two decades until a team of the Delhi Police's North District which is trained to handle old cases laid its hands on it in August 2021. Also Read | Influenza Spread in Puducherry: Classes for Students From 1 to 8 Shut in Union Territory Till September 25. A year later, Sunita got a call from the Delhi Police and was asked to reach Lucknow immediately. The Delhi Police had caught hold of a 50-year-old man, whom they believed was her husband's killer. They wanted her to confirm the identity of the suspect. Sunita, who was accompanied by her son Sunny (24), confirmed to the police that the man was Ramu before she fainted. The woman had lost all hopes of getting justice and even closed doors on our police team that reached out to her last year when they started working on this old case. But it was understandable on her part since a lot of time had lapsed, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North District) Sagar Singh Kalsi told PTI. The officer heaped praise on the four-member team for cracking the quarter-century old case, noting that it had no eyewitnesses of the murder, no photographs of the accused or clue of his whereabouts. The team had sub-inspector Yogender Singh, head-constables Puneet Malik and Omprakash Dagar under Inspector Surrender Singh with Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) Dharmender Kumar as their guide, Kalsi said. It was pretty much a wild goose chase for the team where they were hoping to get one substantial clue for several months. During the period, the team went undercover on several occasions for investigation within Delhi and in Uttar Pradesh, the DCP said. The team posed as life insurance agents when it went to Uttam Nagar in Delhi, where they had traced a relative of Ramu on pretext of helping them with money for their deceased kin, Kalsi said. The team also managed to reach Khanpur village in district Farrukhabad of Uttar Pradesh under the same guise when it met relatives of Ramu, he said. It was in Farrukhabad that the police chanced upon a mobile number belonging to Aakash, the son of Ramu. Further efforts led the police team to a Facebook account of Aakash through which he was traced in Lucknow's Kapurthala area, the officer said. The police met Aakash and enquired the whereabouts of his father Ramu, who now lived under the name of Ashok Yadav. He told the team that he has not met his father in a long time and only knows he now runs an e-rickshaw for a living in the Jankipuram area of Lucknow. This happened recently and the case that was progressing slowly for almost a year suddenly caught pace. The police team, which was undercover, suspected that the information that someone has been inquiring about him might reach Ramu and he may again go into hiding, DCP Kalsi said. Hot on the killer's pursuit, the police team opted for the guise of agents of an e-rickshaw company and contacted several drivers in the Jankipuram area.They interacted with them on the pretext of providing them subsidies on new e-rickshaw under a central government initiative. During one such interaction, an e-rickshaw driver led them to Ashok Yadav (Ramu), who was staying near a railway station on September 14. He was apprehended for questioning; he first denied being Ramu or having ever lived in Delhi, the officer said. The police team had contacted the relatives of Ramu in Farrukhabad to ascertain his identity and also called Sunita from Delhi to confirm if the man indeed was her husband's killer. Finally when his identity was confirmed, Ramu (50) also confessed that he had hatched Lal's killing for money from a committee (a chit-fund type system among a small group of people) in February 1997. He had arranged for a party on February 4, where he got Kishan Lal sloshed before stabbing him with a knife and fleeing away with the money, hiding at different locations before settling down in Lucknow, according to officials. While in hiding, Ramu got identification cards, including Aadhar, made under his new but false identity as Ashok Yadav, Kalsi said. Now the legal proceedings in the 25-year-old case of murder are further being carried out at the Timarpur police station here, the officer 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 18 (PTI) A team of officers from the Election Commission visited Ahmedabad to take stock of the preparedness for the upcoming assembly elections in Gujarat. The tenure of the Gujarat Assembly will end on February 23, 2023 and the poll authority can hold elections anytime within six months of the expiry of the five-year term of any House. Also Read | Delhi Male Escort Job Scam: Four Held for Duping People by Offering Handsome Salary for 'Gigolo' Service. A nine-member team from the Election Commission was on a three-day visit to Ahmedabad beginning Friday. The ECI team along with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gujarat P Bharathi held a review meeting on election preparedness with District Election Officers, District Superintendents of Police and Commissioner of Police on September 17 and 18, a statement issued by the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer said. Also Read | Tamil Nadu Shocker: Woman Complains of Sexual Abuse by Her Father; Parents and Uncle Held. It said all key thematic issues covering electoral roll and special summary revision (SSR), EVM/VVPAT, polling stations, assured minimum facilities at polling stations, manpower, transportation, law and order, security, SVEEP, training and capacity building were discussed in detail. The officials also took feedback from the districts in respect of all the important issues to ensure smooth conduct of forthcoming elections. The Election Commission officials also held detailed discussions with nodal officers and representatives from various enforcement agencies, including Income Tax, Excise, CBIC, Reserve Bank of India, Department of Revenue Intelligence, Narcotics Control Bureau, Railway Protection Force, Department of Post, Bureau of Civil Aviation & Security, Airport Authority of India, and Enforcement Directorate. A meeting was also held with secretaries from various state government departments, including Home, School Education, Power, Telecommunications, Roads & Transport, Health & Family Welfare, Excise and Revenue. Later, a meeting was also held with the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to discuss various issues related to forthcoming elections and feedback received from CEO, State Police Nodal Officer, DEOs, SPs and enforcement agencies for smooth conduct of forthcoming elections in the state. The EC team comprised of Senior Deputy Election Commissioners Dharmendra Sharma and Nitesh Vyas, Deputy Election Commissioner Hridesh Kumar, Senior Principal Secretary N N Butolia, Directors Yashvendra Singh and Deepali Masirkar, Principal Secretary S B Joshi, Deputy Secretary Shubhra Saxena and Joint Director Anuj Chandak. BJP has been in power in the state since 1998 and the main opposition Congress came close to defeating it in the previous assembly elections in 2017. However, over the past five years, several Congress leaders have quit the party to join the BJP and the AAP appears to have stolen the march in campaigning for the upcoming elections, seeking to expand its presence in the country. (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 18 (PTI) After the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced a raft of pre-poll promises in Gujarat, the big question is whether the ruling BJP, too, will follow suit with its own set of sops to woo voters and retain grip on power. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Wife of Former Army Officer in Aligarh Reports Rape by Step-Uncles After 28 Years. According to political analysts, parties are making big promises because they are not giving anything from their own pockets and these measures are eventually funded from taxpayers' money. Also Read | Yogi Adityanath Govt in Uttar Pradesh Transferred 14 IAS Officers, 10 Districts Get New Chiefs. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has so far taken the stand that it was not in the race of giving freebies to people and warned voters to be wary of the AAP's promises. The AAP is a relatively new entrant in Gujarat's electoral politics and its entire campaign is rooted in making promises to a wide range of voters in a bid to upstage the BJP and put up a robust performance in the year-end Assembly polls. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal has anchored his party's campaign around a slew of sops like 300 units of free electricity per month, free education in government schools, unemployment dole, Rs 1,000 allowance to women and monthly stipend to new lawyers, among others. In fact, Kejriwal has been making at least one new guarantee to voters every time he visits Gujarat. In an attempt to checkmate the AAP, the Congress has come out with its own list of pre-poll promises to attract electors and end its long stint in the Opposition. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, addressing a rally during his visit to the state a few days ago, promised that his party will give to people all the freebies offered by the AAP so far. Besides, he also promised to provide LPG cylinder at Rs 500 (instead of around Rs 1,000 now), compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of COVID-19 victims and loan waiver of up to Rs 3 lakh to farmers. Now, all eyes are on the BJP and big question is whether the saffron outfit, in power in Gujarat for more than two decades, too, will join the race of promising freebies to win over voters or chart a different course. Gujarat voters, spoilt for choice, are eagerly waiting to see what the BJP will offer them. We have got a choice this time for giving our votes to whoever promises more. The final choice will become difficult due to promises and counter-promises by parties, says Komal Chidwani, an Ahmedabad resident, and wonders what the BJP will offer. She will have to wait till the BJP releases its manifesto. All parties have been extending the carrot of freebies. The BJP has done this in the past. Parties are not giving anything from their own pockets so it is easy for them to make big promises, political analyst Hari Desai said. He maintained the BJP and the Congress have a history of making promises to voters to win their support. The BJP says they are giving free (COVID-19) vaccine, free ration to the poor. They did it from taxpayers' money. The Congress, when it was in power, waived farm loans and gave many other freebies, he said. Look at the position of the Punjab government under the AAP which started the race of announcing freebies in Gujarat. They are not able to give salaries of government employees (in Punjab) on time, Desai said. Desai advised voters to be careful and not to get fooled by pre-poll promises of political parties. Our parties do not believe in building robust economies in states and at the national level. These freebies are funded from taxpayers' money. The thing is all political parties are trying to fool people and they expect to win votes in return, he said. The BJP has so far maintained it was not in the race of giving freebies to people and also advised voters to be wary of the Kejriwal-led party. Promises by a visitor (Kejriwal) to Gujarat are like Chinese products. How long they will last is a question mark, state BJP president C R Patil has said in the past. The BJP, seeking a fresh term in office and to maintain its iron grip on Gujarat, said its welfare measures are based on prevailing situation. We are not in the race of declaring freebies. We look at the situation and do our bit. Like during the pandemic it was required to provide free vaccines and we did it. It was required to provide free ration (to the poor), so we did it for 800 million people (nationwide) for almost two years, said state BJP spokesperson Yamal Vyas. He said the AAP and the Congress are not going to come to power despite their long list of pre-poll promises to voters. Both the Congress and the AAP are not going to come to power in the state so they are making extravagant promises. They do not have to give anything from their pockets, it is people's money in form of taxes, that they are promising to give free to people which is bad economics, Vyas said. The AAP has said the Congress should first implement the promises it has made to voters in Gujarat in states where it is in power. Rahul Gandhi made a lot of promises in Gujarat when he came here last Monday. The Congress should first implement all the promises made in Gujarat in states that they are ruling at present, state AAP spokesperson Kaileshdan Gadhvi said. The AAP has fulfilled all the promises that we have made in Delhi and Punjab (states ruled by the party), he said. The Congress, countering the AAP, said whatever sops the party has promised in Gujarat, like farm loan waiver of up to Rs 3 lakh, have been implemented in the past in states ruled by it. A scheme offering free medical treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh to people is already operational in Rajasthan, the party said. The AAP is a B team of the BJP. The BJP knows they are not going to win Gujarat this time and that is the reason they have brought in the AAP here," state Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said. Both of them have failed in handling the COVID-19 crisis in Gujarat and Delhi, respectively. Education system is pathetic in Gujarat and Delhi. But the AAP is not going to make any mark in these elections, he said. During his frequent visits to Gujarat in the last few months, Kejriwal has announced a set of what he calls pre-poll guarantees. These include free electricity up to 300 units per month, unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000, ten lakh government jobs, free and quality healthcare to all and free education in state-run schools and Rs 1,000 allowance for women if the AAP comes to power in Gujarat. He has also promised farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh and day-time electricity for irrigation to cultivators. Not to be left behind, the Congress has matched these AAP promises and added more sops to the list like providing LPG cylinder at Rs 500 and Rs 4 lakh compensation to the kin of those who died due to COVID-19. (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 18 (PTI) Industrial establishments not giving first priority to Kannadigas in jobs, as prescribed, will not be eligible for rebates, tax exemptions and incentives from the state as the Karnataka government moots wide-ranging measures for comprehensive development and promotion of Kannada at different levels. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Wife of Former Army Officer in Aligarh Reports Rape by Step-Uncles After 28 Years. Activists have been demanding for many years now a legal framework providing teeth to existing rules and regulations aimed at giving primacy to Kannada language in Karnataka, and to make it "legally mandatory". In a major move to fulfill this long standing demand, the Karnataka government is slated to introduce a bill during the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature this week. Making an announcement in this regard, amid protests and anger in some quarters against observing 'Hindi Diwas', Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on September 14 had said that for the first time a legal framework is being given in the state, making Kannada mandatory, aimed at protecting the language and its users, and also to grow it further. Also Read | Yogi Adityanath Govt in Uttar Pradesh Transferred 14 IAS Officers, 10 Districts Get New Chiefs. The 'Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill', in addition to defining "Who is a Kannadiga", has penal provisions for violations of rules. To enforce Kannada as official language, the bill proposes the Directorate of Kannada and Culture to function as a "Language Enforcement Directorate'', with committees at the State, district, and taluk levels. The State committee will have the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) Chairman and the Chief Secretary, among others. The first draft of the bill was prepared by the KDA. However, the Karnataka Law Commission headed by Justice S R Bannurmath after holding discussions with officials and KDA Chairman, has prepared a new draft of the 'Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill, 2022'. Speaking to PTI, KDA Chairman T S Nagabarana said, this bill is important as it will give statutory backing to implement the primacy of Kannada language, provide support to disseminate the language, and will give strength to Kannadigas. "Orders regarding Kannada- in education, employment and implementation- are distributed among various departments, and whenever KDA was to implement those orders it had to write to departments concerned, leading to lots of issues, and there were no clear laws or the strength of law, but this bill gives that," he said. Noting that the bill brings all things with regards to Kannada language like education and development of future software programmes in Kannada and jobs to Kannadigas under one roof so that it can be monitored by KDA, he said, "there was only disciplinary action for violations so far, but now there is provision for penalty and filing an appeal in the court, by bringing in penalty clause." According to the draft bill, it is aimed at comprehensive development of Kannada language and providing better opportunities for Kannadigas in education and jobs. It defines Kannadiga as any person who must have lived in Karnataka for 15 years with knowledge of Kannada language. He or she must also possess any one of the following: a school certificate showing that Kannada was a subject. The draft bill calls for usage of Kannada as the official language for presentation of all Bills in the legislature, for Ordinances to be promulgated by the Governor, for all orders of the government and its organisations, industries, and cooperative societies. It also proposes for: translation of all legislation that came into existence in English (before this bill becoming a law) into Kannada, translation of all official notifications, and usage of Kannada in all official and administrative transactions and letters. The draft bill mandates teaching of "functional Kannada language" to higher, technical, and professional education students, who have not learnt Kannada as a language till SSLC (class 10), and "cultural Kannada language" to students who have learnt Kannada. It also provides for reservation to students who have studied in Kannada medium from class 1 to 10 in higher, technical, and professional education. Also passing in Kannada as first or second language in class 10 is a must along with other specified qualifications for a government job, or else one will have to take an equivalent Kannada test organised by the state public service commission. The draft bill states lower courts, state tribunals and quasi judicial bodies should transact proceedings and issue orders in Kannada, but provides some provisions for usage of English language. While mandating Kannada in programme brochures, banners of government and its funded organisations, the draft bill says, it will have to be the main language in all name boards too. It also says workshops should be held to teach Kannada to non-Kannada speakers in industrial establishments, state or central government offices with more than 100 employees. Noting that that first priority should be to Kannadigas in industrial establishments as prescribed in the state's industrial policy, it further says, if this is not followed they will not be eligible for rebates, tax exemptions and incentives from the state. The draft bill makes it clear that any lapse or negligence on part of an officer to implement the official language will be considered as dereliction of duty and will be subjected to disciplinary action. If any shopkeeper or commercial establishment is involved in any violation like showing disregard for giving primacy to Kannada in name boards he will be subjected to a penalty of upto Rs 5,000 for the first offence and upto Rs 10,000 for the second offence. Later, offender is liable for a fine upto Rs 20,000, after issuing notice, besides there is also provision for cancellation of licence. Asserting that Kannada is supreme in the State, CM Bommai has said that this is for the first time a legislation is being made to make Kannada compulsory in the state, with a legal backing. "Till now there had been only slogans- Kannada is compulsory. There were several committees and authorities for it, but there was no legal framework. For the first time, we are bringing in a law which will protect Kannada language, Kannada people," he has said, adding that to increase the usage of Kannada, it will be emphasised that people of other languages living in the state, learn Kannada. This move by the ruling BJP is also being seen in some opposition leaders from a political prism, as they feel that it is aimed at derailing the narrative that the party is keen on promoting only Hindi, ahead of assembly polls in the state next year. In response to a question, Nagabharana, who is a noted film director and recipient of national awards, said the bill has been prepared keeping Kerala's Malayalam Language (Dissemination and Enrichment) Act, as a reference. "Actually Karnataka was the first to make orders with respect to Kannada language, we have about 160 orders.. we also have Kannada Language Learning Act, Karnataka Official Language Act and Karnataka Local Authorities (Official Language) Act, now all the provisions of these act will come under the new act, and hence these acts will be superseded by the new act once it comes into force," he said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Sep 18 (PTI) The brother of two teenage Dalit girls, who were allegedly raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district, remembers his sisters as ambitious and supportive. The elder sister, who was 17, had left education midway and was taking care of the ailing mother. The other wanted to complete her studies and earn for the family. Also Read | Porn Videos of Women Hostellers at Chandigarh University Go Viral, Students Stage Massive Protest; Female Accused Arrested. "After our mother had her uterus operation six months ago, my sister was worried and wanted to stay at home to look after her. She quit her studies for that reason," the brother told PTI. Six men were arrested on Thursday in connection with the alleged rape and murder of the two teenage sisters who were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Rice Plate Placed on Toilet Floor Served to 200 Kabaddi Players at Sports Stadium in Saharanpur. "She was quite meritorious and wanted to support the family by doing a job," the brother said, remembering his 15-year-old sister as "very ambitious". "My youngest sister was studying in Class 10. She always used to say that she wanted to do a job and earn for the family. She was good in studies and I wanted her to complete her education," he said. Police sources said the post-mortem report revealed that the girls were raped and then strangled. Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjiv Suman told reporters that according to the preliminary probe, the girls had left their home on Wednesday afternoon with two of the accused, Junaid and Sohail. He said both were in a relationship with the two sisters, who insisted on marriage, after which they were strangled. Dismayed by the statement of the police official, the brother alleged that the police have "presented a fabricated story" in order to "save themselves from embarrassment" in the case. "The police are presenting fabricated stories for their own benefit. They are lying. My sisters were abducted and they never knew those men. None of us knew them. Hence, I never even had an idea that my sisters' lives could be in danger," he said. He demanded a "death sentence" for the culprits. "I have lost my two sisters and I demand justice for them. The death sentence should be given to the perpetrators," he said. The brother, who used to work in Himachal Pradesh, moved to Delhi a few years ago. He worked at a private factory and had returned home about a month ago. Though the girls' father, a landless labourer, has expressed satisfaction over the police probe, the victims' kin demanded a government job for a family member, adequate compensation and the "death sentence" for the accused. District Magistrate Mahendra Bahadur Singh said necessary action is being taken to provide Rs 8.25 lakh compensation each to the two girls' kin under provisions of the SC/ST Act. The administration will forward the family's other demands to the state government, he said. Earlier, the victims' mother had lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that three motorcycle-borne unidentified youths, along with her neighbour Chhotu, stormed into their hutment and abducted her daughters. After the incident came to light, villagers staged a demonstration at Nighasan Crossing. Police personnel in large numbers were deployed to ensure law and order in the village. Police have registered a case against the six accused under Sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 376 (rape) and 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The girls' burial took place in a field near their home as their community buries the dead rather than carrying out the cremation if the deceased are minors. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Aurangabad, Sep 18 (PTI) More than 400 women from the rural parts of Maharashtra's Nanded, who recently cleared their Class 12 board examination, have received job offers from Tata Electronics Private Ltd (TEPL) as part of an initiative of the district administration. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Wife of Former Army Officer in Aligarh Reports Rape by Step-Uncles After 28 Years. The initiative was taken up by assistant collector Kirtikiran Pujar who heads the integrated tribal project in Kinvat area of Nanded in Marathwada. Also Read | Yogi Adityanath Govt in Uttar Pradesh Transferred 14 IAS Officers, 10 Districts Get New Chiefs. "Bureaucracy and the corporate world have come together to provide employment to 410 women, who were chosen during a talent drive in Kinwat, a district official said. Kinwat is a predominantly tribal area, located some 360 km away from Aurangabad. Pujar got in touch with TEPL and the human resources department of the company responded to the proposal, following which a two-day talent hunt was held on September 6 and 7, the official said. At least 600 women who recently cleared their Class 12 examination participated in the drive and of these, 410 were selected, he said. The selected candidates will work in different capacities at TEPL's manufacturing unit at Hosur in neighbouring Karnataka. They will first have to complete their training in Bengaluru, the official said. Generally, in these parts of the district, once a woman attains marriageable age, preference is given to marriage over higher education. Hence, to put an end to this practice, Pujar came up with this initiative, he said. Rajaram Madavi, a resident of Talaigudapada village is a proud father, as his daughter is one of the lucky ones to get a job offer. People from our generation have never stepped out of the tehsil. But thanks to the district administration's initiative, my daughter is getting an opportunity to travel to Bengaluru and that too for a job, Madavi said. For Sheetal Bhise, a resident of Vashi village in Himayatnagar, the initiative has given her the means to contribute to her family's finances and pursue further studies. Women like me wish to do something for their families, but we need a chance to do that. I got this opportunity with the help of officials of the integrated development project and TEPL. I am going to pursue higher studies while working, said Bhise. Speaking about the initiative, Pujar said, While working in a government job, we get a chance to give back to society. I tried to get in touch with the Tata Group and it gave results. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thane, Sep 18 (PTI) A 65-year-old man was killed and his wife injured when a portion of a building collapsed on their house in Ulhasnagar town of Maharashtra's Thane district on Sunday, an official said. Also Read | Indian Army Invites Domestic Defence Industries for Emergency Procurement of Critical Equipment. The incident took place around 8.15 am in Kashiram Chowk area, where a portion of a building fell on the house adjacent to it, the official from the fire brigade said. Also Read | Elephant Attack: One Dead, Five Injured After Herd of Wild Elephants Attack Villagers in Assam. Senior citizens, Gopal Gabda and his wife Barkha (62) were injured and rushed to a hospital, where the former was declared brought dead, he said. Local firemen were pressed into service to provide assistance and clear the debris, the official said. The building that collapsed was a single-storey structure with two flats, 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) Patna, Sep 18 (PTI) "You are our real hero", Bihar's most colourful politician Lalu Prasad was told here by actor Manoj Bajpayee, a son of the soil whose critical and commercial success is a stuff of legend in the Hindi film industry. Bajpayee walked down to Prasad's 10, Circular Road residence here late on Saturday evening while people got to know about the meeting between the two crowd pullers after Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD president's son and the state's Deputy Chief Minister, shared the information on social media. Also Read | Chhattisgarh Congress Passes Resolution to Appoint Rahul Gandhi as Partys National President. In photographs and videos of the memorable evening, Bajpayee, who has remained true to his roots in West Champaran district, can be seen chatting with the ailing septuagenarian in fluent Bhojpuri. A visibly pleased Prasad, dressed in a plain track suit, gave a glimpse of his earlier self when he showed Bajpayee around to the cow shed maintained inside the government bungalow. Also Read | SSC CGL 2022 Application Begins at ssc.nic.in; Here's How to Apply. "Rauva hamni ke asal hero bani (you are our real hero)," Bajpayee can be heard telling Prasad. Elsewhere, the actor, who has three National and four Filmfare awards under his belt, also met the state's Art and Culture Minister Jitendra Kumar Rai. Rai, who belongs to Prasad's party, tweeted that discussions included prospects of a film city in Bihar. Meanwhile, Bajpayee, whose love for his roots had led him to convince the makers of 'Shool', one of his most memorable works, to shoot in Champaran, seems to have decided that it was time to sit back and relax. "Feel like a small kid whenever I start from Patna to my village Belwa! So many memories from the childhood & my school! Most beautiful place in the world for me!" tweeted Bajpayee, sharing a 20-second video of his car ride. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Thanjavur (TN), Sep 18 (PTI) The National Education Policy 2020 announced by the Centre lays great emphasis on Indian languages and Indian knowledge systems, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Sunday. The policy is "rooted in Indianness and emphasises on learning in the mother tongue", Pradhan said at the 36th convocation of SASTRA Deemed University here. Also Read | Delhi: Four Members of Notorious Family of Thieves, Known As 'Chor Parivar', Held for Stealing Rs 1 Crore Jewellery. "NEP 2020 lays great emphasis on Indian languages and Indian Knowledge Systems. An icon like, Saint Thiruvalluvar is no less than any other literary figure, scholar or philosopher. It is our duty to take Thiruvalluvar's philosophy and Indian Knowledge Systems to the globe," he tweeted. National Education Policy is rooted in Indianness and emphasises on learning in mother tongue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time and again reinforced that all Indian languages including Tamil are national languages, Pradhan said. Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Assembly Monsoon Session 2022: Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav to March Towards Vidhan Bhavan With Party Legislators Tomorrow. Pradhan appealed to the university that it should also become a 'torchbearer' of the rollout of the National Education Policy. "The policy with its futuristic outlook and rootedness in Indian ethos and with its emphasis on Indian languages is a philosophical document to create global citizens," he said. Paying rich tributes to Tamil Nadu's art and culture, the minister said the state has been a society that has created wonders in the field of art, architecture, music, learning and other fields since ancient times. "Tamil Nadu, just like Odisha, is an epitome of architectural excellence and grandeur. Prime Minister Modi has a lot of respect and affinity towards Tamil culture and people," he said. To promote the rich Tamil culture, Modi also established a chair in the honour of Tamil poet Subrahmanya Bharati at the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, he said. "This is a step towards furthering Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat", Pradhan said. He noted that critical thinking and analytical skills can be effectively developed through mother tongue. "Due to a long period of colonisation, we have neglected Indian languages and rich linguistic traditions. We have to decolonise our minds, get rid of our servile attitude and create our own path to achieve greater heights" he said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Lucknow, September 18: Akhilesh Yadav will lead the march of Samajwadi Party legislators from the party office here to Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhavan to attend the monsoon session of the state legislature beginning Monday. During the march, the party MLAs and MLCs will raise issues of unemployment, price rise, crime against women and poor law and order situation in the state, the SP's chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said here on Sunday. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav To Distribute Laptops to Students on His 49th Birthday Today. He said that the march will pass through Raj Bhavan and Gandhi statue located near the GPO. In the current session, the party members will vigorously raise the problems of the people in both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, the SP leader said. Social harmony is in danger because of the Saffron party, he alleged, saying the BJP government in the state is working with "revenge mentality." Contrary to the spirit of democracy, the BJP is doing "politics of hate," he further said. He also claimed that the entire state has been shaken by the incidents of murder, robbery, kidnapping and rape. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Srinagar, Sep 18 (PTI) Three people died in a mud house collapse in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, officials said on Sunday. Manzoor Gorsi (40), Hajira (55), and Asif Gorsi (16) were in the temporary structure built in the Mather Patheri Daksum area of the district on Saturday night when it suddenly collapsed, they said. Also Read | Bhopal Shocker: Minor Girl on Bicycle Dragged Inside Auto, Molested in Broad Daylight in Ratibad; One Arrested. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed condolences to the bereaved families, and directed the district administration to ensure immediate assistance. "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a house collapse in Larnoo, Anantnag. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. Directed district administration to ensure best possible treatment to the injured & immediate assistance to the affected families," Sinha said in a tweet. Also Read | Karnataka Shocker: Upset Over Barking, Man Shoots Dead Dog in Bengaluru's Madagondanahalli, Case Registered. Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Basharat Qayoom issued ex gratia relief of Rs 50,000 each to the families of the victims, the officials said. In addition, other necessary items, including blankets and utensils, were also provided to the families, they said. The officials said the relief was issued within 24 hours of the incident coming to light. The deputy commissioner said soon after the report regarding the incident was received, a team of revenue and police officials was sent to the spot. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Amroha, September 18: A Dalit widow and her minor daughter were found murdered in their house in the Gajraula police station area of the district on Sunday morning, police said. According to the police, Dalit widow Manisha (32) was living with her daughter Isha (13) in Kankather under the Gajraula police station area. Her husband Pavan had died a few years ago, and her son Manvik was living at his maternal grandmother's place. Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Unnao Police Recovers Body of Missing Dalit Woman From Ex-Ministers Ashram in UP. Circle officer Arun Kumar said on Sunday morning when the milkman opened the door of the house, he found the mother-daughter duo lying on a cot, their heads bleeding. Subsequently, the local villagers informed the police. The CO said a piece of stone was also found near the bodies. Meanwhile, the family members of the woman have lodged a complaint against her in-laws, alleging that they killed her to grab Pavan's property. Kumar said a case has been registered in this regard, and some people have been detained for questioning. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination, 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) Nashik, Sep 18 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday targeted Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the shifting of the Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project to Gujarat. Also Read | Elephant Attack: One Dead, Five Injured After Herd of Wild Elephants Attack Villagers in Assam. Also Read | Delhi: Liquor 'For Sale in Haryana Only' Seized in Sangam Vihar, 2 Held. State unit president Nana Patole alleged that water meant for the state had also been diverted to the neighbouring state when Fadnavis was the chief minister (2014 to 2019). Speaking to reporters in Nashik, Patole said the Congress will contest the upcoming elections to municipal corporations in the state on its strength. The Congress is a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) along with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena. After coming to power in Maharashtra, the ED (Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis) government stopped the scholarship of OBC students. We do not accept the Banthia Committee's report regarding the OBC community. The Centre should conduct a caste-wise census, Patole demanded. He alleged that projects like Vedanta-Foxconn were sent to Gujarat by the incumbent government in Maharashtra. "Fadnavis was the chief minister of Maharashtra from 2014 to 2019. During that period, Maharashtra's water was diverted to Gujarat. Now during his tenure (as the Deputy CM), a big project like Vedanta went to Gujarat. We believe that industries from Maharashtra should remain in the state and not go elsewhere, Patole said. He was in Nashik to attend a meeting of office-bearers of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) cell of Congress and the party workers from north Maharashtra. The E-D government is an anti-democracy government and it will not last long. The people are witnessing everything whether the state is making progress or regressing. The Congress is fighting for the people and it wants power for people," he said. Patole said the BJP is raising various allegations about Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo' yatra but it is getting an overwhelming response, which is a sign that the scenario in the country is changing. Speaking about the Congress's decision to go solo in the upcoming elections to civic bodies, Patole said it was the demand of the party workers. In Pune, the city unit of Congress announced that it will contest the upcoming municipal corporation elections on its strength. A meeting of the party's Pune city district committee was held at Congress Bhavan on Sunday. Civic bodies of Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and several other districts are slated to go to polls in the coming months. (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 18 (PTI) The government has received around 75 applications from domestic players under the PLI Scheme for specialty steel, according to an official. Applicants include all major steel players like Tata Steel, JSW Steel, JSPL, AMNS India and SAIL, a senior steel ministry official said. Also Read | UPSC CAPF Result 2022 Declared at upsc.gov.in; Know Steps To Check Score. "A significant number of applications have been received. There around 75 applications," the official said. However, no proposal has been received from any foreign entity, according to the official. Also Read | Cheetahs Back in India After Seven Decades: What Are Major Differences Between a Cheetah, Leopard and Jaguar?. After shortlisting the proposals, the government will come out with a final list which would take around 35-40 days, the official said. The government had set the final deadline on September 15 after several extensions for receiving proposals from manufacturers for benefits under the PLI (Production-Linked Incentive) scheme for speciality steel. The Union Cabinet in July last year approved a Rs 6,322-crore PLI scheme to boost the production of speciality steel in India. The move is expected to attract an additional investment of about Rs 40,000 crore and generate 5.25 lakh job opportunities. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Rajkot, Sep 18 (PTI) Inox Green Energy Services, a subsidiary of Inox Wind, is planning to come out with its Initial Public Offering (IPO) by October this year to raise Rs 740 crore to fund its expansion plans. The company will focus on the Indian market initially and plans to tap the overseas market after establishing itself in this country, Inox Wind Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kailash Lal Tarachandani told PTI. Also Read | UPSC CAPF Result 2022 Declared at upsc.gov.in; Know Steps To Check Score. Speaking to reporters during a visit to its plant in Rajmol, Gujarat, Tarachandani said the company is planning to launch its IPO "in the next 30 to 45 days". This is Inox Green Energy Services' second attempt to go public. In February, the company had filed the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) for its proposed IPO with the markets regulator Sebi. Also Read | Cheetahs Back in India After Seven Decades: What Are Major Differences Between a Cheetah, Leopard and Jaguar?. However, the draft offer documents for the IPO were withdrawn in late April without disclosing any reason. According to the latest DRHP filed on June 17, the Rs 740-crore IPO will comprise of fresh issuance of equity shares worth Rs 370 crore and an offer-for-sale of equity stocks aggregating to Rs 370 crore by promoter Inox Wind. Elaborating on the company's business plans, Tarachandani said: "There is already enough opportunity. India has been consistent in the last few years and has a positive growth story. From that perspective, we have been quite busy. I see that there itself is a huge potential." Asked about the company's expansion plans, Tarachandani said, "I am not ruling out the overseas market. There are new markets being developed whether it's South East Asia, some part in Gulf and African countries. I would say those are (will be focus areas) a couple of years down the line, after we have established and reached a certain level within this country." Inox Green Energy Services at present is witnessing a 30-40 per cent growth every year. "Today, for Inox Green Services, the volume is close to Rs 160 crore and would touch Rs 400-500 crore in the next 3-4 years," the CEO said. Inox Green Energy Services is engaged in the business of providing long-term operation and maintenance (O&M) services for wind farm projects, specifically for Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs) and the common infrastructure facilities on the wind farm, which support the evacuation of power from such WTGs. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Brasilia, Sep 18 (AP) Brazil's elections is just two weeks away, but President Jair Bolsonaro decided to pause his campaign and leave the country for a four-day international trip. The right-wing leader arrived in London to attend Monday's funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and planned to open the United Nations Assembly General session in New York the next day. Also Read | Russia Likely To Step Up Ukraine Civilian Target Attacks, Says UK. Allies hope Bolsonaro's trip will sway some voters, give him some gravitas after almost four years of rifts with other world leaders and provide material for TV ads. Bolsonaro trails former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in opinion polls, with the other candidates far back. The leftist da Silva, who governed from 2003 to 2010, is hoping to win 50% of the votes Oct 2 and avoid a runoff against the incumbent. Also Read | Monkeypox in China: Dont Touch Foreigners, Says Chinese Health Official After First Case of MPV Reported in Chongqing. Bolsonaro declared three days of national mourning in Brazil after the death of Britain's 96-year-old monarch and the funeral will be Bolsonaro's first official visit to the United Kingdom. He met the new monarch, King Charles III, during a trip to Japan in 2019. At the time, Bolsonaro described Charles, a keen environmentalist, as "a person who, like the rest of the world, is wrong about the Amazon". Bolsonaro's administration is frequently accused by environmentalists of not working to put a halt to deforestation in the Amazon region and ignoring environmental crimes there. Following the funeral, Bolsonaro was to travel to New York to maintain the tradition of Brazilian presidents being the first to speak at the assembly. According to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bolsonaro's speech in New York will probably have an electoral approach as well as elements suggested by Brazil's diplomatic team. He's head of state and government, but also a candidate for reelection. This separation is necessary, but not always perfect, said Brazil's UN ambassador, Paulino Neto. Bolsonaro himself made clear the ties between the election and his foray abroad while speaking at a campaign rally Friday in the southern state of Parana. He told supporters that he should pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth to represent Brazil. And each and every day, Brazil interacts and integrates with other countries around the world. Brazil is a fantastic country, everybody wants to do business with us, he said. Oliver Stuenkel, a foreign affairs professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, said Bolsonaro wants to show voters he is not isolated from international leaders. And he said Bolsonaro's conservative base, which includes monarchists, will be happy to see him at the royal funeral. What Bolsonaro wants is to...show he can assure some stability and predictability in terms of values, and respond to the criticism saying he is isolated in the world, Stuenkel said. And New York will give him a global stage. He will secure headlines for a couple of days. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad, Sep 18 (PTI) Pakistani importers of food from Afghanistan and Iran have been relying on the grey market to make payments since they are not allowed to buy dollars from banks or exchange companies, according to a media report on Sunday. Pakistan has been facing an acute shortage of tomatoes, onions, potatoes and other food items after floods destroyed crops, pushing up prices to unprecedented levels across the country. Also Read | Oktoberfest 2022: Germanys Largest Folk Festival Reopens After COVID-19 Break. This situation has forced the government to immediately allow imports of these foodstuffs from neighbouring countries to bridge the supply and demand gap but it has not made any arrangements for the provision of dollars to make payments against these imports, Dawn newspaper reported. The report showed that the importers were quite interestingly asked to enter into barter deals with their Afghan and Iranian counterparts by exporting food items available in Pakistan. Also Read | Typhoon Merbok: Storm Battering Western Alaska Causes Widespread Flooding, Power Outage. A barter transaction is the exchange of goods or services, in exchange for other goods or services. Sources in the Peshawar Chamber of Commerce and Industry told the newspaper that import deals in local currencies were possible with Kabul as Afghanis were available in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the sources maintained that the Afghan exporters usually ask for US dollars and insist to pay cash or make payments through Dubai. For Dubai payments, the hundi or hawala system is used. Hawala is an informal funds transfer system that allows for the transfer of funds from one person to another without the actual movement of money. Malik Bostan, a leading currency dealer, said most importers are making payments to Afghan sellers in cash dollars or through Dubai. The government did not arrange dollars for the imports from Kabul while the importers are barred to buy dollars from the exchange companies or banking channels. This is the case with both Iran and Afghanistan, explained Bostan. He said in either case dollars from Pakistan are being sent abroad while "we need them badly". The Afghan currency is available only in Peshawar where exchange or buying and selling is possible in Pakistani rupees and Afghanis, said Zafar Paracha, a currency dealer. He maintained that Afghan exporters were not ready to sell their goods against Pakistani rupees since the local currency was facing sharp devaluation daily. It's government's illogical decision of not providing dollars for imports from Iran and Afghanistan while the devaluation of rupee is a now a permanent feature, remarked Paracha. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) London, Sep 18 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday visited Westminster Hall in London, where the body of Queen Elizabeth II is lying in state, and offered tributes to the late British monarch on behalf of the Indian government and the people of India. The President offered tributes to the departed soul on her own behalf and on behalf of the people of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted along with a video clip of the President at the Hall within the House of Parliament complex. Also Read | India vs Pakistan Post-Match Crisis: UK Police Appeal for Calm After Clashes Between Fans in Leicester. President Murmu, who is in London on a three-day visit to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II scheduled at Westminster Abbey on Monday, also signed a condolence book on behalf of the Indian government. She was accompanied by Acting High Commissioner of India to the UK Sujit Ghosh at Lancaster House in London, where visiting world leaders are stopping by to sign a book of condolence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II who died aged 96 in Scotland on September 8. Also Read | Russia Likely To Step Up Ukraine Civilian Target Attacks, Says UK. The Indian head of state, who arrived on Saturday evening, will join around 500 world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, and royals from across the world in a congregation of around 2,000 expected at the Abbey for a sombre ceremony starting at 11am local time and concluding with a two-minute silence around an hour later. Ahead of Monday's funeral service, the President is invited to a reception hosted by King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace. All visiting heads of state, government and official overseas guests are expected at what has been described as an "official state event. Zaki Cooper, who worked in the Queen's Royal Household between 2009 and 2012 and has written widely about the monarchy, believes the Queen enjoyed an "affectionate relationship with India" and was instrumental in the transition from empire to Commonwealth. By recognising the desire for many countries to self-determination, she embraced the Commonwealth, said Cooper. The Commonwealth often featured in her messages and speech. She was the organisation's head and also its inspiration. Her legacy of developing friendly relations between nations is one that will continue to inspire the Commonwealth, as it embarks on a new chapter with King Charles III as its head, he said. Representatives of the Realms and the Commonwealth will be among those in the congregation at Monday's funeral service. Hours before the ceremony, the Queen's Lying-in-State will close to members of public queuing for the past few days, with waits of around 24 hours expected over the weekend as the queue stretches to around 10-km-long. The gates to Abbey will open at 8am local time on Monday for the visiting dignitaries and guests invited to the funeral, which will include hundreds of people who were recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours earlier this year, many honoured by the late monarch for their extraordinary contributions to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and volunteering in their local communities. Under the plans in place for the day, all heads of state and overseas government representatives, including foreign royal families, are expected to gather at a central venue and travel under "collective arrangements" to the Abbey. The state funeral service will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster, with Prime Minister Liz Truss and Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Patricia Scotland reading lessons. The Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator will say prayers and the sermon will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will also give the Commendation. The conclusion of the first state funeral in the UK in 57 years, last held at the Abbey for Britain's war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1965, will be followed by a service and a private burial ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. The late monarch will be laid to rest in the chapel at Windsor Castle. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington, Sep 17 (AP) The remains of a sailor from Massachusetts who died when the USS Oklahoma was struck by multiple torpedoes during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 are being buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. The interment comes more than 80 years after the attack that drew the US into World War II and nearly four years after the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Roman W Sadlowski, of Pittsfield, had been accounted for using advanced DNA and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Also Read | Russia Likely To Step Up Ukraine Civilian Target Attacks, Says UK. About 15 family members from Massachusetts, Texas and Florida are scheduled to attend the ceremony that was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, said Joe Makarski Jr, who is Sadlowski's nephew and who supplied a DNA sample about a decade ago that was used to help identify the remains. We're quite excited, Makarski, 81, said in a telephone interview. It's been a long time, and I am glad to be alive to finalise it. Also Read | Monkeypox in China: Dont Touch Foreigners, Says Chinese Health Official After First Case of MPV Reported in Chongqing. Makarski never met his mother's brother, but he grew up hearing about him. I remember my Dad and Mom speaking about him, and they always spoke very highly of him, he said. I know he worked at General Electric and he did the books for my mother's little beauty salon in Pittsfield. Growing up, I always saw his picture at my grandmother's house." Sadlowski, 21, enlisted in the Navy on July 31, 1940, according to the Navy's Office of Community Outreach. As an electrician's mate his duties included maintaining, operating and repairing the battleship's electrical systems, motors, generators and alternators. The USS Oklahoma was among the first vessels hit during the Japanese attack on Dec 7, 1941, struck by three aerial torpedoes just before 8 am when many sailors were still asleep below deck, according to Navy accounts. The port side was torn open and within 15 minutes of the first strike, it had rolled over completely, trapping hundreds of crew members. Two members of the crew earned the Medal of Honour for their efforts trying to save their fellow sailors, and a third was awarded the Navy Cross. Sadlowski was among 429 USS Oklahoma sailors and marines who died. Of those who died, 388 could not be identified and were buried at the Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. The process of disinterring the remains for DNA analysis began in 2015, and since then 355 have been identified, according to the Navy. Sadlowski's family debated where to have the remains buried, Makarski said. They considered veterans' cemeteries in Massachusetts and Florida, and even considered his hometown of Pittsfield, although there are no known family members still living in the western Massachusetts city. We talked a lot about it, and decided on Arlington because of its prestige, he said. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Kyiv, Sep 18 (AP) A top Vatican envoy and his entourage came under fire as they were distributing humanitarian supplies in Ukraine, the Vatican news service said on Sunday, but reported no injuries. The incident took place near the city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday and forced Vatican Almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and others to take cover. Also Read | Monkeypox in China: Dont Touch Foreigners, Says Chinese Health Official After First Case of MPV Reported in Chongqing. For the first time in my life, I didn't know where to run. Because it is not enough to run, you have to know where to go, said the Polish-born cardinal, whose position makes charitable contributions in the name of the pope. Russian shelling hit cities and towns across a wide stretch of Ukraine during the night, officials said Sunday, while the British defense ministry warned that Russia is likely to increase its attacks on civilian targets as it suffers battlefield defeats. Also Read | Pakistan Flood: Over 1,500 Killed, 12,000 Injured in Devastating Floods, Monsoon Rains. In the last seven days, Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate military effect, the ministry said in an online briefing. As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government. Prosecutors in Kharkiv are accusing Russia of torturing civilians in one village that was recently freed. In an online statement, they said they found a basement where Russian forces allegedly tortured prisoners in the village of Kozacha Lopan, near the border with Russia. In images they released, they showed a Russian military TA-57 telephone with additional wires and alligator clips attached to it. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of using the Soviet-era radio telephones as a power source to shock prisoners during interrogation. It was not immediately possible to verify the Ukrainians' claims. Russian fire killed four medics attempting to evacuate a psychiatric hospital in the Kharkiv region on Saturday, said governor Oleh Syniehubov. Two patients were wounded in the attack in the village of Strelecha, he said. Overnight shelling also hit a hospital in the city of Mykolaiv, a significant Black Sea port, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said. He said there was also shelling in other parts of the region, and two people were wounded. Three people were wounded in nighttime shelling of the city of Nikopol, which is across the river from Europe's largest nuclear power station, said regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko. The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was captured by Russian forces in March, but is operated by Ukrainian engineers. Its last reactor was switched off a week ago after repeated power failures because shelling put crucial safety systems at risk. Five people have died over the past day in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region, one of two Ukrainian regions that Russia recognises as sovereign states, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said. The separatist forces that control much of Donetsk on Sunday claimed that Ukrainian shelling of a prisoner-of-war colony in Olenivka killed one prisoner and injured four. More than 50 POWs were reported killed in a July attack on the Olenivka prison that Russian and Ukrainian authorities blame on each other. A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Russian forces in Donetsk continue to conduct meaningless operations on villages as opposed to reinforcing the front line. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, September 18: Delhi Police have arrested four members of a notorious family of thieves, known in their locality as 'chor parivar', for stealing jewellery worth Rs 1 crore, an official said on Sunday. The accused have been identified as Amar alias Patti (prime accused), Laxmi alias Dabhi (Amar's sister), Sobha (Amar's wife) and Vishnu (Laxmi's brother-in-law). Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Shweta Chauhan, said a PCR call was received on September 13 regarding jewellery theft. The complainant had said that he works at Sheetal Jewellery House and on September 13 he got into an e-rickshaw from Azad Market to Karol Bagh. At that time, two ladies and one child were sitting in the back seat of the e-rickshaw while two men, including the driver, were sitting in the front. Mumbai: Test Drive Turns Thief Drive, Accused Who Stole Expensive Bikes Gets Arrested. "After travelling some distance, the man sitting next to the driver changed his seat and sat next to the complainant in the back. In the meantime, one of the ladies opened the zip of the complainant's bag and took three pairs of gold bangles from it," the DCP said. During the course of the investigation, the police questioned the other employees of the showroom to rule out the possibility of any internal involvement. "The accused persons did not use any mobile phone during the entire incident which made it difficult for the police to trace them," the official said. However, while scanning CCTV footage, the police found that the e-rickshaw used in the crime had a designer sticker -- 'Maurya e-rickshaw' -- which helped the police established that the accused persons belonged to the Sultanpuri area. "From local inquiry it was found that the family was famous in the area as 'chor parivar' as all the family members were involved in committing theft and other criminal activities," Chauhan said. The police then conducted a raid at their house, but the accused had fled before the cops could reach there. After this, policemen were deployed in the area in civil clothes to gather information. On Saturday, the police got a tip-off that the accused persons were coming to Chandni Chowk to sell the stolen jewellery after which the police laid a trap and apprehended all the four accused persons. "The stolen jewellery worth Rs 1 crore has been recovered from the accused persons," the officer said. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2022 11:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Panaji, September 18: Irked with the deed of eight defectors, who according to them defied and betrayed God by merging into the BJP, some hardcore devotees of Lord Bodgeshwar at Mapusa on Sunday offered nine bananas along with areca nut and betel leaves praying that God should 'teach them a lesson'. These devotees, gathered at Lord Bodgeshwar Temple at Mapusa in North Goa, said that eight bananas are in the name of defectors and ninth banana is in the name of those who have welcomed them in the party. Goa: Eight Congress MLAs Join BJP in Presence of CM Pramod Sawant. On September 14, former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes merged the Congress party into the BJP. Kamat had justified his decision saying it was under God's guidance that he decided to quit the Congress and join BJP. What has hurt these devotees of Lord Bodgeshwar, that these defectors though had taken oath before Gods at Church, Dargah and Temple that they will not defect, have not only betrayed voters but also God. "God told me 'you take the decision, I am with you'. Hence I decided to join the BJP," Kamat had said. Justifying his deed by saying that 'God has told him to join the BJP, has largely caught the attention of many people across the country. "I went back to the temple and I asked God and Goddess what I should do. We have a system of taking 'Prasad'. God said go ahead, don't worry," Kamat further said. 'Prasad' is traditionally practiced in Goa from ancient times, asking Gods and Goddess about different problems and their solutions through Priest. This is practiced in many temples of Goa. Devotees take this 'prasad' before doing any good work and also seek solutions to their problems. "The people of Goa are hurt because these defectors have lied to God. We have prayed to God that within the next 15 days He should teach them a lesson," a devotee said. These devotees targeted Digambar Kamat, Sankalp Amonkar, Michael Lobo and his wife Delilah Lobo for switching the parties. "It is strange to see Digambar Kamat saying God spoke to him. Does it suit him to speak like this at this age?," he questioned. These devotees said all the eight defectors will suffer major loss in the future for betraying God. "If these MLAs had guts then they should have resigned and contested on the BJP ticket," the devotee said. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2022 04:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Puducherry, September 18: The Union Territory of Puducherry has suspended classes for students from standards 1 to 8 till September 25, after a hike in the number of influenza cases in the territory. The closure was initiated after the state Health Department gave a recommendation to this effect and the decision was made by Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, and Minister for Education, A. Namassivayam. The Directorate of School Education in a statement on Saturday said that the holidays will be applicable for LKG, and UKG students as well. Health Department officials told IANS that in the past week, there was an estimated increase of 50 per cent in cases of influenza among children who are visiting various health clinics. Puducherry: LKG, UKG Classes Too Shut in Union Territory Following Increase in 'Flu' Cases. The officials added that most of the children are arriving with high fever and cough and the spread is on the rise. Dr. R. Santhanakrishnan of a Government hospital at Karaikkal, while speaking to IANS said: "The flu-like illness is spreading when children inhale droplets from infected persons or when they are in direct contact with mucous from patients. This has led to the high spread among children attending schools. He said that children must stay at home, use face masks, maintain social distancing, and regularly wash hands with soap to prevent the spread of the disease. The Puducherry Health Department has also opened dedicated fever clinics in government clinics and PHCs across the territory. It has also ensured that doctors are present in all fever clinics and PHCs. According to a study conducted by the Puducherry Health Department, after the decline in the number of Covid-19 cases, people throng markets and public places without masks and this has led to the spread of flu-like fever. The authorities have directed patients infected with fever to wear face masks and to isolate themselves from other members of the family to prevent the spread. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2022 10:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Chennai, September 18: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that the National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020 recognises all Indian languages as national languages. In his address at the 36th convocation ceremony of SASTRA deemed to be University at Thanjavur, he also said that the country has the knowledge capability to find sustainable solutions at global level. Pradhan, who is also Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Minister, said that NEP 2020 recognises the positive impact of the mother tongue in fostering critical thinking and innovation, as well as its potential in terms of teaching methodology and learning outcomes. National Education Policy: 'No Language Is Any Less Than Hindi or English', Says Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He also said that entrepreneurship should be promoted and that bridging the gap between education and skills was important. Pradhan said that initiatives were in place for harnessing and integrating knowledge in Indian folklore and old literature. He conferred degrees of Doctor of Science on Krishnaswami Alldi, Professor of Mathematics, University of Florida, and Doctor of Letters on Chamu Krishna Shastry, Chairman, Bharathiya Basha Samiti, on the occasion. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2022 11:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Akhilesh Yadav will lead the march of Samajwadi Party legislators from the party office here to Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhavan to attend the monsoon session of the state legislature beginning Monday. Renewing Silk Road Spirit and Working for a Community with a Shared Future 11:02, September 18, 2022 By Yi Fan ( People's Daily Online More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road was opened by the people in China and Central Asia, driven by a desire for friendship and mutual learning, thus starting a great era of exchanges between civilizations. In the more recent era, a new Silk Road has brought China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan together again the Belt and Road Initiative. It was first proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Kazakhstan back in 2013. On the same trip, he also visited Uzbekistan including the city of Samarkand, a shining pearl on the ancient Silk Road. From September 14 to 16, 2022, President Xi Jinping paid state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan again and attended the SCO summit in Samarkand. The visits have drawn much international attention as it is President Xis fourth visit to Kazakhstan, third to Uzbekistan and the first time for the Chinese President to travel overseas since the onset of COVID-19 more than two years ago. The aim is to carry forward the Silk Road spirit, advance Belt and Road cooperation, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Good partners of BRI cooperation Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the BRI. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are among the first countries that expressed support for and took an active part in BRI cooperation. Nine years on, BRI cooperation has delivered fruitful results in both countries, making a real difference on the ground. The 100-MW Zhanatas wind farm and Shymkent Oil Refinery modernization in Kazakhstan and the upgrading of old hydro power stations in Uzbekistan all bear witness to robust BRI cooperation. As the worlds largest inland country, Kazakhstan used to face many challenges in exporting its quality products such as wheat. Now with the China-Europe freight trains running through Kazakhstan and the bustling China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in the eastern Chinese port of Lianyungang, products from Kazakhstan can set sail for the Pacific Ocean. For Uzbekistan, BRI cooperation-enabled connectivity is as important, if not more in addition to being land-locked itself, its neighbors are all inland countries as well. Running through the mountains in Central Asia, the Angren-Pap railway line is a milestone project between China and Uzbekistan built under the BRI. The railway lines main tunnel, the Qamchiq Tunnel, is the longest tunnel in Central Asia and considered a miracle in the history of tunnel building. With its completion, the railway line has now become part of an international transport corridor that links up China, Central Asia and Europe. And more transport potential is being unleashed from the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway and the China-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan railway. Uzbekistan is thus transforming from a land-locked to a land-linked country. Friends in need This year marks the 30th anniversary of China-Kazakhstan and China-Uzbekistan diplomatic relations. Over the past three decades, the two sides have all along supported each other on issues concerning core interests and stood together through thick and thin. China has maintained close communication and cooperation with both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan bilaterally and multilaterally on a wide range of issues such as combating the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, organized crimes and drug trafficking. Such close security cooperation is a demonstration of deep political mutual trust. During the visits, China reached broad consensus with both countries on deepening ties and furthering cooperation in priority areas including economy and trade, energy, railway and connectivity. Nearly 30 cooperation documents have been signed covering finance, water conservancy, the digital economy, green development and cultural interactions. It is particularly worth mentioning that a trilateral memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway has been signed, a milestone in the building of a transport corridor on the Eurasian continent. Embracing a shared future Another highlight of President Xis visits is that China and Kazakhstan have agreed to work toward building a community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe. China and Uzbekistan also agreed to implement the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level, adding new substance to bilateral ties. One of the defining features of a community with a shared future is firm mutual support. China and the two countries are each others firm supporter for development and rejuvenation in this new characterization of bilateral relationship. This not only serves the long-term development of bilateral ties and peoples well-being on both sides, but also contributes to the positive forces in the world and to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. It is of great significance in the current volatile and complex international environment and will become a new milestone in China-Kazakhstan and China-Uzbekistan relations. In renewing the Silk Road spirit, advancing Belt and Road cooperation and working for a community with a shared future, President Xis visits represent both a continuation of the shared legacy and a right choice for the future. China stands ready to work with both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to inject fresh impetus to their age-old ties, pursue common progress and make greater contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the wider world. It is a fresh starting point. Together, China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are ready to embark on a new journey. (Yi Fan is an international commentator based in Beijing) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) #HimachalPradesh: A three-day National Conference of State Tourism Ministers begins in Dharamsal Union Minister for Culture & Tourism @kishanreddybjp says, various issues related to Tourism sector including the promotion of tourism in #India will be discussed at the Conference. pic.twitter.com/dOXNAhywDa DD News (@DDNewslive) September 18, 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.) Israel has carried out 25 missile strikes inside #Syria in 2022, killing 27 government soldiers and injuring 23 civilians, a war monitor reported. pic.twitter.com/FUVfkgtO34 IANS (@ians_india) September 17, 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.) Eliot Shen, project manager for a property developer in Taipei, has installed buffers under a new corkscrew-shaped, high-end apartment tower. The goal is to stop Taiwans frequent earthquakes from sending destructive energy upward into the building. The builders put lightweight, expanded polystyrene blocks under the 21-level tower as absorbers. Then they left empty space around the foundation so the base can shake in a strong magnitude-7 earthquake without affecting the structure above it. Shens employer, BES Engineering, uses a 2-foot-high building model in its offices to show visitors how the technology works as the actual tower nears completion this year. The model sits still as the ground a shelf jolts from side to side. We separate out the quake, said Shen, who is also special assistant to the firms CEO. When a quake comes, the building structural system wont be affected. Eliot Shen, project manager of the Tao Zhu Yi Yuan tower in Taipei. (Ralph Jennings / For The Times) Shen may be ahead of the curve. Countless cost-wary property owners in Taiwan have sidestepped quake safety over the decades despite numerous warnings and disasters. But after a deadly quake Feb. 6, the central government said it would require reviews of more than 34,000 existing structures and, for the first time, make their owners ensure safety. Officials had only recommended upgrades before. Taiwans Cabinet announced those measures last month, along with pledges to quicken disaster response times. Most of Taiwans 23 million people live in multilevel buildings like the four that partly collapsed in the Feb. 6 quake, fanning fears of more disasters. Builders say the islands mostly brick and concrete buildings risk collapsing in earthquakes because of soft soil and reliance on columns of rebar inside walls rather than steel I-beams for structural support. They cite particular risks to weak lower stories, which can bring down a high-rise if damaged. Many of Taiwans urban buildings are mixed commercial and residential, with larger ground-level floors sparing beams to maximize store and office space. In California, experts also worry about brittle concrete buildings and those with soft first floors used for parking, storefronts or hotel lobbies. Earthquakes are common in Taiwan and frequently cause severe damage, Prime Minister William Lai said at a Feb. 26 news conference. We hope people will help and cooperate. We cant let these things happen again. Retrofits will start with a quick screening this year of all structures that are more than nine floors high and move on to those as low as six stories by 2021, Interior Minister Yeh Jiunn-rong told the news conference. More than 99% of publicly owned structures are safe, according to Lai. Officials have goaded property owners in the past with findings such as a March 2016 study showing that areas of eight Taiwanese cities and counties were highly vulnerable to structural collapse in an earthquake because of their soil composition. Owners often fret over values of properties that are tagged as earthquake-prone. Construction codes also changed after 1999 for new structures. The Feb. 6 earthquake, which measured magnitude 6.4, killed 17 people under collapsed buildings in the eastern county of Hualien. A quake two years ago toppled a building and killed 116 people in a populous southern city. In 1999, Taiwan experienced its worst earthquake in recent memory, a magnitude 7.1 event that left 2,400 people dead. Japanese, left, and Taiwanese rescue workers look at the Yun Tsui building, which is leaning at a precarious angle, in the Taiwanese city of Hualien on Feb. 9 after the city was hit by an earthquake. (Anthony Wallace / AFP/Getty Images) Taiwan sits on an earthquake ring of fire that also touches Japan and California. The government will offer some building owners subsidies for safety appraisals, the interior minister said. As inspections unfold, the Cabinet will order local fire departments to inspect buildings for safety hazards such as any remodeling that has compromised support beams. Owners of apartments, stores and offices typically alter walls and floors to taste before moving in. To evacuate people faster during earthquakes, President Tsai Ing-wen called in a speech last month for a stronger anti-earthquake system. As part of that system, local governments should collect more information on who lives where and collect more peoples phone numbers so telecom providers can send text message alerts as early as possible, even while a longer-lasting quake is still shaking, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung said. After the Feb. 6 quake, local rescue officials knew only who was registered as living in the damaged structures rather than who was actually in them. Registration does not require that people actually live where they register. The new building safety and disaster response measures will still fall short of making Taiwan earthquake-safe, some citizens and building industry experts fear. Taiwanese do not always see the urgency of earthquake safety, said Wei Yu-ting, a 26-year-old Taipei resident whos following the legal changes. California could be hit by an 8.2 mega-earthquake, and it would be catastrophic A lot of time the laws are there but the enforcement is inadequate, Wei said. The hardware comes along but the software lags. Taiwans rescue officials should rely more on satellites, drones and remote sensing to locate people quickly under the dense rubble of collapsed buildings, said Tsai Fu-an, a professor with the Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research at National Central University in Taiwan. A lot of Taiwans older buildings simply cannot be retrofitted, said Sampson Mar, a Taipei-based former member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Many were built a half-century ago, when the economy entered its major modern boom cycle and construction was quick and under-regulated. Those structures would need to be torn down, he said. Walls lack support, he said, while most structures in the Taipei basin of more than 6 million people are built on soft soil rather than bedrock. Its just lucky that more buildings dont come down, Mar said. In 2013, former Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan warned that 4,000 structures could fall in a magnitude 6.3 quake, and the Pacific Rim sees many bigger ones. Before 1980, Taiwan was relatively poor, had few professional architects and lacked understanding of quake safety, local publisher and historian Yang Lian-fu said. Developers sometimes cut corners and use connections in local government to get permits instead of submitting to the rigorous reviews required overseas, Yang said. Officials at a Feb. 26 news conference to announce the tougher earthquake safety measures did not say how they would enforce compliance after changing the construction law. We know that for quite some time people didnt care about these regulations, said Jens Damm, associate professor in the Graduate Institute of Taiwan Studies at Chang Jung Christian University in Taiwan. Getting rich was a priority. ALSO Jennings is a special correspondent. John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, was recently denied parole again. This marks the 12th time that his attempt at parole has been denied. According to the Associated Press, the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said Chapman appeared before a parole board late last month. States officials have yet to make transcripts of Chapman's recent interview. However, he has repeatedly expressed remorse during previous parole hearings. Chapman even called his actions "despicable" during his hearing in 2020, adding that he would have "no complaint whatsoever" if they chose to leave him in prison for the entirety of his life. John Lennon's killer said at the time that he assassinated the Beatles star because he was very famous, and that was the only reason. The 67-year-old prisoner's next parole hearing will be in February 2024. Chapman is currently serving a 20-years-to-life sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility in New York City. READ NEXT: Arizona: 320,000 Fentanyl Pills, Heroin, Meth Confiscated at US-Mexico Border During Drug Smuggling Attempt John Lennon's Killer Mark Chapman David Before Killing The Beatles Member Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon on the night of December 8, 1980. He and Yoko Ono were returning to their Upper West Side apartment in New York when Chapman shot Lennon four times. Chapman had even met the Beatles member earlier that same day when Lennon signed an autograph for him on a copy of his album, "Double Fantasy." Before killing one of the world's famous musicians, Chapman was an out-of-work security guard from Hawaii with a record of mental illness. John Lennon's killer had reportedly visited two mental health clinics in Hawaii just before going to New York. According to Hawaii News Now, Chapman had said that he was hearing voices in his head that told him to kill Lennon. Chapman pleaded guilty to the murder rather than pursue an insanity defense as his lawyers wanted him to. John Lennon's killer was born in 1955 and grew up in Georgia, describing his house as a "troubled home." Chapman's father was a sergeant in the Air Force, while his mother was a nurse. He noted that his father was abusive to him and his mother. Chapman said his father was so abusive that he sometimes fantasized about killing him. Chapman had struggled with depression at 16 but seemed to be improving. He became a born-again Christian and began working with the YMCA. During his teen years, he started experimenting with drugs and showed the first signs of mental illness. He was admitted to Castle Memorial Hospital for treatment in 1977. He was then released and started working at the facility for treatment. Wife of John Lennon's Killer Mark David Chapman met his wife, Gloria Abe, when he planned an extended trip to Asia. Abe was working at a travel agency at the time. Chapman came in often to make changes and ask her things. Abe said he found Chapman "kind, generous, sweet, thoughtful, and very smart." It was 1978 when they started dating. Abe had converted to Christianity for Chapman, having grown up as a Buddhist. The two then started going to the church together, and Chapman proposed to her on the beach in Kailua. In 1979, they were married and thinking of starting a family together. Abe said Chapman had admitted to her that he considered killing the Beatles star. When Chapman was imprisoned, Abe moved to New York to be closer to her husband but moved back to Hawaii a year later, according to Hawaii News Now. Abe said she was still looking forward to walking with her husband again on the Kailua beach, where he proposed. For more than 25 years, the couple was reportedly still very much in love and have shared conjugal visits at the New York prison, and together, they run a prison ministry. READ MORE: Jalisco Cartel in Mexico Is Creating Homemade Bombs Similar to Those Use by Islamic Militants Amid Drug War This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Mary Webber WATCH: I Just Shot John Lennon: The Mark David Chapman Story - From Hawaii News Now Members from the Laois Chapter of Macra na Feirme recently visited ABPs Demonstration Farm in Clonegal, Carlow to receive a briefing on results from a collaborative research project between ABP, Teagasc and ICBF. The briefing was attended by national and regional representatives of Macra. The research has shown that significant reduction in Irish beef cattle emissions is achievable by improving genetics in the beef herd with emission reduction of up to 13% possible. The research has also led to improved returns for farmers of up to 200 per animal. The findings have the potential to play a significant role in helping Irelands agriculture sector reach the targets set out under the Climate Act and are applicable across different beef production systems. Gillian Richardson, Macra Agricultural Skillnet Network Manager at Macra na Feirme said: On behalf of Macra na Feirme, I would like to thank ABP, Teagasc and the ICBF for the invitation to ABPs Demonstration Farm and the insightful briefing on their latest research findings in the area of cattle emissions. Farming is a key area of interest for many Macra members, so we are always excited to learn about the latest innovations in the field, particularly when they can lead to potential reductions in emissions and improvements to farmers bottom lines, as is the case with this research. The research has been conducted on ABPs Demonstration Farm and is based on six years of data and involves over 4,000 animals. The output from the research is already being shared with farmers through the ICBF data base with over 233,000 calves born and reared on Irish farms bred from beef bulls from the programme. Improved genetics allows the animals to grow faster through better feed conversion and they are ready for market at a younger age reducing emissions significantly. Director Denis Villeneuve has said that it was a long held ambition of his to adapt Dune, Frank Herberts epic science fiction tale. Villeneuves Covid delayed re-working stars Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya and Jason Momoa. This is an ambitious and accomplished film from the outset. The story revolves around Paul Atreides. Paul and his family are sent to a planet called Arrakis by the emperor Shaddam IV. The ostensible reason for this appointment is that the emperor wants Pauls family to replace the current plenipotentiaries, House Harkonnen. In reality, however, the emperor fears that Pauls clan is growing too powerful. He lays a trap for House Atreides. In sending them to the planet, he aims to have them all killed. On arriving on Arrakis, Paul is taken aback by the harsh beauty of this desert world. He also admires the uncompromising steadfastness of the planets native people, the Fremen. This period of calm does not last long, however. Before long, they realise that the emperor has set a trap for them. In the battle that ensues, Paul will lose many of those he loves. He will also have to make tough decisions on where his loyalties lie: with the international order represented by the Emperor or the native Fremen, the rightful heirs to the planet. It is true that no fable is written in isolation, and Dune owes a lot to another epic story. David Leans Lawrence Of Arabia is also set in an unforgiving desert environment, where fractious tribes and ruthless colonisers vie for control. Leans film is his take on the life of a real figure, T.E. Lawrence. Lawrence was a British Army lieutenant who was sent by the British to assess the feasibility of aiding Arab tribes in a revolt against the Turks during WW1. Lawrence (Peter OToole) begins to identify with the natives in their struggle. He disobeys orders and starts to dream up a future where the tribes unite and rise up against their Turkish masters. Like Paul Atreides in Dune, his loyalties begin to shift. Dunes director Villeneuve has acknowledged that theres some similarities between the journey of T.E. Lawrence and Paul Atreides. On viewing the two films there is certainly a lot to be said for this. Both characters go native, siding with the tribes they were originally sent to pacify. In Dune, Paul is viewed as a messiah like figure by the native Fremen, who use his name as a clarion call in their quest for freedom. In Leans film, Lawrence begins to see himself as a messiah: Who will walk on water with me? he blurts out during one of his paroxysms. Water is a truly finite resource in both films. For the characters involved, it is viewed in life and death terms. Some scenes from both films were shot in the same area of the scorched Jordanian desert. Both worlds are destined to be consumed by the mineral curse. In Dune, the sought after element is Spice, an hallucinogenic found on the planet that is essential for superluminal (faster than light) travel, which is the life blood of the galaxy. In Lawrence Of Arabia, the commodity soon to become central to that part of the world is obviously oil. The tragedies endemic to this mineral need no introduction here. They play out every day on our TV screens. Both films come highly recommended. Dune (Sky Cinema and Amazon Prime) is certainly the easier watch. A restored version of Leans classic (complete with the original intermission) is currently on Netflix. At three hours 47 minutes, though, you might not soldier through it in one sitting. A North Leitrim councillor has called for the removal of all financial penalties preventing old age pensioners from sharing their home with tenants, noting that this sort of arrangement could help to address urgent housing shortages in the country. Cllr Felim Gurn said that elderly people living alone could benefit from having a tenant live with them. This would address the urgent housing shortages in the country, and reduce isolation, loneliness, and safety concerns for the older population by having someone live with them, he pointed out as he brought his proposal before the September Council meeting. Currently an older person living alone will lose their living alone allowances, i.e. tv license and fuel allowances if they share their home or a home that is empty as a result of participation in the Fair Deal scheme, noted Cllr Gurn. Of course, any person living with an elderly person in this sort of scheme would have to be garda vetted but there are a lot of benefits to this sort of arrangement. He said that not only would a tenant in a household be able to assist the elderly homeowners by completing basic jobs around the house like changing light bulbs, but they would also provide companionship for an age group which often becomes increasingly isolated as they age. Cllr Gurn said this could be expanded further to encompass the renting of homes currently unoccupied because the owners have entered nursing homes under the Fair Deal Scheme. What is to stop these homes, which are often idle for years, from being rented out to families in need of accommodation? he asked. This may be a way to help solve the current housing crisis, he pointed out. His motion was backed by Cllr Des Guckian and Cllr Sean McDermott who observed when houses are scarce this sort of motion makes sense. The Holey Soles Hill Walking Club invites you to join in our annual walk in aid of Warmi Huasi women and children's project in Peru (managed by Fr Ed O'Connell) on Sunday, October 2, at Arroo, Glenade, Co Leitrim. Registration from 10.30am at Aghanlish, Glenade. Hillwalk departs 11.00. Ramble departs 11.15. Donations to the charity are welcome at registration. This is the 16th year of this fundraising walk for the Warmi Huasi project in Lima, Peru and the majestic Glenade Valley is the location. There will be a ramble and a medium hill walk with guides for both followed by complimentary refreshments at Aghanlish Community Centre (F91 PYD2). Arroo Trail Head Walk: RAMBLE Register at Aghanlish Community Centre in the beautiful Glenade Valley (meaning Glen of Jealousy). This moderate, linear walk follows an existing bog road before continuing onto the open hillside. The trail offers stunning views of Arroo Mountain, Keelogeyboy, Truskmore and out to Mullaghmore. The trail is located in an area of stunning natural beauty and is a special area of conservation with 360 panoramic views over the landscape. Part of the walk is on paved paths and part on green roads surrounded by heather & hills. Distance 8Km, Height 244M. Duration 2.5 hours approx. Arroo Mountain: MEDIUM WALK The walk will start out from Aghanlish Community Centre and follow the bog road making a gentle climb to Iascin Lake from the northern side. It will take in this small mountain lake and its environs, visit the magnificent cliffs overlooking Glenade valley before descending by the zig zag path back to Aghanlish Community Centre. Distance 10Km. Height 440m, Duration 4-5 hours. Complimentary refreshments served after the walk. There will be directional signs in place on the day. Please wear waterproof shoes/boots and clothing and bring a packed lunch and hot drink for the hill walk. Sorry, no dogs allowed as well be on farmland and an SAC. Supported by Leitrim County Council. Irish premier Micheal Martin has said the Queens legacy is a reminder of the importance to nurture British-Irish relations, as he praised the late monarchs authentic actions towards reconciliation. The Taoiseach was speaking from London ahead of the state funeral on Monday morning. Mr Martin and his wife Mary, along with Irish President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, will be among the 500 foreign dignitaries attending the funeral at Westminster Abbey. The two couples attended Westminster Hall on Sunday afternoon, before signing a book of condolence at Lancaster House. The Irish delegation was also due to attend a reception hosted by the King at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening for visiting heads of state. Speaking to reporters in London, Mr Martin said it was a very significant moment in history, adding: Her warmth, her authentic actions, and by actions and by what she did, she made an enormous contribution. He said the Queens 2011 visit to Ireland was the culmination of enormous work that cemented reconciled Anglo-Irish relations in the modern era, and would long be remembered. In many ways it gives us all time to pause and reflect on the importance of the British-Irish relationship, the need to cultivate it, to nurture it, for the future generations. Today, I signed the Book of Condolence at Lancaster House.In sympathy with King Charles, the Royal Family, and British people, on the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth, who did so much for reconciliation on these islands. pic.twitter.com/1EYwMQ8FPN Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 18, 2022 Addressing Irish people living in Britain who mourn the Queens death, as well as the unionist community, he said: We sympathise with you, we offer you our deepest sympathies upon your loss. And there is a deep sense of loss on parts of the island of Ireland, particularly in the unionist and loyalist community, as a result of the passing of Queen Elizabeth. I recognise that. Speaking about the queue of people paying their respects at the Queens coffin, which has been lying in state at Westminster Hall, Mr Martin said it was incredible. Its very moving, and I think it brings to mind in many respects the attachment, the connection between the British people of different generations and Queen Elizabeth. Its quite an extraordinary thing to see at first hand, and we need to appreciate that in Ireland. There is a deep connection there. Asked about the number of foreign dignitaries attending the funeral, Mr Martin added: It reflects an admiration for a person who, if I use the phrase did the fundamentals well, who did service well, who did duty well. And in many ways did it in an non-ostentatious way. And that hard work ethic resonated across the world. So it really illustrates the depth of respect that people across the world had for Queen Elizabeth. Mr Martin said he had had a warm meeting with British Prime Minister Liz Truss, but refrained from answering questions on the Northern Ireland Protocol. He left 10 Downing Street just under an hour after arriving to meet Ms Truss on Sunday morning, in what was expected to be more of an informal chat than a traditional bilateral meeting. Britain is expected to push ahead with legislation to give its ministers the power to scrap parts of the protocol, which was agreed by the UK and EU to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. The EU and Ireland claim Britains move to unilaterally revise the post-Brexit treaty would breach international law. Diplomatic efforts are expected to be ramped up in the coming weeks to find a resolution. I dont think this is the time, if you dont mind me saying so, to get into the detail about issues like the protocol, Mr Martin said during an interview on BBC Radio 4, adding that he respects the UKs period of mourning. He continued: Ive had a good telephone conversation last week with the British Prime Minister, had an initial warm meeting this morning where we discussed many issues in the context of the British-Irish relationship. But I do think the opportunity is there for us to reset relationships and to be conscious of what we achieved in previous years, the obstacles that were overcome then. And that gives us the strength to know that we have the capacity to overcome current obstacles, current issues that potentially could impede the relationship, and I believe we can overcome them. An LNG tanker in the port of Eemshaven, Netherlands, on September 4 SIESE VEENSTRA / AFP In Texas, at the confluence of American gas pipelines, natural gas is worth about $8.50 (8.50) per million British Thermal Unit (BTU, the unit of measurement of the energy contained in gas). This is twice what it was last year but far from the European price, which was hard hit by Russian cuts: gas on the Amsterdam market is worth $64 per BTU, almost eight times more than on the other side of the Atlantic (and eight times more than in previous years). Such are the quirks of the gas market, which is more regional than global American liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers have, of course, cottoned on to the fortune they could make: buy at American prices and sell at European ones. Since the war in Ukraine began on February 24, US companies have happily flown to the rescue of the Old Continent, shipping LNG from ports in Texas and Louisiana. In the first half of 2022, 70% of US exports headed to Europe, up from one-third in 2021. These inflows accounted for nearly half of European imports (compared to 15% for Qatar and 14% for Russia). Read more Subscribers only EU to support the development of liquefied natural gas This shift came with the White House's support. "We're going to have to make sure the families in Europe can get through this winter and the next," US President Joe Biden said in late March, during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. US LNG exports have grown, but only by 20%, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Assistance to European countries was primarily due to the principle of communicating vessels, as the Asians suffered a downward adjustment because of lower demand (the Chinese are consuming less of it due to Covid-19 shutdowns) and lower prices (the BTU currently stands at $50 in Tokyo and Seoul). 'There's no bailout coming' We are interested in your experience using the site. Send feedback Exporting LNG requires pipelines, compression plants and LNG tankers to cross the Atlantic. The US LNG market is dominated by Cheniere, which has terminals in the Gulf of Mexico. In the past year, its market value doubled to $43 billion (TotalEnergies is worth $130 billion and Engie $30 billion). Others are working hard to build terminals that won't be operational for several years, like Tellurian, which only got a 15% bump on the stock market because no one knows what the gas market will look like in a few years. In the short term, US exports have been hampered. A fire in June at the Freeport (Texas) LNG port, which has crippled its production until November, has not helped. There is also no pipeline to effectively export natural gas produced in eastern Pennsylvania or West Virginia. A proposed pipeline to serve New Jersey's Chesapeake Bay is still in limbo. As a result, the United States is currently the world's largest exporter of LNG, but these deliveries represent no more than 11% of domestic gas production and cannot exceed 1%, given its current capacity. You have 45.66% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Prosecutors in an area of Ukraine where Russian forces recently retreated in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive are accusing Russia of torturing civilians in one freed village. Prosecutors in the Kharkiv region said, in an online statement, that they had found a basement where Russian forces allegedly tortured prisoners in the village of Kozacha Lopan, near the border with Russia. They released images which showed a Russian military TA-57 telephone with additional wires and alligator clips attached to it. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of using the Soviet-era radio telephones as a power source to electrocute prisoners during interrogation. Russian shelling hit cities and towns across a wide stretch of Ukraine during the night, officials said on Sunday, while Britains Ministry of Defence warned that Russia was likely to increase its attacks on civilian targets as it suffered battlefield defeats. In the last seven days, Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate military effect, the ministry said in an online briefing. As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine 18 September 2022 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/NZPAVSgfAN #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/j7bINlhTKp Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) September 18, 2022 Russian fire killed four medics attempting to evacuate a psychiatric hospital in the Kharkiv region on Saturday, governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Two patients were wounded in the attack in the village of Strelecha, he added. Overnight shelling also hit a hospital in the city of Mykolaiv, a significant Black Sea port, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said. He also said there had been shelling in other parts of the region, and two people had been wounded. Three people were wounded in night-time shelling of the city of Nikopol, which is across the river from Europes largest nuclear power station, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said. The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was captured by Russian forces in March, but is operated by Ukrainian engineers. Its last reactor was switched off a week ago after repeated power failures because shelling put crucial safety systems at risk. Vatican Almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, whose role includes making charitable contributions in the name of the pope, and his convoy came under fire near the city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, the Vatican news service reported. The group had been forced to seek cover while unloading supplies. For the first time in my life, I didnt know where to run. Because it is not enough to run, you have to know where to go, the Polish-born cardinal said. Five people have died over the past day in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region, one of two Ukrainian regions that Russia recognises as sovereign states, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said. NEW: #Russian forces continue to conduct meaningless offensive operations around #Donetsk City and #Bakhmut instead of focusing on defending against #Ukrainian counteroffensives that continue to advance. Our latest with @criticalthreats:https://t.co/u0KJm6a0Sk pic.twitter.com/R0vCcxz27t ISW (@TheStudyofWar) September 18, 2022 The separatist forces that control much of Donetsk claimed on Sunday that Ukrainian shelling of a prisoner-of-war colony in Olenivka had killed one prisoner and injured four. More than 50 prisoners of war were reportedly killed in a July attack on the Olenivka prison, which both Russian and Ukrainian authorities blame each other for. A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Russian forces in Donetsk continued to conduct meaningless operations on villages as opposed to reinforcing the front line. After translocating eight cheetahs to India, the nation is working with South Africa and Namibia to bring more cheetahs over the years, executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund Laurie Marker told news agency ANI. Lauri played a major role in the translocation of cheetahs to India. Also Read: India all set to welcome 8 cheetahs after 70 years Following the arrival of eight Cheetahs from Namibia to India on Saturday, Laurie said, "Since its extinction, you can only get animals from somewhere else. This is the only population of cheetahs large enough to use for reintroduction and to establish a population, we must bring in more. India is working with South Africa for more and Namibia is also going to send more over the years." Also Read: PM Narendra Modi releases 8 Cheetahs in MP's Kuno National Park. See photos Marker has been a key advisor to the Indian government on the cheetah relocation projects for 12 years. "Saving the cheetah means changing the world. Yesterday, we started this process with the cheetah touching Indian soil after 70 years of extinction. Their extinction was human-caused, and their survival is in the humans' hands", she added. Answering a question on Cheetah's adaptability to the Indian habitat, Lauri Marker highlighted the history of the country as being home to this fastest animal on land. Also Read: When people can see cheetahs at Kuno National Park? PM Modi drops a hint She also stressed the fact that the government was planning the cheetah translocation since it was declared extinct. A firm step was taken when a team of specialists from the government and Forestry department presented a plan in 2009. She expressed her hope for the success of the plan and also accepted that there are chances of disappointment as well. As the eight cheetahs were released in the forest of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, Indian High Commission in Namibia also tweeted to applaud the effort of the team from Namibia in the project. Proud team from Namibia - High Commissioner Prashant Agrawal, Dr. Laurie Marker and her CCF team, and others with Hon. Prime Minister of India after Hon. PM released the Cheetahs in Kuno for a new, historic beginning. #AmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/qMVpNHwIOT India In Namibia (@IndiainNamibia) September 18, 2022 Cheetahs were released at two points in Kuno National Park by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The PM also interacted with Cheetah Mitras, Cheetah Rehabilitation Management Group, and students at the venue. Also Read: The last cheetahs of India: A look at how last of lots were hunted | Watch unseen videos In his address, the Prime Minister also thanked Namibia for helping India in achieving the aim. He called this move an "important and historic" moment. Project Cheetah, the world's first carnivore relocation project It is worth noting Project Cheetah is one of a kind animal translocation project, as this is the first time a large carnivore is being moved from one continent to another and reintroduced to the wild. But, cheetahs will take around five to ten years to gel up in the habitat. Calling man-animal conflict a potential risk to Cheetahs, Laurie said the government is working with the communities around the park and the big cats may take five to ten years to establish themselves in India and erratic weather will continue to be a major factor. The man-animal conflict was one of the main reasons behind the extinction of the cheetah in India. It continues to be a threat even now. India's endeavour to save its wildlife With this reintroduction project, the government aims to protect the environment and bring sustainability. Apart from the cheetah, the government has been working to protect several wildlife animals in the country. There has been a significant amount of work done by the Indian government to increase the tiger population. Now, India has more than 50 Tiger Reserve in 18 states. The country is home of around 75% tiger population. The country achieved the target of doubling its tiger population four years ahead of its set deadline of 2022. The Tiger Population in India has grown from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018. Just like tiger population, there has been an increasing trend in the population of Asiatic Lions in the country. The population has increased from 523 in 2015 to 674 now. Talking about leopards in India, their population has been 60 % increase in their population to 12,852 leopards. (With inputs from ANI) The bilateral talks between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday concerning various interstate issues failed to yield results with Karnataka CM rejecting much of the demands of his Kerala counterpart. The two leaders met at the official residence of Karnataka CM, with Vijayan calling on Bommai to hold discussions on various projects and issues of mutual interest, as decided at the South Zonal Council meeting. Karnataka Chief Minister informed about the meeting on his Twitter handle, he wrote,"Had a fruitful meeting with Shri @pinarayivijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala. Various issues of inter state and mutual interest were discussed." Had a fruitful meeting with Shri @pinarayivijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala. Various issues of inter state and mutual interest were discussed. pic.twitter.com/NsbIxXHscQ Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) September 18, 2022 The Karnataka Chief Minister while speaking to the media after the meeting said, "Three projects proposed by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan during his visit were rejected as they fall within the scope of environmentally sensitive zones," The three projects were Kanhangad-Kaniyoor Railway Line via Panathur, Thalasseri-Mysuru Railway Line, underground tunnel passing through Bandipura National Park and proposal to increase bus services at night from 2 to 4. On the Kanhagad-Kaniyoor Railway Line route which the railway had agreed to consider if both states agreed to it, Bommai said, "The proposed Kanhangad-Kaniyur rail line project has a 40 km route in Kerala and 31 km in Karnataka." "However, this project is not very beneficial for Karnataka. Besides, it will pass through the rich bio-diversity and ecologically sensitive areas of the Western Ghats. So, the Kerala CM was clearly told that it was not possible for the State of Karnataka to give extended co-operation for this project." While on another railway project Thalaseri-Mysuru Railway Line,Bommai said, that Vijayan discussed the rail line route and he was told it was not possible to give permission as the proposed rail route will traverse through Bandipur-Nagarhole National Parks and it will cause great damage to flora and fauna. Even an underground rail route was rejected by Bommai saying it would damage the environment during the construction activities. On the proposal to increase the bus service during the night through Bandipur National Highway, Bommai rejected the proposal in its current framework while saying his government will not allow any project in an eco-sensitive zone, be it Nagarhole or Bandipur National Park. On the other hand, Kerala Chief Minister's Office said that both the states will jointly request the NHAI to implement the alignments from Tholpetti to Purakattiri and Sultan Batheri to Malappuram of the Mysore Malappuram Economic Corridor project as an alternative to the NH 766, passing through the tiger reserve, where night time travel restrictions are in place. Bommai also says a proposal to provide funds for Kanhangad - Panathoor- Kaniyoor Railway line has also been taken seriously by the Karnataka government. With inputs from Agencies China's oppression of Tibet is not hidden from anyone and the communist nation is now carrying out mass DNA testing to create a biological database of people to monitor them. A recent report by Human Rights Watch mentioned that there is an arbitrary collection of DNA from residents in several towns and villages throughout Tibet and the so-called Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) in particular, reported Tibet Press. These developments clearly indicate that China, now having confidence in its technological surveillance is moving into the next phase of its repressive and authoritative policy which is of Bio-Security. The CCP has implemented Bio-security as an agency to control the population, specifically those in the occupied regions of Tibet, East Turkistan and Southern Mongolia being targeted. Earlier, China used biological means to sterilize thousands of Uyghur Muslims, which has shown horrific results. And the recent mass DNA collection drive occurring in Tibet where Human Rights Watch identified drives in 14 distinct localities across 7 prefectural-level areas indicate how wide this project is under the current regime. Notably, with the 20th National People's Congress just around the corner, one can conclude that Beijing especially President Xi Jinping wants to have a smooth meeting that will eventually see him elected as the president for an unprecedented 3rd term, reported Tibet Press. As a result, it is quite clear that the ultimate goal of the recent revealed mass DNA collection drive without the consent of Tibetans, is to keep the Tibetans busy and engaged so that they, along with the millions of Chinese who continue to be unhappy and resent the communist government in its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic with its zero-covid policy would not come together and form a united entity protesting against the regime. Tibet under Chinese occupation has been repressed since 1949 when the People's Republic of China (PRC) was established. Yet even with the naked eye, one can witness how since the 7th Tibet Work Forum, which was held from August 29-30, 2020 - the level of repression and oppression has drastically increased and is at an unprecedented rate currently, reported Tibet Press. However, the collection of genetic material is not new to China as its ministry of public security runs the world's largest forensic DNA database, which probably contains more than 100m profiles. This activity involves gathering samples from criminal suspects or victims of crime, similar to what western countries do. But since 2017 Beijing under the leadership of Xi Jinping has transformed the functioning of this activity and launched a campaign to collect DNA from 10 per cent of all Chinese men with the sole purpose to trace a man's male relative. This move was decried by several activists as they saw it as a means through which perceived troublemakers would be punished and threatened by involving his parents and family. Such an intention and ploy were a functioning modus operandi by Beijing, especially in the occupied regions. For Tibetans, it was common knowledge that if you have family and links in Tibet you must be apolitical even if you are personally far away from the direct clutches of Beijing's authoritarian rule. The reason is that your family members were immediately questioned, threatened and even sentenced due to your actions that occurs far beyond the jurisdiction of Beijing, reported Tibet Press. In 2018, a former Tibetan political prisoner, Tenzin Woeser who crossed the Himalayas and sought refuge was subject to mental torture personally and saw physical violence acted upon his mother in Tibet by the Chinese authorities. For more than a fortnight his mother was forcefully held in detention and demanded that her son returns to Tibet. This is just one of many incidents whereby not only Tibetans but those under the current Chinese Communist Party (CCP) come across in their day-to-day life, reported Tibet Press. Whether it is Tibet, East Turkistan (Xinjiang) or South Mongolia, there have been several reports related to China's coercion and frequent announcements about new laws and regulations to control the masses. Such blatant actions including such Bio-Security measures which totally disregard the core of humanity that all humans possess, call for united actions against China. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Three years is a long time in most people's book, but for cystic fibrosis campaigner Jillian McNulty it has seemed a nigh on eternity. It's a period in time the Longford native has spent large swathes of confined to hospital on dialysis while awaiting a potentially life saving kidney transplant. That wait was one which finally came to an end in recent days when Jillian received a life-changing call from Beaumont Hospital requesting her to travel to Dublin without delay after a donor became available. It was a call the likeable 46-year-old had desparately been longing for, but was one she had unforeseen after only being discharged from hospital following six weeks of dialysis. I was after being in St Vincent's (Hospital) and was only after landing in Enniscrone when I got the call at 12:55pm, she said. Myself and mum went up to a coffee shop and I ordered a chicken curry when I got the call. I went outside and thought it was about my live donor. But I was told: No, no Jillian, we have a kidney for you now and you need to be here by 5 oclock. The emotion and significance at what she had just heard proved too much for the Longford woman as she broke down moments later. I think I cried for about ten minutes on the phone, Jillian vividly recalled. I cant remember but mum said I ran in and said I got a kidney and the whole place heard me. I was just thinking to myself 'How will I get up to Dublin in time?'. Knowing she had to return home first to collect a bag she had packed in anticipation of surgery, Jillian immediately set off back down the N4 at a speed even she looks back on now with some astonishment. On the way back from Enniscrone, I put the hazards on and got stuck in a 4km talkback, she said. I knew I needed to get back as quickly as possible and I just undertook a load of cars on the hard shoulder. Having managed to return to Longford in an hour and fifteen minutes, Jillian remained acutely aware that an equally long and problematic journey to Dublin still awaited. Fortunately for her, Longford Gardai came to her aid and provided a garda escort to the door of Beaumont Hospital barely an hour later. Only for Sgt Gerry Newton and Garda Aiden Lenehan, I wouldn't have got there in time, stressed the 2017 Longford Person of the Year. It was a mad panic, but they were great and when I got back, I just put a few things in the car and we booted it up the road from there. As one might expect, there was more than a tinge of anxiety in the air as Jillian's proud, but understandably agitated parents Finola and Francis accompanied their daughter to hospital. Shortly after 4pm, Jillian arrived and immediately underwent a series of blood tests and x-rays ahead of surgery later that evening. As it turned out, Jillian didn't actually go under the knife until the following morning. The best part of three weeks on, the Longford woman could not be in better shape as she continues to defy medics with the speed of her recovery. I was up and about on the first day (post surgery), she said, with more than a hint of quiet satisfaction. I would have a very high pain threshold and was up and walking within 24 hours. It was something that I knew would see me up and about pretty quick but the hardest part was not being able to eat for two days. A keen practitioner of social media, Jillian documented much of her path to recovery on video-sharing platform, Tiktok. In footage uploaded just 24 hours after her life altering surgery, Jillian can be seen slowly but proudly walking around her ward with minimal assistance. It was a sight even her own doctors found difficult to comprehend with medics wasting little time in hailing her "immense progress" and ability to shrug off any post operative struggles. It's a far cry from the dark days of the onset of Covid-19 when Jillian was doing everything within her power to stay virus free in the hope of securing the transplant she so desparately craved. Those aspirations were dealt a major blow earlier this year when Jillian contracted Covid, forcing medics to take her off the donor list for three months. I was at it three years now and thinking I cant do this for another two years, said rueful sounding Jillian. It was three days up and down (to Dublin). My mum was bringing me up and down and then I was getting sicker and sicker and weaker and weaker. My body just wasnt able for it anymore. Now back home, Jillian is already setting her sights on embarking on her next chapter safe in the knowledge the worst of her medical travails are behind her. Travelling is one item she intends scratching off her so-called bucket list over the coming months with the other very much centred on raising awareness over the importance of organ donation. I have to be careful for three months with my recovery, but after that there will be no stopping me, she bullishly put it. I do want to travel and go to the likes of New York, Boston and Iceland though I can't fly for six months. I also want to do a fundraiser in honour of my donor and their family because I am just so grateful for the new lease of life it has given me. What they did for me was one of the most selfless things anyone can do for someone. That overriding sense of gratitude is mirrored by Jillian's take on the value that comes with becoming a potential donor. It can't be emphasised enough, it really can't, added Jillian. By signing up, a person can save up to eight lives. It saved my life and I intend to live every moment to the fullest. After three long and emotionally fraught years of waiting who could begrudge one of Longford's finest ambassadors that chance, a second chance at life you get the feeling she has every intention of fulfilling. The chairman of an EU tax subcommittee is looking for renewed assurances that Ireland is still committed to a minimum corporate tax rate of 15%, amid lingering concerns from EU institutions about Irelands ability to regulate several tech giants headquartered in Dublin. Dutch MEP Paul Tang and five other MEPs from the European Parliament subcommittee are due in Dublin on Monday for a two-day visit. They will meet Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, a representative from Revenue, and groups including the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Irish Business and Employers Confederation. Mr Tang, an economist, said previously that his aim as chairman of the European Parliaments FISC committee was to spark debates in the capitals of EU nations about fairer tax systems. The decision-making (on tax matters) is still very much behind closed doors. And what we try to do with the FISC committee is to break this open, to make the debate public, he told Forbes in a March 2021 interview. MEPs, led by @paultang, will travel to IReland next week to discuss tax matters. All info here https://t.co/28UQwmpoMk FISC Committee Press (@EP_Taxation) September 16, 2022 If we can bring part of the work of the FISC committee to the capitals, I think its already an enrichment of the debate, but also increase public awareness and raise public pressure for change. Ahead of the visit, Mr Tang told the PA news agency that one of its purposes is to conclude decisions on the minimum corporate tax rate. In 2021 more than 130 jurisdictions, including all EU member states and members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), agreed to set a minimum global corporate tax rate of 15%. Although Hungary indicated in June that it is no longer backing the proposal, Mr Tang said there is a clear initiative for EU member states to bypass Hungarys veto to continue with the deal. I would be happy to hear that Ireland is still part of the initiative, that would be good for the OECD agreement, but it would also be a good response to Hungary if the EU member states unite and decide with 26 (out of 27 EU countries) to implement the minimum corporate tax rate. I know its a sensitive topic in Ireland, he added. Good! European countries will introduce a minimum corporate tax. Rebuking Hungary as well as nudging OECD partners. Lets work toward enhanced cooperation, including every member state (except) https://t.co/gqcuwvyMfn Paul Tang (@paultang) September 9, 2022 In recent months, Mr Donohoe has repeatedly warned of the risk to the Irish economy in over-reliance on tech giants corporate tax revenues even for one-off measures to help people with the cost-of-living crisis. When asked if he was unsure of Irelands stance on corporation tax, Mr Tang said: Im not sure, but I would be happy to hear that Irish politicians and policy-makers confirm their position. That would be good. Also being discussed will be the European Commissions proposals for an EU-wide withholding tax, and to ask Ireland to commit to an EU directive tackling shell companies, often used to either avoid paying tax on earnings accrued elsewhere or to launder money. What does Ireland do, and does Ireland do enough? the Dutch MEP said, adding that his own country and Luxembourg would also be in the spotlight on whether they do enough to promote a fairer tax system. Mr Tang said that different political groups are united in the idea that tax avoidance and tax evasion should be tackled very hard across the EU. Theres an initiative at the European level called the Unshell directive, which takes an aim at shell companies. Is Ireland willing to support that? Because these are all ways to stop tax avoidance and tax evasion. To tackle tax avoidance, you cant rely on just the OECD agreement. It requires further initiatives at European level, Mr Tang added. I think the general idea would remain that tax avoidance comes to the detriment of European partners. They make the same arguments in my country: its to the detriment of the German and French taxpayers. I want Ireland but also Luxembourg and the Netherlands to have this pro-European mindset in relation to tax evasion, he added. As well as the FISC delegation, the European Parliaments LIBE committee, which has competencies over data protection, is also due in Dublin next week. The two committees visiting Dublin in the same week would suggest that concerns remain among EU institutions about Irelands ability to manage the tech giants it hosts. Facebook, Apple and Google have based their European headquarters in Dublin. The supervision of big tech demands resources, but are enough resources spent on it, and is it good enough to help? Mr Tang said. Incidents of conflict between decisions made by Irelands Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) and other data protection authorities across Europe are also concerning, he added. The DPC was criticised for proposing a fine of 50 million euro against WhatsApp for breaches of privacy laws, but the fine was increased to 225 million euro after it consulted with its European partners. Data protection commissioner Helen Dixon recently referred to the long-running criticisms as becoming old news, and defended varied decisions as a difference in interpretation of how fines are calculated. Mr Tang said: I understand that Ireland has benefited a great deal from foreign direct investment, most notably from the big tech. But its not a way to lure them into Ireland by offering possibilities for tax avoidance or to lack standards for data protection. As a western country that mainly speaks English, that is a gateway to Europe, Mr Tang added that I always think that Ireland will do just fine without the investment gained from tech multinationals. Ireland is one of the richest members of the European Union. Times have changed. I think theres every reason for Ireland to be self confident. 17-Sep-22 Convicted of first-degree murder but claiming innocence until the end, Dr. Donnie Rudd died on Thursday at the age of 80. Rudd was serving essentially a life sentence, 75-to-150 years at Pinckneyville Correctional Center in Pinckneyville, Illinois, for the murder in 1973 of his wife, Noreen Kumeta-Rudd. A spokesperson for Illinois Department of Corrections confirmed the death. Rudd was waiting to hear if the United States Supreme Court was going to hear his case. He had petitioned the court in one last attempt to overturn his conviction in 2018. Rudd had claimed innocence since the cold case investigation started in 2012. He was convicted on July 2, 2018, after a five-day trial. The Appellate Court of Illinois denied his appeal in 2020. The Illinois Supreme Court declined in January 2021 to even hear the case. Rudd was arrested on December 16, 2015, for the murder of Noreen Kumeta-Rudd (left), his wife of just 28 days, on September 14, 1973. He was 31 years old. Noreen was 19 years old. Late at night, driving on what is now Route 68 near Bateman Road in Cook County, Rudd says an oncoming car in his lane ran him off the road, causing Noreen to be ejected from his car. He says she hit her head on a rock. Her death was ruled accidental but in 2016, after a four-year investigation by the Arlington Heights Police Department, exhumation of Noreens body, and an autopsy, a grand jury indicted Rudd, concluding there was evidence the young woman died from multiple blows to the head. The motive, said prosecutors, was a $100,000 life insurance policy of which Rudd was the beneficiary. When questioned by police in 2013, Rudd denied knowing he was the beneficiary but said such a policy was customary back then and common among employees at Quaker Oats, where he worked as a patent attorney, from 1965 to 1974, and Noreen worked as a librarian. Speaking for about 30 minutes at his sentencing hearing on September 13, 2018, in Rolling Meadows, Rudd told Circuit Court Judge Marc Martin he did not kill Noreen. He said he used $800 from the insurance proceeds to buy a beat-up car for his daughter and gave the rest to Noreens mother. I am not a saint, he told Martin, but said it was not fair to Noreens family to let them think she had been murdered. Martin (right) was not swayed, calling the offense cold, cunning, calculated, and motivated by greed. Rudd had multiple health issues, including colon cancer. Checkered law career was followed by stem cell research At one time, Rudds law firm in Schaumburg, Rudd & Associates, which he managed for 15 years, had more than 2,000 clients, mostly homeowner associations. In 1983, with state representative Ellis Levin, Rudd helped write amendments that overhauled the Illinois Condominium Property Act. Rudd lived in a condominium at the time. He had read about changes Levin was proposing to the Illinois Condominium Property Act. He wrote to Levin, saying the changes were the stupidest thing I had ever heard of and offered alternatives. Levin not only took his suggestions and made changes, but he asked Rudd if there were any other problems with condominiums that could be fixed through legislation. Rudds law firm combed through hundreds of lawsuits and other issues they had encountered over the years. Levin used Rudds suggestions to redraft 87 amendments, of which 85 percent were voted into law by Illinois legislators. Rudd warned of condo boards that abused their power. No one in his right mind would sit on a condo board, he said in 2008. So, you get the second-tier people. Power goes to their heads. You need checks and balances. [Boards] can get out of control very quickly. He said the only duty of an association board is to increase the property values of units in the association. Said Rudd, Every so often you have to ask if that is what is happening or is someone showing someone else they have power? In 1994, after four complaints were filed against him with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, Rudd voluntarily changed the status of his Illinois law license to inactive. With degrees in bioscience, bioengineering, and chemical engineering, Rudd then became an expert on stem cells. He had more than 40 patents, mostly related to cell regeneration, repair of human tissue, and curing diseases to vital organs. He wrote 15 books and more than 160 professional publications. He was Chief Scientist, Director of Intellectual Property, and Corporate Secretary for a stem cell research company called Regenetech, Inc., until it was sold in 2009. Regenetech, according to Rudd at the time, was developing adult stem cell and tissue regeneration technology. The goal was to regenerate tissue for the heart and vascular system, pancreas, prostate, liver, skin, lungs, and blood. (Alliance News) - UK Prime Minister Liz Truss is set to meet three more world leaders, including her Irish counterpart, as hundreds of dignitaries from across the globe descend on London to pay their respects to the Queen. The talks may be casual, portrayed by No 10 as chats rather than formal bilateral sessions, but the prime minister's meeting with Taoiseach Micheal Martin comes against a backdrop of political tensions over post-Brexit trading arrangements. She had been due to meet US President Joe Biden, a milestone of her early premiership, but the talks were cancelled on Saturday, with a "full bilateral meeting" scheduled instead for Wednesday, when they are set to be in New York for the UN General Assembly. In addition to Martin, Truss will meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Polish President Andrzej Duda in Downing Street on Sunday. The weekend's talks with world leaders are being framed by No 10 as chats to offer condolences over the Queen's death, during which politics is likely to come up. Martin has met 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 Anne's Cathedral in Belfast on Tuesday. The meeting with Martin comes as Britain is expected to push ahead with legislation to give ministers the power to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was jointly agreed by the UK and EU in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. Both the EU and Ireland claim Britain's move to unilaterally revise the post-Brexit treaty would breach 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 protocol. The PM kicked off her meetings with world leaders on Saturday, speaking to her counterparts from New Zealand and Australia. The talks were held at the government's Chevening country residence, rather than Chequers, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance work after Boris Johnson's exit. Truss will also have an audience with the King at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, before attending his reception for visiting heads of state. At 8pm, she will observe a minute's silence with the country to mourn the Queen's death and reflect on her life and legacy. People have been invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils. By Amy Gibbons, PA Political Correspondent source: PA Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. In recent months, Ezra Miller has been in the headlines more than ever, yet not necessarily because of anything related to acting. The American has been involved in violent episodes and has been accused of controlling a minor with alcohol and drugs, in addition to other incidents. Before the summer, Miller was arrested on one occasion for harassment and assault in Hawaii and on another for 'grooming': online sexual harassment of a minor to whom he also allegedly supplied narcotic substances such as LSD. Not only that, he was also filmed choking a woman in Iceland. Ezra Miller's satanic rituals: Referred to himself as 'Jesus' and 'The Devil' The actor admits he has "complex mental health issues" and has said he is in treatment, but Vanity Fair have published an article that sheds light on the actor's unusual behaviour. They have been able to speak to acquaintances and close associates of Miller and have commented that he was verbally and emotionally abusive to those around him, referring to himself either as "Jesus" or "The Devil". He also had an altar in his home where women were made to place their phones and other offerings when they arrived. The actor had a spiritual advisor who told him that he was the next Messiah and that the Freemasons were sending demons to kill him, according to sources interviewed by Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair reports that most of Ezra Miller's legal problems have disappeared and that there is a legal strategy to pay victims to sign a confidentiality agreement. Prince Harry stands by the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at Palace of Westminster - Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP Prince Harry stands by the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at Palace of Westminster - Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP Queen Elizabeth II's funeral is near and right now her coffin is available for visitors to give her a last goodbye after her passing, and on Saturday night her eight grandchildren mounted a 15-minute honor guard at the Palace of Westminster, including Prince Harry in a military outfit. The Royal Family welcomes world leaders at Buckingham Palace Prince Harry received King Charles III permission In order to be able to wore his military uniform during Queen Elizabeth II's vigil, Prince Harry had to be given a special permission by King Charles III. This is required due to Harry having resigned his royal duties in 2020, for which he was stripped of his honorary military titles, therefore was forbidden to use his uniform again. Prince Harry took part of the honor guardalongside his brother, Prince William, who's next in line to take the throne and the Queen's other six grandchildren. Visitors boost London economy after Queen's death It's still unclear if Prince Harry will be allowed to wear his military uniform at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Monday. Prince Andrew, was also granted permission Queen Elizabeth II's four children stand vigil by her coffin in Westminster Hall King Charles III also granted permission on Friday for his disgraced brother, Prince Andrew, to wear his military uniform during their late mother's vigil at Westminster Hall. Prince Andrew was forced out of the Royal Family's public life after he defended his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, showing no empathy at all for his victims. State auditor Suzanne Bump determined that Massachusetts' net tax collections exceeded what is permitted by law after reviewing them. While the state's law sets the tax collection at $38.87 billion, Massachusetts earned net tax receipts of approximately $42 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. The extra $2.9 billion will be returned to taxpayers as a repair for this. Chapter 62F, the law that places a limit on Massachusetts' tax receipts, was passed in 1986. It has only ever led to rebates for Massachusetts citizens once, in 1987, when the state handed each taxpayer 25 cents back. "That our tax cap has been dormant for over three decades until today shows that it is working exactly as it was designed to do," said Chip Ford, executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation, to the Boston Herald. "Our tax cap was intended as an automatic release valve for when revenue surpluses reach an unnecessary level, especially such an extraordinary level as recently; it was meant as a check on unlimited taxation and unsustainable spending." Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker said on Friday that payments will begin to be made in November. Your unique personal income tax obligation for the 2021 tax year will determine how much money you receive back. Tax payers in Massachusetts will benefit After applying any credits and before withholding and estimated taxes, this is the total amount payable to Massachusetts in 2021. The average return to taxpayers will be equal to about 13 percent of their 2021 personal income tax payment. According to Massachusetts, someone who paid $10,000 in income taxes last year can anticipate receiving a return of $1,300. After the October 17 deadline for filing an extension for the 2021 tax return, the final percentage will be revealed in late October. Every rebate is subject to offsets, such as unpaid taxes, child support obligations, or other debts. The state has developed a refund calculator on its website to assist citizens in estimating the amount of their refund. Every rebate is subject to offsets, such as unpaid taxes, child support obligations, or other debts. The state has developed a refund calculator on its website to assist citizens in estimating the amount of their refund. Anyone who paid Massachusetts personal income taxes in the 2021 tax year and submitted a 2021 state tax return by October 17, 2022, or earlier, is qualified for a refund. You don't have to take any additional steps to receive the money if you are entitled to a refund. FORT DRUM The Department of Defense STARBASE Academy ended its first full week of classes for local fifth graders with the official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Fort Drum Friday afternoon. STARBASE offers hands-on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM curriculum with 25 hours of instruction for one week for fifth grade students. Children arrive to the military post around 9:30 a.m. and stay until 2:30 p.m. After the week is over, the children graduate and a new group of students come in to begin the next week. Various vehicle and medical simulators including a Blackhawk helicopter simulator, the New York National Guard maneuver training equipment site and the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum are just some of the things available to STARBASE Academy. Michael J. O'Toole said there are currently 82 STARBASE Academies nationwide. He serves as director of civil military programs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. "STARBASE is a representation of the continued partnership between Fort Drum and north country school districts," Fort Drum Garrison Commander Col. James J. Zacchino Jr. said. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R- Schuylerville, has been a supporter of the STARBASE Academy and wrote a letter to the DOD detailing her support to bring the academy to Fort Drum. "Programs like STARBASE are critical in creating opportunities for youth to experience STEM activities, and I am proud that Fort Drum will host this important program," Rep. Stefanik said in a news release. Dana M. Hanni, STARBASE program instructor, said that the overall goal of STARBASE is to connect children to STEM education. This week, Watertown City School District had two classes at the academy each with 21 students. Lessons were taught through PowerPoints, and then students worked on different aspects of the lessons in the laboratory that is located inside the building. Ms. Hanni said that a student came up to her and told her that she did not want to graduate from the academy because that would mean that they wouldn't be able to come back. She called that moment "heartwrenching." "But at the same time it's like amazing because I'm thinking, 'I am touching a kid's life, in the short period of five days,'" she said. There are two instructors, two teacher assistants, the homeroom teacher who comes with the students, the office managers and director Joanne M. Witt. Children have been most excited to work in the labs as well as do experiments outside, the instructors said. Mr. O'Toole, who owns a home in Skaneateles, Onondaga County, called having STARBASE 100 miles north of his hometown "a little bit of a homecoming." "To be able to come back to New York and open up our newest program really is kind of special as a Central New Yorker," he said. Ms. Witt, who is the former principal at the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services' Bohlen Technical Center in Watertown and a former English teacher at Watertown High School, said she felt that she had more to give and more that she wanted to do. "So when I learned about this school, elementary is not the level that I've ever worked with before ... so when I learned about this program, I knew that I could expand my skill set into an age group that would be completely new for me so I could learn and go right along with the students. So I had to jump in," she said. The classrooms are also equipped with Clear Touch boards, which can go flat on a table and break into quadrants. Each student has their own iPad to use for the lessons. "Students are fully immersed in the learning to make the connections with math and science," she said. Ms. Witt said all students in the school districts that are involved with the program who are interested in attending can attend. STARBASE is being offered to students in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. "Once the students come in here it's so exciting, and they're loud and they're happy and they're smiling and they leave and they're little hands wave to us outside the window," Ms. Witt said. School district superintendents can reach out to the school liaison officer or talk with Ms. Witt about getting involved. "Just knowing that you're making a difference in the life of a kid and making education exciting for them, nothing else matters to me," Ms. Witt said. How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys. < and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys. > in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys. ? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key. Other keyboard shortcuts: 1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons Scalebar If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular. Controls - Video Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key. Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation) Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys. The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types. The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control. Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways: - without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method - with stereoscope - with anaglyph glasses. - on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system) For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them. Controls - photo comparison mode If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu. Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder. Summary of all keyboard shortcuts 17.09.2022 LISTEN Complementary education plays important roles in helping a child to learn other languages in school. Through non-formal education program, three brothers of the same mother and father who never attended school from day nursery through to primary six have now become University graduates. The three brothers hail from Dalaanyili, a village in the Nanumba South District of the northern Region. They started their formal education by enrolling into Junior High School form one at Central Junior Secondary School in Bimbilla. The three brothers: John Uwumborjeemi Nlenkiba, Emmanuel N-yajache Nlenkiba and Abraham Njonaan Nlenkiba learnt their local language Likpakpaanl through non-formal education evening teaching and through the knowledge gained, they were able to read and write English language which helped them enrolled into what is now known as Junior High school. John Uuwmborjeemi Nlenkiba is the 3rd born of the mother of 9 children, he enrolled into Central Junior Secondary School from 1990 to 1993 where he became Assistant School Prefect (ASP) and was able to become second best students with aggregate 8 in the basic education certificate examination. He proceeded to Wesley Grammar Secondary School and after successfully passing SSSCE he gained admission into Ghana Christian College and Seminary where he pursued Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, from there he became a pastor. He again proceeded to the University of Ghana where he graduated with Master of Arts in the study of Religions. He currently reads and writes in languages such as English, Likpakpaanl, Dagbani, Mampruli, Twi and Arabic. He currently serves as a pastor and a part time lecturer at Ghana Christian and leadership training institute based in Tamale. Emmanuel N-yajache Nlenkiba is the 2nd to last born of the mother. He also started his education at the same central Junior Secondary School from 2001-2004. After becoming successful in B.E.C.E he had admission into Ghanata Senior High School but dropped out due to financial challenges. He re-enrolled into Fumbisi Preparatory JSS and came out with aggregate 11. He gained admission into Nandom Secondary School where he read General Science Program. After WASSCE, he gained admission into Ankaful Mental Health Nurses Training College where he graduated with Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing. After serving as a Psychiatric Nurse for 7 years in Presbyterian health center in Widana in the Upper East Region. He again proceeded to the University of Cape Coast where he is now in the final year pursuing Bachelors Degree in Psychiatric Nursing. Abraham Njonaan Nlenkiba is the last born of their mother. He and his immediate elder brother enrolled into the same JSS together in the same year. Abraham got aggregate 10 and gained admission into Notre Dame Seminary Secondary school where he offered General Arts Program and also served as the Development Prefect of the school. He gained admission into the University of Ghana where he read Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work with Sociology. After graduating in 2014, he taught as a subject teacher in Holy Spirit Senior High School in Chamba from 2015-2018. From there he had appointment with Ghana Education Service and was posted to Bimbilla Senior High School where he served as a subject teacher for one year. He took his transfer to Tamale Girls Senior High School where he serves as a subject teacher till date. He is also currently pursuing Bachelor of Laws Program. The Executive Secretary to the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof Ken Attafuah, has said his office has actively engaged both the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu, about the fact that it is impossible for the Authority to register all eligible persons for the Ghana card the sole document for the re-registration of SIM cards before the September 30 deadline. So far, there are about two million eligible persons left to be registered for the Ghana card. Prof Attafuah told journalists at a press briefing on Friday, 16 September 2022 that there is no way that NIA can register those people before the deadline. It is technically, physically impossible, he noted. We had said way back in March that it was impossible, stressed Prof Attafuah. I have said it is like expecting a maiden to make a baby every three months, he illustrated. That is not how the physical and logistical system has been designed to respond. We cannot do that. He, however, noted that: It is not for NIA to proffer advice on that [SIM registration deadline] as it falls outside its mandate. However, I can say on authority that we have engaged actively with the National Communications Authority, and with the Minister [of Communications and Digitalisation] since last year. All unregistered SIMs will be blocked after the 30 September deadline. Source: ClassFMonline.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 South Africa's new Zulu king on Saturday celebrated thousands of young women at a colourful traditional rite of womanhood, defying a row over the legitimacy of the royal succession. At a stadium nestled between mountains in Nongoma town, the birthplace of South Africa's ethnic Zulu group, bare-breasted young women ululated and cheered as their new king addressed them. The young women wearing traditional beads on the neck, waist and the head, kicked off a day of festivities, presenting reeds and filing past the newly-crowned Zulu king MisuZulu Zulu. The King emerged from a tight circle of Zulu warriors to accept his first ever reed as the new monarch, smiling as the crowd chanted in praise. Every September -- the start of southern hemisphere spring -- thousands of women, known locally as maidens, participate in the "reed dance" in KwaZulu-Natal province. It is an age-old annual ceremony in celebration of sexual purity and promotion of sexual abstinence among young girls. The ceremony is a traditional rite of womanhood, rooted historically in an occasion when the king would select new wives from among his subjects. The 47-year-old new head of South Africa's largest ethnic group 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. It is the first time the dance is taking place since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and MisuZulu's first time presiding over the reed dance. Dressed in a leopard skin shawl, the king smiled confidently throughout the ceremony and his speech which was punctuated with bursts of laughter. "This is the first time I have seen such a large number of young girls and Zulu warriors attend a reed dance since I was born," the king said, thanking the estimated 10,000 women. "We are proud of you and we love you," he said to loud cheers, chants, ululations and spontaneous dances. He spoke about rape and femicide which plague South Africa. "Violence against women and children is an embarrassment to our nation," he said. "A woman is to be respected and protected. We must do better as men". 'Excited' Sixteen-year-old Amahle Shange was making her debut at the festival. "I am excited to be here for the first time, I can't believe it's finally happening and I'm seeing things I've never seen before," she told AFP. The "reed dance" was abolished for several years but revived in 1984 by MisuZulu's father. This year's event is however clouded by an ongoing succession battle. The 'reed dance' was abolished for several years but revived in 1984. By RAJESH JANTILAL (AFP) 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 late king's eldest son. The king called for "peace and unity (to) prevail in the royal house." He also extended condolences to King Charles III on the death of Queen Elizabeth II. "Our history with the British isn't covered in glory," he said. It was his defiant ancestors who inflicted one of the British Empire's worst defeats in 1879 when they fought bloody battles against the British colonisers. Dressed in a leopard skin shawl, the king smiled confidently throughout the ceremony. By Rajesh JANTILAL (AFP) Prior to the reed dance, the participants had their genitalia inspected, a practice condemned by rights advocates who say it is demeaning and an invasion of privacy. Traditional doctor and virgin inspector Nomagugu Ngobese defended the practice, saying it was accepted across different social classes. "I've got teachers here, engineers, they have cars; there are attorneys, which goes to prove wrong those who say our culture is outdated," she told AFP. The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has expressed his hidden desire for women from the Volta Region. At age 78, the President said he has always been looking forward to an opportunity to walk down the aisle with a Voltarian woman. During a recent working visit to the region, the President stated during an interview with a female presenter on Ho-based Stone City radio that seeing the female journalist had resurrected his long-held desire to marry a voltarian. Though the President comments has sent tongues wagging on social media, many believe at age 78, he can still marry a second wife. You know my basic position that Ive taken, and seeing you, of course, its heightened it my determination to marry in the Volta Region. I'm like a suitor who keeps on knocking on the door, looking forward to the day the door will be open. Well keep on till the day the door is open, the President said. The entire world, particularly Commonwealth countries are mourning Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the immediate past English monarch, who is set to be laid to rest. Many people at home and around the world have written sweet words to console the late Queen's family. On Saturday, September 17, Her Excellency Rebecca Akufo-Addo stormed the British High Commission in Accra to express her condolences. Afterwards, the first Lady in a tweet sighted by Modernghana News reads, I signed the Book of Condolence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II at the British High Commission in Accra. It adds Queen Elizabeth II, you truly served humanity with grace, dignity, and courage. "Rest In Peace, Your Majesty! Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the world's longest-serving monarch died in the afternoon of Thursday, August 8 in her castle in Balmoral, Scotland at age 96. Thousands of people are paying their last respects to the late Queen as her casket travels through various cities in the United Kingdom. Many foreigners have taken advantage of the chance to visit the former Gold Coast and conduct crimes there with impunity since they are aware that Ghana is among other countries as a highly peaceful, with nice people, where if you commit a crime, the perpetrator will enjoy the law with impunity because of their love for God. Since he took office six years ago, Akufo Addo's administration has struggled with issues of corruption and criminal activities. Aisha Huang, a thieving Chinese woman, has been involved in illegal mining activities in the country with impunity. Now that there is news about her, the case may be lost as usual because certain important NPP politicians are thought to be responsible for the woman's crimes in the country. The fact that Aisha Huang previously broke the law in Ghana and was never prosecuted, tells eloquently about the lawlessness of the nation, which invites criminals to engage in criminal activity or engage in illegal mining without facing any repercussions. People being displaced or fleeing terrorism are a familiar sight in many African nations. If the Ghanaian government, the immigration, and the national security boss, Kan Dapaah, can't even inform Ghanaians how the Chinese criminal sneaked into the country, then suggests that anyone, including terrorists, can enter the country. Photo credit: Toronto Star In China, a Ghanaian would have been severely punished for the same offenses that Aisha has committed numerous times in Ghana while remaining unpunished. According to the NPP administration, Huang was reportedly arrested and deported a few years ago when it was determined that her illegal mining activities were harming the surrounding community and environment. It is unclear if the woman was deported, as Ghanaians were led to think, or if she was allowed to remain in Ghana and carry out her atrocities. It gives the idea that anyone, including terrorists, can enter the nation if the Ghanaian government or immigration can be so ineffective and fail to stop Aisha Huang's return. Ghana has failed as a nation because many of its citizens work with outsiders to degrade their ecosystems and contaminate their streams because of poverty. Politicians and chiefs in a mining region can't possibly be unaware that illicit mining is taking place in their town because they receive a portion of the proceeds from all the illegal mining, and many of the chiefs are supporting the Chinese Mafias ruining our ecosystems. The Bible explicitly states in Matthew 10:36 that "a man's enemies will be the members of his household." This is true of the Ghanaian country as well. That implies that Ghanaians, including the chiefs and politicians, are to blame for the country's lack of development. Because everything in Ghana is politicized, the fight against corruption has been pointless. If, as many media outlets have reported, Aisha Huang did manage to return to Ghana after her deportation, then Ghana has some of the world's weakest security measures in place, making it possible for any criminal, including terrorist organizations, to enter the country and carry out any desired crime without being caught. This is among the causes of the government's calls for citizens to exercise caution. The NPP administration consistently exploits the populace, yet they never pay attention to their complaints. I'm still upset that the present administration disregarded the public's pleas to stop the implementation of the E-Levy. Thousands of livelihoods have been destroyed by the bogus taxation system when the E-Levy failed, even though the NPP administration has been in power for more than six years and has failed to provide jobs for the average person. The fact that this criminal Chinese woman was able to acquire a Ghanaian identification document while many Ghanaians are currently having trouble processing their identification documents demonstrates how corrupt the NPP government is as well as how their greed and selfishness can endanger people's lives. According to the criminal Chinese woman's current defense attorney, she is married to a Ghanaian. Whether Aisha Huang is married to a Ghanaian or not, that wouldn't stop her from receiving the proper justice if the nation's justice system is effective because, in my opinion, there are some Ghanaians serving time in prison all over the world, including China, despite not having committed the same serious crimes as Aisha. Many people will agree with this writer that Ghana is a country that never put corrupt politicians behind bars for their misdeeds, which is why our country has crumbled. How do you anticipate this NPP administration would imprison Aisha Huang as a result? Because Aisha possesses in her possession of the majority of the NPP politicians' secrets in her pocket, she cannot be put in jail. Time will tell, and this writer will remind you of that. The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has issued a writ of summons to 16 including a Member of Parliament for allegedly using power illegally in Kroboland. Ms. Sakyiwaa Mensah, ECG Tema Regional Public Relations Officer disclosed to newsmen which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Odumase that the illegalities were detected during routine checks on the companys meters at Lorlonyo, Kpong, and Odumase in its Krobo District. Ms. Mensah said that even though the MP in question was not at home at the time of the visit by a team of ECG engineers and the Military, the writ of summons was handed over to the caretaker of the property who was present after the disconnection of the illegal power. She explained that the MP sometime back reported the missing of two of the four meters on his compound, for which he presented a police report as requested by ECG. She said even though the ECG was still investigating the issues through its internal process, field officers observed during the monitoring that those properties still had power. As things stand today, those apartments that do not have the meters are supposed to have been disconnected, however on our monitoring, we realized that those two apartments have power and upon further investigations on the field we realized that the two have been connected from a third meter, on his premises, she stated. She added that ECG considered this as an illegal connection and has, therefore, disconnected power to the three apartments, and expects them to be off. Ms. Mensah also revealed that the other residents who engaged in the illegalities fled their homes when they got wind that ECG was doing monitoring and had already accosted others for engaging in such acts. The ECG Tema PRO advised customers to comply with the laws and desist from illegal power connections as according to her, the law gives ECG the power to prosecute cases of illegal connections which could lead to a fine or a jail term. Nobody is above the law so we entreat all customers to desist from illegal connections as much as possible, let us all comply to and with the laws of the land so we are not found wanting, she added. 18.09.2022 LISTEN Dr. Kennedy Brightson, Chairman of the Greater Accra Medical Superintendents group has expressed concern that most people resort to prayers and prayer camps and other sources when faced with some medical challenges only to report to the hospitals when the issue deteriorated. Desist from blaming the devil for your sicknesses, and seek healthcare services early to avoid complications. Satan is even tired of being accused of causing common sense diseases that can easily be handled at the hospital, Dr. Brightson who is also a Medical Superintendent of the Dodowa District Hospital has stated. Dr. Brightson gave the advice during interaction with newsmen as monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) at Prampran on the sidelines of a free health screening for residents of Prampram and Lakpleku in the Ningo-Prampram District by the Greater Accra Medical Superintendent group. Dr. Brightson said it was important for the public especially patients to listen to their health professionals and follow medical instructions carefully. Waiting and trying to manage sicknesses in any form or means without attending medical facility till the condition deteriorate meant nothing much could be done to save the situation, he said. The Chairman of the Greater Accra Medical Superintendents group explained that the health screening exercise was an initiative by members from 23 public polyclinics and 14 hospitals in the region to give back to society and bring healthcare closer to the people. He said the team together with support from other health officials provided free consultation for Out Patient Department (OPD) illnesses such as blood pressure, diabetes, malaria, and others. Other services provided were free laboratory services, ENT and dental services, as well as medications for residents at the three outreach points at Prampram Polyclinic, Lower Prampram Seaside, and within the Lakpleku community near Ningo. The exercise also saw three minor surgeries being conducted at a newly commissioned theatre at the Prampram Polyclinic, as well as the registration of children aged below 18 years, and adults aged 70 and above unto the National Health Insurance Scheme. Dr. Brightson said apart from the OPD cases, isolated issues of Burkitis Lymphoma (tumour), gynaecological issues, abdominal masses, infected dog bite, and a giant goitre were also handled. The "Year of Picasso" initiative will see more than 40 exhibitions held across Europe and the United States in honour of the Spanish artist, 50 years after his death in the south of France. From Madrid's Prado museum to the Pompidou Centre in Paris and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, 38 major art museums will stage 42 exhibitions from September 2022 and throughout 2023. The aim is to "show off all the facets" of Pablo Picasso, said French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak at a press conference unveiling the programme earlier this week. Picasso was born in the Spanish city of Malaga in 1881 and died in Mougins on the French Riviera on 8 April 1973. The celebrations will begin on 23 September at Madrid's Mapfre Foundation and will run until April 2024 with a closing exhibit at the Petit Palais in Paris. European focus Most events will take place in Spain and France, with others held in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Romania and Belgium. A series of talks about Picasso and his work will also be organised. The 12 events in France will take place at museums across the country, including in Paris, Lyon and Avignon. "We want to present Picasso exactly how he was" by highlighting his "artistic legacy" and the "permanence of his work", said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Picasso's art continues to resonate today said Abdul Malak, who called the artist's 1937 masterpiece Guernica "a manifesto for peace". The painting immortalises the massacre in the Basque town of Guernica, bombed by the Nazi air force in support of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War. This plea "takes on a special connotation" at a time "when war is raging at the gates of Europe and when we stand by the Ukrainian people", the French culture minister commented, referring to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Beyond the political and historical references, the retrospectives will also be an opportunity to look at the artist's excesses and contradictions, organisers said. The image of Picasso, long deified for his artistic genius, has been tarnished for several years by accusations of misogyny and violence towards his female companions, which have come under the spotlight since the #MeToo movement. The artist, who spent most of his life in France, was notably accused by journalist Sophie Chauveau in her book Picasso, le Minotaure of being a "jealous", "perverse" and "destructive" man. "It is important for the public to know Picasso better and also to know the violence that was in him. It is something that should not be hidden," said Abdul Malak, who said it was nonetheless important "not to reduce all of Picasso's work" to this subject. (with wires) 18.09.2022 LISTEN Senior Manager of MTN Ghana in-Charge of Corporate Communications, Georgina Asare Fiagbenu is encouraging members of the general public to contribute to national development by undertaking life-saving and impactful projects in their communities. Such projects, she emphasised, go a long way to augment governments efforts at improving the lives of ordinary people in the country. Speaking at a Media and Stakeholders Engagement programme in Sunyani, Madam Asare Fiagbenu reiterated the MTN Ghanas commitment to rewarding such people under the companys Heroes of Change initiative. She said MTN Ghana has so far invested about 64 million Ghana cedis in sustainable community projects; including 87 projects in the education sector, 53 health-related projects and 13 projects under economic empowerment and four community support initiatives. She added that an amount of 20 million Ghana cedis is being invested this year by MTN Ghana on various sustainable community projects as part of its 25th anniversary. Madam Asare Fiagbenu said, going forward, her outfit intends to build the largest and most valuable platforms, drive industry-leading connectivity operations, create shared value and accelerate portfolio transformation. She continued that out of the 1,144 suppliers of the company, 897 are local suppliers while the remaining 251 are foreign companies. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Pump Attendants are to undertake Environmental Safety and Best Practices Training (ESBPT), under the tutelage of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the broader procedures to inject professionalism into the sector to reduce accidents associated with gas usage. The Environmental Safety and Best Practices Training (ESBPT) also forms part of the initial processes outlined by the EPA toward the licensing regime which requires that every LPG Pump Station Attendant must go through. Mr William Hayfron-Acquah, EPA Acting Director, Field Operations stated during a training workshop for Gas Station Attendants in Bono East Region held at Techiman that the ESBPT syllabus has been divided into phases. He said the training involves theoretical classroom and practical field training leading to the award of an initial certificate of participation, after which the attendants would be monitored for adherence to best practices. Mr. Hayfron-Acquah said Attendants would again go through another theoretical classroom and practical field training at the end of which he or she would be licensed to operate as a Certified Professional LPG Pump Attendant. The EPA Acting Director, Field Operations explained that enrolling in the first phase which is classified as the Transitional Period is voluntary, but after the period it would become mandatory for every attendant to acquire the Certified Professional LPG Pump Attendant license before employment. He, therefore, appealed to LPG Owners and Dealers as well as Pump Attendants to enrol in the on-going EPA Environmental Safety and Best Practices Training, which seeks to raise awareness about the hazards of LPG and the preventive mechanism available. He noted that the training also targets Owners, Dealers, and Station Supervisors to ensure that we adhere to international best practices in our operations in the country. He said EPA is collaborating with other technical partners such as the Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana LPG Operators Association (GLiPGOA), Department of Factories Inspectorate, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, and the National Petroleum Authority among others. He explained that the certification emanated from the background that the series of gas explosions and gas-related fire outbreaks in the country which had resulted in the loss of lives and properties were attributed to the lack of understanding and failure to observe simple safety protocols. He said investigations into these incidents and accidents revealed a number of causes, the most critical and common one being that most of the workers along the supply chain do not have the requisite knowledge and skills required to work. Mr. Samuel Otu Larbi, Executive Director Solution Solve who is an LPG Safety Expert and was a resource person at the training explained that like all forms of energy, LP gas is potentially hazardous if mishandled or misused. He, therefore, advises that owners and dealers to take advantage of the expertise within the LP gas industry to ensure an informed and uniform approach to good safety practices. The LPG Safety Expert noted that controlling risks guarantee the health and safety of people and safeguards property and the environment, the danger is always present. Only the risk is reduced by behaviour. LPG is potentially hazardous from production until it has been used. So every uncontrolled release is a hazardous activity and should receive urgent attention. Thus, even the smallest gas leakage can be detected and should receive appropriate and immediate attention. Mr Otu Larbi said the hazard associated with LPG can occur during transportation, delivery, or consumption; to manage the hazard one must first begin to understand the product, and the application of all the controls and safety procedures put in place. Mr Anthony Duah, EPA Bono East Regional Director called on stakeholders in the LPG to enrol their attendants to participate in the training. Dealers and Owners must also participate in the training as it will help you protect your investment through the best-administered practices, he said. Mr. Duah explained that the training is targeted at the pump attendants across the country. It will therefore be organized in all the 16 regions. LPG Pump Attendants in the Greater Accra, Volta, Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Western, and Bono Regions have been trained. He called on LPG Station Owners and Operators who have not trained their Pump Attendants to contact the EPA Regional offices. An advisor to South Africa's Zulu king, who was crowned as monarch last month despite a challenge from within the royal family, was killed late Saturday on the sidelines of a traditional ceremony, according to a local official. Dumisani Blasius Khumalo "was killed by unknown gunmen last night, shortly after attending the Reed Dance in Nongoma," Sihle Zikalala, a member of the regional legislature, said in a statement. Some 10,000 people gathered Saturday in the small town of Nongoma, a Zulu stronghold in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province, for the traditional "reed dance". During the centuries-old ritual, the girls present themselves to the king of the country's largest ethnic group, which numbers 11 million Zulus, almost one in five South Africans. It was the first reed ceremony for King MisuZulu Zulu. Opponents of the new ruler had issued threats and predicted a "bloodbath" if the celebration went ahead. Security had been stepped up. Khumalo, the king's chief advisor, was responsible for settling disputes within the Zulu community. In South Africa, some communal disputes are settled in traditional courts rather than in a state judicial setting. "He was very loyal to the royal family and he worked closely with MisuZulu's father before," said Khaya Ndwandwe, a Zulu culture expert. Since the death of Goodwill Zwelithini last year after a reign of 50 years, a dispute over succession has raged. In South Africa, traditional rulers and chiefs are recognised by the constitution and exercise significant moral authority. MisuZulu kaZwelithini, recognized by President Cyril Ramaphosa, was born to the favourite and third wife of Goodwill Zwelithini. The first wife challenged the succession in court, which rejected the claim. The late king's eldest son, who was born out of wedlock, filed an emergency lawsuit this week claiming he was the rightful heir. Brothers of Goodwill Zwelithini also claimed the throne for another contender. At the ceremony Saturday, the new king called for "peace and unity (to) prevail in the royal house". 18.09.2022 LISTEN Dear Chief Obosu, I wish to quickly respond to your article, which is craftily presented to misinform unsuspecting party members into believing that Dr. Bawumia was somehow the breath of life, without which President Kufuors much-talked-about economic achievements from 2001 to 2008 wouldnt have been possible. Quite honestly, I like the way you listed all your academic achievements in the write-up to let people know that the article was written by someone who is very well educated. Quite impressive academic achievements! Congratulations! Well, I am not as educated as you, albeit I have acquired a few certificates from the college of common sense, in addition to the little education I have, which has enabled me over the years to detect lies, and disingenuous and mischievous acts of people. When I read your article, I jokingly said to the person who sent it to me, why dont we remove the Vice President as the head of EMT and send him back to the Bank of Ghana to work as deputy governor, if indeed he was able to achieve all these fairly tale Bawumia achievements. Chief Obosu, quite sincerely, you left me wondering about something I believe any discerning person would wonder about, on reading your article. I kept wondering why you didnt write about the economic achievements of the Vice President in Nana Addos administration and decided to go all the way back to Kufuors administration and tried to attribute some of Kufuors major achievements to a worker at the Bank of Ghana at the time. While I kept wondering, the eyes of my common sense instantly opened and I detected the real import of the article. I saw that the whole article has been written as part of the DMBs camp agenda to exonerate the Vice President from the current economic situation and let the Finance Minister and his Akyem cohorts be seen as those who are solely responsible for whatever the country is going through. At least I have been told by two of your key guys that now your major headache is how to disconnect from the Akyem root because you think its seriously diseased. A kind of disguised Rutolization? Isnt it really baffling that someone you claim to be the backroom pillar of Kufuors administration, is failing to function as the entrance pillar (head of EMT) thats supposed to be holding the economy of Nana Addos administration from crumbling, but rather usurping the work of Communication and Digitalization Minister? Obosu, dont you think perhaps we should relocate him to the backroom so that we can get the best of him? Perhaps, I need to remind you that President Kufuor also had Economic Management Team headed by the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama, which oversaw the day to day administration of economic issues, of which Dr Bawumia, your so-called backroom pillar, wasnt a member. Besides, he had a solid Governor in the person of Dr Paul Acquah (who was the real backroom pillar), three brainy Finance Ministers and other fantastic ministers, who worked tirelessly to make his administration one of the best in the history of the country. Chief Obosu, interestingly, conspicuously missing in your article was the name of Kufuors head of EMT, the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama. At least you should have shown some respect to the late Vice President. I wasnt surprised though that his name didnt feature in your write-up. You and I know its deliberate. The truth is that you know if you praise the late Vice President for the economic achievements of President Kufuors administration, your boss, who is the current head of the Economic Management Team, would be exposed big time for the current happenings in the economy. By the way, what your article portrays is that if tomorrow Ghanas economy bounces back, we shouldnt attribute it to your boss as the head of the EMT. Rather, we go and look for one of the deputy governors at the Bank of Ghana and give him the praise. Perhaps, for the sake of your boss, we should see the whole EMT thing as unimportant. My brother, it is not for you to tell Ghanaians about the real brains that catapulted Kufuors economy to the kind of envious height it attained. Like other senior economists at BOG do, your boss may have helped in one way or the other at the time, but we all knew the main drivers behind Kufuors economic achievements. So, kindly spare us the disturbance of your laughable deceitful journalistic acrobatics and theatrics. If, in your opinion, the Vice President is an unparalleled economic wizard, as you sought to portray in your write-up, be bold to write about his achievements in the economic management of the current Nana Addos administration. Why do you have to travel back into history when the man is the current Vice President and, for that matter, the head of EMT. I dont think Ghanaians are more interested in economic history than economic current affairs. Wizards are known to do extraordinary things at tough times, arent they? So, let your boss do what wizards do. Simplicita! Moreover, in your subsequent write-ups, dont shy away from juxtaposing the things he has said in the past about the management of the countrys economy with the things he has done and let the jury out there judge him on his economic prowess or otherwise. Obosu, I dont want to believe that you were one of those students who always praised themselves for their good marks and blamed their teachers for their poor marks. Impliedly, your gospel suggests that the head of the EMT ought not to be praised or blamed for what goes on in the economy. Its really interesting. How duplicitous can you be! Furthermore, I detected another impression you subtly sought to create with your article. You guys have unsuccessfully tried umpteenth times to create the impression that President Kufuors kind words about Dr. Bawumia is an endorsement of him. Thats quite ridiculous, isnt it. Ex-President Kufuor, as wise as we have known him to be would not remove his intestines and replace them with cotton wool. He is a statesman and behaves as such whenever he finds himself in public. Yes, he is very careful with his choice of words and that is why any attempt to put spins on his words can easily be detected. The other day, for instance, you guys shamelessly and maliciously twisted his words relative to something he said about the Vice President, which compelled his office to release a statement to rebut it. Why should you guys do that to him? How desperate can you guys be? Let me conclude by simply saying that, contrary to the wrong impression you intentionally created, no one has said Dr. Bawumia was a stranger to the NPP government before his nomination as Nana Addos running mate. At least we all know he was working at the BOG during President Kufuors government. However, he was a stranger to the party, as he wasnt a party member. The truth is that he didnt even see the need to become a party member after President Kufuor did him that great favor. It simply didnt cross his mind to join the NPP, as his heart remained in the party of his parents until he was offered the greatest gift and waiver of his lifetime in 2008 the running mate appointment. Shalom shalom! E. G. Buckman Madam Abibatou Wane-Fall, outgoing Mission Chief of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to Ghana, has bid farewell to Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations. Madam Wane-Fall, who has completed a two-and-half-year duty tour of Ghana, is on reassignment to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the meeting, the Minister congratulated Madam Wane-Fall for her leadership and supervision as the IOM Chief of Mission in Ghana, Togo, and Benin. He also congratulated her for almost 20 years of service in similar roles in Burkina Fasso, Zambia, and Niger. He remarked that Madam Wane-Fall's leadership and legacy would make her successor's work easier and wished her well in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mr Baffour-Awuah took the opportunity to extend the Ministry's gratitude to IOM for their continuous support, especially in the areas of facilitating Decent Work, Protection of Migrants Workers and strengthening Labour Migration Governance in Ghana. The Minister recalled some areas that the Ministry received immense support from IOM, noting right from the development process of the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) in 2018 to its implementation after Cabinet approval in 2020. He also acknowledged other areas of support including assistance to the Ministry to facilitate technical coordinating meetings of the National Labour Migration Working Group meetings, validation of annual Labour Migration Institutional Work plans and standardisation of the Bilateral Labour Agreement. Others mentioned the template to guide exports of labour migrants and support capacity building upon the return of migrants. He also reiterated Ministry's readiness to have continuous collaboration with IOM toward strengthening labour migration governance in Ghana. He highlighted some activities such as quarterly coordinating meetings, bilateral labour agreement signing, the printing of Labour Migration newsletters and the development of a code of conduct for Private Employment Agencies (PEAs). He further emphasised the need to prioritise the discussion on social security portability for migrant workers. In her response, Madam Wane-Fall expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations for their unwavering support during her tenure as resident Chief of Missions in Ghana. She reiterated IOMs readiness to support the Ministry and also gave the assurance that all the needed processes would be put in place to guarantee her successor cordial and sustained cooperation with the Ministry. GNA 18.09.2022 LISTEN The Reverend Daniel Kwasi Ayim, Pastor in charge of the Mount Moriah Congregation of the Presbyterian church has advised Christians to eschew filth making The creation of filth, he said was a sin, which Christians must endeavor to avoid. The Rev. Ayim who was preaching on the theme: Beautifying my environment.'expressed concern about the galamsey menace destroying the countrys environment and water bodies and asked for Gods intervention in controlling the menace. He said: When God created the earth, He saw that it was good, the trees are good, the water bodies are good and we must not destroy them because of our greed. He also bemoaned the filth in market places and sometimes even in churches. People even eat and leave filth in the church he said reminding Christians that the cliche cleanliness is next to godliness is true. We must as Christians do our best to maintain a clean environment because it is also pleasing to God. GNA The Eastern Regional Police Training School has graduated 171 general recruits, but they are all men. The recruits were part of the second batch to graduate from the Eastern Regional Police Training School this year, with the mission of combating growing crime and maintaining law and order in the country. Leaders of various security services, including the Ghana Fire Service, Ghana Immigration Service, and the Ghana Police Services Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate, as well as other stakeholders, attended the event on Friday. Four recruits received honours in the categories of best conduct, best in the drill, best marks-man, and overall best recruit. The recruits, commanded by Lance Corporal Manfred Egbadewe, demonstrated their skills in various drills while appreciating 70 years of women in policing in Ghana by composing the words: 70 years of women in policing in Ghana, Bravo. Mrs Habiba Y.A.T. Sarpong, Commissioner of Police (COP), Director-General of GPS Welfare, and the reviewing officer stated that emerging crimes demanded more diverse and complex skills from the police. As a result, she noted, the recruits were not only trained in soft skills such as riding, diving, swimming, radio communication, arrest and search procedures, and disaster management, but also hard skills such as combat and disaster management. However, they were taught to achieve world-class standards through a paradigm shift in recruit training modules introduced by the Inspector General of Police. This, he did, by standardising recruit training modules underpinned by proactive policing strategies, police accountability, ethical conduct of personnel, adherence to Human Rights Standards in law enforcement, eschewing corruption, civility to the general public, client management and customer care, COP Sarpong said. She also said all the 171 recruits were taken to the High-Risk Operation Training School in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region to ensure they were properly equipped to be able to respond to terrorist strikes. Terrorism has become a global threat, she stated. So far, almost all our neighbouring countries have experienced some form of a terrorist attack. We, therefore, cannot fold our arms to wait for it to happen. COP commended General Recruit Solomon Martey Asegri for placing fifth in the National Recruits Standardised Examination out of 1,372 candidates. She further praised the Eastern Regional Police Training School, under the command of Superintendent Mrs Charity O. Amankwa, for being the highest performing school in the recent National Recruits Standardised Examination. COP Sarpong advised newly admitted recruits to prioritise police relations with the public at large since the wider populace plays a significant part in dealing with crimes. GNA A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. From left, in Palau in August 2022: Dr. Peter Watson; Minister Kaleb Udui; Dr. James K. Galbraith; President Surangel Whipps Jr.; Andrew McLean, charge d'affaires, ad interim, U.S. Embassy Koror; Dr. Denise Eby Konan; and Dr. Naoyuki Yoshino. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks after the primary election for the midterms during the "Keep Florida Free Tour" at Pepin's Hospitality Centre, in Tampa, Florida, Aug. 24, 2022. Representatives of the Japanese Society of the Northern Marianas, Saipan Keepers CNMI, and the Marianas Visitors Authority conduct a beach cleanup beginning at Kilili Beach Park in Saipan on Sept. 27, 2021, in celebration of World Tourism Day. World Tourism Day will be observed on Sept. 27, 2022, with activities on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. BCs Tales of the Pacific | Why we cant solve our problems, part 2 Harry Shearer, a longstanding friend of Naked Capitalism as well as a regular donor, is teaming up with two generous anonymous donors in a supersized challenge to help meet our final goal of funding more original reporting. They will match the next 35 donations of $100 and the next 40 of $50. Make this big-hearted offer a swift success by going to our donation page now! Many of you found us due to Harry being so kind as to have us regularly on his public radio program, Le Show, and I hope his challenge stirs fond memories of those and his many other interviews. For our new and non-American readers, Harry is a multifaceted talent: a film and voice actor, musician, writer, radio host, and producer. You may have seen him in This Is Spinal Tap as Derek Smalls: He also played several roles in The Simpsons, including Mr. Burns and God. But Harry has also had a strong interest in social justice. 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This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1053 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. * * * By John McGregor, a translator and political violence researcher Successive waves of deepening austerity and state oppression have disproportionately targeted marginalized groups. In England, Tory policy and legislation on Gypsies and Travellers is a particularly vile manifestation of this phenomenon. A 2019 House of Commons briefing paper on Gypsies and Travellers clearly identifies how various levels of government have abandoned their responsibilities towards their citizens. The briefing identifies local authorities as the responsible level of government: Responsibility for planning for the provision of sufficient Gypsy and Traveller sites in England lies with local authorities, who are best placed to assess the needs of their communities. Even if local authorities might be best placed to make this assessment, they arent actually called on to do so. The same briefing notes: Local authorities are no longer required to carry out a specific, separate assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers in their local area, although they still have a general duty to assess the housing needs of everyone in their area. The result of this failure to fulfill the functions of government is that there is a deep and chronic shortage in available pitches for Gypsies and Travellers. Some local governments have responded by issuing a series of injunctions in an effort to simply remove Gypsies and Travellers from their area. These anti-encampment injunctions have been sought against groups of known and unknown individuals and, most crucially, against individuals who may join the group in the future. This inclusion of injunctions against newcomers was upheld in a 2022 Court of Appeal case and while it has thus far been used to target Gypsies and Travellers, the potential for governments to exploit these injunctions against anyone they deem undesirable should not be ignored, particularly as the UK continues to lock up an increasingly wide variety of protestors. Most people in England who identify as Gypsy or Traveller now live in permanent, fixed dwellings, but there are still a significant number, over 20%, who live in a caravan or other mobile or temporary structure and who need places for encampments. Even without injunctions, there are often no available pitches. A January 2021 report for the charity Friends, Families and Travellers found that there were only 59 permanent pitches and 42 transit pitches available across England, themselves contained in only 18 sites in total. FFT calculated that there are at least 1696 families on waiting lists for pitches. To address its own failure to provide enough suitable pitches, one approach the British government has taken is to try to define the problem out of existence. In a 2015, the government updated planning laws to change the definition of people with Gypsy and Traveller status, a requirement for access to pitches. Until 2015, the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites provided the following definition for Gypsy and Traveller Status: Persons of nomadic habit of life whatever their race or origin, including such persons who on grounds only of their own or their familys or dependants educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily or permanently, but excluding members of an organised group of travelling showpeople or circus people travelling together as such. In August 2015, the Department for Communities and Local Government simply removed permanently from the definition, meaning that anyone who has ceased to travel due to their or a family members disability or old age is excluded. The government is not ignorant to the effects of this change. A Mid Sussex local government document on planning for Gypsy and Traveller sites that dates to before the 2015 change explained: National planning guidance recognises the needs of Gypsies and Travellers even when they may have stopped travelling, temporarily or permanently, so to enable the cultural traditions of being a Gypsy or Traveller to be maintained. Although national planning guidance no longer recognizes these needs, and thus artificially deflates demand, the needs still exist. Lisa Smith is a Romany woman who was refused planning permission and subsequently had her appeal rejected on the grounds that she no longer fit the definition required for Gypsy and Traveller status. Smith had already lived with her family on a site since April 2013 and applied to the council in 2016 to allow for permanent residential use as a Gypsy and Traveller Site in 2016. This was rejected, as was the initial appeal. By applying the 2015 definition, the inspector found that no member of the Smith family fell within the new definition for Gypsy and Traveller status because Smith herself has taken up settled employment and she has members of her family who are unable to travel for work. Smith challenged the decision in the High Court in 2020 but the Court ruled in favor of the government. She has since brought an appeal, which was heard at the Court of Appeal in London on 29 and 30 June this year. The ruling in this case is still pending but it is not the only legal current legal challenge against laws targeting Gypsies and Travellers. With such a lack of available pitches, its unsurprising that trespassing on private property emerges as an issue. Having caused much of the problem, the Tories are also ramping up penalties on the natural outcome. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which became law in April 2022, made it an offence to reside, or intend to reside, with a vehicle on land without the consent of the occupier. If a police officer or the occupier asks an unauthorized resident to leave and the resident refuses, or returns within a year, then they can be arrested and their vehicle seized. Obviously, in the case of unauthorized residents with vehicles, the vehicles are their residences. If the state decides to prosecute, they hold the seized vehicles until the end of the proceeding. Even when there is no prosecution, the state can hold the seized vehicles for three months. As it is a criminal offense under the new act, a conviction could even result in a three-month prison term. The Community Law Project has lodged an application for a judicial review in the High Court on the grounds that the law is discriminatory and a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998. It is clear that it directly targets Gypsies and Travellers, both in its prohibitions and in its penalties. One of the reasons the government can get away with withdrawing resources from Gypsies and Travellers and passing laws targeted at them is because they are the least liked group in the UK. A 2022 University of Birmingham study about Islamophobia sought to gauge how positively or negatively people in the UK felt about various ethnic and religious groups. Despite the original focus, the authors discovered: The surprising and in places, highly concerning results show that it is not Muslims who are the least liked group in Britain but Gypsy and Irish Travellers, who stand out by an almost 20% margin. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/college-artslaw/ptr/90172-univ73-islamophobia-in-the-uk-report-final.pdf The final results showed that 44.6% of respondents had negative attitudes towards Gypsies and Travellers, with only 13.7% reporting a positive attitude. Marginalized groups often face the cruelest treatment at the hands of the ruling class, and such a high level of public hostility makes Gypsy and Traveller communities prime targets for some of the most extreme examples of the typical Tory treatment of the poor. Through a combination of legislation and policy changes, the Tories have implemented a hostile environment policy against a section of their own population, depriving them of the necessary public resources and then criminalizing their response. (Natural News) More left-wing bias by one of the countrys oldest newspapers was in evidence again this week after Infowars founder Alex Jones new book topped non-fiction lists. The Great Reset: And the War for the World soared to No. 1 and actually outsold the non-fiction title atop The New York Times bestseller list but the legacy outlet refused to list it. Total consumer preorders from 8/10 to 8/30 were 24,739 copies from Amazon alone, with 11,297 copies ordered during the publication week, for a total of 36,036 copies sold, noted a press release from Jones organization. Im Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, which sold 34,686 units this week, was listed as #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Breaking History, by Jared Kushner, sold 13,356 copies in the same week, and was listed as #2. The Great Reset is #6 right now on the Amazon weekly bestseller list for all books sold in all genres and formats, the release continued. In just a little over a weeks time there are already 417 Amazon customer reviews with a remarkable average of 4.9 out of 5.0 stars. The Great Reset sold nine times as many copies as the #15 book on the New York Times list, Vacuuming in the Nude by Peggy Rowe, which sold a grand total of 3,587 copies, the release noted further. When asked for comment on how The Great Reset could have been excluded from New York Times bestseller list, a spokesman for the NYT insisted it had nothing whatsoever to do with the author or the content of the book. Instead, they falsely claimed it was just sales pattern. For a company that routinely publishes articles excoriating others both for disseminating misinformation and for engaging in heinous acts of censorship, The New York Times should be ashamed, the press release noted further. The public should recognize that it cant trust what they publish. They are an advocacy organization, not a news organization. This is a sad commentary on the state of journalism in the United States. It is time to end the censorship of conservative voices from bestseller lists. The Great Reset was the bestselling hardcover non-fiction book in America last week. Period. The omission was so egregious, in fact, that Fox News host Tucker Carlson addressed the issue on his Monday night show. Last week, the paper told us that the best-selling book in the United States was a title called Im Glad My Mom Died by a child actress called Jennette McCurdy. But that was not true. That book was not the best-selling book in America, Carlson explained. In fact, the best selling book in America last week was The Great Reset: And The War For The World written by Alex Jones. Jones sold more than 56,000 copies of his book last week. Jennette McCurdy, whatever her merits we have no idea sold 34,686 copies of her book. So Alex Jones sold a lot more books, Carlson added. Alex Jones had the biggest book in the country, but The New York Times lied about that because The New York Times doesnt want you to know that. The New York Times wants you to believe that Alex Jones is more discredited than The New York Times, the paper that started the Iraq War by lying about weapons of mass destruction and got a million people killed. But Alex Jones is worse, hes a mental patient, no one listens to him! So they lied about his book. What else are they lying about? You wonder, Carlson concluded. WATCH: Tucker Carlson says that the New York Times lied about what the best-selling book in America was. pic.twitter.com/ftGA7iMwtt The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 13, 2022 For his part, Jones took the Times to task as well. This is about organized fraud, Jones said. Because imagine if its a nationalist or populist book that is popular and goes to the top five or ten or number one, and they block it, well thats what theyre going to do with ratings. It came out that Nielsen will give higher ratings to CNN or MSNBC than they actually have. Or theyll cheat in an election and give more votes to the establishment candidate than the other. What it is, is fraud. Theyre willing to put their finger on the scale. Sources include: Infowars.com Twitter.com (Natural News) Former White House adviser Steve Bannon has accused President Joe Biden of stoking hatred after police descended on Bannons Washington home over a fake report of a gunman on the loose. The incident occurred shortly before Bidens Thursday speech attacking MAGA Republicans. (Article by Eva Fu republished from TheEpochTimes.com) Firefighters and police officers were sent to Bannons home on Sept. 1 evening, where he broadcasts his War Room radio program, DCs Metropolitan Police Department told The Epoch Times. They left after finding no shots fired and no one hurt. It was the second time Bannon has been a victim of swatting, a harassment tactic of calling the emergency police line with a false claim of criminal activity so as to dispatch a law enforcement team to a particular address. Such practices can be traumatizing for the targeted person and have turned fatal in the past. These are attempts to have the police kill me, the 68-year-old, who was not home at the time, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 2. The previous hoax call in July prompted some 80 officers to swarm Bannons home, he said. With one wrong assessment from the police or an inadvertent move from the other party, Bannon added, things could have turned ugly. Its very dangerous, they are trying to assassinate, he said. Theyre trying to weaponize the police to get into a situation where they inadvertently kill the political opponents of the Biden regime. Bannon was not the only conservative targeted in recent months. In late August, police showed up at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes (R-Ga.) door in the early morning hours, two days in a row, in response to fake reports of a shooting at the residence. Following the first police response, the caller called back using a computer-generated voice, saying that they were upset over Greenes stance on trans-gender youths rights. A jury in Washington convicted Bannon, who worked in the Trump administration, of being guilty of contempt of Congress in July over his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Jan. 6 select committee. Bannon on Friday blamed Biden for escalating hostility against Trump supporters. He noted the prank call had occurred less than an hour before Biden used his primetime speech to attack MAGA Republicans who embrace Trumps Make America Great Again slogan. In Bidens words, these individuals, together with Trump, represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. Bannon described the caller, who like in Greenes case had used a machine-generated voice, as very sophisticated. This directly comes from the White House. Theyve stirred up the most dangerous and deranged members of their party, he said. What they wanted was a visual of the police around my place with me coming out so they can play that split screen with Biden speech in Philadelphia, said Bannon. The deranged followers of Joe Biden timed this perfectly. Bannon said Bidens remarks were what Mao Zedong, the first leader of the Chinese communist regime, would have given during the Cultural Revolution, a campaign that Mao unleashed in 1960s to crush his political opponents. The movement brought the country into a decade of political and social chaos where frenzied young ideologues traveled around China and destroyed the countrys traditional heritage, and harassed and publicly denounced anyone deemed to be class enemies. The Chinese laobaixing has gone through this, said Bannon, using a Chinese term for the general populace. Theyve seen where they demonize their fellow countrymen as enemies. What has played out in communist China is now repeating in America, said Bannon. Thats what Biden did, he said. Theyre trying to criminalize dissent they want people to go through struggle sessions, and they want their political enemies eliminated and terminated. Biden appeared to walk back on his comments on Friday. I dont consider any Trump supporters a threat to the country, he told reporters. I do think anyone who calls for the use of violence, refuses to acknowledge when an election has been won, insists upon changing the way in which you count votes, that is a threat to democracy. The White House didnt respond to a request from The Epoch Times for comment by press time. Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com (Natural News) Vice President Kamala Harris did what she does best earlier this week: She stuck her foot in her mouth when it comes to talking about administration policy. In particular, she claimed that the porous southwest border, which has experienced record numbers of illegal crossings since our dementia commander-in-chief, Joe Biden, reversed President Donald Trumps immigration and border security policies, was secure when it clearly isnt. In an interview on Sunday with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd, Harris, who was named border czar by Biden shortly after they both took office, was asked about the status of the situation when she gave a cringeworthy response. 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. 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, she said. But early Thursday morning, two busloads of illegal migrants showed up at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., which is the official vice presidential residence, compliments of Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott. The group includes migrants from Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia and Mexico. Multiple migrants, asked by Fox News Digital, said they think the border is open, contrary to what Harris said Sunday during an interview, Fox News Digital reported. ?Breaking: Two migrant buses from Southern Border just arrived outside Kamala Harris residence at Naval Observatory in DC. pic.twitter.com/41QnF3p16W Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) September 15, 2022 According to Conservative Brief: The arrival of the illegal migrants outside Harris residence came just hours after Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis followed through on his vow to send illegal migrants to ritzy Marthas Vineyard, where the Obamas have a home, among many other notable wealthy Americans. Yes, Florida can confirm the two planes with illegal immigrants that arrived in Marthas Vineyard today were part of the states relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations, an official for DeSantis office said in a statement, according to Fox News. 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, the statement added. Just in: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has sent 2 planes carrying migrants to Marthas VineyardHis communications director says the transport was part of the states relocation program to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations. @NewsNation pic.twitter.com/8lS21oqXzf Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) September 15, 2022 Following Harriss secure border claim, Sheriff Roy Boyd of Goliad County, Texas, immediately pushed back on the lie in an interview with Fox News. It was a great ploy by Governor Abbott to bring attention back to something that was kind of fading away from mainstream media, Boyd said. Hes put it back in their lap, and I applaud him for what hes done. He also directly mocked Harris claim. The border is wide open, Boyd said. In Texas, the Border Patrol is encountering over 100,000 illegal aliens. So every month, Border Patrol agents tell me that on a good day, they encounter between eight and 15 percent of the number of people that actually come across. Later in the day, Fox News Neil Cavuto spoke to another Texas border county sheriff, Maverick Countys Tom Schmerber, who also ripped Harris obviously false statement. My priorities is [sic] the security of my county here. But its very hard to keep that, Schmerber said. Were having all kinds of people, immigrants coming through this area here. Im very worried in reference to whos coming through. I know theres people that want to make a better life, but then theres people that want to take advantage of the situation, the criminal element. Thats my worry and thats my priority to make sure its secure. But with my number of deputies, its very hard to work on it. I havent seen anything that would stop this immigration problem coming through to the USA. I worked with the Border Patrol, I retired from Border Patrol, and I have never seen something like this. Once in a while we would see with a change of administration. Wed have a little problem but wed stop it right away. This is not happening right now, the sheriff added. They [migrants] want to keep going north. So they will see it eventually, Schmerber told Cavuto. Sources include: ConservativeBrief.com FoxNews.com (Natural News) United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is calling for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, which is currently occupied by Russian forces, to be demilitarized. He recently outlined specific steps that both sides should take to reach this goal. The first step would see forces from both sides agreeing to refrain from military activity in the area surrounding the plant a request that seems to support claims that Ukraine is responsible for at least some of the shelling in the area. The second step would involve reaching an agreement on a demilitarized perimeter. He explained: Specifically, that would include a commitment by Russian forces to withdraw all military personnel and equipment from that perimeter and a commitment by Ukrainian forces not to move into it. Although such an agreement would ease jitters around the world about the potential for nuclear disaster as fighting rages on in the area of Zaporizhzhia, the biggest nuclear power station in Europe, it appears that the sides will not be easily swayed. Russias UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia commented: If we demilitarize, then the Ukrainians will immediately step in and ruin the whole thing. He added that Russian soldiers were currently defending the station. Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a nuclear watchdog, has ramped up calls for a security zone around the plant, where they say their experts have discovered extensive damage. Their report said that the situation there was not sustainable and that there is a risk of disaster if the shooting doesnt stop. The IAEA report noted: While the ongoing shelling has not yet triggered a nuclear emergency, it continues to represent a constant threat to nuclear safety and security with potential impact on critical safety functions that may lead to radiological consequences with great safety significance. Although the Ukrainian president praised the report by the IAEA for its references to Russian military occupation, Russia maintains that Ukraine is responsible for the shelling in the area of the plant, which was seized by Russian forces not long after they invaded the country in late February but is still operated by Ukrainian technicians. Russia accuses Ukraine of shelling nuclear plant Russia has accused Kiev of ongoing shelling at the plant, and Russian President Vladimir Putin recently weighed in on the situation. He called claims that Russian forces were behind the shelling of a plant they are occupying absolute nonsense and asked, Well, are we shooting at ourselves, or what? He believes that Ukraine is shelling the site to create an additional crisis and claimed that fragments from Western weapons had been found there. Another theory that has been put forth to explain why Ukraine might shell its plant is a desire to provoke Russia into returning fire, which may cause other countries to deepen sanctions against Russia. One of the seven recommendations included in the IAEA report was putting an end to shelling. Shelling continued when a 14-member team from the IAEA visited the site last week. Most of the team left the plant two days later, but two officials are remaining at the site on a permanent basis. The report also lists areas of the plant that have sustained damage, including a facility where radioactive waste is stored, a building that houses nuclear fuel, and a building with an alarm system. In addition, it noted that the power station was cut off several times from offsite power supplies that are considered critical for its safe operation. The UN says that shelling at the plant, which is situated on the River Dniepers southern bank across from Ukrainian-held military positions and towns, could lead to an unlimited release of radioactive material. Sources for this article include: Reuters.com Reuters.com BBC.com 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. In a packed schedule of three days and two nights, President Xi flew to Nur-Sultan and Samarkand, stayed for 48 hours, and intensively attended nearly 30 events, featuring both multilateral and bilateral agendas, and covering both security and development issues, said State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Despite the tight schedule, there are many highlights and fruitful results, which have strongly pushed the SCO expansion a new step forward and brought China's relations with relevant countries to a new level, he added. Wang said President Xi's trip to Central Asia adds more vitality to the Silk Road spanning through Eurasia, brings more stabilizing factors to the international and regional situation standing at a crossroads, and creates more favorable international conditions for starting a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects. President Xi has well summarized the successful experience of the SCO, namely, adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice, and adding that the five points fully embody the Shanghai Spirit, which has always been the source of strength for the development of the SCO and the fundamental guide we must continue to follow in the years to come, Wang said. Xi pointed out that under the new circumstances, the SCO, as an important constructive force in international and regional affairs, should face up to the changing international situation, firmly grasp the trend of the times, constantly strengthen strategic independence, consolidate and deepen solidarity and cooperation, and work for the building of an even closer SCO community with a shared future, Wang said. To this end, Xi proposed the five points, stressing the need to increase mutual support, expand security cooperation, deepen practical cooperation, strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and uphold multilateralism, Wang said. These proposals are in line with the shared aspiration of all member states to seek unity, stability and development, and have mapped out a roadmap for the SCO and a new prospect for cooperation, Wang added. The summit adopted more than 40 documents covering such areas as economy, finance, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges, institution building and external interactions, Wang said. At the summit, Iran has officially become a full SCO member. China and other SCO members also started the procedure for Belarus' accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, and reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. The new round of the largest expansion of the SCO membership has consolidated its status and influence as the most populous regional cooperation organization with the vastest territory in the world, Wang said. This expansion fully demonstrates that the SCO is not a closed and exclusive "small clique," but an open and inclusive "big family," he added. As a new type of international organization comprising 26 countries, the SCO is increasingly showing strong vitality and bright prospects for development, Wang said, adding that it will inject more positive energy and new impetus into peace and prosperity in Eurasia and beyond, and play an exemplary role in building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind. The summit witnessed the signing of the Samarkand Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, which sufficiently brought in the major contents of a series of important initiatives proposed by the Chinese side, Wang said. A few years after his previous trips, President Xi paid visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this fully showed the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries, as well as the close friendship and deep trust between the heads of state, Wang said. President Xi received the Order of the Golden Eagle, or "Altyn Qyran" Order, awarded by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the first Order of Friendship, the highest honor given by Uzbekistan on foreign individuals, conferred by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. President Xi signed and issued joint statements respectively with the heads of state of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, comprehensively summarizing the achievements and experience accumulated during the past 30 years of diplomatic relations and drawing a blueprint for future development, Wang said. Wang said that in Samarkand, President Xi attended bilateral meetings with 10 leaders participating in the SCO summit, and attended the meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia. The meetings play an important role in guiding the development of bilateral relations and boosting regional peace and stability. During the meetings, the leaders reiterated that their countries will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle, firmly support China's stance on issues concerning its core interests, including those related to Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The leaders also wished the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China a full success, expressed full confidence in China's future development, hoped to comprehensively enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with China, and expected China to play a bigger role in international affairs, Wang said. (Natural News) Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugins team has posted a video showing illegal aliens wearing camouflage suits, scaling down the United States southern border and fleeing into the countrys interior. The group entered the U.S. within a 45-minute timespan near the border community of Naco, Arizona. Melugin reported that none of the illegals were captured. Migrants were lowered down a wall, evading its ribbons of concertina wire, in what was seemingly a sophisticated smuggling operation, the news portal Western Journal (WJ) said. The video post did not indicate the date the footage was recorded, but the tweet went online on September 13 morning and as per the mainstream media journalist, it is just one of the many intrusions taking place on a regular basis. The correspondent further said the man with the cell phone on top of the wall is a human smuggler who told the news team he crosses people over every morning. Naco is part of border patrols Tucson, Arizona sector, which DHS sources tell me has seen the most getaways so far in the fiscal year 2022 with approximately 160,000. The man with the cell phone on top of the wall is a human smuggler who told us he crosses people over every morning, Melugin replied to his original social media post. He added that the border patrol union officials told him the crossing happens when so many agents are pulled off frontline field patrol to do administrative and processing duties instead, and when the few agents who are on patrol are already occupied tracking down other groups. Nearly five million undocumented immigrants crossed borders 18 months into Bidens term President Joe Bidens administration has been soft in enforcing immigration laws, and analysts are saying that this has now resulted in record-setting levels of illegal immigration and drug smuggling. (Related: 4.9 Million illegal aliens blew past the US border in the 18 months since Biden was installed in office.) According to the conservative think tank Center for Immigration Studies, the border patrol has apprehended more illegals than in any other year of American history in 2022 and the volume of apprehensions at the border correlates with the volume of illegals entering the country. In a report released on August 16 by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), 4.9 million illegal alien invaders have crossed the borders in the 18 months since Biden was installed in office. This includes the 3.9 million nationwide total reported by Customs and Border Protection, which includes a whopping 3.4 million at the Southwest border, as well as approximately 900,000 gotaways who have entered the country undetected per agency sources. FAIR President Dan Stein believes that the current governments rollback of former President Donald Trumps immigration restriction policies has triggered the current mass migration surge. According to a report in Politico, these policies implemented during the Trump era, such as the Remain in Mexico asylum guidance, significantly reduced illegal border crossings during his term. The endless flow of illegal aliens and the incursion of lethal narcotics pouring across our border will not end until this administration demonstrates a willingness to enforce our laws, Stein added. Incidentally, at least two of the most current undocumented immigrant crossers came with sizable bags. WJ stated there is no way to know the contents of their packets, but drug smuggling is commonplace on the southern border. FAIR reported 2,071 pounds of fentanyl and 12,989 pounds of methamphetamine were seized at the southern border in July, with much more getting through because Border Patrol agents are busy processing illegal aliens. The amount of fentanyl seized in July is equivalent to 469 million lethal doses. Moreover, as the border crossers would not have health insurance, they would burden healthcare systems in border regions. Additionally, illegal immigration has a detrimental effect on labor conditions and can crush American wages. Also, education costs for the illegals children have been causing issues in American public schools, according to the conservative group Judicial Watch. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that undocumented children and young adults have the same right to attend public primary and secondary schools as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Visit OpenBorders.news for more stories about the Biden administrations soft measures on illegal aliens crossing U.S. borders. Watch the below video that talks about how taxpayers are burdened with $20 billion per year for the millions of illegal aliens who have crossed the southern border since Biden took office. This video is from the Light Bulb Initiative channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: While Americans go hungry, Democrats demand millions in food handouts for illegal aliens. New Mexico Supreme Court greenlights policy allowing illegal aliens to practice law. State nullification: Arizona set to defy Biden regime amid ongoing invasion by illegal aliens. First busload of ILLEGAL ALIENS from Texas arrives in DC, passengers dropped off near Capitol. Sources include: WesternJournal.com Twitter.com CIS.org BigLeaguePolitics.com Politico.com FAIRUS.org K12.WA.us Brighteon.com (Natural News) A resident of a locked-down compound in Chinas Guizhou province appealed to the outside world for help and exposed attempts by some entities to take advantage of the lockdowns against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) to make money. A woman who went by the pseudonym Ms. Zhang said the lockdown caused many to starve. Zhang, who lives in the Huaguoyuan community in the southwestern Chinese province, also pointed to the governments disregard of the food shortage there. According to the Epoch Times, Huaguoyuan is Chinas largest shantytown renovation project. The area spanning 1,000 hectares and 311 high-rise buildings is divided into roughly 20 zones. Huaguoyuan is home to 40,500 businesses and 450,000 residents including Zhang. The lockdown imposed on Huaguoyuan since Sept. 3, alongside the draconian measures that accompanied it, triggered over 1,000 residents of the communitys M Zone to gather at the lobbies of the apartment. The Sept. 10 protest held on the same day as the Mid-Autumn Festival demanded an end to the tyrannical lockdown measures and food supplies from the government. Law enforcement response to the protests at Huaguoyuan was swift, however. State-run outlet China News confirmed that 400 police officers were mobilized to the community on Sept. 11 at 11:30 p.m. to suppress the gatherings. According to the outlet, the officers assembled instantly and rushed to Huaguoyuan to carry out pandemic prevention and control work. Please help us spread the information and call [the] attention [of the outside world] to the governance problems in Guiyang, Zhang appealed, referring to the city where Huaguoyuan is located. Many people are starving in our place, but our posts and videos have been banned in China. On the night of our protests, two people who claimed themselves to be reporters didnt report on our situation. Instead, they kept making calls onsite to ban and delete our live streaming. Zhang rebukes Huaguoyuan property managers According to Zhang, the protests during the Mid-Autumn Festival were prompted by the actions of Homnicen Group. The property management company in charge of Huaguoyuan shut down all the elevators in the M Zone on Sept. 10. She added that the company asked residents to keep all household garbage in front of their doors. This, in turn, caused the trash to smell bad in the hot summer weather. Worse, Zhang revealed that Homnicen had been intercepting donations of food to the locked-down residents and reselling them after repacking. The property management also seized all the moon cakes and vegetables, repacked them and asked residents to pay for them at high prices, she said. They set the prices casually. If we dont buy from them, we have nothing to eat. (Related: Forced covid lockdowns in China are starving people to death.) The Huaguoyuan resident expounded on Homnicens price gouging: A bag of one cabbage, two carrots, several green peppers, two tomatoes, two eggplants, two pieces of ginger and a bulb of garlic is marked for sale for prices from 59 yuan ($8.45) to 99 yuan ($14.19). Homnicens food pack, despite being overpriced, appeared to be much better than the food supplied by the government one bag containing a head of Chinese cabbage, an onion, two potatoes, two pieces of ginger and one bulb of garlic. According to Zhang, Homnicen would sometimes put vegetables on the ground floors and inform residents that they can pick those up. But they have gone bad, with leaves totally decayed and juice coming out, she commented. They are not edible. A female Homnicen staffer who did not give her name responded to the Epoch Times Sept. 13 request for comment. She told the publication that the decision to shut down the elevators at Huaguoyuans M Zone were ordered by the local government to control traffic volume during the pandemic. The Homnicen employee also noted that government employees were the ones responsible for the distribution of food supplies. She suggested that residents keep evidence of food being repacked for sale. MedicalMartialLaw.com has more stories about COVID-19 lockdowns in China. Watch this video that talks about the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, Chinas financial capital. This video is from the Contrarian channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: First Shanghai, now Beijing: China goes on another lockdown spree. Locked-down residents in Changchun seek help by banging pots and pans. Shanghais lockdown in pursuit of zero-COVID causing MISERY to residents. Chinas Weibo is still censoring posts about Shanghai grocery shortages during strict lockdown. Chinese propaganda showing well-stocked citizens during lockdown BACKFIRES as people complain about LACK of food. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Covid vaccines were unleashed under Operation Warp Speed and widely distributed for a full year before the Israeli government decided to look at any of the safety data, according to shocking new revelations. Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of public services at Israels Health Ministry, upon learning that the shots were deadly a full year in, sat on that information until now as millions upon millions of people rolled up their sleeves for injection. (Related: Check out our earlier coverage about covid jab deception in Israel). Alroy-Preis is part of a cohort that deliberately withheld the truth about Fauci Flu shots from the public, all the while lying to the public about how safe and effective they supposedly are. We are not talking about mild side effects like injection site swelling, by the way. Serious, long-term health problems were identified very early on in conjunction with the jabs, including neurological damage with no apparent end. These side effects were also established in follow-up research as being causal, meaning Israeli authorities knew the shots were responsible for them. And yet they pushed them anyway because, quite frankly, there was and still is a lot of money to be made from the operation. This is something no one else had been able to establish before, wrote Steve Kirsch in an in-depth assessment of what has been uncovered it is definitely worth a read. They dont know how serious the harm is because they only looked at the data for the top five categories. Cardiovascular was #6. So they have only looked at a fraction of the data. Only 2.4 percent of Israelis are in compliance with their governments jab dictates Since the side effect data came from the Israeli version of VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), it is difficult to say how prevalent these side effects truly are but that is beside the point. The biggest point to be made here is the fact that Israel knew all along that the shots are exceptionally dangerous. But rather than pull them from the market or at the very least notify the public as part of the informed consent process, the Israeli government kept the truth a secret while lying to the world. The Israeli authorities deliberately covered up the safety issues and hid it from the world, issuing a false report essentially saying there is nothing new to see here folks, move along,' Kirsch added. The only good news in all of this is that Israel protected Palestinians from getting this very unsafe vaccine. That was very humane of the Israelis. Early on, the Israeli people were mostly on board with getting jabbed, believing their government to have their best interests at heart. Today, the opposite is true. As of September 2, only 2.4 percent of the Israeli population is in compliance with the governments edicts about vaccination and booster shots. The vast majority of the population has stopped getting boosted, even though they are technically required to in order to live. If all of this is news to you, that is because we are one of the few news outlets, independent or otherwise, that is reporting on it. The corporate-controlled media is engaging in a press blackout about these revelations, which decimate the plandemic narrative. Kirsch says the article he wrote that unpacks all of this in greater depth has enough information regarding both harms and corruption that it should bring down the house of cards if there is just one honest person in a position of authority in the world. On Twitter, someone added to this that: The rarest creature on Earth in 2022 is an honest person in authority. Even the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot and Yetis are more numerous More covid jab news can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: SteveKirsch.substack.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The Scandinavian nation of Denmark on Wednesday, Sept. 14, expanded the ban on Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines for individuals younger than 50 years old. Earlier, the ban only applied to Danes 18 years old and younger. The risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19 increases with age, according to the Danish Health Authority (SST). Therefore, people who have reached the age of 50 and particularly vulnerable people will be offered vaccination. It explained that the purpose of vaccination is not to prevent infection with COVID-19, adding that people aged under 50 are generally not at particularly higher risk of becoming severely ill. Younger people are well protected against becoming severely ill from COVID-19 as a very large number of them have already been vaccinated and have previously been infected with COVID-19. There is consequently good immunity among this part of the population. The SST defined the sectors of the Danish population who will instead be offered COVID-19 vaccines as people aged 50 years old and up; people younger than 50 who at a higher risk of becoming severely ill; healthcare and elderly care workers; workers in the social services sector who have close contact with high-risk COVID-19 patients; and relatives of persons at particularly higher risk. It emphasized that COVID-19 is a seasonal disease and that the number of infections are expected to increase during autumn and winter. [Thus], a large part of the population will become infected with covid-19 during the autumn, and we therefore want to vaccinate those having the highest risk. The SST also touched on Copenhagens earlier decision to ban COVID-19 vaccines for younger Danes, writing that children and adolescents rarely become severely ill from the [B11529] omicron variant. From July 1, 2022, it was no longer possible for children and adolescents aged under 18 to get the first injection and from Sept. 1, 2022, it was no longer possible for them to get the second injection, it said. (Related: Sweden and Denmark ban dangerous COVID-19 vaccines for young people.) Berenson lauds Denmarks decision as significant In a Sept. 15 post on his Substack, investigative journalist Alex Berenson commented on Copenhagens decision to ban vaccines for a significant chunk of the Danish population. Denmark did not explictly say the risks of mRNA [shots] now outweigh the benefits for healthy people under 50, he wrote. But that view is implicit in the announcement, which does not merely discourage, but actually bans shots for those people even though Denmark expects a large wave of infection in the next few months. Berenson emphasized that the SST is not stopping shots because COVID-19 has ended, but because it now believes most people are better off getting the [Wuhan] coronavirus than taking more mRNA [vaccines]. In yesterdays announcement of the new policies, Denmark explicitly dropped any effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus and said that it will focus only on protecting people at very high risk According to the investigative journalist, Copenhagens decision is particularly significant because Denmark has an excellent national healthcare system and has aggressively collected data on COVID-19 and vaccines. He added that Denmark was among the first countries to stop giving COVID-19 shots to healthy children and teenagers. Now, other countries in Europe such as the United Kingdom are following suit. Berenson also took jabs at the so-called fact checkers trying to twist words. These fact-checkers the Associated Press in particular previously insisted that Denmarks move to halt vaccinations for Danes aged 18 and younger wasnt actually a move to stop vaccination. Denmark didnt ban COVID-19 vaccines for children, except it pretty much did. Only the tiny minority of kids at very high risk from the [Wuhan] coronavirus will be even considered for the shots, he wrote. The investigative journalist sarcastically wished these fact-checkers good luck as they try to spin the SSTs Sept. 14 announcement. Vaccines.news has more stories related to COVID-19 vaccines. Watch this video about a study in Denmark that shows vaccines actually help spread the omicron variant. This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Denmark abandons forced vaccination law after public protests. Officials in Denmark announce there is no reason to administer more COVID-19 vaccines. Denmark permanently stops rollout for AstraZeneca vaccine, citing concerns about blood clots. Denmark PERMANENTLY BANS Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine over blood clot deaths. BREAKING: Sweden, Denmark both ban Moderna covid vaccine for causing myocarditis in young people. Sources include: WND.com SST.dk AlexBerenson.Substack.com Brighteon.com (Natural News) Over four hundred pro-LGBT Republican personalities have reportedly signed a letter urging GOP senators to support HR 8404 or the so-called Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA), which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and require the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages in the United States. The bill aims to federally recognize any marriage lawfully performed by any state, and force every state to recognize any marriage between two individuals without regard for the sex, race, ethnicity or national origin of those individuals. The bill also opens the door to federal recognition of polygamy as it would compel the federal government to recognize any new union a state comes up with, such as a marriage of more than two people. In July, 47 Republicans joined bill sponsor Rep. Jerry Nadler and other Democrats in Congress to pass it by a vote of 267-157. This had a green light from House Republican leaders Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise. Meanwhile, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell declined to declare his public position on the legislation until Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a decision on bringing it to the floor of the evenly-divided Senate. The said legislation, which is bound to be voted on in the Senate at the end of September, is now driving the Republican Party and its conservative base into different directions just two months before the midterm elections. With the bills ultimate fate coming down to whether 10 GOP senators can be convinced to join all 50 Democrats in clearing the Senates 60-vote filibuster threshold, the group called Freedom for All Americans is circulating a letter in support of the bill, signed by 400 current and former GOP political personalities, reported Calvin Freiburger of LifeSiteNews. As Republicans and conservatives, we believe strong families and lasting relationships strengthen communities, and civil marriage is fundamental freedom central to individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We stand with the 71 percent of Americans today, including a majority of registered Republicans, who support the freedom to marry for all Americans, the letter stated. We call on the U.S. Senate to pass the Respect for Marriage Act and reaffirm that marriage for gay and lesbian couples is settled law. Passing the bill will remove any uncertainty for the more than one million Americans who are building families, taking on the responsibilities and commitment associated with marriage, and caring for the one they love. Democrats need a total of 10 GOP defections to clear the Senates 60-vote filibuster threshold. Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis and Rob Portman have implied to support the bill. Senator Ron Johnson appeared to be supportive until he began to backtrack in response to pressure from the conservative media and pro-family groups. And now he is saying that he would not support it in its current state. (Related: Woketard crybullies invade HISTORY as Crusader Kings game developer forced to inject homosexual marriage into 15th century simulation.) Churches, Christian ministries appeal to Senate to junk RFMA A Christian legal defense group sent a letter to speak for 2,000 pastors, ministers of faith and leaders of religious non-profit organizations to appeal to the Senate to oppose RFMA. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) letter, the act puts churches and ministries in danger of injustice simply because they hold a biblical definition of marriage as the union between one man and one woman. ADF added that RFMA will allow other groups to file lawsuits against Christian ministries that provide services in concert with state governments, such as foster care. If passed, it would also require all states to recognize any one states definition of marriage no matter what that definition may be, including polygamous situations or relationships of adults with minors. Congress would also authorize the Internal Revenue Service to strip the tax-exempt status from a church or Christian ministry that holds a biblical view of marriage if RFMA is passed. Since the Supreme Courts Obergefell decision, we have continued to see attacks on people of faith for adhering to their religious beliefs about marriage just as the justices who dissented predicted, ADF senior counsel Ryan Tucker said in a statement, adding it would only further hostility against churches and ministries and millions of Americans who hold decent and honorable beliefs about marriage. The Obergefell v. Hodges decision, decided by a 5-4 vote in 2015, has recognized the right to same-sex marriage and prohibited state laws banning same-sex unions. The group pointed out that the act aims to shut down any disagreement, silencing those with the long-held conviction that marriage between one man and one woman is essential to human flourishing, a view that has existed from the dawn of time. Visit IdentityPolitics.news for more news about the views of Republicans and Democrats on different issues. Watch the video below that talks about RFMA, which could legalize polygamy. This video is from the Lori Colley channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Viktor Orban gets standing ovation at CPAC for defending family values and the institution of marriage. Justice Clarence Thomas says same-sex marriage ruling issued under Obama has unleashed torrent of anti-Christian bigotry. Hallmark caves to LGBT mafia by reinstating same-sex marriage ads after being targeted by the howling cultural fascists of the Left. Sources include: LifeSiteNews.com Congress.gov Act.FreedomForAllAmericans.org ReligionUnplugged.com ADFMediaLegalFiles.Blob.Core.Windows.net Brighteon.com (Natural News) The prevalence of myocarditis among young people is now so high that a hospital system in New York has created a commercial that aims to normalize it as just another childhood pathology. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which operates more than 200 locations throughout Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Westchester and Putnam Counties, as well as 10 hospital campuses, created a video called Pediatric Patient Story Suri (30s version) that was published on September 6 you can watch it below. As you will notice, a caption in the video explains that the patient featured, Suri, thought the condition was just a bad stomach ache, but that it later turned out to be myocarditis, a serious inflammation of the heart. Our multidisciplinary pediatric critical care team worked to regulate her heartbeat and got her back to feeling like herself, the hospital brags in the video. (Related: A Nordic study found that covid injections greatly increase a persons risk of myocarditis.) Critics blast NewYork-Presbyterian, telling hospital: Do not normalize myocarditis in children The sad reality is that this promo video has undertones of trying to normalize myocarditis in children, even though the condition was never a problem before Operation Warp Speed. Before the Trump administration unleashed covid vaccines at the behest of Tony Fauci and Big Pharma, myocarditis in children was virtually non-existent. Today, it is rapidly spreading among the fully vaccinated. One account on Instagram called cops4freedom posted a clip of the NewYork-Presbyterian video along with a caption about Do Not Normalize Myocarditis in Children. Many others on YouTube and elsewhere had similar criticisms. This makes me sad and angry, one of them wrote about the video. Absolutely disgusting, added another. Geez and now they are making it sound Oh! Its normal and youll be fine! wrote someone else. There is absolutely nothing normal about heart inflammation in a child except, of course, if that child was injected with experimental gene modification chemicals such as those in Pfizer and Modernas messenger RNA (mRNA) shots. As you may recall, the authorities have been telling everyone for going on almost two years now that myocarditis in the fully jabbed is mild and rare. They also systematically buried any and all evidence suggesting otherwise. Now, out of nowhere, a New York hospital system has decided to normalize myocarditis in children because apparently it is not quite as mild and rare as previously claimed. According to the data contained in the governments Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), upwards of 90 percent of all myocarditis cases end up requiring hospitalization. Does that sound mild to you? VAERS data also shows that cases of both myocarditis and pericarditis, the latter being another form of heart inflammation, have skyrocketed ever since Operation Warp Speed was launched. Those at greatest risk of developing myocarditis or pericarditis post-injection are young, adolescent males, according to a study that was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). That study looked at data in VAERS, which shows that the primary outcome post-injection is myocarditis, while the secondary outcome is pericarditis. According to the study, VAERS received 1,991 reports of myocarditis (391 of which also included pericarditis) after receipt of at least 1 dose of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine and 684 reports of pericarditis without the presence of myocarditis, reports The Gateway Pundit. Of the 1991 reports of myocarditis, 1,626 met the CDCs case definition for probable or confirmed myocarditis. The latest news about the miseries and horrors being inflicted on people by Fauci Flu shots can be found at ChemicalViolence.com. Sources for this article include: TheGatewayPundit.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) In order to turn America into a communist hell-hole, the Biden Regime must have most of the populace broke, sick, perverted and on drugs. People in these conditions will continue the vicious cycle, especially if the government is giving them free money, but just enough to stay that way. Thats the plan for the Democrats, and they are succeeding in all of the metropolitan cities they run. Lawlessness, free handouts from the government and paraphernalia for using hard drugs are all part of the scene everywhere one turns. San Francisco allots $3 million for crime fighting community workers so the homeless can get away with drug-dealing, theft, rape, violence, drug use and more The streets and neighborhoods of Democrat-run cities are littered with trash, feces, homeless druggies and now community workers instead of police. People with no life, no morals and no job, from all across America, are moving to these third-world-looking God-forsaken places to live, because they get free money for drugs from the Biden Regime. In these hell-hole cities, pregnant women are smoking fentanyl. Homeless people are robbing other homeless people at gunpoint, and killing them for their stuff. People boost (steal) anything of value from stores, cars and other people to sell for drugs. It costs about $40 to $80 per day to keep a hardcore drug habit, including fentanyl, crystal meth, heroin and crack cocaine. Most people combine them just to be able to function at all, enough to try to protect themselves from being killed for their drugs. People say lack of housing forces local residents into the streets, but James says he came from Texas to San Francisco for the drugs, the non-enforcement of anti-camping laws, and the $820/month in welfare & food stamps. James says he sold fentanyl, 2 weeks ago, to a 15-year-old. pic.twitter.com/5qMr6tmlWs Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) February 9, 2022 Crime rates have skyrocketed in all the Dem-run metro cities, including NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Portland In Chicago, under the Safety Accountability and Fairness Equity Today Act, the Democrat politicians literally eliminated cash bail for second degree murder, arson, drug-induced homicide (means killing someone while youre high), kidnapping children, burglary, aggravated DUI, fleeing the cops and threatening public officials. You cant make this stuff up. Liberal politicians hate the rule of law. They blame racism, inequality, joblessness, any scapegoat, but these druggies and drug dealers will tell you first hand that they go to these cities to get free money and do drugs. You can literally get away with murder, rape and kidnapping in these liberal cities, and all the druggies and homeless people know it. Need some drugs? Liberals will let you kidnap someones kid and sell them for crack. Theres no cops to stop you, theyve all been de-funded. Even if you do get caught, theres no bail needed, and a George Soros-funded district attorney will let you off the hook. Heres an interview with a drug-addicted homeless guy who brags about getting free money so he can use and deal drugs, have no job and sell drugs to kids. I get $620 bucks a month from a f*cking phone call, he goes on Two hundred food stamps and $620 bucks a month, forget about it. Why wouldnt I do it. Its fucking free money. This right now is literally by choice. Why would I want to pay rent. I got a fucking cell phone that Ive got Amazon Prime and Netflix on. He sold fentanyl to 15-year olds and showed them how to use it without overdosing. 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 TheGatewayPundit.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) After two people supposedly emphasis on the word supposedly got sick from raw milk he provided to his private buyers club, Amish farmer Amos Miller of the Bird-in-Hand, Penn.-based Millers Organic Farm is now being relentlessly terrorized by the United States government. According to reports, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just will not leave Miller alone, despite the fact that he has thousands of happy buyers who have never had any problems with his organic raw milk, eggs, grass-fed beef, cheese, and fresh produce. Like many Amish farmers, Miller does not use chemical pesticides or even fertilizers. He also does not use gas-powered or electric-powered everything, choosing instead to do things the old, natural way. Millers traditional methods were serving him and his buyers well until taxpayer-funded goons from Washington, D.C., decided to interfere with his operation. Now, he faces fines and even jail time for non-compliance with the governments demands. They use it as a medicine, Miller said back in 2021 during an interview about his farm, his buyers, and the foods they buy and consume. Its very healing to the body because its raw. One of Millers customers is also quoted as saying that Millers Organic Farm is good people and that the place is very clean, and their produce is excellent. Then, out of nowhere in 2014, two people who consumed Millers products later tested positive for listeriosis, which was automatically blamed on his traditional farm. One of the individuals ended up dying. Since then, the USDA has taken Miller to court for refusing to stop selling his goods keep in mind that tens of thousands of people get sick and die every single year from lunch meat, lettuce, and other USDA-approved foods from corporate, chemical-based farms, and those never get harassed and shut down like this. For nearly a decade, Miller has faced constant USDA harassment, and this year back in March a federal judge ordered him to stop selling all meat. That judge also authorized armed U.S. marshals to use reasonable force to gain access to Millers farm for routine inspections to ensure he is no longer selling meat. (Related: Back in 2012, the U.S. government destroyed the life of Amish farmer Dan Allgyer, also of Pennsylvania, for providing raw milk to customers.) U.S. Marshals RAIDED Millers farm several times to ensure he obeyed their order to stop selling grass-fed beef With all the news about covid and now the global energy crisis, stories like this often get overlooked but not here. Natural News has always stood in the gap for good people like Amos Miller who become victims of the governments relentless crusade against raw milk and other natural foods. The Amish often get dubbed as an uncivilized people by ignorant city-dwellers, but in this case the uncivilized party is the USDA, U.S. marshals, and the federal judge who authorized this tyranny. Miller has already gone through hell as it is, and now he faces losing his operation via the order to stop selling meat. As an Amish man who holds his beliefs near and dear to his heart, however, Miller takes his authority from God and not from corrupt governments which is why his case deserves our attention and support. Have you ever noticed that the Amish rarely seek positions of political power? This isnt an accident, writes Patrick Carroll for FEE Stories. For them, the goal is simply to live peaceably with all as the book of Romans puts it, to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as it says in 1 Thessalonians. Be sure to read the full story about Amos Miller and Millers Organic Farm. The latest news about government tyranny against raw milk and other community-sourced foods can be found at Tyranny.news. Sources for this article include: FEE.org NaturalNews.com A meteorite that fell in the UK the year before contained extraterrestrial water, a discovery that is the first of its kind. It is also believed that the Winchcombe meteorite, which fell into a Gloucestershire town's driveway in February of last year, may contain information about the origin of the planet's vast oceans. According to Ashley King, a researcher from the Natural History Museum's planetary materials division, water made up 13% of the sample. He said that water's chemical makeup is strikingly similar to that of the oceans on Earth. He continued by saying that it is a really strong indication that bodies like Winchcombe and asteroids played a significant role in the formation of the Earth's oceans. First Meteorite with Water From Outer Space King also affirmed that Winchcombe marked the first occasion a meteorite containing extraterrestrial water had fallen in the UK, albeit trapped in minerals. He added that the half-kilogram meteorite was not contaminated by water or other substances from Earth because it was recovered so quickly-within about 12 hours. According to King, scientists always attempt to match the composition of Earthly water with that of meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials. Winchcombe is strong evidence because experts are confident that it hasn't been artificially contaminated, which is a challenge for most meteorites. Earth's Water Origins King went on to say that where the Earth's water comes from is one of the major open questions in planetary sciences. And one of the obvious routes is either through asteroids or comets with a ton of ice in them. He pointed out that it has long been disputed whether asteroids or comets are the primary sources of material for the earth. The structure of the water in Winchcombe meteorite is a much better match for the water on Earth, he continued, so that would suggest that asteroids - carbonaceous asteroids - were likely the primary source of water to the inner solar system, including the Earth. He explained that data from missions and research on and about comets suggests the water in the meteorite is not a good match for the water on Earth. King added that he and his associates had a clue that some of the asteroids match back to the Earth very well. A recent meteorite that has been positively verified as having not been altered is now supporting the same claim. Read also: Space Rock That Fell off a Dog Kennel's Wooden House Goes for Auction From Jupiter Speaking at the festival's host institution, De Montfort University, King claimed that analysis had shown the meteorite originated from an asteroid close to Jupiter. It took approximately 300,000 years for it to reach Earth after forming roughly 4.6 billion years ago. On Earth, there are roughly 65,000 known meteorites. The Winchcombe is the first meteorite retrieved in the UK within the past 30 years. It is also the first known carbonaceous chondrite discovered in the country. The meteorite entered Earth's orbit at a speed of about 31,000 mph, or 40 times faster than the speed of sound, according to astronomers. It then dramatically burned up and fragmented into smaller pieces. However, unlike most shooting stars, the said meteorite was large enough that some pieces survived as it entered the atmosphere on February 28, 2021, at 21:54 as it streaked across Gloucestershire, Daily Mail reports. Related article: Hunt for Fallen Meteorite: A Massive Fireball was Seen Falling Over the West of England Alaska is bracing for a powerful and historic storm this weekend as remnants of Typhoon Merbok violently struck the US state through the Bering Sea. Previous forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS) indicates that the remnant storm will bring high winds and intense flooding due to heavy rainfall. Communities along the coastline of Alaska are also at risk of coastal flooding or coastal erosion. The NWS reports that Merbok remnants continue to generate a potentially historic and prolonged storm surge and damaging high winds across the southwestern and western parts of Alaska as of Saturday, September 17. The powerful winds push waves into the shore which causes the storm surge, which is expected to overwhelm structures along the coast. Evacuations are possible in the coming hours. US meteorologists also warned Alaskans that the storm could also lead to high waves and power outages. This comes as forecast of hurricane-force winds were reported over the Bering Sea. The forecast means that even if the system is not a hurricane, it still has an equivalent wind strength to the strongest storm in the world. Floodwaters due to riverine flooding and snowpack melt is also possible. The NWS considers the looming weather phenomenon as strongest storm since the so-called "November 2011 Sea Cyclone" or the "Bering Sea Superstorm" of 2011, which was classified as the most powerful to have impacted Alaska in recorded history. The fragments of Merbok came from the Pacific Ocean and was forecasted multiple times to go in a northward pattern affecting not only Alaska but also California. Former Typhoon Merbok The remnants of Typhoon Merbok is already causing an ongoing catastrophe in Alaska in recent hours as of Saturday afternoon. Based on the latest NWS forecast on Saturday, coastal flooding due to storm surge is the greatest risk that Alaska faces. Alaskan communities such as Elim and Koyuk could experience a rise in water levels by up to 18 feet above the average high tide line. Also Read: Weather Update: NWS Says Tropical Storm Colin Navigates Away from East Coast, Severe Weather Threatens Multiple Areas Alaska Flood Warnings The NWS issued flood warnings for the northwestern parts of the state until Monday, September 19. In its office in Fairbanks, the NWS reportedly said water levels almost covered the old Golovin track and was still anticipated to rise further. Furthermore, the storm also inundated the western town of Golovin, including its old airport runway, late on Friday, September 16. Images from the NWS showed that the community was completely under water and there were already recorded power outages by Saturday morning. The weather event also caused infrastructural damage, including a church, a trading post, and multiple airports such as the Kotlik Airport and Nome Airport, AccuWeather reported. According to a tweet by the NWS Alaska Region, the storm is very large it will take about three hours before the sun fully set on it. This storm is so big it will take about 3 hours for the sun to fully set on it. pic.twitter.com/uZCZ3Lxu0j NWS Alaska Region (@NWSAlaska) September 17, 2022 Typhoon Merbok formed over the northwestern Pacific Ocean on the second week of September, causing high winds and powerful rainstorm before causing flood to western Alaska. Related Article: Typhoon Merbok Remnant Set to be Alaska's Strongest Storm in Over a Decade 18/09/22 18:54 Intermodal Europe is back and its live! Visitor registration is open for Intermodal Europe 2022, the leading container shipping and intermodal transport event which returns 8 10 November to the RAI, Amsterdam Page Content Based on the latest weather information at 11:00 AM on Saturday from the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten (MDS) regarding the passing of Tropical Storm Fiona, was located about 105 miles south of Sint Maarten. Gradual strengthening of this storm is forecast to take place as the storm continues to move away from the area. Tropical storm conditions are still being experienced, and therefore the country remains under a Tropical Storm Warning. The Government of Sint Maarten calls on the population to remain vigilant. It has been decided that essential businesses will be allowed to open at their own discretion as of 2:00 PM. Essential services as mentioned in the Ministerial Regulation on business closures of 16 September are supermarkets, grocery stores, and bakeries, hardware stores, restaurants, pharmacies, funeral parlors, and gas stations. This is of course not mandatory; businesses may also choose to remain closed. As such the population is asked to remain at home unless absolutely necessary while the flood advisory remains in effect. Public transportation and car rental are allowed to also operate. Regular business hours can commence on Sunday, September 18 at 6:00 AM. In further updates, the Prime Minister reported the following: Airport Sint Maarten Princess Juliana International Airport will remain closed today Saturday, and will reopen on Sunday, September 18 at 7:00 AM. Major gusts of 47 miles per hour were reported at the airport. The measure taken is a safety precaution in order to allow the winds to subside within the next 24 hours. Port Maritime operations at Port St. Maarten remain closed today due to sea conditions, very rough seas, and high swells. Once those subside, an assessment will be carried out by the port later this afternoon and updates will be provided by the port. Hurricane Shelter Three persons made use of the John Larmonie Center that was opened on Friday afternoon. The shelter will close at 5:00 PM. NV GEBE There were no reported power outages, only an isolated event in Pelican last night which was restored. All other Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) have reported no incidents. During the morning hours, the Ministry of VROMI carried out assessments and clean-up of the road network where necessary in certain areas and this is on-going. Those that must make use of the road network, must exercise caution, and avoid excessive speed on the wet roads. Flash flooding can still take place throughout the day. Remain indoors and continue to protect your loved ones. The measures are to protect safety and security of the people of Sint Maarten. The Prime Minister would like to thank all ESF Coordinators, the back office, Police, Fire and Ambulances services, the Sint Maarten Voluntary Corps, the Dutch Marines, shelter workers, Ministry VROMI, DCOMM for their collaboration during the passing of Tropical Storm Fiona. This is the last Facebook live by the Prime Minister about Tropical Storm Fiona. Continue to monitor Government news and information mediums for any additional information. For weather information, visit the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten website www.meteosxm.comor visit their social media page Facebook.com/sxmweather/ Richard J. Leskosky taught media and cinema studies at the University of Illinois and has reviewed films for more than 30 years. He can be contacted at filmcritic@comcast.net. Follow him on Twitter (@RichardLeskosky). Film Critic Chuck Koplinski is The News-Gazette's film critic. His email is chuckkoplinski@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter (@ckoplinski). Retired Judge Chase Leonhard writes of the implementation of the SAFE-T Act: "One might well be confident that members of the bench, the bar and the legislature alike will rise to the occasion and ensure that the new law strikes an appropriate balance between public safety and the rights of the accused." Reporter Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk). I think judges should be able to take into account whether youve missed court in the past, but it by itself is not the only factor they should consider, Scott Bennett told The News-Gazette. I think this trailer bill helps thread that needle." Rich Warren, who lives in the Champaign area, is a longtime reviewer of consumer electronics. Email him at hifiguy@volo.net. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. AP Queen paved the way for transition to Charles in final years In retrospect, it seems Queen Elizabeth II was preparing us all along for her death Argentine students talk to space station using ham radio Students from Tarbut College, Argentina, contacted the International Space Station via LU4AA Radio Club Argentino (RCA) on Monday, September 5, 2022, at 14:47:39 UTC A translation of the RCA post reads: Kjell Lindgren KO5MOS of the ISS crew, spoke with the students of the school, answering the 16 scheduled questions. The operation was carried out by: Adrian LU1CGB Marcelo Duca LU1AET German Pagliaroli LU6APA Matias Capolupo LU1CJM Graino Matias LU9CBL Two complete satellite stations were installed, one main and one backup. The main station composed: ICOM transceiver #ic9700 + 12v source. Antennas #m2antenna paq LEO. LNA+Pasabanda filter. Rotor Az/El Yaesu G5500 EA4TX controller Laptop with G-predict + #hamlib to control Doppler and tracking. Backup: ICOM IC-275 Transceiver Eggbeater Antenna + LNA 12v Battery Full video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colegiotarbutoficial/ ISS Fan Club https://issfanclub.eu/2022/09/02/ariss-school-contact-5-sept-2022-1447-utc-direct-via-lu4aa/ ARISS Press Release https://www.ariss.org/press-releases/september-3-2022 If you are interested in the activities that link radio with space, contact the Satellite Affairs Committee of Radio Club Argentino and join: satelitales@lu4aa.org Source RCA https://tinyurl.com/IARU-Argentina One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021 While the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, the U.S. continues to face a national health challenge the 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." 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. A project led by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and involving Barcelona City Council, the Global Institute of Neurodevelopment Integrated Care (IGAIN) and LEMUR urban emergency laboratory aims to improve public spaces in cities to benefit neurodivergent children minority groups of children with neurological differences, and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in particular. The initiative, called ASD-BCNeuroinclusiva: activating spaces with neurodivergent group and funded by the European Union's New European Bauhaus program, aims to provide solutions to create more inclusive spaces for this group. Despite the progress that has been made in this area in recent years, children with autism still face difficulties in using and enjoying urban public spaces. The lack of more inclusive spaces means that their risk of social exclusion is more acute, and that these children may miss out on the opportunity to play outside. Various studies have shown the multiple sensory motor, emotional and social benefits of contact with nature among children with ASD, as it reduces their anxiety levels and enhances their sensory skills." Blanca Calvo, principal researcher of the project, member of the Urban Transformation and Global Change Laboratory (TURBA) at the UOC's Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) The project explores innovative design strategies that link inclusive play with nature and aesthetics, and it will provide urban planning professionals with methods and tools for designing sustainable play areas for and with the community of people with autistic spectrum disorder. "At the Gran Clariana park in Barcelona's Placa Glories, BCNeuroinclusive will be developing a performative co-creation methodology that provides an experience of space involving experiments with the body, play and other creative ways of exploring multi-sensoriality and connectivity with space through aesthetic appreciation," said the researcher. The project uses an interdisciplinary approach in order to achieve its goals, which includes urban planning and design, social sciences, education, health and the arts. The aim is to reimagine and transform play areas in cities in order to provide design guidelines that can be implemented in any other city or country in Europe based on the experience in Barcelona. This new UOC project, which began in July, will come to an end in December 2022, and the results will be announced at two presentations in January 2023. The initiative was presented as part of the European Commission's call entitled Co-creation of public space through citizen engagement of the EIT New European Bauhaus Community a campaign that falls within the objectives of the European Green Deal approved in 2020. Project partners The main partner in the project is the Urban Transformation and Global Change Laboratory (TURBA) at the UOC's Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), a laboratory with extensive experience in coordinating European co-creation projects. These include PERFORM, COOLSCHOOLS, T-Factor and EPSN. Barcelona City Council is taking part in the project through its Ecology, Urban Planning, Infrastructures, and Mobility Office, working with the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities (IMPD) and the Institute of Childhood and Adolescence. Another partner is the Global Institute of Neurodevelopment Integrated Care (IGAIN), a leading Spanish center in the diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. It provides training for ASD professionals and accreditation for ASD diagnostic instruments in America and Europe, as well as evidence-based treatment for people with ASD throughout their lives. Finally, another partner in the project is LEMUR urban emergency laboratory, an international interdisciplinary association that creates community spaces for well-being and fosters ecological and social transitions through educational and research initiatives, integrating architecture and environmental engineering. Examples of its projects include Arrels (Roots), El cos de la casa (The Body of the House), De l'escola al mercat (From School to Market) and La pell de la ciutat a Glories (The Skin of the City in Glories). This UOC research supports Sustainable Development Goals: 10 Reduced Inequalities and 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities. ASD-BCNeuroinclusiva: activating spaces with neurodivergent group is an EIT Community New European Bauhaus project supported by the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau speaks to the local commercial and political sectors on Hong Kongs business opportunities at a luncheon in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau today met the Cambodian business sector to promote Hong Kongs economic opportunities. Speaking to over 400 participants at a luncheon in Phnom Penh to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regions establishment, Mr Yau noted that Hong Kong has developed into a world-class city in Asia in the past 25 years with the implementation of one country, two systems and the staunch support of the Central Peoples Government. Quoting President Xi Jinpings important speech on July 1, Mr Yau shared his insights about Hong Kongs distinctive role and advantages under one country, two systems, adding that the city will enhance its status as an international trade centre under the National 14th Five-Year Plan and develop into a regional intellectual property trading centre and a premier telecommunications hub of Asia. As we actively integrate into the national development strategies, including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the Belt & Road Initiative, we stand ready to work closely with our partners in the region, including those in Cambodia, to capture the unprecedented business opportunities. With our free economy, a low and simple tax system, well-established infrastructural connectivity, a market-oriented and international business environment, as well as our free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Hong Kong will definitely be Cambodias prime partner in tapping the vast business potential in the bay area, in the Mainland and beyond in many more years to come. Todays luncheon was held following the sixth ASEAN Economic Ministers-Hong Kong, China Consultation. Apart from attending the aforesaid events, the commerce chief visited two Hong Kong enterprises to learn about their operation and development and investment opportunities in Cambodia. He will return to Hong Kong this evening. Pakistan and Maldives in South Asia stand neck-deep in the Chinese debt. Pakistan has $77.3 billion of external debt to China while Maldives amounted to 31 per cent of Maldives Gross National Income (GNI). Maldives' total debt amounts to MVR 86 billion by the end of 2020, MVR 44 billion of which is external debt. Forbes, collecting data from The World Bank report as of 2020, says that 97 countries across the globe are under Chinese debt. Countries heavily in debt to China are mostly located in Africa, but can also be found in Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. China is reaching most of the countries under the One Belt and Road scheme. The worlds low-income countries owe 37% of their debt to China in 2022, compared to just 24% in bilateral debt to the rest of the world. The Chinese global project to finance the construction of the port, rail and land infrastructure across the globe, has been a major source of debt to China for participating countries. Those with the highest external debt to China are Pakistan $77.3 billion, Angola at 36.3 billion, Ethiopia $7.9 billion, Kenya $7.4 billion and Sri Lanka $6.8 billion. Maldives newspaper reported that according to statistics released by the Finance Ministry, Maldives' debt rose to MVR 99 billion by end of Q1 2022. It made up 113 per cent of GDP. The projects in the Maldives funded with loans from China include the construction of the Sinamale Bridge and the airport development project. Bangladesh too is a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Dhaka owes 6 per cent of its total foreign debt to Beijing, which is around $4 billion. According to a report from FT, Bangladesh is seeking a first instalment from the IMF of $1.5 billion, as part of a total package worth $4.5billion." This amount would include a financial line to help it fund climate change resilience projects and buttress its budget," reads the report. According to the IMF, Bangladesh had a total foreign debt of $62 billion in 2021. The majority of the debt is owed to multilateral lenders such as the World Bank. The countries with the biggest debt burdens in relative terms were Djibouti and Angola, where debt to China exceeded 40% of gross national income, an indicator similar to GDP but also including income from overseas sources. The equivalent of 30% of GNI or more in Chinese debt affects the Maldives and Laos, with the latter just having opened a railway line to China which is already causing debt issues for the country. Sri Lanka May 2022 was the first country in two decades to default on its sovereign debt. Chinese debt to Sri Lanka was the fifth-highest overall in late 2020 and amounted to 9% of the country's GNI. According to the Financial Times, which called the development in Sri Lanka and elsewhere Chinas first overseas debt crisis, the country had to renegotiate loans worth $52 billion in 2020 and 2021more than three times the amount that met this fate in the two previous years. China has provided record amounts of financing to developing countries over the past two decades, supporting both public and private sector projects. The Belt and Road Initiative is President Xi Jinpings flagship foreign policy initiative; launched in 2013 to invest in almost 70 countries and international organizations, it has propelled China to global dominance in international development finance. Chinas Belt and Road Initiative has caused dozens of lower- and middle-income countries to accumulate $385 billion in hidden debts to Beijing, a new study has claimed. AidData, an international development research lab based at Virginias College of William & Mary, says 13,427 Chinese development projects worth a combined $843 billion across 165 countries, over 18 years to the end of 2017. China has faced criticism for its lending practices to poorer countries, accused of leaving them struggling to repay debts and therefore vulnerable to pressure from Beijing. China rejects this criticism and calls it as propaganda/narrative of the vested interested countries to tarnish its image. China's lending method China is one of the world's largest single creditor nations. Its loans to lower and middle-income countries have tripled over the past decade, reaching $170 billion by the end of 2020. This chart shows an external debt to China as a percentage of gross national income (2020). Are Chinese loans harder to repay? China in the majority of the cases tends to lend at higher rates of interest than western governments. At around 4%, these loans are close to commercial market rates and about four times that of a typical loan from the World Bank or an individual country. The required repayment period for a Chinese loan is also generally shorter - less than 10 years, compared to around 28 years for other lenders' concessional loans to developing countries. In addition, the Chinese state-owned lenders also typically require borrowers to maintain a minimum cash balance in an offshore account to which the lender has access. Sheopur (MP), Sep 18 (PTI) The eight cheetahs from Namibia, who were released into Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) a day ago, seemed to be slowly adapting to the new environment as they were seen strolling in their quarantine enclosure on Sunday and soaking in the ambience with curiosity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released these cheetahs brought from the African country into a quarantine enclosure at the KNP in Sheopur district as part of a project to revive the population of the animal which became extinct in India in 1952. At the time of their release, the spotted big cats looked hesitant as they took in the new environment with a look of curiosity mixed with bafflement. As the door of its cage slid open, the first of the eight cheetahs hesitated for a moment or two before stepping out onto the grass. It then ran, came to a halt near a tree and scanned the surroundings, its new home 8000 km away from its native Namibia, by turning the neck in every direction. But the initial hesitation appeared to be fading on their second day in the new country. All the eight cheetahs - five female and three male, named Obaan, Freddy, Savannah, Asha, Cibili, Saisa and Sasha, looked fit and fine and drank water kept at their quarantine enclosure in the KNP on Sunday. They were seen wandering and resting in their new habitat. These fastest land animals were seen looking around the new surroundings. The new guests are still observing the unfamiliar surroundings with inquisitive minds, said the people keeping a tab on their movements. Veterinarians and experts from India and Namibia are keeping a close watch on these spotted animals in their quarantine enclosure, where they will be kept for a month. They will be given buffalo meat to feast on during this period. These animals are believed to take food once in three days. They were given buffalo meat before they left Namibia for India two days ago, KNP director Uttam Sharma told PTI. "So they will be given food today," he added. The cheetahs are active and in good health, Sharma said. "We have not given new names to them. Right now we are not thinking over it. They were given names in Namibia," the director said. The transcontinental journey of more than 8,000 km of the eight cheetahs aged between 30 to 66 months from Namibia had begun on Friday night. Around 11.30 am, as the prime minister operated a lever from the high dais, the sliding door of the special cage below opened, and the first of the cheetahs stepped into the special enclosure at the KNP. Earlier that day, a modified Boeing 747 carrying these cheetahs landed at the Gwalior airbase. The animals were then flown by two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters to Palpur near the Park, 165 km away. The last cheetah died in the country in 1947 in Korea district in present-day Chhattisgarh, earlier part of Madhya Pradesh, and the species was declared extinct from India in 1952. While the 'African Cheetah Introduction Project in India' was conceived in 2009 during the rule of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the plan to bring the big cat to the KNP by November last year suffered a setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his speech after releasing cheetahs, PM Modi had on Saturday cautioned that they need time to get used to their new surroundings before people can see them in the wild. "Cheetahs are our guests; we should give them a few months to make Kuno National Park their home," he said. The KNP, spread over an area of 750 sq km, is situated on the northern side of Vindhyachal mountains. It derives its name from the Kuno river, a tributary of the Chambal. PTI LAL NP NP AX prefix to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II Some very positive news about a joint RASA and WIA initiative Use of the AX Prefix Commemorating the Life of Queen Elizabeth II 19-23 September RASA and WIA Presidents approached the ACMA this week seeking support for the use of the AX Prefix to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II. ACMA advised that the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions (Amateur Licence) Determination 2015 limits the use of the AX prefix to three specific days: 26 January, 25 April and 17 May. The ACMA does not have discretion to authorise the use of the AX prefix on any other days. However, ACMA noted the significance of the event, and the desire of RASA and the WIA to commemorate the passing of Queen Elizabeth II by using the AX prefix. They advised that compliance action for the use of the AX prefix for the period requested would not be a priority for the ACMA. Although this is technically in conflict with the LCD, we feel the the use of the AX Prefix as a mark of respect in the passing of Queen Elizabeth the II is appropriate. On this basis, we encourage VK amateurs to exchange VK with AX for the period 19-23 September 2022 in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth the 2nd. Vale Queen Elizabeth II https://vkradioamateurs.org/ax-prefix-to-commemorate-queen-elizabeth-ii/ For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 160 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including BBB Great West & Pacific, which serves more than 20 million consumers in Alaska, Central Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Western Wyoming. Visit BBB.org for more consumer tips on how to hire companies within specific industries. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Since the late 1970s, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell ned.rozell@alaska.edu is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute. A version of this story ran appeared in 2019. Joe Paskvan is retired after almost 40 years as an attorney in private practice. He is a former state senator who served as chairman of the Senate Resources Committee. He lives in Fairbanks. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrains value of exports of national origin has increased by 8% to reach BD416 million during August 2022, up from BD386 million for the same month of the previous year. The value of imports increased by 5%, reaching BD520 million during August 2022 compared with BD496 million for the same month of the previous year. This was according to the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) foreign trade report of August 2022, encompassing data on the balance of trade, imports, exports (national origin), and re-exports. The trade balance, difference between exports and imports, recorded a decrease in the value of deficit totaling BD38 million during August 2022 compared with BD53 million for the same month of the previous year, an improvement of 27%. The top 10 countries in terms of the value of exports of national origin purchased from Bahrain accounted for 81% of the total value, with the remaining countries accounting for 19%. Saudi Arabia ranked first among countries receiving Bahraini exports of national origin, importing BD88 million from Bahrain. The US was second with BD57 million and the Netherlands third with BD43 million. Unwrought aluminum alloys emerged as the top products exported during August 2022 with BD161million, agglomerated iron ores and concentrates alloyed was second with a value of BD58 million, an aluminum wire (not alloyed) third with BD19 million. According to the report, the top 10 countries accounted for 73% of the value of imports, with the remaining countries accounting for 27%. China ranked first with BD90 million, followed by Australia with BD60 million and Brazil with BD49 million. Aluminum oxide was the top product imported into Bahrain with a total value of BD58 million, while non-agglomerated iron ores and concentrates was second with BD47 million, and parts for aircraft engines third with BD23 million. The total value of re-exports increased by 14% to reach BD65 million during August 2022, compared with BD58 million for the same month of the previous year. The top 10 countries accounted for 83% of the re-exported value, while the remaining countries accounted for the 17%. Saudi Arabia ranked first with BD14 million, followed by the UAE with BD13 million, and Hong Kong with BD6 million. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Staff Reporter People in Bahrain are urging the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) to probe into the recent abnormally high utility bills. They are not able to understand the sudden surge in utility bills while consumption has remained relatively the same. A consumer, who requested anonymity, told The Daily Tribune said he was shocked to receive a huge electricity and water bill. Being a middle-class expatriate family residing in Bahrain, we always keep a check on our utility consumption. I am shocked to find a bill of BD60 for just 15 days while our monthly bills usually range between BD50 and BD55," he said. I urge the EWA authorities to probe into the matter. We are living in the post-pandemic period and face many financial challenges and are not in a position to afford these bills. This, I feel, could be a technical error, which we want to be rectified soon." Another resident said she was clueless about how to pay her monthly EWA bill of BD172. My bill has shot up alarmingly and I have complained to the EWA, who claims there is no technical error and it is the actual amount. A third EWA customer said his bill has tripled from BD50 to BD150. I cant believe this. I am certain that this is a billing error, which EWA must probe into. My monthly income is just BD450 and how can I pay BD150 for just electricity and water? Earlier, lawmakers had urged the EWA to ensure the accuracy of meters following complaints from citizens and residents. The Daily Tribune has earlier reported about people receiving absurdly high water and electricity bills owing to some technical glitches. The errors were supposedly caused by water meter readers following the digital updating process. The EWA had recently launched the Fixed Billing System. The system provides users with the option of receiving a fixed monthly bill, based on their average annual usage. It is part of a host of initiatives being developed by the authority, to provide high-quality, advanced and innovative solutions to all the customers, while making sure that the sustainability of the provided services is ensured. The Fixed Billing System allows subscribers greater flexibility in settling their bill payments through direct debit without delay thus avoiding service interruptions. The bills will be based on the users average annual consumption, allowing for better financial management and planning, while avoiding high bills during the hot summer months when electricity consumption is expected to increase. The subscription period in the system is for 12 months, starting from the date of subscription and automatically renewed unless the subscriber requests its cancellation. As the year ends, the difference between the actual bill and the amount paid is calculated. If the amount paid is more than the billed amount, the surplus is used as credit in the subscribers account, and in instances where the amount paid is short, then the remaining amount is transferred to the following years balance and the customer is allowed to pay in instalments. EWA officials could not be reached for comment. First 40 MHz SSB contact between UK and South Africa Paul G7PUV has tweeted a video of his 40 MHz SSB contact with Willem ZS6WAB in Polokwane, South Africa On Saturday, September 17, 2022, Paul tweeted this about his Trans Equatorial Propagation contact: In contact with Willem ZS6WAB earlier this afternoon via TEP on 40MHz and the first ZS-G contact using SSB. #8M #hamradio Attached was a video of the contact that you can watch at https://twitter.com/AceBlaggard/status/1571161819846164482 Paul is one of a number of UK radio amateurs who have applied to Ofcom for a licence to use the 40 MHz band. In South Africa the 40 MHz (8m) band is included as standard amateur radio licence. Radio amateurs have a Primary allocation of 40.675 -40.685 MHz and can run up to 400 watts output. The Ofcom Innovation and trial licensing page is at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence/radiocommunication-licences/non-operational-licences 8m (40 MHz) email list on Groups IO https://groups.io/g/8m/topics TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrain has improved its position on the recently released Human Development Index for 2021-22 by the United Nations Development Programme. The ranking of 191 nations sees Kingdom at 35th position globally and 2nd regionally. Bahrain advanced by seven ranks from the 2020 version of the index to its current position. The HDI measures the average achievement of a country in three basic dimensions of human development a long and healthy life, education and a decent standard of living. It uses four indicators life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and the Gross National Income per capita. Bahrains HDI score of 0.875 places it in the very high human development category, higher than its value of 0.852 in 2018, indicating progress. Kingdom performed strongly in education, where the expected years of schooling is 16.3 and the mean years of schooling is 11 years. Bahrain, thus, ranks first in the GCC in terms of academic achievement, where girls outperformed boys. These honourable results reflect the results of the economic reforms that the Kingdom of Bahrain embarked on during the prosperous era of His Majesty King Ham- ad bin Isa Al Khalifa, said Dr Shaikha Abdullah Mafeez, Director of the Strategic Planning Department at the Ministry of Education and National Coordinator.Saudi Arabia shares 35th rank with Bahrain. The United Arab Emirates is the only country ahead of Bahrain on the ranking in GCC that has Switzerland (0.962) on top and South Sudan at the bottom. Norway (0.961) and Iceland (0.959) enjoy second and third positions. Following Bahrain from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council is Qatar at 42nd, Kuwait at 50th, and Oman at 54th ranks. For the first time on record, UNDP also said the index has dropped for two years in a row taking the world back to just after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. This has happened for the first time in 32 years of HDI calculations. The report, titled Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World, also stated that more than 90% of countries saw a decline in their HDI score in either 2020 or 2021, while over 40% of nations declined in both the years.The study identified the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war as the two primary reasons behind this fall. At least two people have been confirmed dead and 120 injured in Japan due to the effects of Severe Tropical Storm Nanmadol, according to data collected by NHK as of 11 p.m. on Monday. In Miyazaki Prefecture, a man in his 40s was found unconscious and later confirmed dead at a hospital. Officials suspect he was caught up in a mudslide. In another part of the prefecture, a man in his 60s was confirmed dead after his car was submerged till water reached its roof. One person has been reported missing in Hiroshima Prefecture. OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 15, 2022 /CNW/ - Invert Inc. ("Invert" or "the Company"), a specialized carbon finance company and the future of personalized carbon offsetting, is pleased to provide a corporate update on ongoing projects and developments. Highlights Completed $25 Million CAD Equity Financing Expanded Portfolio of High-Quality Carbon Credits Successfully launched the Invert App available on Apple and Android Head of Carbon Forestry co-authors biochar carbon credit methodology Invert Executive Chair to be feature speaker at Elevate Festival "In the last several months, Invert has accomplished many significant milestones as we continue to build on our vision to help individuals and businesses contribute to our common goal of addressing climate change," said Mark Zekulin, Executive Chairman, Invert Inc. "We're thrilled to have launched the Invert App in Canada this week and completed our $25 million financing in August. We've already begun putting this capital to work with recent investments in Aperam and BC Biocarbon two developers we're proud to support." Equity Financing Complete Invert closed a $25 million CAD financing in August, welcoming new institutional and HNW investors alongside continued support from lead strategic investor Altius Minerals (TSX: ALS). The equity financing provides the Company with significant capital to expand its carbon credit streaming portfolio as well as continued development of the recently launched Invert App. New Carbon Credit Portfolio Investments The Company recently announced purchase and streaming agreements with Aperam Steel and BC Biocarbon for high-quality carbon removal credits ("CORCS") derived from biochar. Aperam is Brazil's largest steelmaker and a world leader in environmental sustainability. Invert also entered a multi-year streaming agreement with BC Biocarbon to supply high-quality verified CORCS. Both of these projects are available on the Invert App. Invert Head of Carbon Forestry Contributes to new Verra Biochar Methodology The Company is pleased to congratulate Matt Delaney, Invert's Head of Carbon Forestry for his contribution to developing the recently published Verra Biochar Methodology. The methodology, published by Verra's Verified Carbon Standard Program, paves the way for new nature-based approaches to carbon removal, specifically biochar utilization in soil and other applications. Invert App: Empowering Personal Climate Journeys This week, the Company officially launched the Invert App - a mobile experience that will change the way individuals contribute to the fight against climate change. The user-friendly Invert App is simple to download and available on both the Apple and Android App Stores. The app allows each user to measure and reduce their carbon footprint while contributing to sustainable carbon projects that reduce and remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere - all from the convenience of their mobile phone. Invert to Present at the Elevate Arts and Tech Festival Invert Inc's Executive Chair, Mark Zekulin, will be a feature speaker presenting at the 2022 Elevate Arts and Technology Festival in Toronto on September 22nd, which is expected to host over 30,000 attendees this year. About Invert Invert operates at the core of the carbon reduction and removal ecosystem, from financing the removal of carbon from our atmosphere via high-quality carbon offset projects to empowering businesses and individuals on their emissions reduction journeys. Invert invests in carbon credit projects that produce high-quality, meaningful carbon reduction and removal credits that will help save our world. By selling these credits to individuals or businesses, the Company generates revenue that can be reinvested towards further projects that reduce or remove CO2 from the atmosphere. In addition, Invert works directly with businesses to help them understand and reduce their carbon footprint. Invert is also creating a place where individuals can go to learn about what they can do themselves to address the pressing issue of climate change. The Company helps individuals understand their own impact on the world and gives them a chance to support projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is for every individual to be carbon neutral, and Invert will help get people there in an engaging manner with rich content and community. Please visit our website for more information: invert.world. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, the intentions of the Corporation to pursue the Invert Neutral App indefinitely. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Invert to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: volatility in prices of carbon credits and demand for carbon credit; expectations regarding carbon market trends, overall carbon market growth rates and prices for carbon credits; inability to raise the money necessary to execute its business plan and strategies; the Corporation's business plans and strategies, including acquiring carbon credits, streams and interests in carbon credit projects or entities involved in carbon credits or related businesses; the political, social and economic conditions in each jurisdiction in which the Corporation holds an investment; terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals. Although Invert 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 to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Invert disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE INVERT INC. For further information: Caitlin O'Hara, Head of Corporate Communications, [email protected], 1-613-621-9638 Haryana Governor Honours Rajya Sabha MP Kartik Sharma wit... The Champions of Change event was organized by the Intera... 2 October, 2022 Read more At Palam airport, Prince Charles took me aside and said, I would very much like to come again in October for a longer stay. If that is convenient to you, but without Uncle Dickie. by Natwar Singh Jawaharlal Nehru attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1952. The Commonwealth was than a small organisation. The Queen became Head of Commonwealth the same year. Till 1947 it was a white mans club: United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. India and Pakistan became members on becoming independent. Ceylon followed in 1948. In 1957, Ghana became the eighth member. Government has taken the correct decision for President Droupadi Murmu to represent India at the funeral of the Queen. She will get to know many of her counterparts. Several hundred Heads of State and Government have been invited. Most will be in London by the 18 September. Will President Xi of China and President Putin attend? The funeral is on the 19th. File Photo of Queen Elizabeth II and Charles, Prince of Wales, in 2019. [Photo Getty Images] No country can outdo the United Kingdom in planning and organising ceremonial events. The late Queens journey from Buckingham Place to Westminster Hall on 14 September was as memorable as it was spectacular. The world is running out of monarchies. UK, Japan, followed by Cambodia, Thailand, Brunei, the Malay Kingdoms, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Kingdoms. The last eight are not democracies. Has the British monarchy a future? The Queen was widely admired, popular and respected. King Charles III is not endowed with these indispensable qualities. I have met him three or four times. The first time in February 1975 in New Delhi. He was accompanied by Lord Mountbatten. They stayed in New Delhi for two days. I was then Deputy High Commissioner in London. I came to New Delhi a couple of days before the arrival of Prince Charles and Uncle Dickie. They left Delhi for Kathmandu after two days to attend the coronation of the King of Nepal. By then, Charles was somewhat irritated with Mountbatten. At Palam airport, Prince Charles took me aside and said, I would very much like to come again in October for a longer stay. If that is convenient to you, but without Uncle Dickie. Your Royal Highness, you are most welcome. King Charles III is 73 years of age. Will he attain the age of his mother? That will certainly prolong the life of Britains monarchy. Kunwar Natwar Singh, IFS is an Indian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of External Affairs from May 2004 to December 2005. Singh was selected into the Indian Foreign Service in 1953. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says if the country has functional refineries, the problems associated to payment of petrol subsidy will... The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says if the country has functional refineries, the problems associated to payment of petrol subsidy will be addressed. NLC said this on Saturday in a statement issued in response to a query by the presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Earlier on Saturday, the APC presidential campaign council asked the congress to state its position on the payment of petrol subsidy in the wake of NLCs support for the candidacy of Peter Obi of the Labour Party. The NLC is among the groups that have declared support for the presidential bid of Obi. Last month, Obi had said part of his plans, if he becomes president, would be to remove petrol subsidy. The issue of payment of petrol subsidy has been hotly debate in the public space in recent times due to its negative impact of on government revenue. Nigeria spent N2.04 trillion to offset subsidy payments in seven months, even as it plans to spend about N6 trillion on subsidy by 2023. Responding to the question in the statement, Ayuba Wabba, NLC president, said it is atrocious for Nigeria to buy refined petrol abroad at high cost when the country has crude oil as its natural resources. We believe that an issues-based campaign will help sieve the facts from fiction, address burning national issues, review the performance of those in government at all levels, especially on the delivery of the sustainable development goals, improve Nigerias public accountability frameworks, prepare voters behaviour on election day away from the destructive lines of ethno-religious divide and defuse the looming political tension, Wabba said. Second, in furtherance of the avowed position of the Nigeria Labour Congress on issues-based campaign in the run-up to the 2023 general election, we wish to state that Nigerian workers through a number of painstaking processes have been able to articulate a Nigerian workers charter of demands which the NLC and TUC are using it to engage the political process. A major demand in the Nigerian workers charter of demands is that our local public refineries must work. We have also demanded that we must stop 100 percent importation of refined petroleum products. The NLC and indeed the labour movement in Nigeria has over many decades been vehemently consistent that the only way to address the issue of the so-called petrol subsidies are to get our refineries to work. The logic is very simple: it is atrocious to buy from abroad at very expensive prices a product that a country like ours can easily produce at home. At the heart of our demand on the management of Nigerias mineral resources especially our downstream petroleum sub-sector is the issue of the production economy. We believe that the rescue of Nigeria from the current ruinous path of consumption economy to production economy is the only way to resolve Nigerias economic nightmares of massive depletion of scarce foreign exchange reserve; continuous devaluation of the naira; significant jobs haemorrhage and destruction, deepening of poverty and downturn in the living standards of our people. Wabba further said the congress was determined to ensure the adoption of workers charter demands into all political manifestos. He said this aligns with NLCs persuasion that issue-based campaigns anchored on the manifesto of political parties should drive Nigerias political process. If any political party goes around saying that they plan to sell our refineries, remove subsidies, and further oppress long-suffering Nigerians, they should be ready to defend such stance to Nigerians during the campaigns, he added. The NLC, organized labour, and Labour Party position has not changed. It only got amplified The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) publicity secretaries in the south-west have opposed the calls for the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, nat... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) publicity secretaries in the south-west have opposed the calls for the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the party. The party spokespersons in Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos, after a meeting in Lagos, on Saturday, said there is no justification for the calls for Ayu to step down from his position. Ayu has been under pressure in the past few months, with demands for his resignation coming from different quarters, especially the camp of Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state. Last week, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, also demanded the resignation of Ayu. Makinde made the demand at the PDP south-west stakeholders meeting in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state with Atiku Abubakar, the partys presidential candidate, present. The message from the south-west PDP is that the south-west is asking that the national working committee (NWC) of the PDP should be restructured, the governor had said. We are asking the national chairman to step down so that the south will be fully included. That is the message. However, in a statement issued after their meeting on Saturday, the partys publicity secretaries in the south-west said there was no prior meeting where stakeholders in the geo-political zone agreed that Ayu should vacate office. We do not see any justification for the resignation of our National Chairman, especially at this very critical stage of preparation for elections, the statement reads. Dr Iyorchia Ayu was duly elected at a properly constituted National Convention with a four-year mandate and recently received a vote of confidence of the partys National Executive Committee, at its 97th meeting in Abuja. Our party has championed the sanctity of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended). We must, therefore, do everything to maintain this sanctity. Any action that undermines the spirit of the partys constitution at this crucial stage can only be considered a deliberate attempt to sabotage the partys efforts at winning in the coming general elections We appeal to the leadership of our party in the Southwest region to work together to respect the Constitution of our party because, if we cannot respect our own rules, guidelines and constitution as a party, how will Nigerians trust us to respect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when voted into the office. The concern of our zonal leaders and their determination to protect the interest of our members against any form of marginalization is deeply appreciated. However, our focus should be directed mainly to encouraging our teeming members to rally around our candidates vying for the Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and Governorship positions and ensure that they win elections. The spokespersons are Hakeem Amode (Lagos), Asiwaju Akinloye (Ogun), Kennedy Peretei (Ondo), and Raphael Adeyanju (Ekiti). Olajide Adediran, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Funke Akindele, his running mate, visited the homes of t... Olajide Adediran, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Funke Akindele, his running mate, visited the homes of two owners of the recently auctioned vehicles in Lagos. On September 15, vehicles forfeited to the Lagos state government over traffic violations were auctioned. At the event, traffic offenders broke down in tears as their vehicles were auctioned. Reacting to this development, the PDP candidate visited the homes of Lateef Kolapo and Osinachi Ndukwe, both drivers whose vehicles were up for auction on Thursday. According to a statement signed by Gbenga Ogunleye, media aide of the PDP candidate, Ndukwe, who drove against traffic was arrested, and imprisoned for three months after his car was impounded. He said during his jail term, Ndukwe lost his three-year-old daughter owing to a lack of funds to cater to her health. Lateef Kolapo claimed that his vehicle was driven by his mechanic while he was ill and hospitalized. Osinachi Ndukwe said he was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment for driving against the traffic and the vehicle was impounded, the statement reads. During his jail term, he lost his three-year-old daughter due to the non-availability of funds to cater for her health. After serving the jail term, his bus was auctioned and his means of survival gone. Adediran condemned the Lagos government for the harsh punishment against traffic offenders. Earlier today, I and my running mate, Funke Akindele met with Mr. Osinachi Ndukwe, one of the victims of the recently auctioned 134 cars impounded for traffic offences by the Lagos State Government. pic.twitter.com/Z63n8ygc5f Azeez Olajide Adediran (@officialjandor) September 17, 2022 He said though traffic violations will not be condoned if voted as governor, he will ensure the review of laws which enable the forfeiture of vehicles as punishment for traffic offences. JANDOR commiserated with Osinachi for his loss but kicked against reckless driving and violation of traffic laws. He however condemned the State government for the harsh punishment of taking the offenders means of livelihood, the statement reads. The Peoples Governor assured the residents of the state that violation of traffic laws will also not be condoned when he emerges as the governor of the state in the 2023 guber election but any legislation that takes away means of livelihood of the offenders will be reviewed. Northern Governors have called for sustained fervent prayers against banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria. Niger Governor Abubakar Bel... Northern Governors have called for sustained fervent prayers against banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria. Niger Governor Abubakar Bello spoke on their behalf on Saturday at a symposium on the role of Imams in ensuring credible and peaceful elections. Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Matane, Bello said security agencies alone cannot do it The governor stated that prayers by religious leaders would help to address the ugly trend, NAN reports. All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Niger, Umar Bago, corroborated Bellos position. Bago said the roles played by religious and traditional rulers in peaceful co-existence were enormous, and they should be supported to achieve maximum results. Sen. Sani Musa (APC-Niger East) appealed to youths to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and called for prayers for hitch-free polls next year. The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu has urged party members in the North-East to do more before the 20... The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu has urged party members in the North-East to do more before the 2023 elections. He spoke in Gombe on Saturday during the wedding reception of Misbahu Yahaya, son of Governor Inuwa Yahaya. The former Lagos governor reminded APC followers that his running mate, Kashim Shettima, hails from the region. Tinubu thanked party members and supporters for what they have been doing for him. Now that your son is equally the running mate you have to double your efforts, and you have to do more. I challenge you to do more than what you have done in the past, NAN quoted him saying. President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan described the North-East as Tinubus second zone after the South-West. Shettima said political activities would soon commence, adding that, the North-East is an APC domain more so one of you is a running mate. What Charlotte is doing to inform the community and prevent the spread Watertown, NY (13601) Today Mostly clear. Low 33F. NE winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 33F. NE winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Former President Donald Trump told his supporters during a rally on Saturday that he will continue his fight against the politically-motivated persecution aimed at him. The radical left Democrats have been fighting tooth and nail to stop me because they know I will never be loyal to them because I will only be loyal to you and to our country, Trump said during a Save America rally in Youngstown, Ohio. The former president was at the rally to stump for GOP candidates in local races, including J.D. Vance who is facing Democrat nominee Tim Ryan for the states senate election. For six straight years, Ive been harassed, investigated, defamed, slandered, and persecuted like no other presidentand probably like no one in American history, Trump continued. Yet all I have ever wanted and all weve ever fought for is to simply, very simply, Make America Great Again. Make America Great Again, or MAGA, is Trumps slogan in his successful 2016 presidential campaign. Last month, President Joe Biden accused MAGA Republicans as extremists during a speech in Philadelphia. No matter what our sick and deranged political establishment throws at me, no matter what they do to me, I will endure their torment and oppression, and I will do it very willingly, Trump said. They will never get me to stop fighting for you, the American people, Trump continued. And I will never quit because the fate of our country is at stake. The former president reiterated his previous criticism of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), saying that the FBI raid of his Mar-a-Lago residence last month was the result of the unprecedented weaponization of the agency. FBI agents at Mar-a-Lago seized 11,179 materials that were not marked classified, according to an inventory released in early September. Additionally, the agents took 103 documents marked classified, including some marked top secret. On Sept. 15, Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon appointed retired Judge Raymond Dearie as special master to independently review the seized materials. One of Dearies tasks is to determine whether any documents are privileged and should be off-limits to federal investigators. Cannon also rejected a DOJ request to allow investigators to continue its criminal investigation into the seized documents. However, a day later, the DOJ filed a motion asking an appeals court to issue a partial stay on Cannons order. Trump said those attacking the MAGA movement, whom he labeled as thugs and tyrants, have awakened a sleeping giant. The American people will never accept the corruption and the ruination of our beloved country, Trump said. On November 8, were going to vote in record numbers and we are going to send these left-wing lunatics a message they cannot cancel, silence, or ignore. We need a landslide so big that the radical left cannot steal it or rig it, Trump continued. As for the upcoming midterm elections, Trump predicted the Republicans will take back both the House and Senate. And in 2024, most importantly, we are going to take back our magnificent White House, he said. From The Epoch Times Taipei 101 Tower, a landmark in Taipei, Taiwan, is seen in this photo. [Photo/VCG] The US government seems intent on proving that it cannot be trusted to keep its word. Its piecemeal provocations on the Taiwan question are a "salami-slicing" tactic intended to hollow out the promises that were made to Beijing in the three communiques. Beijing's restraint in its response to the US provocations should not be misinterpreted as an inability or unwillingness to act. It is because it always takes into consideration the bigger picture of regional and world peace, and the overall picture of China-US relations. But there is a limit to what China can put up with when one of its core interests is at risk. Washington's escalating provocations are not in the interest of Taiwan people, nor are they in the interests of world peace and global development. Instead, the brinkmanship of Washington, if taken too far, risks triggering a war between the US and China. As a reminder of this, China announced sanctions on Friday against Gregory Hayes, chairman and chief executive officer of Raytheon Technologies Corporation, and Theodore Colbert III, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, as the two companies are prominent in the arms deals agreed between the United States and the Chinese island. The US arms sales to Taiwan seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 Communique of 1982, and gravely undermine China's sovereignty and security interests. The sanctions against the two CEOs reinforce not only China's strong condemnation of the sales but its opposition to the profits-before-peace mentality of the US. The one-China principle is a widely accepted norm in international relations and a prevailing consensus of the international community. Washington should abide by the commitments it made to Beijing in the three communiques to the letter, as these are iron-clad legally-binding agreements. In the communiques the US acknowledged that there is but one China and that Taiwan is part of China, over which the government of the PRC should enjoy and exercise China's full sovereignty. China has again urged the US government and relevant parties to abide by the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, stop the arms sales to Taiwan, and stop creating tensions by trying to exploit the Taiwan question to contain China. The onus is on Washington to behave in a manner befitting of its repeated assertions that it still stands by its commitment to the one-China principle. The central government will continue to take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the nation's sovereignty and security interests according to the development of the situation. It is time that politicians in Washington stopped playing their risky games lest they go too far. Boeing, which maintains a corporate fleet at the Gary/Chicago International Airport, donated book bags and other school supplies to students at the Gary Community School Corp. The multinational aircraft manufacturer does an annual "Liftoff for Learning" initiative nationwide. Boeing employees donated the supplies to 275 students at the Williams, Beveridge, Banneker and Marquette elementary schools. We are thankful and excited about the supplies our students received, said Chaitra Wade Principal of Banneker at Marquette Elementary. Having the right tools gives them the head start that they need to be successful. Boeing also partners more broadly with the Gary Community School Corp., where it works to improve STEM education for students in grades K-5. It assists with the aviation program at the Gary Area Career Center and other STEM programs in the school district. EAST CHICAGO A steelworker has died after an accident at an East Chicago steel mill. The fatal accident took place at Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor, United Steelworkers Union District 7 Director Mike Millsap said. It occurred on the west side of the mill that was formerly run by LTV, Jones and Laughlin Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, Mark Manufacturing Co. and other owners. The unidentified victim was a USW member who belonged to USW Local 1011, Millsap said. The 44-year-old Schererville resident died in a Chicago hospital Saturday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. No one else was injured in the accident. "It is still being investigated," Millsap said. The accident took place Thursday, Cleveland-Cliffs spokeswoman Patricia Persico said. "Cleveland-Cliffs confirms that a serious accident occurred at its Indiana Harbor facility while a worker was conducting a routine task at the operations ladle maintenance area," she said. "The employee died as a result of injuries sustained during a routine repair activity. Due to standard privacy protocols, we are not at liberty to disclose the name of the employee or any further personal details." The steelmaker, which employs thousands of steelworkers along the lakeshore in Northwest Indiana, expressed its condolences for the loss. "Cleveland-Cliffs expresses its deepest sympathies to the employees family and the Company will provide the necessary support to the family during this difficult time," Persico said. Though safer than in previous generations, steel mills remain dangerous places to work with many inherent hazards like heavy machinery, high catwalks, molten metal, soaring temperatures and steel coil that can weigh several tons. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Health and Safety Administration estimates that steel mills had 7.3 recordable illnesses or injuries per 100 full-time employee hours in 2020, making it one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. What likely will be Indiana's biggest and best-funded spending plan in its 207-year history will be managed next year in its early stages by a retired chemistry, physics and math teacher from central Indiana. State Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton, was named Friday by House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, as the new chairman of the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee. In that role, he'll lead the 24-member House panel that's set to make initial decisions in January and February about how Indiana should spend approximately $40 billion in regular appropriations over the next two years, as well as what should be done with the state's estimated $6 billion in reserve funds. Ultimately, Thompson will be among the small group of lawmakers from both the House and Senate participating in budget negotiations with Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb in late April, ahead of final budget approval by the Republican-controlled General Assembly. "Jeff's technical expertise and command of complex policy issues makes him the right choice to take the reins of this critical committee," Huston said. "He's an invaluable asset to our team and I'm excited for him to take on this leadership role." "I'm confident he'll not only hit the ground running, but also help us build on Indiana's strong track record of fiscal responsibility and economic momentum," he added. Thomson succeeds retiring state Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville, a former emergency room physician, who has led the state budget process in the House since 2012 but opted not to run for reelection this year. "Indiana's fiscal health is strong and our economy continues to outpace expectations, and that's because of conservative leaders like Chairman Brown who supported policies that put Hoosier taxpayers first," Thompson said. "He's leaving behind big shoes to fill, but I'm thankful for this opportunity to continue to serve. I look forward to helping grow Indiana's reputation as a destination for families, workers and businesses alike," he added. Thompson has long overseen K-12 school funding, which comprises about half of Indiana's annual spending, as a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He also serves on the House committees on education and environmental affairs. The lawmaker previously has spearheaded efforts to improve safety and commerce by having nearly all of the state's 92 counties join Northwest Indiana in the Central Time Zone, instead of remaining in the Eastern Time Zone. He's represented suburban Indianapolis communities in Hendricks and Boone counties in the House since 1998. lacrosse water tower The new Lacrosse water tower, above, was completed during the first phase of the town's Water Infrastructure Improvement Plan. LACROSSE The Town of LaCrosse's aging water mains are getting an upgrade. The Indiana State Revolving Fund announced LaCrosse as the recipient of a $3.27 million grant to complete its' second phase of improvement to the town's water main system on Wednesday. The current mains were installed 60 years ago and are in need of replacement, town officials said in a news release. With the grant, LaCrosse will soon have half of its water mains replaced and larger fire hydrants, with no increased utility cost for residents. lacrosse water pipes The second phase of the project will result in the replacement of 51% of the town's water mains, among other improvements. The grant will fund about 92% of the project, officials said. The remaining 8% will be funded by surplus funds that were the result of the first phase of the project coming in under budget by about $400,000. LaCrosse qualified for funding based on income of residents. LaCrosse Clerk-Treasurer Kelly Kiel surveyed 80% of local residents' household incomes to determine eligibility. The town received $2.76 million in grants and other subsidized loans to complete the first phase of the project. The project allowed construction of a new water plant, replacement of 11% of water mains and hydrants, chemical cleaning of wells, installation of new valves, cellular water meters and replacement of numerous individual service lines. This is tremendous news for LaCrosse, Town Council President Justin Kiel said. We have a great team of consultants, engineers, employees, and public officials who each executed their tasks perfectly to achieve something that our town will benefit from for decades. Justin Kiel said without the grants, residents would have faced significant financial impact. Through various grants and subsidies, Lacrosse has saved residents $10.3 million since 2016. Phase two of the Water Infrastructure Improvement Project is anticipated to go out to bid in early 2023, with construction to follow later that year. MERRILLVILLE There is a variety of development in various stages throughout the town, and officials are working to attract more to the community. One of the most noticeable projects is the Silos at Sanders Farm business park under construction along Mississippi Street between 93rd and 101st avenues. Crow Holdings is pursuing the $225 million project that calls for five speculative buildings that will offer about 2.3 million square feet of space in total on 196 acres of land. Weve been extremely busy, Merrillville Economic Development Director Angie Chilcott said. Very excited about whats going on at the Silos. A groundbreaking ceremony took place last month, and three of the four walls are already up for the business parks first speculative building, which will be 263,500 square feet. These guys do not mess around and Im very happy to have them in town, Town Councilman Shawn Pettit said of Crow Holdings. The second facility to be built there will be the first 1 million square-foot speculative building in Northwest Indiana. That structure, which is expandable to close to 1.4 million square feet, could be finished in the third quarter of 2023. As the Silos project is well underway, there are other developments in the works. The Town Council on Tuesday approved a variance of use authorizing a Sikh house of worship to be constructed on about six acres of property at 93rd Avenue and Broadway. Attorney Richard Anderson, a representative for the project, said the $7 million project calls for the construction of a 10,000-square-foot facility. Councilman Leonard White said its clear the southern end of Merrillville has been targeted for many new projects, and he would like to see more development in north end of town. Chilcott said officials have been promoting the north end, and the town recently had discussions with a new group interested in developing in Merrillville. Pettit said the group has handled a variety of types of development that include industrial, commercial and housing, and Merrillville encouraged the group to consider property in northern Merrillville for a potential project. So we advised them to look at 61st (Avenue) and Broadway, Pettit said. Chilcott said Merrillville has received many inquiries from groups interested in locating in the town, and Merrillville is pursuing a video project to help promote community. It is a cost-free program for municipalities, Chilcott said. She said the project will feature short videos covering six topics a town overview, quality of life, economic development, parks, real estate and nonprofit organizations. Theyll be out there filming at the end of this month, Chilcott said. She said the videos will appear on the towns website, social media and other places. Im very excited about the program and to showcase what makes Merrillville a great place to live, work and play, Chilcott said. VALPARAISO Would you like some Ethiopian stew or Spanish paella? How about Chinese dancers or henna artwork? All that was available Sunday at the 13th annual World Cultural Festival at Central Park and the Urschel Pavilion. Sponsored by the Valparaiso International Center, this family-friendly event featured food, music and dance from around the world and international art, along with handicrafts for sale and childrens activities. The World Cultural Festival is the yearly climax of our efforts to promote better global awareness and connections among the many cultures that make up our local community, said Duane Davison, founding chair of VIC. The event provides an opportunity for people to learn about each other, enjoy music and dance, sample food and make friends. Chris McQuillins bagpipe opened the event at the Northwest Health Amphitheater, followed by various dancers and musical performers. Those included Chinese, Bulgarian, Greek, Polish, German, Spanish, pan-African, Punjab and South Indian people. Among those attending were members of Diversity University, a student organization at Highland High School and Middle School. Were trying to promote diversity in the school, said Vy Herrejon, the groups president. We wanted to see different activities and do something similar in Highland. The Highland students sponsored a multicultural program last year and hope to offer a bigger program this year, the club president said. We want to promote more inclusion and open doors in the community, Herrejon said. A lot of communities are very separated. A lot of people immigrated to this country, and we want to hear their stories. Julie Larson, an English Language Learners teacher in Highland, said she hopes students learn something from the festival and bring something back to Highland. Also during the festival, the public purchased ethnic food from local restaurants. Cuisine included Spanish, Ethiopian, pan-African, soul food, Thai, Mexican and French. Ryan Milkowski, a senior biology major at Valparaiso University, tried curry rice from the African restaurant. It was wonderful, the womens softball player from Olathe, Kansas, said. I could eat this every day. She added, This festival is amazing. So many people are here, celebrating diversity. I would never have eaten African food had I not been here. A highlight of the festival was the Parade of Nations. Attendees were encouraged to wear traditional attire and carry the flag of their birthplace or ancestral homeland. Master of ceremonies Anand Agarwal is majoring in electrical engineering and physics at Valpo. Having arrived in the U.S. in 2019 from his native Nepal, he said he has always felt welcome in the community. I like the fact that people come voluntarily to this festival. Its a good mixture of immigrants and domestic person, Agarwal said. Ive always felt included in the community, and this is my way of paying it forward. Nonprofit organizations and educational institutions had informational booths. International products and fair-trade items were also available for sale. A childrens tent featured internationally themed activities and a display of student artwork. Were especially interested in teaching our youngsters about diversity and the importance of communication and interaction between cultures, Davison stated. Among the performers were the Jasmine Dancers, a group of Chinese dancers from the Valparaiso area. Flavia Cheng, of Valparaiso, said the group was formed in 2017. We do this for exercise and to promote Chinese culture and introduce Chinese culture to the community, she said. The group performs dances from particular areas of China, including Han and Mongolia, Cheng said. From eastern Europe by way of Michigan City, Steve Kowalczyk played one of his 17 accordions. His instruments come from France, Italy, Austria, Poland and Russia. Accordions are made of wood, Kowalczyk explained, giving them a unique sound that he likes. Kowalczyk considered the cultural festival absolutely fantastic and fascinating. He added, Especially now in the world, we should be more integrated, more united. Gov. Eric Holcomb has appointed a south-central Indiana judge to fill a judicial vacancy on the Indiana Court of Appeals. The Republican chief executive selected Morgan Superior Judge Peter Foley on Wednesday over the two other candidates recommended by the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission to succeed retiring Judge Edward W. Najam Jr. on the state's 15-member appellate bench. "Judge Foley brings to the bench a calm and confident demeanor no matter the case before him or its complexity," Holcomb said. "The Indiana appellate courts will benefit from his extensive experience, his compassion to do whats right and his sense of justice." Foley is a native of Morgan County, located southwest of Indianapolis, and previously worked in his family's Martinsville law firm and as county attorney before being elected judge in 2014. He earned his bachelor's and law degrees at Indiana University. "I look forward to the opportunity to work with the other judges of the Court of Appeals for the advancement of justice in the state of Indiana. I am privileged to follow Judge Najam, who exemplified the characteristics of a strong judicial leader. I remain committed to the rule of law, leadership within the judiciary and service to my community," Foley said. Altogether, nine candidates applied for the appellate court vacancy that only was open to lawyers and judges living in roughly the southern half of the state. Foley, however, will participate in three-judge panels that hear and rule on criminal and civil appeals from all corners of Indiana. Madam, I do not remember the first time I learnt about climate change, but it was in primary school. In tests and assignments, we would be given marks for stating how to solve it. The answers were always easy; reduce carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels; stop using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs); switch to renewable energy and plant lots of trees. Little did I know of the Big Tobacco level of climate change denialism the world was facing. The CEOs of major tobacco companies met in secret in New York City in December 1953. Their goal was to mitigate the harm of smoking, which could lead to lung cancer, as studies have revealed. Following this, the founder of the public relations giant Hill & Knowlton created the spin of the century to bamboozle the world into believing that smoking was completely safe. They released A Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers to the media, where tobacco industry titans purported to care about their consumers and would not put them in harms way. This led to the catastrophic effects of smoking continuing for close to five decades. Before I knew all this, I was a gifted child who sat as quiet as a church mouse in class and absorbed everything the teachers uttered. We were told the Amazon forest acts as the lungs of the planet and that it was of the utmost importance to protect it. Plastic was the enemy. Every single individual in the world is working towards a greener, safer Earth. In my childhood innocence and naivete, I believed it all. The adults in charge cared about future generations, other species, and this infinitesimally small blue rock we call home. There was a cartoon that used to play after school on TV called Captain Planet. It looked ancient because it first aired in 1990 and stopped before I was born. Its premise was that the spirit of the earth, Gaia, gathered five young people from around the world and gave them rings that could summon Captain Planet, an environmental superhero who fights greedy corporations who pollute and plunder. Its opening tune was seared into my mind: Earth, fire, wind, water, and heart! GO PLANET! With your powers combined I am Captain Planet! Captain Planet, hes our hero, Gonna take pollution down to zero. Hes our powers magnified. And hes fighting on the planets side. Gonna help him put asunder bad guys who like to loot and plunder. In high school we were made to plant trees and clean rubbish along roadsides. To this day, I find anyone who litters irresponsible. I had hope. The prospect of the planets future faded into the back of my mind as I battled teenage angst, schoolwork and bullies. The years went by and in the blink of an eye I had finished tertiary, about to go out into the world on my own. Nothing has changed. Droughts, flooding and other natural disasters have afflicted a slew of countries that produce an astonishingly small proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the climate crisis has been politicised. A 15-year-old girl with Aspergers syndrome was torn apart and was metaphorically burnt at the stake for protesting against the impending crisis. I no longer have hope. Though purely anecdotal, a substantial number of Gen Z feel like me. It is a cruel world thats on fire with ceaseless wars, natural disasters and boomerswho worship money over everything. In my view, there has developed nihilism of a kind, but I am no sociologist and may be proven wrong. Xolile Mtembu To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. There once was a basement club in Minneapolis called Honey. I would go solo, taking the bus across the river and, descending the basement stairs, hear the music get louder with each step. I was mostly there on weeknights, when the club hosted touring D.J.s who were in between gigs in larger cities. I was nervous to go up to anyone, so instead I made myself comfortable by a column in the middle of the room. Being alone didnt matter much once I closed my eyes. I would dance softly as techno or house tracks blared through the room. The music, much of it composed of looping, recurrent elements, went on for hours. Eventually, I opened my eyes and figured it was time to go home. Music made from loops fragments of sound repeated over and over has given me the freedom to explore who I am: a lanky Chilean who sweats too easily and thinks life shouldnt be so serious. Though I often feel physically awkward at work or in social interactions again, too sweaty and easily intimidated on the dance floor everything moves as one. Loops open a dimension where, although time is ticking forward at its usual pace, Im moving at my own speed, appreciating my body and the world around me. Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt, creators of the Oblique Strategies advice cards, put it simply: Repetition is a form of change. Growing up in the 2000s meant loops were omnipresent. Artists like Kanye West and Daft Punk created masterpieces by looping samples of older songs and even their own recordings. Take the latters seminal 2000 hit One More Time. The track still sounds alive to me more than 20 years later, its grainy synth sample, elastic bass line and titular refrain repeating throughout its run time. The looping creates an illusion that the record doesnt have a beginning or an end, just the moment you happen upon it and the moment you exit the room. Its inside this space where I discover my physicality and emotions all it takes is some time. From atop his tanks turret, the grinning Ukrainian soldier looked almost joyous: He flashed the V for victory sign as his armored vehicle navigated a street corner in the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the diesel engines screaming as the tank lumbered toward the front line. A few blocks away, Valentyna, 70, stood in front of a two-story brick apartment building where she was staying. It had been hit by a Russian shell last week. The explosion destroyed much of the top floor and sent glass and debris onto the sidewalk below. Yeah, shelling is happening here sometimes. See? she said calmly, gesturing to the damaged structure. In her baggy and dirty clothing, she looked tired after enduring days without power and running water, and the nonstop artillery fire that echoed through the neighborhood. The soldier and the civilian, separated by less than a mile, represented a fitting juxtaposition on Wednesday of life in what was once a hub of 70,000 people. Surrounded by sunflower fields and salt mines, Bakhmut still remains under partial siege despite Ukraines recent breakthrough victory in the countrys northeast. It became one of the Russian forces focal points in the Donetsk province after they took neighboring Luhansk in July. LONDON Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Armenia on Saturday, leading a congressional delegation in a show of support for the small nation after an outbreak of fighting with neighboring Azerbaijan. The clashes resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people this week. Ms. Pelosi said that she would meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the capital, Yerevan, as well as with other officials to convey the strong and ongoing support of the United States for Armenia and for a lasting settlement to the conflict between the two neighbors over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Ms. Pelosi is the highest-ranking American official to visit Armenia since it gained independence 30 years ago with the end of the Soviet Union, her office said in a statement. She was accompanied by Representatives Jackie Speier and Anna G. Eshoo, both Armenian Americans from California, where there is a large Armenian community. The visit, Ms. Pelosis latest effort to flex the legislative branchs diplomatic muscle, comes amid an eruption of war in Europe and points to the shifting balance of power around the former Soviet empire where the United States has long sought to build influence. The recent fighting, which according to an analyst for the International Crisis Group involved troops entering Armenian territory, is the worst since a full-scale war there killed thousands in 2020, and it has made Armenia appear particularly vulnerable. BAKHMUT, Ukraine The steady rattle of machine-gun fire resonated across the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on Saturday morning. The sound, interspersed with the shriek of rockets and mortar fire, indicated one thing: The Russian troops were getting closer. Bakhmut, a city with a prewar population of 70,000, is critical to Russias objective of taking the rest of the mineral-rich Donbas region. When Russian forces captured the industrial city of Lysychansk in early July and cemented their control of Luhansk, one of two provinces in the Donbas, Bakhmut soon became the focus of Russias slow advance. And even after Russia took a crippling defeat in Ukraines northeast last week, when its troops lost dozens of villages and roughly a thousand square miles of territory around the city of Kharkiv, its forces still continued to attack Bakhmut. Ukrainian soldiers and commanders believe Bakhmut is in an increasingly tenuous position as Russian forces press from the east and southeast in an attempt to cut off the countrys supplies. As with many of the emerging claims, it was not possible to immediately verify some of the reports. But evidence of many of the crimes was already being made public, and those who survived are now being interviewed as potential witnesses. They include seven citizens of the Republic of Sri Lanka, students of Kupyansk Medical College. Back in March, they had been captured by Russian soldiers and subsequently kept in a basement, according to Mr. Zelensky, who spoke about their case in his nightly address to the nation. With Russia suffering military setbacks in the past weeks, and the Kremlin growing increasingly isolated diplomatically, the Biden administration warned Mr. Putin against using unconventional weapons, marking the second time that Washington has issued such a warning. Last March, Mr. Biden said that we would respond if Mr. Putin then frustrated by setbacks in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and by the general lack of progress in the war were to use such weapons. In the 60 Minutes interview, Mr. Biden said that Russias use of unconventional or nuclear weapons to try to turn the tide of the war in Moscows favor would change the face of war unlike anything since World War II. This time, the warning came as Russian forces have been left reeling from their retreats on the battlefield and as Mr. Putin faces intensifying questions back home over how he has conducted the war. The leaders of Mr. Putins two most consequential strategic partners, India and China, both raised concerns about the war this past week, puncturing the Kremlins message that Russia was far from isolated as a result of the war. If Ms. Dwan didnt do well at selling art, she was quite good at acquiring it. Over the years she donated works to numerous museums, including the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her first gift of art a sound and installation piece by William Anastasi was in 1968, and she continued to donate significant artworks by important 20th-century artists throughout the 1980s: Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, Jim Dine, Larry Rivers, Philip Guston and others, Elaine D. Gustafson, curator and head of collections and facilities there, said by email. Her gifts have had a lasting impact, enabling the museum to support teaching and learning within the U.N.C. Greensboro community and beyond. Many of these gifts were made with little fanfare, but one generated headlines: her 2013 pledge of some 250 works to the National Gallery of Art in Washington. In 2016, the National Gallery organized an exhibition in her honor, Los Angeles to New York: Dwan Gallery, 1959-1971, which also traveled to Mr. Govans museum. That exhibition was a testament to her ability to spot worthy art and trends, aided by an eagerness to listen to artists and their ideas. She had an ear as well as eyes, Mr. Govan said. Virginia Ann Dwan was born on Oct. 18, 1931, in Minneapolis to Charles and Laura (Israelson) Dwan. Growing up, she wasnt particularly immersed in art. My mother had very good taste, she said in the oral history recording for Columbia University, but it didnt extend to paintings. Yet she became interested in it as a teenager when she visited the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. There she was struck by the works of Joseph Stella and John Marin. She studied art briefly at U.C.L.A. but left when she and her first husband, Paul Henry Fischer, had a child, Candace Dwan. The marriage soon ended in divorce, as did a second marriage, to Vadim Kondratief, but not before Mr. Kondratief urged her to follow through on her oft-stated desire to open a gallery. Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral is today at Westminster Abbey. The service, which begins at 11 a.m. London time (6 p.m. in Hong Kong, 8 p.m. in Sydney), will end a 10-day period of official mourning in Britain. Dignitaries came from across the globe to pay their respects to Britains longest-serving monarch. A massive worldwide audience will watch. Tens of thousands will line up for the grand procession from London to Windsor Castle, where the queen will be buried. How to watch: The BBC will stream the procession on TV and on its website, where it will be available to watchers from around the world. The broadcast will be shared with international affiliates. In Australia, the funeral will be live on ABC. The Queue: For days, tens of thousands of people waited up to 24 hours to see the queen lying in state. Their individual acts of mourning commingled into a vast national expression of bereavement and, to many, the ultimate expression of British democracy. And while they arent disparaging the Russian army publicly, people are in shock. They used to believe in the strength of the Russian government and army. For the military to be routed so fast and lose so much territory, that has caused a lot of Russians to realize that it wasnt as strong as they thought. Thats not to say that everyone in Belgorod has been an enthusiastic supporter of the war some have their own questions about whats happening and why. As the war comes closer to Russia, what do residents fear now? Theres a lot of uncertainty about what comes next. I spoke to someone who told me he can only plan ahead a few days at a time. He also said he had bought plywood to replace his windows in case of a bombing. People are packing bags, in case they have to leave if Ukrainian troops ever push into Russia. Life in border cities is often about straddling the line you reported that residents once regularly traveled about 50 miles from Belgorod to the city of Kharkiv, in Ukraine, to eat, party or shop. How has living in such close quarters affected the view of the war from Belgorod? At least 11 million people in Russia have ties to Ukraine. Many people from Belgorod dont see many differences between themselves and the people in Kharkiv, the city around which Ukraine has regained thousands of square miles. They quietly ask themselves: Who are we fighting? Image Central Belgorod. Credit... Valerie Hopkins/The New York Times In Moscow, though, you reported recently that day-to-day life far from the battlefield was continuing apace. What is the attitude among Russians there toward the war and its disruptions? Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. An imposing building an eyesore to some, a sentimental landmark to others has long fortified a section of the beach at Jacob Riis Park in Queens, transforming a swath of shoreline along the Rockaway Peninsula into a summer haven for the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The building was a physical barrier, it was safety, it was privacy, explained Yael Malka, a photographer who identifies as queer and who has frequented the beach for nearly a decade. The Peoples Beach, the name given to the patch of sand in front of the Neponsit Beach Hospital building, has been a hot spot for L.G.B.T.Q. beachgoers since the 1940s. The crumbling structure once operated as a tuberculosis hospital and later as a nursing home before it was shuttered in the late 1990s. New York City plans to demolish it later this year. But then reality resurfaces, and he is reminded that he is in a war, not just a disagreement. He is reminded and must remind the country that these are dire times. Unity Joe had to give way to Combat Joe almost from the beginning. We saw flashes of it during the second 2020 Democratic presidential debate, when he was taking fire from the wide field of other candidates, including Kamala Harris. She had created a viral moment when challenging Bidens history on segregation and working with segregationists. In the second debate, she returned to the issue, saying: The vice president has still failed to acknowledge that it was wrong to take the position that he took at that time. Biden was not cowed by her attack. In his response, he pointed to what he said was her own inaction on segregation, saying that when she was attorney general for the State of California, there were two of the most segregated school districts in the country, in Los Angeles and in San Francisco. And she did not I didnt see a single, solitary time she brought a case against them to desegregate them. He was tangling with a Black woman on the issue of race, an issue on which he had some very real vulnerabilities, but he ably dodged and shot back. We saw flashes of the same combative Biden during his first presidential debate with Trump, when Trump repeatedly interrupted Biden. At one point, an exasperated Biden responded, Will you shut up, man?! MBABANE Eswatini has a potential to create 110 000 jobs. This was disclosed in a report released by the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) on Friday. In their research, the two financial institutions stated that the beef industry has a potential to create 60 000 jobs. Last week, the researching institutions presented the report to government at a function held at the Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident (SMVA) Fund Conference Room. The World Bank and IFC stated that the sugar industry in Eswatini could add 20 000 jobs to its existing ones, while forestry has the potential to create an additional 8 000 jobs. The textile and apparel sector can add 22 000 jobs. In total, therefore, the country can make history by creating opportunities for 110 000 jobs. If say one of the 110 000 prospective employees has five dependants, it effectively means this job creation can benefit 550 000 people. The financial institutions stated in the report that the beef industry was a large sector in terms of value added and job creation. opportunity Its advantage is the export of high quality beef with potential to grow. There is also an opportunity for value addition to meet local and regional demand. The sugar industry has opportunities for diversification, according to the World Bank and IFC. In terms of growth prospect, it has a huge potential to produce 100 000 tonnes over the next five years. At least 92 per cent of its input is exported. The forestry sector can also play a part in job creation and economic development of the country because it is considered as an established sector. Regarding forestry, the report states that it could generate an additional 8 000 jobs. It is an established sector in the Kingdom of Eswatini. It has favourable conditions for sustainable management. The World Bank and IFC mentioned that the textile industry could create an additional 22 000 jobs. The research found that 95 per cent of the workers in this sector were women. It is a market access and established industry with high employment potential. Currently, it is the largest intra-regional apparel exporter in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The institutions stated that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could open opportunities to further grow intra-regional apparel exports. assumptions Manqoba Khumalo, the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade, said the report by the World Bank and IFC was inspirationally-based. He said there were also a few interesting assumptions on job creation, hoping the implementation of the recommendation would be carried out appropriately. He said the construction of the Mkhondvo Dam, mining projects and spinning of the yarn would add significantly to the creation of jobs as stated in the governments strategy. He said the report by the World Bank and IFC would complement the National Development Plan that would be launched soon. He said renewable energy would also provide employment to emaSwati. Mduduzi Gina, the Secretary General (SG) of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), described the observed job opportunities as a positive step. He said government should put that potential into reality. As a federation, he said they encouraged that any leads that pointed to job creation should be followed with the haste that this matter deserved. He said TUCOSWA positively looked forward to the exploration of this potential, specifically for the creation of decent jobs in the country. Meanwhile, the textile and apparel industry was advised to incorporate other parts of the supply chain as there was a growing demand from large USA buyers for this particular model. The World Bank and IFC pointed to constrains within the textile and apparel industry. It noted that 95 per cent of new hires required training while firms have difficulty in retaining the trained workers. challenges Other challenges were rising infrastructure costs and shortage of factory shells, water and electricity costs escalation, coupled with long delays to secure a suitable facility. It is said that trade logistics and transport costs, onerous trade procedures and high transport costs to Durban are some of the constraints. Addressing the sugar issue, the financial entities stated that it presented good opportunities as it was competitive, coupled with high productivity, high cane and sucrose yields per hectare. There are large sugar mills with good levels of factory capacity. They said there was also a growing regional sugar demand. There was also an untapped diversification potential into biomass and developing downstream sugar processing opportunities. It must be said that observed constraints in the sugar industry included climate change and water availability; hence there was a need for conversation from furrow irrigation to more efficient methods such as drip. There are also rising costs for producers, escalating energy costs, with efficiency of smallholders constrained by other operational costs and practices. The policy framework on renewable energy is thought to be a good step, particularly the advertising of the recent tender for renewable biomass. Nobodys gonna know. Theyre gonna know. If youve been on TikTok in the past year, youre most likely familiar with these two sentences, first drolly uttered in a post by TikTok creator Chris Gleason in 2020. The post has become a hit and has been viewed more than 14 million times. But the sound is more famous than the video. When uploading a video to TikTok, the creator has the option to make that videos audio a sound that other users can easily use in their own videos lip-syncing to it, adding more noise on top of it or treating it like a soundtrack. Gleasons sound has been used in at least 336,000 other videos, to humorous, dramatic and sometimes eerie effect. The journalist Charlotte Shane delves into the world of repurposed sounds, exploring how TikTok and other apps have enabled, as she writes in her recent article for The Times, cross-user riffing and engagement, like quote-tweeting for audio. She also considers what makes a sound compelling beyond musical qualities or linguistic meaning. What happens when fashion week collides with the Armory Show and the fall art season? Lots of parties, of course. Three big museum openings took place on Sept. 8, including the Wolfgang Tillmans retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. Nearby, the Museum of Arts and Design celebrated the costume designer Machine Dazzle; the bohemian crowd took the exhibits queer maximalism theme to new heights. And David LaChapelle celebrated his first major solo exhibition in North America at Fotografiska. On Monday, LaQuan Smith held an after-party at the Blond. It was a more intimate affair than his previous blowouts, with Madonna, Lourdes Leon and Diplo showing their support. As the hours slipped by, we could no longer pretend we were on an amusing lark. We kept going without talking, the only sounds the splashes of our paddles and the occasional howl from the land. It got colder. It began to rain, soaking our T-shirts. We tilted our heads back, mouths open, to get some drops of water. Night fell. We had been eight hours on the water and there was still no sign of other humans. We half-jokingly talked about what our obituaries might say. Back on land, our parents were having a perfectly rational reaction: They were freaking out. It didnt help that a park ranger had told them it was quite likely that we had been swept out to sea and had drowned. Then, sometime around 1 a.m., my sister and I heard voices in the distance. We shouted for help and steered our kayak toward the noise. It turned out to be a group of five men camping on one of the islands, up late having beers. Got any cigarettes? one of them asked when we reached the shore. These men didnt complain or scold. They were beyond friendly, giving us dry clothes, water and a tent. Even though it was the middle of the night and they seemed kind of wasted, they schlepped several hundred yards to retrieve the food theyd stored and strung from a tree to keep bears away. They can offer it to everybody, Ms. Musa said. It is not going to wipe away the ethical concerns about the way in which they went about building this tool. The second thing its not going to do is make us feel comfortable with the secrecy around how this tool works. The problem with facial recognition, beyond bias concerns around how accurate it is across race, age and gender, Ms. Musa said, is a lack of transparency from law enforcement about how often it is used. Because any match the technology returns is considered only a lead, and not probable cause for an arrest, the softwares use is often not disclosed to defendants or their counsel, Ms. Musa said, which makes it harder to defend against. You dont address issues in a broken criminal legal system by layering technology on them, she said. Mr. Greco, with the Legal Aid Society, said his organization was unlikely to use Clearview. He believes the company is offering its facial recognition tool to defense lawyers in order to gain some form of legitimacy in its use in the criminal legal system. Im hesitant to begrudge any defense attorney from doing what they think is best on an individual case for an individual client, because I do believe that is our obligation, Mr. Greco said. At the same time, I dont think I can endorse the use of Clearview. But Jonathan Lyon, who is the investigator resource coordinator at the National Association for Public Defense and who runs a website called Internet Sleuth, predicted huge interest in the technology. He said the facial recognition that Clearview offered would be a helpful tool, particularly for lawyers who were trying to track down people who had witnessed a fight or attended a party where criminal activity had occurred. From an investigators standpoint, any tool I can get my hands on, I want, Mr. Lyon said. Particularly if the other side has it. That, to me, is a win. Former President Donald J. Trump appeared to more fully embrace QAnon on Saturday, playing a song at a political rally in Ohio that prompted attendees to respond with a salute in reference to the cultlike conspiracy theorys theme song. While speaking in Youngstown in support of J.D. Vance, whom he has endorsed as Ohios Republican nominee for the Senate, Mr. Trump delivered a dark address about the decline of America over music that was all but identical to a song called Wwg1wga an abbreviation for the QAnon slogan, Where we go one, we go all. As Mr. Trump spoke, scores of people in the crowd raised fingers in the air in an apparent reference to the 1 in what they thought was the songs title. It was the first time in the memory of some Trump aides that such a display had occurred at one of his rallies. Aides to Mr. Trump said the song played at the rally was called Mirrors, and it was selected for use in a video that Mr. Trump played at the conservative meeting CPAC and posted on his social media site, Truth Social. But it sounds strikingly like the QAnon theme song. And unlike Mr. Trump two years ago, the candidates who suggest they might dispute the November results do not hold executive office, and lack control of the levers of government power. If any were to reject a fair defeat, they would be far less likely to ignite the kind of democratic crisis that Mr. Trump set off after his 2020 loss. But they do have loud megaphones in a highly polarized media environment, and any unwarranted challenges from the candidates and their allies could fuel anger, confusion and misinformation. The danger of a Trumpist coup is far from over, said Rosa Brooks, a law professor at Georgetown University who in early 2020 convened a group to brainstorm ways Mr. Trump could disrupt that years election. As long as we have a significant number of Americans who dont accept principles of democracy and the rule of law, our democracy remains in jeopardy. The positions of these Republican candidates also reflect how, over the last two years, some of those aligned with Mr. Trump increasingly reject the idea that it is possible for their side to lose a legitimate election. You accept the results of the election if the election is fair and honest, said John Fredericks, a syndicated talk radio host who was a chairman of Mr. Trumps campaigns in Virginia in 2016 and 2020. If its not fair and honest, you dont. Still, many Republican candidates, including several who have cast doubt on the 2020 outcome, said they would recognize this years results. Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for governor of Illinois who said in a June interview that he did not know if the 2020 election had been decided fairly responded that yes, he would accept the 2022 result. SEOUL Four months into his new administration, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea has found himself in trouble. His national approval rating has plummeted, his governing People Power Party does not control Parliament and five of his cabinet-level appointees have been forced to step down amid accusations of nepotism, sexual harassment and other ethical lapses. Yet despite myriad domestic challenges, Mr. Yoon is hoping to boost his popularity at home and raise his profile on the world stage by pursuing a new foreign policy agenda, one that would deepen his countrys alliance with Washington in everything from missile defense to global supply chains while seeking to avoid antagonizing China or provoking North Korea into war. In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, the South Korean president said it had become necessary even inevitable for Seoul to expand its security cooperation with Washington and Tokyo as North Korea intensified its nuclear threat. TOKYO Typhoon Nanmadol brought torrential rain and the risk of destructive landslides to Japans southernmost main island on Sunday, and more than eight million people were ordered to evacuate and seek shelter from the powerful storm, which was expected to traverse virtually the entire length of the country. Some areas of the southern island, Kyushu, were expected to receive 20 inches of rain or more, an amount not seen in the area in decades, officials said. While the heavy rain was viewed as the primary threat to residents safety, winds exceeding 110 miles per hour were also recorded, causing heavy waves. A total of nearly 8 million people in about 3.7 million households were ordered to evacuate from areas in southern and western Japan, according to NHK, the national broadcaster. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. CALGARY, Alberta The first time Cheryl Romaire tried to end her life under Canadas assisted suicide law, her application was rejected. But after a loosening of the law, she received approval to end her life and she now intends to do just that. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest, Ms. Romaire said recently, as one of her cats and a dog competed for her attention at her apartment in Calgary, Alberta. Last year, Canada changed its assisted death law, permitting people with chronic, grievous and irremediable conditions and physical disabilities to commit suicide, even if they are not terminally ill. And so this allowed Ms. Romaire who has undergone 41 medical procedures in 10 years for a painful and worsening spinal cord condition but had been told her death from the condition was not reasonably foreseeable to qualify for a death on her own terms. Russias defining 20th-century pop star, Alla Pugacheva, declared her opposition to the invasion of Ukraine on Sunday, emerging as the most significant celebrity to come out against the war as President Vladimir V. Putin faces growing challenges on and off the battlefield. Ms. Pugacheva, who is 73, wrote in a post on Instagram, where she has 3.4 million followers, that Russians were dying in Ukraine for illusory goals. The war, she wrote, was turning our country into a pariah and worsening the lives of our citizens. The pop star left Russia for Israel after the war began in February and recently returned to Moscow, according to Russian news reports. Her husband, the television showman and comedian Maksim Galkin, has been vocal in his opposition to the war; but Ms. Pugacheva, while voicing support for her husband, had not directly commented on the war before her post on Sunday. There was no immediate reaction from the Kremlin. A spokesman for Mr. Putin spoke positively of Ms. Pugacheva this month, noting that she and the Russian president know each other and have met more than once. MBABANE It looks like its going to be a long way to go. With regard to the embracement of same-sex affairs, there are emaSwati who find it difficult to tolerate this relationship. On Monday, the Mbabane bus terminus came alive when a gay couple, one of whom was dressed in a miniskirt, was confronted by more than 50 people who tailed them to shops, screaming expletives at them. As they entered Pep Stores, the crowd followed them, wondering why they pretended to be females when they were known to be men. One of the famous marshals told the hecklers that he grew up with the one wearing the miniskirt. Attracting public attention, he shouted that the one wearing a miniskirt was actually a man, not a female. For about 30 minutes, they did not have peace as the bus workers and market vendors made fun of them. Wearing facial make-up and high heel shoes that made him look like a beautiful woman, he was heckled, ridiculed and abused such that others forced him to apologise for pretending to be a woman. Listen X (name withheld), I grew up with you, I was swimming with you and I know you very well. You are a man, said the bus marshal, triggering all-round laughter. The couple, holding hands and looking determined to rise above mockery, were taken by one of the bus drivers to a minibus where he closed the door for their safety. He did not allow the mockers to open the door. However, the windows were open. They peeped through the window and mocked at them. The couple continued to smile at them, seemingly or apparently refusing to be seen to be taking offence. questions They uttered no word. They refused to answer questions. Of course, they did not apologise. Why are you provoking us? You come all the way from one of the locations in Mbabane to make us angry. Do you think we like what you do? We want you to apologise for disturbing peace at the bus rank, another bus worker was overheard issuing instructions to the couple. No, no, no, this is wrong and we deserve an apology. A sympathiser who was aboard a kombi enroute to Lobamba peeped through the window to caution the hecklers: You are wasting time; these people dont care about what you are doing to them. Angered by the sympathisers remarks, a market vendor swiftly moved out of the crowd to face her: You shut up you! Are you also one of them? We are correcting moral wrongness here. Human Dignity Trust, a non-government organisation (NGO), says same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under the common law, which criminalises acts of sodomy in Eswatini. According to the NGO, the penalty provided under the law is not known. Only men are criminalised under this law, said Human Dignity Trust. It is said that the law was inherited from the British during the colonial period, in which the English criminal law was imposed upon Eswatini. Eswatini retained the provision upon independence and continues to criminalise same-sex sexual activity today. However, it is said that there is no evidence of the law ever being enforced, and it appears to be largely obsolete in practice. Nevertheless, the mere existence of this provision is itself a violation of human rights and underpins further acts of discrimination, according to the NGO. discrimination There have been some reports of discrimination and violence being committed against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI) community in recent years, including stigma, the denial of registration of NGOs, assault, and a homophobic murder. In April 2022, the Eswatini High Court upheld the decision of the Registrar of Companies to refuse to register the LGBTQI rights organisation, Eswatini Gender and Sexual Minorities. While the court accepted that the Constitution protects the right of LGBTQI people to freedom of association, privacy and expression, it still found in favour of the Registrar of Companies. Human Dignity Trust stated that the LGBTQI had a right to life, liberty, privacy or dignity. They have a right not to be discriminated against or be subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment. The organisation went on to say that they have a right to associate and right to form a company. It is said that they have a right to freedom of expression. These rights are inherent in them not by reason of their sexual preferences as LGBTQIs but as human beings, according to the Trust. On June 26, 2021, US Ambassador to Eswatini, Jeanne Maloney, said there was an opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to equality and diversity in all its forms, including LGBTQI people. The ambassador was speaking during Eswatini Pride Month 2021 Virtual Programme. She said communities were enriched by the diverse experiences, perspectives, and contributions of their members. Maloney mentioned the importance to recognise the value of diversity and inclusion, and treat all with the same respect, fairness and dignity. This is a foundational truth human rights and democracy are intrinsically linked with stability, broad-based prosperity, peace and progress, she said.And defending and advancing human rights, including the human rights of LGBTQI people, is simply the right thing to do. She added: Thats why a few days after taking office, President Biden signed a memorandum instructing all US agencies engaged in diplomacy and development to promote and protect the human rights of LGBTQI people around the world. struggle She alluded to the fact that Pride Month commemorated years of struggle for civil rights and the ongoing pursuit for equal rights for LGBTQI individuals, as well as recognition of their accomplishments.The 2021 Human Rights Report on Eswatini compiled by the US State Department, states that while there were colonial-era common law prohibitions against sodomy, no penalties were specified, and there had never been an arrest or prosecution for consensual same-sex conduct. It is stated that the law does not prohibit discrimination against (LGBTQI) persons in housing, employment, nationality laws, and access to government services such as health care. However, societal discrimination against LGBTQI persons, although gradually lessening, remained a concern, and (LGBTQI) persons often concealed their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the US State Department. The Department of State reported that LGBTQI persons, who were open, regarding their sexual orientation and relationships faced censure and exclusion from the chiefdom-based patronage system. It is mentioned in the report that some traditional, religious, and government officials criticised same-sex sexual conduct as neither morally Swati nor Christian. The Shahed-136 is a delta-wing drone launched from the back of a flatbed truck. Colonel Kulagin said he was not aware of any intelligence documenting the presence of the launcher or drones on the Russian side of the front. But remnants of a drone that crashed near the town of Kupyansk, apparently after malfunctioning, proved the weapon is in use, he said. The weapon drops out of the sky without warning, according to Colonel Kulagin and a Ukrainian artillery officer who witnessed one of the strikes. It is accurate enough to hit a self-propelled howitzer in a spot near the turret where gunpowder is stored, setting off secondary explosions, Colonel Kulagin said. In such strikes nothing remains of the drone after detonation, he said. But witness accounts and the nature of the explosions, which were distinct from the damage caused by artillery fire, made the Ukrainian military confident in its assessment that the drones had been successfully deployed. Debris from the crashed drone indicated that the Russian military had removed its Iranian markings. The drone was mislabeled on a winglet as a Geran-2 Russian-made drone, Colonel Kulagin said. Its a very serious problem, he said. Without countermeasures, he added, they will destroy all our artillery. It is unclear how many Iranian attack drones Russia has acquired. The U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said in July that Russia intended to buy several hundred Iranian drones of various types. There was no immediate response from Washington on the reports that the Shahed-136 drones were being used in Ukraine. On Friday, Gen. James Hecker, the top U.S. air commander in Europe, said that Russia was only just getting Iranian drones so we really havent seen how theyre going to use them yet or how effective theyre going to be. PARIS Every culture wants to memorialize its dead. Every family needs the missing to be identified to reach closure. Perhaps that is why a wartime mass grave offends something so deep in the human conscience. Little can be said with certainty about the hundreds of bodies discovered last week at Izium, in a pine forest in northeastern Ukraine, other than that they are the beginning of a long story. Restoring human dignity to the most dehumanizing of scenes heaped anonymous corpses, the reduction of lives to nothing, the stench of abandonment is a painstaking forensic endeavor. For many months, perhaps years, the work will continue to match DNA samples, collate the scraps, establish the cause of death, and determine what crimes may have been committed by the Russian forces who fled a week ago. Any mass grave from Bosnia to Rwanda, from Argentina to Guatemala demands of our humanity the reconstitution of the individual lives ended there. On one side in Britain you see the Queens dignified burial and on the other this mass grave stemming from mass violence, said Anjli Parrin, the Kenyan deputy director of the Human Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School. They are two extremes that remind us that the idea of someone missing, buried anonymously, is a violation of a fundamental instinct to honor the dead. Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed strong support for Armenia on Sunday and condemned illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on its neighbor, openly taking sides in a dispute where American officials have been careful to mediate discreetly. This was initiated by the Azeris, Ms. Pelosi said at a news conference during her visit to Armenia. There has to be recognition of that. Ms. Pelosi traveled to Armenia to meet with the countrys prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, after fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted last week, resulting in the deaths of more than 180 people. Each side has accused the other of provoking the clashes, which broke out on Tuesday. They have been locked in an armed standoff over the Nagorno-Karabakh region for decades and fought a war over it in 2020 that left thousands dead. Azerbaijan took a further step in the latest fighting, however, attacking targets and entering Armenias internationally recognized borders for the first time, analysts said. LONDON With a framed photograph of Queen Elizabeth II perched to his right, President Biden on Sunday paid homage to a monarch he had twice declined to bow to on the advice of his mother, but one he had also admired. She was the same in person as her image: decent, honorable and all about service, Mr. Biden said one day before the queens funeral, after writing a message in the official book of condolences at Lancaster House near Buckingham Palace in London and attending a viewing of her coffin at Westminster Hall. Its a loss that leaves a giant hole. Queen Elizabeth II had met 13 sitting American presidents during her reign, a symbol of the enduring relationship between the onetime colonial power and the breakaway nation. More than 200 years after the United States declared its independence from Britain, many in the country have been riveted by, and have participated in, the 10-day spectacle of mourning that unfolded after the monarch died Sept. 8. During the queens funeral on Monday, Mr. Biden will be one of dozens of world leaders who, for a few hours at least, will turn the spotlight on a queen who ruled for 70 years nearly as long as the president, 79, has lived. BAKHMUT, Ukraine In battlefields in the rolling hills of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, and near the Black Sea in the south, Ukrainian troops have stubbornly tried to inch forward without losing control of territory, facing an opponent whose forces have been bolstered by inmates-turned-fighters and by Iranian drones. Perhaps it seems to someone now that after a series of victories we have a certain lull, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said in his nightly address Sunday. But this is not a lull. This is preparation for the next sequence. Over the weekend, Ukraines Army built up the pressure in the countrys south, with forces striking Russian military strongholds and targeting sites used by local officials loyal to the Kremlin. They are also continuing to hit the supply lines for thousands of Russian soldiers on the western bank of the Dnipro River. Ukraines strikes in the important Russian-held city of Kherson seemed to rattle security there, with firefights and broad disorder reported. Queen Elizabeth IIs image is ubiquitous. Her face is on British money the blue five-pound notes, the bronze one-pound coin. Its on post boxes and stamps. The royal coat of arms is on condiment jars and jackets. Since her death this month, Queen Elizabeths face has been all over nonstop news coverage. But before long, the visage of King Charles III will replace his mothers in official and unofficial capacities. A lot will be changing. But there is a silver lining of sorts for this royal makeover. The cost of the monarchy, which is significant, comes with the ongoing costs which ought to be reined in and havent been reined in, said Norman Baker, a former government minister and the author of the book And What Do You Do? What the Royal Family Dont Want You to Know. In other words, everything is already so expensive that replacing one royal with another isnt a major investment. Stamps A stamp costs 95 pence in 2022 220 billion copies of this stamp design have been produced DeAgostini/Getty Images The Royal Mail Group has not yet announced the plan for King Charles stamps, but, of course, stamps with Queen Elizabeths image are still valid. One change that has nothing to do with either monarch: The Royal Mail is in the process of adding bar codes to stamps, a move it said would enhance security and allow people to access videos through the Royal Mail app. Stamps without the bar codes which happen to feature the queen will be valid only until early next year. All of a sudden, I suppose, just the everyday stamp has become a collectors item, and thats quite interesting, said Laura Clancy, a lecturer in media at Lancaster University. It changes the meaning of the object, right? From an everyday object to something that is more special. Post Boxes There are 115,000 post boxes throughout Britain Approximately 70,000 have Queen Elizabeths initials on them Alexander Coggin for the New York Times It is not uncommon to come across mailboxes adorned with the insignia of monarchs who served long before Queen Elizabeth. There are around 115,500 mailboxes throughout Britain and 61.4 percent of those, which date to the reign of Queen Victoria, bear Queen Elizabeths royal cypher, according to the Royal Mail Group. All mailboxes and those already in production with Queen Elizabeths initials will remain intact, the services website says. When a new mailbox is created, however, it will bear the insignia of King Charles, according to Mr. Baker, who pointed out that the country sends less mail than it used to. King Charless insignia will eventually adorn the nations post boxes. There just wont be as many of them. The cost of a post box is not related to whether its a change of monarchy or not, Mr. Baker said. The cost of Charles being on there rather than the Queen is minimal. I mean, its nothing. Bank Notes Over 4.7 billion bank notes are in circulation They are worth 82 billion pounds Alexander Coggin for the New York Times There are over 4.7 billion Bank of England currency notes in circulation worth around 82 billion pounds. Queen Elizabeth was the first monarch to appear on Bank of England bank notes in 1960 so there is no precedent for what will happen during a turnover in the monarchy. The cost of creating new molds to accommodate King Charles would be relatively negligible, said Mauro F. Guillen, the dean at Cambridge Judge Business School, who estimated that phasing out the currency with Queen Elizabeth will be a two- to four-year process. King Charles ascension is occurring as the Bank of England continues to replace paper bank notes with polymer ones to prevent fraud and reduce the transmission of germs. In 2016, the bank introduced a five-pound polymer note that featured Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill, the former prime minister. One other factor in the timing of King Charles currency, according to Mr. Baker: The king gets to approve the image. Coins 29 billion coins are in circulation 5 different portraits of Elizabeth are on coins Alexander Coggin for the New York Times There are 29 billion British coins in circulation with Queen Elizabeths visage and on all of them, she faces to the right. Since Charles IIs reign in the 17th century, new kings and queens have faced the opposite direction of their predecessors on coins, with the exception of Edward VIII, who preferred to face left. Unless the new king expresses a different preference, he will be facing left. Mr. Guillen said the coins were more expensive to produce than bank notes because they were more durable. He was reluctant to put a figure on what production of the new coins might cost estimating around $600 million but noted that it would take multiple years to phase out older coins, and the total tab could fluctuate significantly. Condiments About 800 brands and individuals have royal warrants Heinz has supplied the royal family with products since 1951 Alexander Coggin for the New York Times Companies as different as Heinz and Burberry use Queen Elizabeth IIs coat of arms on ketchup bottles and coats, but that will change. To be eligible to use the royal arms, a business must have provided products and services to the royal family for at least five of the past seven years. More than 600 enterprises, including Barbour, Command Pest Control and Swarovski, currently have warrants granted by Queen Elizabeth II, according to the Royal Warrant Holders Association. Now that Queen Elizabeth has died, companies like Heinz, which received warrants from her, have two years to continue to use the coat of arms. After that period is up, Heinz must update ketchup bottles that circulate in Britain, though it may not be a significant cost. Were not talking about changing the ketchup, Mr. Guillen said. Were talking about changing a very, very small, tiny part of the packaging. Other unofficial goods are seeing the market effect of the Queens death, too. Silk Road Bazaar, for example, makes felt ornaments it sells on Etsy and to wholesale clients, catering to Anglophiles. Its designs include Queen Elizabeth, an orange and white corgi, Big Ben, and now, King Charles and Camilla, queen consort. In August, Silk Road Bazaar sold just three Queen Elizabeth ornaments on Etsy and one of then-Prince Charles, said Andrew Kuschner, the companys founder. So far this month, however, it has sold 60 Queen Elizabeth ornaments and eight of King Charles. The firm, Mazars USA, had previously said it could no longer stand behind a decade of annual financial statements it had prepared for the Trump Organisation. MBABANE This is a case of Islam versus Eswatini culture. Wearing Eswatinis traditional regalia and participating in the Reed Dance Ceremony has drawn criticism and equal support for Somaliland Foreign Affairs Minister Essa Kayd Mahamoud. The disapproval has come mainly from people within Somalia who consider neighbouring Somaliland as a renegade State. These have criticised the minister for violating Sharia law by displaying nudity through the wearing of the Eswatini traditional regalia that exposed some parts of his body. They also called the Reed Dance Ceremony a pagan culture that Muslims should not participate in. Sharia is Islams legal system and is derived from the Quran, Islams holy book, as well as the Sunnah and Hadith - the deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Both Somalia and Somaliland observe the Islam religion; people who adhere to the Islam religion are known as Muslims. religion of the State Article 2 of the Constitution of Somaliland states that Islam is the religion of the State and no religion other than Islam can be propagated in the country. Article 17, however, which speaks on freedom of religion and belief, states that every person is free to practice his or her religion. The same Article also states that no religion other than Islam can be propagated in the Federal Republic of Somalia. It is reportedly an obligatory precaution in the Islam religion for a man to cover those parts that are commonly covered by men, in the event that he knows that a non-family member woman will look at him. According to The Laws and Regulations of Islam, as provided in www.al-islam.org, Rule 102 that relates to Covering For Men, a man must cover those parts that are commonly covered by men, in the event that he knows that a non-family member woman will look at him. Therefore: Men must cover the area above their wrist, the chest, the feet and other parts that men usually cover from non-Mahram women who are in their presence. As for covering the other parts such as the head, face, and hands, it is not necessary, reads part of this rule. being naked By having his upper body and feet exposed during the Reed Dance Ceremony, the Somaliland minister was seen as being naked. However, the people of Somaliland have come to the ministers defence and described his participation in the Reed Dance Ceremony as a form of cultural diplomacy. There were heated or emotional discussions that took place on Twitter and on Somali Spot an online Somali discussion forum for general topics such as current events and pop culture. Somalias independent news outlet, The Daily Jubba, which proclaims itself as the best source of the latest developments on current affairs, political as well as diplomatic shifts in Somalia and the ever-changing landscape of the wider Horn of Africa, Africa & beyond, reported that the Somaliland minister was taken on a trip to Eswatini by Taiwans Foreign Affairs Ministry. This information was also carried on the news outlets Twitter account, which was also posted on Somali Spot where the subject became the centre of discussion, particularly the ministers perceived violation of Sharia or Islam law. criticism On Twitter, where the Somaliland minister tweeted about his visit to Eswatini and being part of the Reed Dance Ceremony alongside His Majesty King Mswati III and other dignitaries, the criticism was led by a freelance journalist from Somalia. Bidhaan Dahir from BBC Somali tweeted what he said was the naked truth as the Somaliland minister was visiting the Kingdom of Eswatini. Some did not find this to be funny, with one Twitter user saying: I wouldnt expect this from Bidhaan, making fun of Somaliland. Another Somali journalist, Mohamed Yusuf Bakayle, tweeted that Somaliland was seeking recognition from Eswatini by the ministers visit. This is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somaliland who took off his clothes to get recognition, he wrote alongside a picture of the minister alongside other dignitaries at the Reed Dance. By yesterday, the tweet had attracted over 100 responses that were both criticising and defending the minister. A Somaliland and United Kingdom news and current affairs platform called Eslander praised the ministers visit and said: Wonderful. This is the traditional Reed Dance of Eswatini and Somaliland is honoured to be part of it. Well done to our Foreign Minister for getting into the spirit of such a magnificent cultural event. Somaliland Political Analyst and Security Expert Abdirisaq Elmi said he was proud of the minister, whom he said had mastered the art of diplomacy. Really our minister showed how well he knows diplomacy than any minister. We are proud of you and all Somalilanders, Almi said. blasted the minister A Somali Social and Political Activist, only identified as Yassin, who says he strives for united peaceful and prosperous Somalia, blasted the minister for what he said was behaviour that is contrary to Islam. My God look at this! The secessionists are so desperate to sell their tribal project. Whats the logic behind to twerk for non-Somali person when you cant even convince your next door neighbour? Dr Essa Kayd is doing very un-Islamic behaviour for the King of little Eswatini Nation, he wrote. He accused the minister of having exposed himself to the King of Eswatini and his people who dance naked. However, a global community of patriots from Somaliland, who call themselves the Lander Nation, rebutted Yassins accusation against the minister. Its called Cultural Diplomacy! A type of public diplomacy and soft power that includes the exchange of traditional customs, art, language and other aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding, said the Lander Nation, whose mission is the recognition of Somaliland. A female producer, director and writer from Somalia, who proclaims to be a proud Somali and wants to show the world the Somalia I see and Somali youth to have confidence because you are not alone, brought in the religion card. Its called being a sellout and not following the proper Sharia, she said. A Twitter account called Fruit of the S.N.M Seed, which is aligned to the Somali National Movement (SNM) a political organisation that engineered the self-determination of Somaliland, said playing the S religion card would not work because Somalilanders only bow down to Allah. becoming volatile Realising that the conversation was becoming volatile, the BBC journalist turned around to say that it was all a joke meant for those with a sense of humour, but this was equally condemned by Somalilanders who even said they had reported him to the British broadcaster. Your hidden message is a mockery of Eswatini tradition. You call it naked, they call it traditional Swazi attire, said one Somalilander. But a critic of the minister said Somalilanders should show some respect for their dignity before others culture. If in their culture they cut off ear, obviously youll do it, he said. This was met with immediate negation by a Somalilander who said it was pathetic for the critic to talk about dignity and respect only when it came to Somaliland. At least the people of Eswatini do not blow themselves up on their own people and they dont practice piracy. So dont lecture us about something youre lacking, said the Somalilander. One Dr Adali Warsame, who is a Somalilander, wondered what the BBC journalist had hoped to achieve with his tweet. Are you a serious BBC journalist, or a childish juvenile troll? Grow up dude, he remarked. He was joined by his fellow countryman identified as Faqashlaaye, who tagged the BBC in his tweet, where he asked if the broadcaster was aware that some of its staff members were promoting racist stereotypes about Africans. spreading racism I find it unacceptable that a public service provider and national broadcaster of the United Kingdom is spreading racism, he said and further made the journalists aware that he had filed a complaint with his employer (the BBC) whom he hoped would take the necessary steps. Fruit of the S.N.M Seed also came hard on the journalist for what it said was unacceptable behaviour and hatred. BBC, this is the behaviour we will not accept. Spewing hatred and calling it humour. Do something about your staff and we expect a formal apology to Somalilands Foreign Affairs minister and the good people of Eswatini. BBC do you actually have these people who mock African peoples cultures in the 21st Century as paid staff? We will make sure to spread the news of the hatred people in your payroll spew. Somaliland is not Somalia and we will not stand with the views of your ignorant staff, the account tweeted. A pro-Somalia Twitter account using the handle @Independentmi20 tweeted a thread about the ministers visit and its views about not only the Reed Dance Ceremony but other Eswatini cultural practices in relation to the Islam religion. The so-called foreign minister of the separatists entity called Somaliland in North West Somalia went to Eswatini and participated in pagan rituals (which is forbidden in Islam) in his quest for diplomatic recognition, the account wrote. It alleged that Eswatini has multiple pagan ceremonies such as the Incwala where the participants thank the ancestors for good harvest and rain and said this ritual is clearly considered shirk in Islam and is therefore absolutely forbidden. traditional ceremonies It continued to allege that Eswatini had many traditional ceremonies which have pagan origins and meanings, which are for spiritual healing and good luck. This obviously is forbidden in Islam and thats why Somali politicians never partcicipate in such ceremonies, the account tweeted. It then posed a question on whether the Somaliland minister, by participating in the Reed Dance Ceremony dressed as he was dressed, had not participated in a pagan ceremony. The account then uploaded a video of the Incwala Ceremony and said the minister was dressed in the same clothing as those seen in the footage. Essa Kayds participation in pagan rituals should be very worrying considering the fact he allegedly represents an entirely Muslim population whose faith clearly prohibits any participation in pagan rituals, which is why you will never find a Somali politician ever doing so, the account wrote. It further posed another rhetoric question on why the Somaliland minister decided to dress and thereby logically participate in such an event yet his colleague from Taiwan decided not to participate in such fashion but merely attended the ceremony. The account then reached an ill-informed conclusion as it said the Somaliland minister had participated in the Incwala Ceremony yet he took part in the Reed Dance Ceremony. Here is the inaccurate conclusion: We dont know to what extent Essa Kayd performed the Incwala ritual but I can tell him it wont get him any recognition whatsoever! All that moves and all that is created is being sustained by the mercy of Allah. mixed reactions This was received with mixed reactions and the Somalilanders jumped in to defend the diplomacy at work done by their foreign affairs minister. Dr. Kayd keep doing the job, dont listen to Somaliland haters of failed state. 20,000 foreign troops are securing them and they appointed an envoy to beg for them. Shame on you beggars, wrote a Somaliland medical doctor. The doctor went on to question whether it was allowed in Islam to kill, rape, loot and terrorise others but wearing other nations clothes considered haram. He alleged that Somali was filled with crime such as terrorism, rape and murder, which they should be focusing on instead of playing holier than thou. Government Press Secretary Alpheous Nxumalo weighed in on the exchange and said the Somaliland minister did not commit any crime and, therefore, should not be attacked. He said what the minister did was a diplomatic gesture and nothing more. He came here to cultivate mutual diplomatic ties between the two countries. He arrived at a time when the country was celebrating the Reed Dance Ceremony and he participated. He was not ratifying or endorsing a certain specific dress code but simply performed diplomatic courtesies, which is acceptable, Nxumalo said. He said His Majesty King Mswati III once performed a similar diplomatic gesture in 2003 when he returned from Saud Arabia wearing Muslim outfit and this provoked speculation that he was about to convert to Muslim. People later got to understand that this was all about diplomacy and nothing else, he said. Nxumalo said there were many other foreign dignitaries who came to Eswatini and were presented with traditional regalia which they wore as part of diplomacy. Our foreign affairs minister may also reciprocate this gesture when she visits Somaliland. She may be given a Muslim outfit and that would be a diplomatic gesture, the government spokesperson said. He added that the Somaliland minister did not even take the Eswatini traditional attire with him but left it behind when he left at the conclusion of his visit. diplomatic ties The Somaliland minister met with his Eswatini counterpart, Thuli Dladla, to discuss the establishing of diplomatic ties between the two countries who are the only African States that have established ties with Taiwan. In his twitter page, the minister said he also had a one on one meeting with His Majesty King Mswati III after the Reed Dance where we discussed the future of our two nations. Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 and has no formal diplomatic relations with any nation. Islam reportedly reached Somaliland in the early 17th century and has since played a major part in the day to day life, law and order of the Somaliland people. What is unique about Somalilands Judiciary branch, as stated in the government website, is that Sharia law serves as the guiding principle Somaliland law cannot contradict. However, there are reportedly no formal Sharia Courts in Somaliland. China is building its own space station after being excluded by the US from the International Space Station because its military runs the countrys space program. The UN Secretary-General said chances of a peace deal are minimal as leaders prepared to gather in New York for the assembly focused on Russias invasion and the global food crisis it has aggravated. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have touched down in the U.K. ahead of Queen Elizabeth's funeral -- but before that, they paid their respects while she lies in state. POTUS/FLOTUS arrived in England this weekend, and were promptly met by Over 200 troops died in clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan before the cease-fire, which has held since Wednesday. Pelosi is the highest-ranking US official to travel to the country since its independence. Queen Elizabeth's eight grandchildren, including Prince William and Prince Harry, stood by her coffin as members of the public filed by to pay respects. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has arrived to the UK. The US president and his wife Jill are in Britain for the funeral of the country's longest reigning monarch. Hundreds of thousands of people have filed past the Queen's coffin, lying in state in Westminster Hall. Another victim in Mondays shooting at an auto body shop in Milton has died, Halton Regional Police said. The call comes as bodies are exhumed from hundreds of graves in areas recently liberated by Ukraine. The university authorities and Punjab Police rejected reports that videos of several women students were made and shared on social media. The Archbishop of Canterbury has said he will miss the Queen "hugely", as he praised King Charles for having "the sense of service and duty, that is the equal of her late Majesty's". SIPHOFANENI Numbers have always been the centre of attention in MP LaZwides thanksgiving celebration after she was forced to move out of the inkhundla centre as authorities anticipated a huge crowd. It turned out that over 5 000 people attended the event, which was marred by controversy and conflict between the Siphofaneni Member of Parliament (MP) LaZwide, whose real name is Nomalungelo Simelane and the Lubombo Regional Administrator Themba Msibi. Msibi and Simelane played a back and forth following an order issued by Msibi, directing Simelane to postpone her thanksgiving from September 3, 2022 to any date after September 11, 2022. Simelane chose September 17 (yesterday) only to be told by Msibi, that since she had invited a lot of people, she could not have the event at the inkhundla centre which has a capacity of 2 000 people. The event eventually happened yesterday at Gods Grace Miracle Point International in Phuzamoya, which was an alternative venue. The event kicked-off at about 11:30am with award-winning Gospel artist Scara Maziya. Maziya set the tone for the day with a scintillating performance, as other big artists such as Shiba and Travellers, Siphumelele Mbambo and M Nation followed suit. More people arrived as the day went by and the numbers clearly increased from an estimated 900 at noon, to almost 3 000 by 2:30pm and estimated over 5 000 by 5pm. The programme director for the day was Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) Spokesperson, Thantaza Silolo and he had a tough time controlling the energetic audience as they occasionally sang struggle songs. Speaking during the event, LaZwide thanked the people of Siphofaneni and all those who attended the event for making it possible. She highlighted that it was not easy as they had to make a lot of changes, but they were grateful that it worked out for the good. When I am looking at the number of people in the venue and how you all arrived safely and have been at your best behaviour I realise that you actually love me. I want to assure you that I love you all and I want to further thank the leadership of the church for opening up the premises and allowing me to have my event here. It worked for the good that we moved to a place of prayer and peace and therefore I want to applaud you for making it despite the many changes, she said. encouraged LaZwide further introduced one of her guests, Hlobisile Dlamini from the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) who encouraged the MP to remain truthful to herself and her own calling as a leader. She said the MP does not owe anyone anything and was in Parliament as a member who had her own mandate to follow. We are here to show our support to the MP and to assure her that as a woman she does not owe anyone for her position. The only thing she needs to take care of is the mandate she has received from the people of this area. She is not in Parliament to fill any quota just because she is a woman and she does not owe the world any explanation and should she follow any ideology. She is there as a person and we want to assure her of our support as women and that we will be cheering her on in everything she does in the house, said Dlamini. The crowd was formulated mostly by members of SWALIMO and the national leadership of the organisation was also present during the event. Speaking on behalf of the organisation which was formed by LaZwides husband Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane, Deputy Secretary General (DSG) Gift Dlamini said they were proud of LaZwide as a member of the organisation and wife to their president. We could not have asked for anyone better than the MP and through her we will be demonstrating to the world that the real democracy is found in SWALIMO. We have created a mandate that we want to share with her and give her as she go to the House of Parliament. There are so many things that are very important to the people we want to highlight that as she go to Parliament, let the issue of increasing the minimum wage and the elderly grant be her priority. We want her to further push the issue of free education that it must not end at primary school because it does not add any value in the lives of the pupils, said Dlamini. The event was graced by a number of Gospel artists such as Gcina Masuku and DJ Lolo, who kept the audience dancing for the better part of the day. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Police and community leaders in Leicester are calling for calm as they deal with "disorder" on the streets, which has bubbled over.. Sky News 18 Sep 2022 These are the latest updates in the Ukraine war you need to know this Sunday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has met with several leaders also in the U.K. to commemorate the death of Queen Elizabeth II, talking economy and the war in Ukraine. The US's top army general has called for vigilance over how Moscow might respond to its military setback in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has accused Russia's military of Nazi practices. DW rounds up the latest. All former surviving U.S. presidents have been invited to attend a memorial service for Queen Elizabeth II at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is running for reelection, said the flights from Texas were "voluntary" but if they were lured, some argue the migrants could now be victims of a crime. Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams claimed Republican Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis were sending migrants to other states because they are "covering up" their policies. National Party leader Christopher Luxon will announce which decisions he has made about the future of new Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell later today.A report by QC Maria Dew arrived with Luxon late last week. Luxon had asked Dew to look... Two Northern Ireland recipients of the Queens final Birthday Honours have spoken of their pride at being asked to attend the late monarchs funeral. SIPHOFANENI As over 5 000 celebrated Siphofaneni Member of Parliament (MP) Nomalungelo LaZwide Simelanes by-elections victory, her umphakatsis traditional authorities were not part of the event. The Times SUNDAY learnt that the chief of the area, Prince Mshengu was against hosting the event at Gods Grace Miracle Point International Church premises after it was forced out of the inkhundla centre. It was revealed that Chief Mshengu vehemently opposed the event and LaZwide had to go against his wishes to host it at the church premises. It transpired that LaZwide was called into a meeting in the early hours of yesterday morning, just before the event began to give answers over the change of venue and the reason they moved out of the inkhundla centre. KaMkhweli Bucopho Council Member Thami Sibandze narrated that they were called by Chief Mshengus Indvuna Ben Ngcamphalala in the morning, to clarify the reasons behind the change of venue. He said they received a call just when they were about to call the indvuna for a discussion on how the event would be handled. Sibandze explained that they had made an attempt to meet the indvuna on Friday, only to be told that he was indisposed. Just when we were about to call the indvuna yesterday morning, we received a call that the chief wanted to see us over news that the event has been moved to the church. When we arrived we found the chief with other council members and assistant station commander and he first sought clarity on why the event was moved from the inkhundla centre. We explained in detail how everything happened. We told the chief that we were told to move the event out since the MP had invited the whole nation to the event. The chief then questioned the MP on the matter and she explained that she was supported by many people during her campaign and she intended to thank them during the event, said Sibandze. reasons He further narrated that the chief questioned the real reasons behind the venue change and said the he was not convinced that they did not do anything wrong. Sibandze said the chief told them that he was going to investigate the reason behind the inkhundla ban. He said the chief emphasised that there was no reason enough for the event to be moved from the venue, since the MP was now a key member of the inkhundla and therefore all her events should be held at the inkhundla. The chief made it clear that he does not accept the fact that the event was now going to be held at the church. LaZwide explained that since preparations for the event were already at an advanced stage, she was not able to cancel. She told the chief that her main worry was that if she cancelled the event; it would spark another social unrest. She explained that there was potential that the people would be chaotic if she decided to cancel, since they had already arrived. She was very respectful and explained that she would rather be at the mercy of the chief than to have people injured in her name, said Sibandze. Sibandze explained that there was no one representing the chief and umphakatsi in the event because the chief made it clear that he was against the event and did not want it to happen. lenient He further highlighted that the chief was going to be represented during the event if it was held at the inkhundla centre, just as they had invited all the other imiphakatsi. He further said it was not possible for the event to be cancelled at taht time, therefore they chose to apologise and hope the chief would be lenient in dealing with the issue. We are grateful that the event is going on and we will be approaching the umphakatsi to apologise further, since we believe that our action was in the utmost good for everyone. I was personally excited at the fact that even the inkhundla council was able to support the MP at such a time. It was not promising, but we had to stand together and support her for the world to see that we are all one. As KaMkhweli Bucopho, I hope our chief will be able to forgive us for going ahead with the event since we were considering the best of the situation at hand, he said. The umphakatsi was not present and Indvuna Ngcamphalala, who usually represents indlunkhulu (the chieftaincy), was also not present on the day. Worth noting was the conspicuous absence of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) in the event. Yet it is the norm for police presence whenever there were public events which would see mass gatherings take place. manned There was no police officer in sight and the traffic was manned by marshals, provided by the people of Siphofaneni and some members of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO). The event proceeded without any incidents until late into the night. When quizzed on the early events leading to the beginning of the thanksgiving celebration, LaZwide requested not to comment and said the event went well and anything else was going to be dealt with later. When contacted for a comment, Indvuna Ngcamphalala said he was not part of the meeting and was not sure what was discussed. He said he was in hospital and could not attend to issues from the royal kraal. I am not aware of whether they met the chief or what they discussed since I have been sick. I cannot even confirm whether they reported the change of venue or not and therefore I am not able to assist you with the information you are asking, said Ngcamphalala. An attempt to call Chief Mshengu was made at around 8pm yesterday and the number he was called on could not go through. no malicious intent Addressing the audience through a phone call, SWALIMO President Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane thanked the chief for the guidance and said there was no malicious intent in hosting the event at the church premises but it was the only place they could think of at such short notice and they viewed it as a safe space. I know that as a chief of the area we might have gotten you into troubling by bringing the event to the church premises but we want to assure you that there was no malicious intent but only for the thanksgiving to go ahead. We are grateful and I want you to know that I am not against you or anyone, in fact I love you as my chief but I cannot stop telling the truth when the truth is the only thing that is needed, said Gawuzela. Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to the relationship the Queen had with the country and its people, saying she had a great affection for Australians. Irish premier Micheal Martin has said the Queens legacy is a reminder of the importance to nurture British-Irish relations, as he praised the late monarchs authentic actions towards reconciliation. US President Joe Biden on Sunday paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth the Second's "notion of service" and said it had been "an honor" to meet her. (Sept. 18) Since the beginning of the Rohingya crisis, Myanmar has been curtailing it. Ever since the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population, victims of genocide have been pouring into Bangladesh. Responding to the call of world leaders, Bangladesh has given shelter to the Rohingyas for humanitarian reasons. Myanmar has not repatriated... Russian political scientist and sociologist Greg Yudin believes that Armenia should stay away from a falling building, that falling building being Russia. Yudin said in a thread on Twitter on Friday, September 16 that Azerbaijans recent attack on Armenia provides evidence of a catastrophic collapse of Russian foreign... In Vienna, Chinas permanent mission to the United Nations has been rather exercised of late. Members of the mission have been particularly irate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and its Director General, Rafael Grossi, who addressed the IAEAs Board of Governors on September 12. Grossi was building on a... The troops are needed at home but the pull-out may leave the UN mission short of vital helicopters. Russia has widened its strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure in the past week following setbacks on the battlefield and is likely to expand its target range further, Britain said on Sunday, as a Russian music icon launched a fresh critique of the war. A top Vatican envoy and his entourage came under fire as they were distributing humanitarian supplies in Ukraine, the Vatican news agency says. No injuries were reported.The incident took place near the city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday... Israel has escalated military arrests and raids in the West Bank as a new cohort of Palestinian militants seems to be gaining strength. Scores of Palestinians have been killed. Zain Bahrain (BSE: ZAINBH), a telecommunications industry innovator in the Kingdom, has recently hosted a career taster event in collaboration with Rotary Club of Adliya and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards ( RYLA) Bahrain to introduce fresh high school graduates to the organisations structure and different departments. The career taster event aimed to help fresh high school graduates in choosing their career path and college major by introducing them to the different departments in Zain Bahrain. Managers from different departments joined to discuss their college majors and career paths. They also offered attendees one-on-one speed mentoring sessions to exchange knowledge and answer any inquiries they had. Mohammed Isa, Manager, Recruitment, Employee Relations and Youth Development, Human Resources, Zain Bahrain, said, It is our pleasure to partner with Rotary Club of Adliya and RYLA Bahrain to continue our efforts in supporting the improvement of Bahraini youth through our diverse and new initiatives under Zain Youth Empowerment Program. This opportunity provided fresh high school graduates with the knowledge and guidance they needed to decide on the next step towards their future career path. Part of the event was also dedicated to introducing participants to the Zain Youth.-TradeArabia News Service In a dank basement behind the local supermarket, metal bars cordon off a corner of the room to form a large cell. A dirty sleeping bag and duvets show three sleeping spots on top of sheets of Styrofoam for insulation from the damp... Ukraine on Sunday searched for its war dead in Izium and other towns in the northeastern part of the country it reclaimed from Russia in a lightning advance earlier this month. Izium Mayor Valery Marchenko told state television that "the exhumation is under way, the graves are being dug up and all the remains are being... Irans President Ebrahim Raisi said he is not going to either meet or talk with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, during his upcoming trip to New York. The Iranian chief executive is slated to address the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. "I do not think that such a meeting is going to take... Photo: (Photo : Pexels) Melissa Klurman, a contributor to Parents, revealed that only about a quarter of 16-year-olds had a driver's license in 2014, a sharp decline from almost half in 1983, says the study by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Elise Aronov, a clinical social worker with family practices in New York City and New Jersey, witnessed the soaring numbers of teens not getting a license and encouraged them to do what they are most comfortable with. However, parents would not be able to encourage their teens to try if no obstacle stops them from getting behind the wheel. Aronov advised that teens could get a license but not use it right away. She added they don't have to use it if they don't want to, but they should at least get a driver's license for their own sake. Parents need to remind adolescents that it's great to have at least options. Aronov noted that having a license is important, especially during emergencies, and like now that there is a pandemic. Read Also: When Can a Child Get a Tooth Extraction? How To Keep a Child's Teeth Healthy Parents can take small steps to encourage teens to drive Deirdre Narcisse, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist at Montclair State University, said that parents also need to check their teen's circle of friends as they can affect their child's decision to get a license. Some teens have peers who are not driving, affecting their perspective on driving. Dr. Narcisse added that it's okay for young ones not to get one as long as it is their decision and not because their friends influence them. However, if parents are eager to encourage their children to get into driving, they can take small steps to make them comfortable with the idea of driving, such as introducing remote exposure. Parents can also introduce their children to online tutorials as it is one of the ways to learn to drive and is almost accessible for everyone. The primary step is to get their child somehow interested in driving. Dr. Narcisse added that many children are just nervous about driving, especially when they have other options. The clinical psychologist said teens could not admit that they don't need to drive and would divert their attention to others as they are not into the idea of driving. Many teens cite excuses to avoid getting a driver's license, including the environment-friendly transportation alternatives, while others say driving is stressful, per Team-BHP. American teens are driving less The percentage of teenage drivers has steadily declined over the years due to numerous reasons such as changing habits, new laws, and costs. At least 3.3 percent of licensed drivers between 16 to 19 in early 2016 is less than half the percentage 35 years ago. Medium reported that the cost of an additional vehicle is also too much for many families. On the other hand, some teenagers admitted that they do not have enough time to get a license. Related Article: Boosting Teenagers' Confidence: How to Help Teenagers Have a Healthy Body Image Photo: (Photo : Pexel/ Mart Production) At 37 weeks pregnant, Krissy LePage found herself unexpectedly in a hospital where a doctor told her the baby needed to be delivered as soon as possible because she was very sick. LePage could not believe what was suddenly happening. Hours prior, she was just at their home, sitting on the couch with her husband eating ice cream, opening baby gifts, and enjoying her last few weeks of pregnancy. On a whim, she took her temperature using a baby thermometer that was a gift, and to her surprise, found that she had a fever, although she felt fine. She then recalled a nosebleed she had earlier in the day and the readings of her high blood pressure that had been consistently rising since. With all these plus the fever, they immediately threw together their bags just in case and went to the hospital. They did not inform anyone believing that the hospital would ask them to go home on the same night. But they were not able to anymore. After some blood work, LePage was wheeled to the labor and delivery floor, where an OB explained that the baby urgently needed to get out as they were both in danger because she had HELLP Syndrome. What is HELLP Syndrome? LePage discovered that the nosebleed was already a sign of high blood pressure. Her blood work showed a failing liver and kidneys. The pain she was feeling in the upper area of her chest, which she thought was just her baby's bum pushing against her body, was already her organs failing. Her placenta was at risk of detaching at any given moment. Her platelets were so low that she could not have an epidural, and she could not have a C-section because she might bleed out and die. That was how dangerous her situation was already because of HELLP Syndrome. The hospital even asked a hospital in Toronto for help as they were not that sure and confident to handle her case because HELLP is rare. HELLP is the acronym for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets. It is a syndrome with life-threatening pregnancy complications that is usually considered a variant of preeclampsia. It usually occurs during the later stages of pregnancy or after childbirth. Both conditions typically occur during the later stages of pregnancy or soon after childbirth. Dr. Louis Weinstein named this syndrome in 1982. The HELLP syndrome can be difficult to diagnose because all of the typical signs of preeclampsia may not be apparent, such as high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Its symptoms are sometimes mistaken for gastritis, flu, acute hepatitis, acute fatty liver disease, gallbladder disease, or other conditions. While some of these conditions may also be present, there is no evidence they are related, as explained by Preeclampsia Foundation. Further, it is critical to have an early diagnosis because it can cause serious illness and even death in about 25 percent of its cases. LePage recalled that the only symptom she had was swollen feet. She thought it was just because of heat and pregnancy, so she did not have it checked with her OB. Fortunately, her OB demanded for her to stop working at 34 weeks due to her fast-paced working environment, with lots of bending and lifting. The doctor mentioned it was to be safe against preeclampsia that could become a concern. She was advised to rest as much as possible because there were no other symptoms. Read Also: Healthy Pregnancy Tips: 3 Potentially Dangerous 3rd Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms Not everything is a pregnancy symptom She was hooked up to magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures, making her drowsy, and she started induction immediately. LePage barely remembered what happened for the next 12 hours after that, just that she wished she had an epidural because she felt raw and intense contractions. She also remembered that she did not care about anything, even herself, but just wanted her son to be well. In all those surprises and shocking news, one thing went right. The baby was in a perfect position, so after only a few pushes, the baby came out absolutely healthy. She may have been still in danger, but LePage found out that delivering the baby and the placenta out is typically the cure for HELLP, though this is not always the case. She got better right away without any lasting organ damage. She was up and walking the next day. She stayed for a few days in the hospital for a platelet transfusion and took blood pressure medication for a few weeks for precautionary measures. LePage knew she was lucky. It could have gone worse. She, however, struggled mentally, blaming herself for putting their baby in danger, for not researching enough, and for not being sensitive enough. But, it was a comfort for her to know that there is nothing a mother does or does not do that can cause HELLP. It is that rare. For pregnant moms, though, LePage suggests paying attention at all times. Advocate for themselves if they think something is not right. Ask their OB for anything and everything that will be safer. Ask for blood work. Lastly, pregnant women should not assume everything is just a pregnancy symptom. Related Article: Snoring in Kids: What Troubling Signs Parents Need to Take Seriously Photo: (Photo : Pexel/ Vanessa Loring) In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Latinx parents are opening up about how they have decided to end the cycle of toxic masculinity and machismo culture in their own families. Diana Limongi, 40, and Vannessa Rodriguez, 42, both Latinx mothers, can still remember the "machismo" culture they grew up in. Both were stopped from pursuing something just because they were girls. Both have seen how their brothers were allowed to do everything and how they should be served and respected merely because they are boys. Both were expected to go to college with the course their parents wanted for them, and both were expected to get married, have kids, and stay home after college graduation. With all their experiences, these mothers have one goal in their family life-to not ever practice toxic masculinity and machismo culture, even if these are already a tradition and "norm" in every Latinx family for generations. Machismo culture A term coined in the 1930s, "machismo" is used to describe a "strong sense of masculine pride." Machismo culture is the unbending and suppressing rules that dictate what an individual can or cannot do based on their sex. In Latinx culture, machismo enables a man to be domineering over individuals he perceives as inferior, mostly exerting power over the "lesser sex"-women. It demands that to be a man or to be masculine is to be tough, to be right, to be the smart one, the loudest one, to be the leader, who must be followed by everyone else. A certified psychologist and founder of the Center for Men's Excellence in San Diego, California, Dr. Daniel Singley, stated, "Often we'll see, in a traditional heterosexual couple, the wife or girlfriend exhibiting the equal and opposite-what's called 'marianismo.' They're quietly behind the scenes, making things happen without threatening his fragile sense of machismo." And this is the very thing Limongi and Rodriguez do not want to happen in their family life, much more to be experienced by their children. They, with their husbands, have been firm that they will not expose their kids to the toxic culture they were exposed to when they were kids that have scarred them, which still hurts them even now. Read Also: Boys Don't Cry? Mom Gets Furious When Told Not To Baby Her 8-Year-Old Son - Here's What Happened! Something new for the new generation Limongi, an Ecuadorian mom of two living in Queens, New York, expressed that part of ending this toxic masculinity cycle in her own family is confronting her parents when they say something "machismo" in front of the children. She ensures that she corrects her parents, especially her mom when saying something that is not gender-neutral. She also gets help from her husband, a Frenchman who grew up allowed to cook with his mother. Their son loves cooking as much as his dad, and they make sure that he does not think of cooking or "anything kitchen" as just for the girls. Her husband is also visible in helping with the household chores, a vital image for their son to learn that household chores are for everyone and not just a "woman thing." The same goes in the household of the Mexican-American Rodriguez. Diversity is seen in the family. She married a Mexican-American as well, who surprisingly hates machismo culture. Thus, she told Today that her husband wanted things to be different. He wanted things to be their way, which was why they moved away from their families to create their own path that is beneficial to their children's mental and emotional health. Related Article: Why Gender Equality Is Crucial IBM, a leading hybrid cloud, AI, and business services provider, has been named technology partner of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP27, to be hosted by the Egyptian government in Sharm-el-Sheikh during November 6 to 18. At the conference, IBM will showcase how technology and consulting can help business and government leaders align sustainability goals to organizational objectives, responding to regulatory demands and without compromising profitability. This collaboration with the Presidency of Egypt builds on IBM's history of environmental commitments and alliances, such as establishing a goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 or being a founding member of the United Nations Environment Programmes Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment. IBM also enables organizations and communities to tackle environmental issues through programs like the IBM Sustainability Accelerator. IBM is honored to be technology partner in this years historic COP conference and to help address the existential challenge of climate change, said IBMs Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna. I believe that technology can turn sustainability ambition into action. At IBM, we combine technology and expertise to help some of the worlds largest public and private organizations achieve their sustainability goals, in addition to setting our own strong environmental commitments. COP27 President-Designate, Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt welcomed IBM as technology partner of COP27. He highlighted the critical role that technology plays in helping governments, companies and organizations meet climate goals. Also, he recognized IBMs expertise in creating innovative solutions that can contribute to push the climate agenda forward. TradeArabia News Service On Friday, ALD SOCIAL, a non-practicing entity, sued Apple for patent infringement in Waco Texas. The Delaware corporation claims that Apple's Exposure Notification" system, created by Apple and Google as a framework to assist Governments and Public Health Authorities reduce the spread of COVID-19 through contact tracing - infringes on two of their acquired patents for the sole purpose of suing tech companies like Apple. The patents listed in the court document as having been infringed include 9,198,054 and 9,402,158. Both of the patents are titled "Aggregate location dynometer (ALD)." The patents cover a method of alerting to a problematic crowd risk in a given geographical location, comprises an Aggregate Location Dynometer (ALD). The Aggregate Location Dynometer (ALD) utilizes location-based services (LBS) to analyze aggregate location information pertaining to a multitude of wireless devices, to detect potential crowd risks. An Aggregate Location Dynometer (ALD) resides in a physical network server and comprises three main components: a Network Monitor, a Crowd Risk Determinant, and an Alert Module. For more details, read the Plaintiff's full complaint filed with the court in the SCRIBD document below, courtesy of Patently Apple. Ald Social LLC v Apple Inc Patent Infringement Case by Jack Purcher on Scribd Rev. Daniel Ogbarmi Tetteh (SEC Boss) and Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo Danquah (EOCO Boss) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) have cautioned the public against engaging in any business activities with some 17 investments agencies. According to the two state institutions, the 17 investment entities, found to be largely operating via online channels, are unlicensed. This was revealed in a joint SEC and EOCO investigations into the activities the entities in the country. The unlicensed entities included; PatronPay Ghana/PetronPay Ghana, Cedi Network Ghana, Bitcash Investment, Solmax Group, Freedom Synergy, FxKash Investment, Binomo Investment, Hi Pay, Quick Earn, and Lite Earn. The others are; Snap Finance, Faucet Wealth Investment and Opay Investment, Payme Financial Services, Passive Income, Yvonne Hanson Deals, and Alpha Pay. A joint statement issued to the media stated that, the General Public is hereby advised to be vigilant and to desist from investing in all unlicensed investment products. It also assured capital market operators, investors, and the public that SEC in collaboration with all relevant law enforcement agencies would ensure the rigorous enforcement of all the securities laws for operators in the market. Source: Jamila Akweley Okertchiri/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. Featured Video The Wa Regional Police Command has beefed up security in the municipality to ensure the safety of all persons. On September 16, 2022, some residents of Wa in the Upper West Region demonstrated to express their displeasure over the recent alleged killings and kidnapping of some residents in the region. The information available to DGN Online indicates that from 2021 to 2022, a total of 9 persons have been allegedly murdered /kidnapped in the region under some strange circumstances. The youth marched to the Wa Naas palace to seek his intervention. They burnt tyres at vantage locations in the Wa Municipality to demand justice from the Regional Security Council and leaders in the region to apprehend the suspects engaged in the murders/kidnapping. The youth were however dispersed with tear gas from the police to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. A statement signed by Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Chief Superintendent of Police Director, Public Affairs, stated that a special purpose investigation and intelligence teams as well as additional police visibility and crime teams have been deployed to Wa under the leadership of the Director-General of Operations. The Ghana Police Service assured the public that they will continue to work towards ensuring the safety and security of all persons across the country. Abduction in Wa The first issue occurred on April 17. 2022 at High Ranking International School, he was killed with parts missing. A man was also found buried with parts missing at T.I Ahmadiyya JHS on Bamahu Stretch. A security man who was employed to oversee two-story buildings was also found dead with parts missing including his heart according to the Police Commander. Another security man was declared missing by the police along the Nakore Road on August 23, 2022. Name Yahaya Alhassan, aged 68. On Friday September 9 2022 another victim at Child Support Ghana Orphanage Home, escaped death narrowly after a woman shouted. On Sunday, September 11, 2022 at Star Standards International School within Napogebakoleea victim was kidnapped and has not been found. Incidents In 2021 In February 2021, a man by name Kojo Kunta AKA Ogyam was killed in front of Info Radio. Another man was also killed between Loho and Kaleo on 31st August 2022. 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. Featured Video Morocco and Nigeria have signed an agreement to build a major pipeline transporting gas from southeast Nigeria and across the Sahara - going through 13 African countries. The 7,000km (4,300-mile) link - originating from Brass Island - will connect with the Maghreb European Pipeline in northern Morocco. Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) boss Mele Kyari told the signing ceremony in Rabat that the project will improve living standards and mitigate desertification in West Africa. Last November, Algeria stopped using a pipeline that goes through Morocco to Spain, depriving the Moroccans of both gas and transit fees. In a statement, the NNPC said the project will also supply gas to West African countries and provide a new export route to Europe. Its expected to supply about three billion cubic feet of gas per day. But its not yet clear when the project will be completed. The signing of the agreement comes at a time of a worsening global energy crisis, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. European countries have been seeking ways to reduce their dependence on Russian gas. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Identification Authority (NIA) says China is the country with the highest number of foreigners issued with a Non-citizen National Identity card (Ghana card). Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, Executive Secretary, NIA, said this at a press briefing in Accra on Friday to mark this years International Identity Day, after the Ghana News Agency posed a question to him. This comes amid recent controversy of Huang En, popularly known as, Aisha Huang, a Chinese citizen with a non-citizen card re-entering the country after her deportation in 2018 over alleged illegal mining. China has the highest citizens with non-citizen Ghana card with a total of 34,712 cards issued to them, being 22 per cent of the 161,007 citizens from 202 foreign countries. Nigerians constituted the second-largest citizens with non-citizen Ghana card with a total of 25,873 cards, while 20,110 bearers were citizens of India. Per the figures provided by NIA, the cards issued to Germans constituted 4,329; Lebanon, 4,324; United Kingdom (UK), 4,133; South Africa, 3,194; 2,222; Cote DIvoire, 2,150 and Gabon, 1,958 cards. Providing an update on the number of cards issued in the country so far, Prof Attafuah said as of September 15, 2022, a total of 17,163,081 people had been enrolled onto the NIA system, with 16,627,326 cards printed, and 15,869,026 cards issued. The Executive Secretary said the Authority had introduced a robust system to verify all cards of Ghanaians for the purpose of transacting businesses with banks and to verify non-citizens who would use the card to apply for or renew their residence permit, open or run a bank account in the country. On the celebration of the International Identity Day, Prof Attafuah asked African countries to heighten efforts to ensure that the citizenry had legal identity to foster social, economic and political inclusion. He said the country would leave no chance in ensuring that the Ghana card became the single source of proof, noting that the Authority, since January 2021, introduced a verification system, which made banks authenticate individuals who used the card for various transactions. With this verification system, if you go to the bank with or without your Ghana card, with your fingerprint, the bank is able to verify your identity as part of KYC (Know Your Customer) and give you a service, Prof Attafuah noted. The Executive Secretary hinted that NIA would from November 2022 start the registration of Ghanaians abroad and embark on an exercise to register children in the country between the ages of four to 15 in December 2022. Meanwhile, registration for the card for refugees would start next week, Prof Attafuah said. He said continuous registration would also be carried out in all 16 designated regional and all 275 district offices of NIA. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has issued a writ of summons to Mr. Ebenezer Teye Larbi, the Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Constituency and 15 others for allegedly using power illegally. Ms. Sakyiwaa Mensah, ECG Tema Regional Public Relations Officer, disclosed to the Ghana News Agency that the illegalities were detected during routine checks on the companys meters at Lorlonyo, Kpong, and Odumase in its Krobo District. Ms. Mensah said that even though the MP was not at home at the time of the visit by a team of engineers from the ECG and the Military, the writ of summons was handed over to his caretaker who was present after the disconnection of the illegal power. She explained that the MP sometime back reported the missing of two of the four meters on his compound, for which he presented a police report as requested by ECG, adding that the issue was still being handled with some internal processes. As things stand today, those apartments that do not have the meters are supposed to have been disconnected, however on our monitoring, we realized that those two apartments have power and upon further investigations on the field we realized that the two have been connected from a third meter, on his premises, she stated. She added that ECG considered this as an illegal connection and has, therefore, disconnected power to the three apartments, and expected them to be off. Ms. Mensah also revealed that the other residents, who engaged in the illegalities fled their homes when they got wind that ECG was doing monitoring and had already accosted others for engaging in such acts. The ECG Tema PRO advised customers to comply with the laws and desist from illegal power connections as according to her, the law gave ECG the power to prosecute cases of illegal connections which could lead to a fine or a jail term. Nobody is above the law, so we entreat all customers to desist from illegal connections as much as possible, let us all comply to and with the laws of the land, so we are not found wanting, she added. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Communications Director of the Ghana Water Company (GWCL), Stanley Martey says Ghana may have to import large quantities of water soon if the countrys major water bodies are continuously polluted through illegal mining activities. According to him, the impact of illegal mining on the countrys major water bodies has increased GWCLs operational cost, as it has to increase the quantity of chemicals used in the treatment of water for production, due largely to high turbidity levels. In an interview with the DAILY GUIDE, he said the companys assessment has revealed that none of the water bodies in the country has been spared with illegal mining activities, popularly called galamsey. He stated that if the situation persists without a pragmatic approach by all Ghanaians to support the campaign against illegal mining, Ghanaians would have no option than to import water for consumption. I have mentioned it several times that we cant say we wont have water in the future, what we are saying is that if the rate at which our river bodies is been polluted continue as it is now, our water bodies will go extinct and there will be no water for treatment, our equipment will be there and we wouldnt have water to consume, and when it so happens what do we do, we have to import. For instance, when we shut down our Daboase treatment plant and the people of Sekondi-Takoradi were not getting water, they were importing water from Accra and other regions, he said. Mr. Martey also gave a vivid account of some of the water bodies which have been polluted without any recourse to the implications. Galamsey is going on in the Black Volta in Upper West Region and in the Northern Region, sand winning is going on in Dallon in the Nawuni River where we extract water for treatment. The Odaso River in Obuasi is also seriously polluted due to galamsey, to the extent that it is affecting the volumes of water we were producing for Obuasi. In the Western Region, Bonsa, Pra which serves Sekondi-Takoradi is seriously polluted due to these galamsey. The levels of water went down and the little left was so turbid so we couldnt extract and treat the water, and so we had to shut down. Hemang in the Central Region and others had the same challenge. Others include Birim and Osino, among others, he disclosed. He explained that though the Volta River is the least polluted water body in the country, it has also been polluted in recent times as result of fish farming and severe acquatic weeds which are affecting the companys treatment plant at Kpong in the Greater Accra Region. Barekese is not seriously polluted but tributaries to Barekese are polluted as a result of galamsey, so almost all major river bodies are being polluted. Weija is being polluted by industrial affluent, refuse and farming activities along the river banks, and its affecting all our production process, he added. He said his outfit engages communities located around the river bodies on how illegal mining was threatening the human and environmental well-being of Ghanaians, but all these appear to be falling on deaf ears. 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. Featured Video 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 Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (Danat) participated in this years Federation for European Education in Gemmology (FEEG) Symposium, held at the Arab World Institute, in Paris, France. The conference, which takes place annually in different cities within Europe, features an outstanding lineup of speakers and experts, including leading gemologists from across the world, congregating to present diplomas to Europes emerging gemologists. As of 2021, Danat and the FEEG embarked on an official collaboration, whereby DANAT became the only Arab and non-European entity to join the FEEG organisation. Chief Executive Officer of Danat, Noora Jamsheer, took part as a Key Speaker in the opening session of this years conference, where she presented an overview of the history of the pearl industry and addressed the factors that had an impact on the demand for natural pearls. Jamsheer also went on to address the recent challenges facing the gemology industry as a result of the surge in lab-grown diamonds, which are not declared and sold to customers as natural diamonds; a practice which can potentially impact the industrys market share similar to what happened with the natural pearl industry in the early 1900s. Jamsheer further remarked that it is the industrys responsibility to ensure disclosure and transparency to minimize the threats from the luxury industry. She also highlighted the benefits of being part of the FEEG, stressing the importance of knowledge sharing and exploring best practices that align with protecting the industry. Danats Research Manager and Marine Biologist, Dr Reem Al Mealla, aslo took part in the conference, with a report titled "Temporal Comparison of the Status of the Northern Pearl Oyster Beds and Pearl Yield in the Kingdom of Bahrain." Dr. Reem presented the methodology for the research project highlighting Bahrains ongoing endeavors to assess the status of Al Hayrat (pearl oyster beds) in the Kingdom and the changes encountered over the last decade. Jamsheer said: We are pleased to have taken part in the Federation for European Education in Gemmology Symposium held in Paris this year. Our collaboration with FEEG stands as a testament to our continued pursuit of excellence, enabling us to position the Kingdom of Bahrain as a global authority on the pearling industry through our reports and findings. We look forward to driving the Kingdoms National Plan to revive the Pearl Sector by representing the sector globally. The Federation for European Education in Gemmology (FEEG) was founded in 1995, with the goal of developing a pan-European gemmology certificate that would be accepted by all organizations and institutions in Europe. The Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (Danat) is the leading institute and laboratory in the world of pearl verification, providing several services including pearl and gemstone testing and certification, as well as training and awareness courses. Danat serves as a window between global markets and local and international customers.-TradeArabia News Service 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 Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Founder and Leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Kofi Akpaloo has agreed with Lawyer for embattled Galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang that "the issue is being overhyped" According to Nkrabea Effah Dartey, my worry is that the media has overhyped this small matter of mining without a license and doing mineral sales without license. It's a small matter, it happens every day in Ghana. So I don't see why the media should even write an editorial on this matter. And it is that which is creating the problem and giving all manner of insecurity to the issue Kofi Akpaloo, speaking on Kumasi-based Hello FM, said the media is dwelling too much on Aisha Haung. "This is being blown out of proportion, this is a minor case...we are spending too much time on minor issues. why are we dwelling so much on Aisha Haung" he indicated. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Frimprince Music Production a few days ago announced the termination of contract between him and Gospel Musician, Diana Asamoah. Announcing the 'breakup' in a letter, Mr. Frimpong noted that on several occasions, Diana Asamoah has breached the verbal agreement that binds them thus the termination. She has further been banned from performing songs under the production which include Wo Na Mani Agyina Wo, Mabowodin, Akoko Abon, Madansidie, Pentecost Gya, Momomme, Wo Damu Fua, Tetelesta and Pentecost Soree. Renowned Ghanaian preacher, Prophet Nicholas Osei, well known as Kumchacha reacting to this said he saw this coming because "Diana is now walking in the flesh". "she's is rushing; even more than Satan. I know her very well but for some time now her behaviour has changed. So I wasn't surprised by the termination of contract. It seems she is suffering from depression, bipolar, dementia...now it's too much. She is no longer being led by the Spirit but by the flesh" he said on UTV's United Showbiz programme. Listen to him in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Air-raid sirens sounded and bells tolled across Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Sunday morning to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the September 18 Incident, which marked the start of Japan's 14-year invasion of China. A number of West African states have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a pipeline from Nigeria to Morocco to supply gas to all West African countries and open a new channel of export to Europe. The agreement was signed in Rabat, Morocco, between Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco. The memorandum of understanding attests to the commitment of ECOWAS and all the countries crossed by the gas pipeline, to contribute to the feasibility and technical studies, the mobilisation of resources and execution of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project. The three sides were respectively represented by Mr Sediko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Amina Benkhadra, Director General of Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM). This project, once completed, will supply gas to all the countries of West Africa and will open a new channel of export to Europe. It is a strategic project that will contribute towards improving the living standards of the population, integrating the economies in the region, decreasing the level of desertification thanks to a sustainable and reliable gas supply and a reduction in or outright end to gas flaring, among others. Sixteen countries that include fourteen ECOWAS Member States, are involved in this project. The project will also assist other countries to export their surplus natural gas: Ghana, Cote dIvoire, Senegal and Mauritania. The strategic Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project will traverse the West African coast from Nigeria to Morocco, through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote dIvoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania. In the long term, it will be connected to the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline and to the European gas network. It will also help cater to the land-locked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Commissioner Sediko Douka, speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission President, H.E Dr Omar Alieu Touray, stated that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) upheld the view that the Nigeria-Morocco pipeline project was indeed viable and would therefore spare no effort for its success: We, as a regional economic community, are convinced that it is indeed a viable project, one that holds great promise, and we will spare no effort for its success. The ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation further reaffirmed, on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission President, total support for this regional project which would positively impact the lives of more than 400 million persons. The projects impact is far reaching because it would help ensure electricity supply in the West African region, and in the long term the export of natural gas as fuel in Europe. We have carefully monitored from beginning to end the feasibility studies at the various levels of validation, he revealed, adding that the next phase would involve the detailed design of execution, resource mobilisation and the actual construction. With the launch of the project, efforts will be made to attract public and private investors including multilateral or commercial banks, pension fund, insurance companies, among others. The project will span 6,000km and cost $25 billion. The financing of the project is expected to involve several stakeholders. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding witnessed the participation of government officials of the Kingdom of Morocco, Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister for Economy and Finance, Mohcine Jazouli, Minister of State for Public Policy Evaluation, Convergence and Investments. Finally, a courtesy call was paid to Nasser Bourita, Minister for Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad. -OGN SRS and Politics Reporter I cover the Savannah River Site and politics. I previously covered government and politics for the Morning News in Florence. I am graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and the University of Charleston (W.Va.). Aiken, SC (29801) Today Partly cloudy skies. Low around 55F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low around 55F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. The warnings about financial scams have become deafening lately, and anyone with a cell phone, social media or email account can probably attest to the frequency of attempts to steal one's money or personal information. Warning about scams in a personal finance column feels a bit like warning people that they should wear seatbelts don't we all know this stuff by now? but sadly these relentless scam attempts continue because they work. Scams are so widespread and so lucrative that, as ProPublica revealed in a stunning report this past week, human traffickers in Asia are now using false promises of work to enslave people and force them to scam people online, worldwide. This year, during the month of June, South Carolina residents reported losing $364,581 to scams and those are only the ones that were reported to the S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs (844-835-5322). In 2021, state residents lost more than $6.4 million to scams and identity theft. The most common scams reported in the state varied by month, but those involving tricking people into paying for fake or nonexistent consumer products (usually online) topped the list most months. The runner-up was crime and warrant scams, in which people are typically told they'll be arrested unless they send a payment, usually in a way the government would never require involving the purchase of gift cards. Scam phone calls accounted for more than half the complaints filed in S.C. last year. If you own a phone, you know. There are the endless email phishing attempts, where scammers hope to find just one person foolish enough to click on a link that will hijack their computer, or lock down a company's computer network to hold for ransom. And then there are the romance scams. One of those is now memorialized in a documentary movie on Netflix called The Tinder Swindler ("he wooed women online than conned them out of millions of dollars"). So very many of these scams can be avoided by following some fairly simple guidelines: Don't give money to strangers, and don't assume people are who they claim to be online. If an email shows up from a relative claiming to urgently need money, realize that their email account may have been hijacked (that's an old one). Don't engage with phone solicitors or robo-calls that may claim to represent the government or a financial institution. No, the Social Security Administration is not calling, and neither is the Internal Revenue Service. Don't give anyone your personal or financial information. Don't click on links in emails unless you trust the sender. And even if you do trust the sender, confirm any suspicious requests, because their email may have been hacked. Know that get-rich-quick schemes are scams. You didn't just win a lottery you don't recall entering. And if you won a legitimate prize you shouldn't have to pay money to collect it. Beware of people you only know online or through dating sites, particularly if they ask for money. Heck, in South Carolina we've even had prisoners, in jail, scamming members of the military. With smuggled cell phones they've pretended to be young women, convinced servicemen to trade nude pics, then blackmailed them. Every new thing seems to prompt another scam opportunity. Student loan relief, the war in Ukraine, and natural disasters are among recent hooks for fraudsters cold-calling, posting on social media, or emailing for money. The restart of 787 Dreamliner deliveries has been choppy these past few weeks, but Boeing Co.'s widebody commercial jet program appears to be on track to clear its inventory of more than 100 planes and generate some substantial revenue over the coming months. That's the assessment of airline industry analyst Dhierin Bechai, who said last week that a monthly delivery rate of seven North Charleston-made Dreamliners "should be attainable if sufficient demand continues to exist." He added in a Seeking Alpha article that while August deliveries were soft, the program's financial results "on top line as well as cash flow should materially improve, which should aid in repairing the balance sheet." Boeing built up an inventory of roughly 120 Dreamliners between the time the Federal Aviation Administration halted deliveries in May 2021 due to a production flaw on the wide-body jet and last month, when the regulatory agency signed off on repairs and cleared Boeing to start handing off 787s to customers again. The first of those deliveries took place at Boeing's campus off International Boulevard on Aug. 10, with American Airlines taking possession of a 787-8 model. The aerospace giant has said it wants to clear its Dreamliner inventory by the end of 2023. That's possible, Bechai said, but it won't be easy. "For Boeing to clear its inventory it would need to deliver one Dreamliner every four to five days, which means around six deliveries from the pool each month," he said. So far, however, the planemaker has only been able to deliver one aircraft every six days and over the past two weeks there have been no reported deliveries. "So, Boeing is a bit behind on a linearized schedule," Bechai said, adding that deliveries will likely ramp up as inventoried Dreamliners are reworked in coming months. "The current trend, while slower than the linearized target, also brings in around $700 million per month, which is huge for Boeing," he said. "So, even if Boeing stays on the current slower trend, there is a big jump in revenues and later on free cash recovery to be expected." If Boeing is able to hit its target of seven Dreamliner deliveries per month, "it would add around $12 billion to revenues and provide a significant bump to cash flow," said Bechai, who authors The Aerospace Forum. "Currently there are concerns about the state of the global economy," he added, "but overall Boeing seems to be on a relatively good track to provide a meaningful boost to its results." Window warehouse Norman USA, a manufacturer of window shades, blinds and shutters, plans to open a distribution center in Beaufort County to expand its reach along the East Coast. The La Palma, Calif.-based company said it will invest $67 million in the facility at 74 Schein Loop in Beaufort, creating 67 jobs over the next five years. "In addition to the excellent support we have received from the state, county and city, our decision was reinforced by the proximity to ports and surrounding resources," Alex Liu, Norman's vice president of operations, said in a written statement. The Beaufort Commerce Park site is about 43 miles from the Port of Savannah and 66 miles to the Port of Charleston. The company has production facilities in Dallas and Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. The Beaufort County operations are expected to begin in October. Those interested in working for Norman should email the company at NormanCareers@NormanUSA.com. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO) have joined forces to launch the first National UNWTO Students League of the year. The Students League is designed to promote local talent development and work with young people to design solutions for some of the most pressing challenges facing tourism. Throughout the competition, students will learn from top tourism experts both in their own countries and internationally. The participants efforts will be assessed by an international jury, and, after a first national level round, the League will then conclude with a Grand Global Final. With the first two editions welcoming the participation of around 1,000 students worldwide, UNWTO and SECO are now partnering to foster young talent development in Switzerland through the first National 2022 UNWTO Students League-Switzerland. As in past years where students from middle school to Masters degree level created innovative sustainable solutions for global hot topics such as managing mass tourism, reducing single use plastics in accommodation and destinations, fostering rural development through tourism, creating digital communication solutions, inclusiveness, and many more, students from across Switzerland will now have a chance to prove why they need to be listened to by participating in the Off the Beaten Track Challenge. Registration is now open for the teams of undergraduate tourism and hospitality students from Switzerland up to the age of 25 - and will close 4 October 2022. The winning team will be announced after the live Final4 competition, to be co-organized with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). TradeArabia News Service Charleston, SC (29403) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 57F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. GEORGETOWN A Conway man has been charged with murder following a shooting early Sept. 18 outside a Georgetown County nightclub, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office. Darius Rashawn Grant, 28, of Conway, was arrested in connection with charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to a sheriff's news release. Grant is accused of the fatal shooting of Enis Jenerette, 35, also of Conway, outside a nightclub located at 57 Bouie Way, off Old Pee Dee Road in Georgetown County following a verbal altercation. Georgetown County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident. This is a developing story. Charleston police officers arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with a hit-and-run in downtown Charleston that seriously injured two women. Erik Gustav Kirby was taken into custody early Sept. 18 on two counts of hit-and-run with death or injury, jail records show. Officers responded just before 2 a.m. Sept. 16 to Meeting and Columbus streets for a reported car crash. The involved vehicle a white Volkswagen Jetta sedan had struck two 24-year-old women who were crossing the street before it fled the scene, authorities said. Officers found the victims in a nearby hospital where they remain with serious injuries, according to Kirby's arrest affidavit. One of the women suffered several facial fractures and a shattered pelvis. The other suffered a spinal injury and traumatic brain injury, requiring several surgeries, the affidavit states. Investigators with the department's major accident team shut down a portion of the intersection as they collected evidence and processed the scene. A witness told officers a light-colored sedan traveling north on Meeting Street did not stop after it hit the women. Investigators used video footage to track the car's movements before and after the crash. They ultimately identified Kirby, of Charleston, as its driver. Kirby is being held at the Charleston County jail. He appeared for a bond hearing hours after his arrest where Magistrate Judge John C. Kinney set a cash bail of $250,000 on each of the charges, records show. The Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating the sedan, which sustained damage to its passenger-side windshield and possibly its front bumper and hood, authorities said. The car's South Carolina license plate is "4095NW," according to surveillance footage. Anyone with information should call the Charleston Police Department Traffic Division at 843-965-4084. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High near 75F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy during the evening followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Adell Harris is sitting in the den of her James Island home, surrounded by family photos and police awards, talking about Sunday dinner. Harris and her husband, Chevalier, are clearly enjoying retirement. After decades in local law enforcement, they now travel a good bit, tailgate at all the S.C. State home games and spend a lot of time with friends. Sunday dinner is one of the highlights these days Adell even sends out the menu in advance. Their three sons and their families (and even a couple of great-grandchildren now) make the trip every weekend. Because Harris makes epic Sunday dinners. Which isn't surprising. Because 50 years ago this month, she made history. In September 1972, Harris was hired by the Charleston Police Department, becoming the first female law enforcement officer in South Carolina and the first African American woman to wear the badge. In 35 years on the force, Harris served as a patrol officer and crisis intervention officer. She ran the departments truancy and school resource divisions, and she created a sort of "scared straight" program to show potential juvenile offenders just how scary prison really is. She also inspired a lot of women and members of her own family to take up careers in law enforcement. I got the respect I wanted because I always treated people the way I wanted to be treated, Harris says. That was my motto. By 1993, she had been inducted into the South Carolina Criminal Justice Hall of Fame for breaking down social barriers and proving beyond a reasonable doubt that police work isnt just for men. She stayed with the department until 2008. Sgt. Beth Wolfsen says the veterans at Lockwood Drive still talk about Harris with reverence and respect. But Harris says she didnt set out to become a trailblazer or role model she just wanted to help people. Which is how a lot of stories about heroes begin. In 1972, Charleston Police Chief John Conroy put an ad in the newspaper inviting women to apply for jobs as police officers. Harris then Adell Grant says some of her girlfriends suggested they all go sign up on a lark. None of the others showed, so she applied alone. At the time, the 1966 Burke High graduate worked in a clothing store and was taking college courses, but she had thoughts of doing something to help others maybe getting into nursing. She remembers thinking this isnt going to happen even as it was happening. She kept getting callbacks, and eventually, Conroy interviewed her. Three other women were hired at the same time, but one left before finishing the academy and the two others didnt make policing their careers. As you might imagine, being a first had its problems. Harris endured little hazing from male officers because Conroy threatened to fire anyone who did, and people were paying attention. This newspaper even assigned a reporter to follow the women. But some officers groused about having female back-up, and the first time Harris tried to arrest someone, outside the Meeting Street Piggly Wiggly, the belligerent suspect proclaimed he wouldnt be busted by any female. When Harris slapped the cuffs on him, onlookers cheered. There were other hiccups, like that first uniform which kind of resembled a sailor's suit, and required her to carry her gun and handcuffs in a cute little purse. That, Harris recalls, lasted about two weeks. You looked like a school crossing guard, her husband jokes. She met Chevalier "Chevy" Harris in one of her first training classes. They soon began dating and eventually married. The police department not only became her family, it gave her one. Back in the day, Chevy admits he responded to some of her calls before she could get there because he worried. (Eventually, he went on to become captain of detectives in the Charleston County Sheriffs Office.) After a few years, Chief Reuben Greenberg put Harris in charge of what became the school resource officers program. When she talks about why she thought it was important to keep officers in the same schools, with the same students, you realize Harris was doing community policing before it was the trend. She was a real change agent, says Mayor John Tecklenburg. We should all applaud her and the police department the department for changing, and her for taking the big step to make it happen. Shes an unsung hero of Charleston, womens rights and African American rights. Police Chief Luther Reynolds says the anniversary of Harris hiring is a milestone, and the departments goal is to have 30% female officers by 2030 (right now, 17% of its sworn officers are women). That goal is not a political statement. As Wolfsen notes, research shows diversity in the ranks has only made policing more efficient and successful. But then, Harris proved that a long time ago. I have been surprised at how Democrats have responded to Ron DeSantiss master stroke of sharing a handful of illegal aliens with the rich liberals on Marthas Vineyard. All are welcome here? Not exactly, and the Vineyard turned out not to be much of a sanctuary, either. Yet Dems like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (crimes against humanity), Elizabeth Warren (repulsive and cruel) and, of course, Joe Biden (unAmerican) have doubled down. Is there some theory on which this doesnt make them look idiotic? I cant think of one. For the straight story, turn to Ron DeSantis: By the way, in case you didnt see it reportedhehthe migrants thanked DeSantis for sending them to the paradise of Marthas Vineyard before they were whisked away to Cape Cod. Too bad they couldnt have stayed a while longer, but political exigencies intruded and the Democrats needed to stop the bleeding. Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways has announced its first route to China with the launch of direct flights to Xian, starting from September 19, initially with a flight every fortnight, moving to a weekly service in the near future. Flights will include a technical stop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for refuelling, using an A320neo aircraft. Jazeera Airways Chief Executive Officer, Rohit Ramachandran, said: This a real milestone for Jazeera to be flying all the way to the Peoples Republic of China. Commercial ties between Kuwait and China have been growing and we see a positive outlook for developing our network further into the region. Xian is Western Chinas third largest city with a population of over 12 million people and the most populous city in Northwest China. It is categorized as a second-tier city and was the starting point of the historic Silk Road. It is famous worldwide as the home of the Terracotta Army. Jazeera Airways operates commercial and cargo flights out of its Jazeera Terminal T5 at Kuwait International Airport. The airline flies to 50 popular destinations across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa and Europe comprising high-demand business, leisure and weekend destinations. TradeArabia News Service The police in Ebonyi State have justified their decision to disperse hundreds of supporters of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi who gathered for a rally on Saturday. The police accused the Obidients the nickname of supporters of Mr Obi of not paying the required fees and attacking police officers. PREMIUM TIMES reported how the police dispersed the political gathering on Saturday morning, in Abakaliki, the state capital. In a statement sent to journalists, the Ebonyi police spokesperson, Chris Anyanwu, said the police acted based on the rules of engagement. Mr Anyanwu also suggested that the police acted based on the request of the Ebonyi government over the non-payment of approved fees. Mr Anyanwu, a superintendent of police, said the supporters met with police before the rally but failed to make the payment approved by the state government. The supporters also failed to pay another refundable sum of money as collateral in case of any damage to government property during the rally, he said. Nigerian law does not require a police permit or payment before peaceful rallies or protests are held. The police only need to be informed so they can provide the necessary security. However, some state governments have started putting campaign rules in place ahead of the campaigns for the 2023 elections which start later this month. Some of the rules include payment of money. In his statement, Mr Anyanwu also claimed that the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the state, Edward Nnwegu, pleaded with the supporters to shelve the rally to avoid the looming catastrophe, but they insisted, and maintained that nobody would stop them. The police spokesperson said operatives were deployed to the take-off venue of the rally, Pastoral Center, to maintain peace and order. He said the decision followed information that the rally could become turbulent and create a state of insecurity in the state if left unchecked. Unfortunately, while the policemen were properly deployed to ensure that there was no breakdown of the law, the radicals and mischief-makers among the rallyists became violent and started hauling missiles on the police operatives, uttering all manners of unprintable statements on the police and the government. Many of them even went physically to assault and attack the policemen, he said. So, in response, and guided by the presidential pronouncements at the era of the unpopular End-SARS protests, the police personnel on duty rose to the occasion to dislodge the violent and criminally-oriented attackers. After taking control of the situation, the rally continued and ended peacefully, Mr Anyanwu stated. Earlier, one of the Obidients at the rally, Steve Ugama, told PREMIUM TIMES that the police fired tear gas to disperse the peaceful rally. He also said four of his colleagues were arrested by the police. We have gathered here this morning for our peaceful march. All of a sudden, the police came and started tear-gassing us and arresting our people. They said we cant hold the march because Governor David Umahi asked them to stop us, that we cant hold it. About four of our colleagues have been arrested. We need help here, Mr Ugama said minutes after the rally was dispersed. The rally was later held successfully, despite the actions of the police. Umahi speaks In his reaction, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State denied that he ordered the dispersal of the rally. The participants had accused the Ebonyi State Government of being behind the attempt to disrupt the rally. But Mr Umahi, in a statement by his media aide, Chooks Oko, said he was not aware of the disruption of the rally. Mr Oko said it was not true that the governor ordered the police to disrupt the rally. The Governor of Ebonyi State is certainly not aware of any disruption of any gathering, as he didnt order any. He is a democrat who believes firmly in the rule of law. He wishes every contending politician the very best and will insist on a level playing ground for all. If it is true that the police dispersed people, the answer will surely rest with the police, he said. Mr Okoh admitted that the state government asked the organisers of the rally to pay some fees before they would be allowed to use the stadium. For record purposes, the relevant government agencies had approved the use of Abakaliki township stadium for a rally by the Labour Party subject to the payment of some specified fees, he said. Mr Oko said rather than pay the fees, the organisers chose to hold the rally on the streets, causing hardships for citizens going about their daily pursuits. The police, we are told, had to step in to restore law and order. The governor appeals to all citizens to always abide by the dictates of the law and decent living so that law and order will always reign supreme. However, Mr Ugama, a supporter of Mr Obi, insisted that Governor Umahi ordered the disruption. Mr Ugama, a lawyer, claimed that an officer who led the police team said the governor ordered them to stop the rally. I had to raise my hands so that the police will know I am not armed. I had a conversation with the leader of the police team on behalf of the group and he expressly told me that the governor asked them to stop the solidarity walk. They teargassed us, fired live bullets in the air. But we defiled the odds and marched on. Thank you Ebonyi youths. Im so proud of everyone who turned out for this walk. Nigeria must walk again, he said. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has insisted that Nigerias public refineries must be made to work and the country must stop the importation of refined petrol before it can consider the removal of petrol subsidy. The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said this in a statement signed and made available to journalists on Saturday in Abuja. The NLC statement was an apparent reaction to an earlier one by Festus Keyamo, a spokesperson for the presidential campaign of the ruling party, APC. Mr Keyamo had tasked the NLC to explain its stance on the statement by Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, that he would remove petrol subsidy if elected. Mr Wabba said the NLC had painstaking processes and had articulated a Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands which the organised labour would use to engage the political process. A major demand in the Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands is that our local public refineries must work. We have also demanded that we must stop 100 per cent importation of refined petroleum products. The NLC and indeed the labour movement in Nigeria had over many decades been vehemently consistent that the only way to address the issue of the so-called petrol subsidies is to get our refineries to work. The logic is very simple: it is not economical to buy from abroad at very expensive prices a product that a country like ours can easily produce at home, he said. Mr Wabba said the NLC wanted a production economy for Nigeria in the handling of its natural resources. He said that the congress believed that the rescue of Nigeria from the current path of a consumption economy to a production economy was the only way to resolve Nigerias economic nightmares of massive depletion of scarce foreign exchange reserves. He said this would resolve the continuous devaluation of the Naira, significant jobs reduction, poverty and downturn in the living standards of the people. In a determined effort to popularise the positions in the Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands, the NLC and TUC at the behest of the Labour Party on Monday and Tuesday hosted a National Retreat of the leadership cadres in our movement. At the retreat, the Labour Party and Organised Labour in Nigeria adopted and mainstreamed the Workers Charter of Demands into the Manifesto of the Labour Party. This is in line with our persuasion that issue-based campaign anchored on the manifesto of political parties should drive Nigerias political process. If any political party goes around saying that they plan to sell our refineries, remove subsidies, they should be ready to defend such stance to Nigerians at the campaigns, he added. Mr Wabba said the NLCs position had not changed but only got amplified. NLC and Peter Obi Mr Obi, a capitalist who believes in massive roles for the private sector in the economy, has been careful not to directly oppose the stance of the NLC on petrol subsidy. In his recent interview with CNN, the Labour Party candidate criticised the Buhari administration for not repairing Nigerias four universities. He said there was no reason the countrys refineries should not be put to use. He also pledged to encourage the private sector to build more refineries. There is no reason why we should not encourage the private sector to build refineries and operate them. And they are not rocket science. You can use today to decide to remove fuel subsidies and use the resources to support critical areas of production, Mr Obi said. Mr Obi, who is enjoying growing popularity, especially among young, social media savvy Nigerians, also enjoys the support of the NLC. On Monday, Mr Wabba, speaking at a retreat of the LP, pledged to mobilise all members of NLC to support Mr Obi, who has consistently maintained that fuel subsidy must be removed. Fuel subsidy is going to be one of the main issues the next administration will have to contend with considering that the current administration plans to only finance subsidies till June 2023. According to the government, it will take over N6 trillion to finance it in 2023. NLC must come clean on subsidy Earlier in his statement, Mr Keyamo, who is also the minister of state for labour and employment, said NLC must state its position on fuel subsidy removal. He noted that the position of the labour union leaders must be consistent with the position of the workers. Before adopting Mr Peter Obi as its candidate, did the leadership of the NLC have a discussion with him on the issue of removal of fuel subsidy? If they did have that discussion, did Mr Peter Obi agree to back down on the issue of subsidy removal? Was that a basis for supporting him? If he did not back down on the issue, did organised Labour agree with him? If no such discussion is held, does it mean the leadership of the NLC now fully supports the removal of fuel subsidy? Or will that not be reckless of the NLC to adopt a candidate without thoroughly interrogating the candidate on his policies as they affect the Nigerian workers or the masses? The NLC must make a public statement and come clean on this, Mr Keyamo said. Mr Keyamo argued that if the excuse is that Mr Peter Obi has said that the money saved will be used in other critical areas of the economy, how is that different from what Buharis Government is also saying? The 2023 race is believed to be a four-horse race between Bola Tinubu of APC, Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Mr Obi. At least two people have been confirmed dead and many others missing when a boat capsized in Yobe State. The Director-General Press and Media Affairs in Yobe, Mamman Mohammed, said the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when two passenger boats bound for the Babangida weekly market capsized in a flood wave. In his statement, Mr Mohammed said Governor Mai Buni of Yobe has expressed shock and sorrow over the accident which occurred in Jumbam, Tarmuwa Local Government Area of the state. The governor said two bodies were so far recovered, while an unascertained number of passengers were still missing. Mr Buni directed relevant agencies in the state to commence an intensive search for the remaining victims. He described the accident as sad, unfortunate and devastating, and prayed for the safe rescue of the remaining passengers. He advised people travelling by road or water to always be cautious. The governor directed those living along waterways to move to higher grounds for their safety. The heavy rains and floods usually come from far and unannounced; we should always be on the watch out and avoid dangerous waterways, he said. Mr Buni prayed to Allah (SWT) to protect the people of the state, their properties, livestock and farmlands against the increasing menace of floods. Boat accidents have become commonplace in many parts of northern Nigeria. Other states were similar fatal accidents have been recorded include Jigawa and Niger. There is hardly any regulation of the water transport sector and most boats have no safety equipment in them. It has been a few months since Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso dumped Nigerias largest opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to pick the presidential tickets of the Labour Party (LP) and New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) respectively. Less than two weeks to the kick-off of the campaigns, the two candidates remain among the most talked about and are considered to be the biggest threats to the candidates of the two major parties. The All Progressives Congress (APC) and PDP have produced the presidents and controlled the National Assembly and governed all but a few of the 36 states of the federation since the Fourth Republic began in 1999. However, the supporters of the minority parties, in particular those of Mr Obi, believe that the apple cart is about to be upturned. Their stand seemed to have been lent credence last week by an opinion poll that put the LP candidate at the head of the standings before the campaigns formally begin on 28 September. With his supporters making themselves heard across different social platforms since he decided to run on the platform of a small party, the former Anambra governor is widely seen as the biggest threat to the candidate of the ruling APC, Bola Tinubu, and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. The trio dominate discussions on Twitter, in Nigeria. This trend has set the stage for tantalising electioneering from 28 September. While the ceremonies around the demise of the United Kingdoms longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth, were still a major discourse, Nigerias political discourse tilted when the result of the controversial opinion poll was released. In the poll conducted by NOI for ANAP Foundation run by business mogul Atedo Peterside, Mr Obi, who is taunted by his opponents as social media president, came top with 21 per cent, with Mr Kwanwaso coming fourth with three per cent. Both the APC and PDP presidential candidates garnered 13 per cent each in the poll which ANAP Foundation said was conducted in the six geo-political zones of the country. Not surprisingly, the APC, PDP and NNPP were united in immediately questioning the credibility of the poll. If you take away 57.5 per cent 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, the PDP campaign spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, said on a television programme the day after the poll was released. Consultations Last week, the LP candidate visited former President Goodluck Jonathan, weeks after meeting with another former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, in London. Mr Obi also addressed the conclave of all Nigerian Anglican Archbishops and Bishops in Abuja, following interactive meetings with the EU Ambassador and Heads of Missions. But his biggest showing last week was his appearance on a live programme on CNN presented by British-Nigerian anchor, Zain Asher. In the engagement, Mr Obi spoke about his chances in the election and what would be his priorities if elected. On his part, Mr Kwankwaso of the NNPP had a meeting with two former military Heads of State, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, and also commissioned offices for the party in Niger and Adamawa states. ADC enmeshed in crisis With the campaigns for the 2023 general elections set to formally kick off in 10 days, one of the 18 registered parties, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is enmeshed in an internal crisis. The crisis came to a head penultimate Saturday when the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party announced the expulsion of its presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, from the party. Mr Kachikwu has rejected the sanction and insists he remains the candidate of the party for the 25 February 2023 presidential election. The feud in the ADC began in late August when 27 of the 37 state chairpersons of the party called for the resignation of their national chairman, Ralph Nwosu. Mr Nwosu, who has led the party since it was founded in 2005, is the longest-serving party chairperson in Nigerias history. The state chairpersons said after 17 years of piloting the affairs of the party, it was time for him to step aside. However, Mr Nwosu later told journalists the issue with the partys chairpersons had been resolved and that they had given him one more year to lead the party. The crisis appeared to be over from that point, until the penultimate Saturday when the party announced the suspension of the presidential candidate over a video the ADC said projected its leadership in a bad light. In the video, Mr Kachikwu criticised Mr Nwosu for clinging to his position after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the constitution of the party. The NWC led by Mr Nwosu dismissed the content of the video as crass irresponsibility, callous indiscipline, false scandalisation and blackmail and entirely unsuitable of someone who wants to be president of Nigeria. But Mr Kachikwus camp vowed to force the resignation of Mr Nwosu and the election of a new NWC to lead the party through the 2023 general election. The candidate has gained the backing of most of the state chairpersons of the party. Who is in charge? However, while the state chairpersons forum said it has formed an interim leadership of the party, the national secretariat and other organs remain under the control of Mr Nwosu-led NWC. The NWC led by Mr Nwosu has continued to operate from the partys head office in Abuja while members of Mr Kachikwus faction stay away. To demonstrate his continued control of the party, Mr Nwosu, on Friday, announced the expulsion of Mr Kachikwu and seven other top members from the party. He said the decision followed the recommendation of a seven-member disciplinary committee that looked into cases against the party members. He said the committee met six times between 8 and 14 of September to discuss the allegations levelled against the presidential candidate and others. The constitution of the ADC empowers a disciplinary committee to investigate alleged infractions by its members and recommend sanctions. Article 15 (B) of the constitution stipulates that where there is a complaint of misconduct against any party member(s), the appropriate disciplinary committee shall inform the member(s) in writing concerning the allegations and the place and time of hearing the case against him/them. Section B (iii) added that parties before a Disciplinary Committee shall be given opportunity to present their case orally or in writing either in person or through a counsel of his choice and call witnesses. But the chairman of the ADC Chairmen Forum, Kingsley Oggah, who is one of those expelled by the NWC, told this newspaper on Saturday that they were not informed by the committee of the allegations against them or invited to defend themselves. This newspaper also observed that the NWC did not announce the setting up of a disciplinary committee before announcing the expulsions and has not disclosed the names of the members of the committee. Tracing the roots of the internal crisis in the ADC, this newspaper tried to ask INEC why it continues to recognise Mr Nwosu as ADC national chairman against the provision of the constitution of the party that limits the tenure in that office to two terms. However, the INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, did not answer calls to his phone number by this reporter. How is 2023 looking? As political parties prepare for the beginning of campaigns on 28 September, the ADC is being weighed down by the crisis, which has resulted in many court cases against its leadership. Mr Nwosu recently sued his partys presidential candidate for alleged defamation, for which he is demanding N20 billion in damages. This newspaper also gathered that Mr Kachikwu and some state chairpersons have engaged a senior lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, to lead their legal battle to kick out Mr Nwosu and his NWC. Even when united, the ADC has not made a mark in the general elections since the party was registered 17 years ago. Over that period, the party fielded four presidential candidates. The others before the nomination of Mr Kachikwu were Pat Utomi in the 2007 general election, Peter Nwangwu in 2011, Mani Ibrahim in 2015 and the recently deceased Obadiah Mailafia in 2019. The party recorded its most impressive showing in the presidential elections in 2019 when the late Mr Mailafia was returned a distant fourth, polling 97,874 votes. The winner of the poll and APC candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, had over 15 million votes. In the just concluded governorship election in Ekiti, the ADC candidate, Oluwole Oluyede, came fourth with 5,597 votes (1.59 per cent of the total votes cast). In the Osun governorship poll, the ADC candidate, Fifelola Olufemi, was disqualified by INEC for nominating a running mate that did not meet the age requirements for the office of Deputy Governor as enshrined in the Constitution. In the Ondo 2020 and Anambra 2021 governorship elections, ADC candidates garnered 2,000 and 324 votes respectively. However, for the first time in its history, ADC is fielding governorship candidates in almost all the 30 states where the elections will be held next year. Also fielding candidates in state and national assembly elections, the ADC insists it can spring surprises in 2023 despite heading into the campaigns in disarray. At least 12 fighters, and relatives of the notorious terror kingpin, Bello Turji, have been killed in an air raid. They were killed in an air raid by the Nigerian Air Force on Mr Turjis hideout in the Fakai community of Shinkafi area, Zamfara State, on Saturday afternoon. Locals told PREMIUM TIMES that the terrorists, who were attending the naming ceremony of a child at Mr Turjis house, were caught unawares by the air bombardment. An Air Force source at the Forward Operation Base in neighbouring Katsina, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak with the media, also confirmed the raid. The senior officer said the notorious kingpins whereabouts were still unknown as of Sunday morning. Naming ceremony turned bloody A former councillor in the Fakai community, who sought anonymity for security reasons, said the terrorists were inside an uncompleted mosque when the soldiers struck. I left the community for some personal business in Shinkafi around 1:58 p.m but didnt reach my destination when I started receiving calls that the community was under attack. My family thought it was bandits that were attacking but then they called to say it was the air force. I could hear the roaring of the jets, the politician told PREMIUM TIMES in a phone interview. He said those who were killed were militias (men and women) who were inside the mosque. The politician claimed Mr Turji was not in the town during the attack. If he (Mr Turji) is in the town, everyone knows because youll see his fighters with sophisticated weapons protecting his house. The naming was conducted in the morning while the normal womens event was yet to start in the evening, he said. Another resident who also asked not to be named said he has evacuated his family members to the local government headquarters, Shinkafi. It was very deadly. I saw the bandits running while we were trying to hide outside the community. Everyone was confused but thanks to God that the jets didnt stay for long, it would have affected some of us, innocent residents, he said. He added that as of Saturday night, no civilian casualties were recorded insisting that only his (Mr Turjis) people were killed. The source said so far, 12 of Mr Turjis fighters and some women were killed in the raid. The spokesperson for Air Force Forward Operation Base in Katsina, Abdul Olaitan, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him about the attack but a senior official confirmed the offensive. Not only his (Mr Turjis) camp. Weve been launching attacks since last Wednesday, the air force official said. The official said the air force had been monitoring the community since Friday. And when we had clear information, we moved in but unfortunately, he was not caught in the buildings we attacked. He said the raid was carried out by the officers from Operation Forest Sanity and air components of Operation Hadarin Daji using Mi 17 and Alpha jet while another aircraft provided surveillance throughout the offensive. When asked how they knew Mr Turji was not one of those killed, the officer simply said the jets have images of the places during attack and we know those affected. Mr Turji is notorious for leading his terror group to carry out attacks on communities, killing many and kidnapping others. However, in August, the Zamfara government claimed Mr Turji had accepted its peace initiative and pledged to no longer carry out attacks. At least eight people have now been confirmed dead from the boat accident in Yobe State. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when two passenger boats bound for the Babangida weekly market capsized. Two people were initially confirmed dead from the accident. The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA) has now provided more details about the accident that occurred at Jumbam village in Tarmuwa Local Government Area of the State. The Executive Secretary of the Agency, Mohammed Goje, told PREMIUM TIMES that seven bodies have so far been recovered by the divers that are working on the rescue operation. Mr Goje also disclosed that eight other people are hospitalized at Dapchi General Hospital in Bursari Local Government Area but they are stable. The number of dead bodies recovered so far is 8 but our local divers are still working on recovering more bodies from the accident, Mr Goje told PREMIUM TIMES. There are also eight people that are injured and are on admission at General Hospital at Dapchi. I must tell you that all of them are stable. We would have moved them to the Teaching Hospital in Damaturu but because of the difficult situation it is very difficult, so it is better they are stabilized at the nearest hospital, he said. He said the accident occurred because the boats were overcrowded. PREMIUM TIMES findings show that flood had washed off the road leading to the village. The villagers turned to water transportation, using locally fabricated canoes and boats. Dozens of villagers were on the two boats going to the market when the boats capsized. A statement on the official Facebook page of YOSEMA disclosed that the relief agency, following the directives of Governor Mai Buni, commenced rescue operations. It also sought alternative ways to access the trapped communities with relief items. Governor Buni, who earlier expressed sadness at the incident, is expected to visit the community on Sunday to assess the impact of the flood and commiserate with victims. The governor through his spokesman Mammam Mohammed Saturday commiserated with the people over the boat mishap. The statement said the governor was saddened by the incident. Boat transportation is poorly regulated in Yobe and many other states in Nigeria. The boats seldom have safety equipment such as lifejackets. Read the full statement by the Yobe agency below. Following the unfortunate devastating incidents of Boat Mishaps that resulted in loss of lives and other victims sustaining injuries. As directed by His Excellency the Executive Governor of Yobe State Hon Mai Mala Buni, YOSEMA activated its search and rescue operation using local divers and available resources to recover those suspected to be missing. While we sincerely Commiserate with affected families and wish injured victims speedy recovery, YOSEMA calls on the general public to exercise caution and avoid desperate flying of the route. YOBE State government in collaboration with security agencies and relevant stakeholders are working to provide improvised alternative safe routes for affected communities to have safe travel and access among adjoining villages. Communities trapped will be provided with essential live-saving support accordingly, the statement reads. Entrepreneur and founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Atedo Peterside, dropped a bombshell on Thursday morning when his ANAP Foundation released the result of an opinion poll conducted for it by NOI Polls on the forthcoming presidential election. The poll shows Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) holding a significant eight per cent lead over Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) trailed them in the fourth position. ANAP Foundation has been conducting such polls since 2011 through NOI Polls. Mr Peterside said the latest was conducted in early September and asked respondents the same question: Suppose the presidential election is being conducted today, who are you likely to vote for. Who are you likely to vote for? According to a statement he personally signed: The results showed a significant lead for Mr. Peter Obi with 21 per cent of voters proposing to vote for him if the presidential election were to be conducted today, and 13 per cent each proposing to vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who are both tied in second place. Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso was a distant fourth with three per cent of voters proposing to vote for him. However, the statement said only just over a half of the respondents said they had made up their minds on whom to vote for on 25 February, next year. Undecided voters and those who prefer not to reveal their preferred candidate add up to a whopping 32% and 15% respectively. While these Poll results show some significant trends, it is key to note that the battle ahead lies in the hands of the undecided/swing voters, as it appears they would ultimately decide which candidate takes the lead to emerge as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 2023 presidential elections. In summary, our September 2022 Polls are inconclusive in terms of establishing a clear winner, as the undecided voters are large enough to turn the tables. However, ANAP Foundation has concluded that the trends are clear enough to establish the front runners and so our subsequent polls will concentrate on the four leading candidates only. Derision The poll was greeted mostly with derision from the camps of the three candidates said to be trailing Mr Obi. Speaking on the Politics Today programme of Channels Television, on Thursday, the spokesperson of the NNPP presidential campaign council, Abdulmumin Jibrin, said the poll should be ignored. Let me say this, NOI Polls clearly projected that Jonathan would win the 2015 election but he lost. There is no work that they have done, where you can say that the projections are right or anything. It is absolutely false and is not a representation of the reality on the ground, particularly if you are talking about the northern part. In his reaction, the PDP campaign spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, also dismissed the poll. He added that he would throw a party if Mr Obi wins as many as three states in his home South-east zone in the election. Mr Bwala noted that the poll did not provide the size of the participants, methodology and margin of error, all of which are basics in the conduct of opinion polls. Speaking in the same vein, the spokesperson of the APC presidential campaign council, Bayo Onanuga, said the poll was concocted and meant for the trash can. If you look at it, the reason why you have to dismiss this is this, the NOI poll gives our candidates 18 per cent 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. NOI Polls NOI Polls have been conducting opinion polls for ANAP Foundation, at least since before the 2015 presidential election. Contrary to the claim by Mr Jibrin of the NNPP, the polls did not project the then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan to win that years election. In a statement issued on 16 February 2015 to announce the results of the polls, ANAP Foundation said the figures put General Muhammadu Buhari in a slight lead (32 per cent) over President Goodluck Jonathan (30 per cent); indicating a 2 percentage points lead. However, the poll for the 2019 presidential election, released by the foundation on 14 February, also said Mr Buhari was leading his main opposition candidate, Atiku, but declared that the election was too close to call. President Buhari went ahead to beat Atiku with almost four million votes, winning in 19 states. NOI had correctly projected victory for President Jonathan in 2011. Most active candidate There are factors that tend to buttress its latest poll. One is that Mr Obi has been the most active so far among the major candidates in direct electioneering, bar perhaps Mr Kwankaso. Both of them are virtually running as independents and are not distracted by internal politics in their parties, unlike their two major rivals. Mr Obi in particular has no vanquished opponents in the LP to placate, no members aggrieved by party primaries to reconcile and no party leaders to consult or brief over his plans. Instead, he has concentrated his efforts on overt public relations, meeting with former presidents, diplomats, Nigerians abroad and even aggrieved members of his opponents parties. He has also been attending church programmes, popping up at airports dragging his luggage and appearing on television for interviews. Mr Obi has clearly been the most visible of the candidates, egged on by the hype and cheers of his supporters. While he is at all that, his supporters, who are largely self-driven, have been busy testing their own booths on the ground. Even though INEC has not blown the whistle on the campaigns, they have been holding so-called million-man marches in state capitals and cities in many parts of Nigeria. Such efforts have put them into collision with the authorities in some states, most recently in Delta and Ebonyi. In Lagos, a group is in court trying to stop them from holding a rally on October 1, to mark the EndSARS protest that had ended on a bloody note in that city in 2020. Whether they held their rallies or were thwarted, they made much noise about it anyway. Over the weeks, the LP candidate and his supporters appeared to have the field all to themselves. Social media bullies His supporters have also bullied their rivals almost into silence on social media, in particular on Twitter. These netizens include the Nigerian Diaspora, who might have voted in the NOI Poll for their idol. It should be noted that the poll did not disclose the methodology used, and whether it ensured that the respondents are all residents in Nigeria since they cannot vote next year from elsewhere. Mr Bwala pointed this out in challenging the credibility of the poll. I know they said it was 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 cards 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. Given the domination of Mr Obis supporters on social media, it is likely that he would win every online poll regardless. Another conducted by the Daily Trust newspaper last week also showed him leading with 71 per cent of the votes. Counterintuitive Yet, to take the poll as reflective of how the candidates stand with voters is counterintuitive. Relying on the composition of the fields for this electoral race, some observers see the election to be similar to the first-ever presidential election in Nigeria. A former Minister of Aviation and member of the PDP, Osita Chidoka, articulated that view during the week on Arise Television. The 1999 election was Nigerias first attempt to restore democracy after the bloody military coup of January 1966 had sacked the First Republic. The five candidates in that poll were prime actors in the previous civilian dispensation who tended to represent where they came from. Each drew heavy support from his home zone, but the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) eventually prevailed because it managed to spread across the country and won three key minority states (Rivers, Cross River and Benue, which then also consisted todays Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and half of Kogi states respectively). Each of the current four leading candidates has been projected to lock down his own section of the country too, as President Buhari is supposed to have reawakened our ethnic and other divisions. This has further led to the postulation that next year may produce Nigerias first ever presidential run-off election, with none of the candidates able to meet the requirement of a quarter of the votes in two-thirds of the states. The NOI poll also mentioned that possibility. Given that observation of similarity between 1979 and 2023, the geographical map of Mr Obis support that we see in the NOI poll, however, rubbishes that projection. With 68 per cent of likely voters in the South East, he alone appears as a colossus in his own home state. Contrast that with Mr Tinubu drawing only 18 per cent in his home South West, Atiku 28 per cent in the North East and Mr Kwankwaso nine per cent in his supposed North West redoubt. The notion of Mr Obi being so popular in his section of the country while other opponents drew only lukewarm support in their own parts is made more curious by the respective electoral histories of the candidates. Their antecedents suggest Mr Obi is the least loved and influential among his people. While Messrs Tinubu, Atiku and Kwankwaso all won the governorship elections in their states handsomely at the first try, Mr Obis came through the court three years after the poll. Atiku did not use his governorship mandate in 1999, having been nominated as a running mate to Olusegun Obasanjo and serving as vice president for eight years. Mr Kwankwaso also lost his first reelection bid in 2003. But like Atiku and Mr Tinubu, the NNPP candidate has since become a political force at least in his home state, helping many candidates into office after their tenures. Mr Obi does not have that profile. He never had a majority of his party members in the Anambra State House of Assembly throughout his years as governor. And since he left APGA after a dispute with his successor that he helped install, he is not known to have helped many candidates to election in the state. Certainly, not any governor. His stay in the PDP didnt help the party reclaim the governorship seat from APGA or help it elect the senator for his district. It is also known that Mr Obi stormed out of the PDP largely because of the hostility to him by leaders of his party in his home zone. The South-east is the only zone being governed by three different parties, none of the governors beholden or even sympathetic to Mr Obi. Of course, the desire of the zone to produce the next president will naturally galvanise support there behind Mr Obi. The South-east is the only southern zone yet to produce the president in the Republic and the Igbo are the only leg of the nations major ethnic tripod yet to produce an elected president. The people feel betrayed by the two major parties, especially the PDP which they have voted in presidential polls since 1999, for refusing to cede their tickets to the zone. They will naturally back Mr Obi, especially as he seems to be making waves also outside the region. So the idea of his popularity in the South East is not far-fetched. However, if the poll correctly reflects his popularity in the zone, it leads us to another grey zone. Candidates who are adored in their own homes usually earn distrust outside it. Ask Obafemi Awolowo of the Second Republic Unity Party of Nigeria and President Buhari of the ANPP and CPC. They were reviled or feared outside for the same reasons that they were trusted and lionized in their own parts of the country. But in Mr Obis case, the poll suggests that he is also well-loved outside his own section of the country, almost as much as his opponents in their home zones. that seems like a political oxymoron, given the examples cited above. He is running almost neck and neck with Mr Tinubu (12 to 18 per cent) in the South-west, with Kwankwaso (eight to nine per cent) in the North-west and sharing the lead with Mr Tinubu in the North-central. Mr Obi also has a commanding lead in the South-south, 46 per cent to his closest rivals (Atiku) six per cent. The zone has never voted for an Igbo candidate in the presidential election before. In fact, until the PDP brought them together under its umbrella in this Republic, the two areas supported different parties. In the Third Republic (1991-93), the areas were split between the two official parties. Mr Obi will bring about a watershed next year if he records the feat this poll is suggesting that he may. More so, to do so with a party that has no roots or structure. From personalities to parties Since the presidential election of 1979, the Nigerian electorate has been moving from voting personalities to voting political parties. The 1983 election, although widely discredited, saw the NPN encroaching the home fortresses of Mr Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe. After the fall of the Second Republic, requirements have been inserted in the constitution to ensure that parties have a national spread. But for the need to avoid further trouble with the South West mainstream political group, only the PDP and APP would have been registered for the 1999 General Election, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) having failed to demonstrate national spread in the threshold elections that were used as an entrance examination for party registration. Since then, only President Buhari had shown the capacity to run in presidential elections on the steam of his own personal popularity, but his bid on the strength of the CPC which he quickly cobbled together in 2011 was not remarkable. In 2007, Atiku ran on the ticket of the Action Congress, a small party that he joined after being excommunicated by the PDP. The party relied on his popularity but his returns were dismal. He had since bidded for the PDP ticket, and when he secured it in 2019, his performance was spectacularly different from that of 12 years earlier. Virtual independent candidate That is the main reason many observers remain unenthusiastic about Mr Obis chances. As a virtual independent candidate, he has put himself up against the structures of the established political parties. There has been no notable experienced politician who has defected to the LP since he took its ticket, which may indicate that the big actors have not yet seen the tide turning in his direction. More importantly, his opponents have the apparatuses of government in their control and will deploy these viciously in protecting their territories, even in the South-east. Mr Obi is the only known candidate of the LP. In many states, voters do not know the partys governorship and other candidates. In such states, the contest for these offices remains between the candidates of the APC and PDP whom they have probably known across seasons. In how many parts of Nigeria have voters voted for different parties for different offices, especially in elections that hold the same day? The poll also gave the North-west to Atiku. The only reason one can see for that is because Mr Buhari is not on the ballot, which would tease some of his voters to look elsewhere. He clearly does not have Mr Buharis charisma in that region. Will those who will look at Mr Buharis rival of so many years be substantial enough to hand him the vote-rich zone? But this candidate himself knows what it means to stand against the candidate of a party that controls six of the seven governments in the state. The governors and lawmakers and their candidates. Youth anger Mr Obi is being projected by his supporters as the candidate of the youth, with a view to helping him reap from the disaffection and anger of this demographic group against a system that has turned many of their dreams into nightmares. The state of the economy and widespread insecurity will turn many voters against the establishment parties, especially the one running the central government. As a former head of OSIWA in Nigeria, Jude Ilo, observed following a PREMIUM TIMES analysis in this series, the #endsars has shown the power of youth restiveness and anger and one cannot do a proper analysis of the electoral landscape without factoring in the unpredictability of that demographic and in this instance, their desire to go against the mainstream parties. Community rigging The new features of the electoral system, especially those introduced by the 2022 Electoral Act, have given more eligible voters confidence in the integrity of polls. According to various recent researches, many Nigerians now think more than ever before that their votes will count. However, Mr Ilo also warned about what he called community rigging. The voting pattern in the country must factor in community rigging which is rampant across the country. In states where particular parties have always won elections, it is about rigging, not voting, because they control the communities. We may need to acknowledge that given the way INEC is setting up, community rigging may be a challenge and that can distort voting patterns. Watershed poll This election will shed a lot of light on other novel factors, especially the influence of social media on political mobilisation. Mr Obis performance on 25 February may guide us in understanding politics and elections in the information age where messages are easier to pass across but realities are also easier to distort. At this point, it is safe to say no matter how well you keep up with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its leaders and all the drama within, you cannot predict what happens in the next event or episode. Last time was the raging call for the resignation of the partys National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, and for a candidate from the South to replace him. Nigerians were, however, hit with a plot twist where Walid Jibrin resigned his position as the chairman of the partys Board of Trustees (BoT). He cited his desire for peace in the party and his commitment to the victory of the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as his reasons for resigning. We all want to make Atiku Abubakar become the president by all means, and that is why I sincerely decided to step down from the BoT, he announced at the BoT meeting on September 8. I discussed this with the candidate and he agreed with me. I am sure if the party wins, I will be given a bigger position. He was immediately replaced by a former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, from Abia State, who would serve in an acting capacity. Many, particularly in the Atiku camp, believed that Mr Jibrins resignation and Mr Wabaras appointment will bring the much-needed reconciliation and peace that the party needs especially since Mr Wabara is from the South East. The push for reconciliation in the party was borne out of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wikes anger at the party and some party members for breaching its constitution and betraying him during the presidential primary in May. Having lost the presidential ticket to Atiku and after Atiku failed to pick him as the vice-presidential candidate, Mr Wike would go on to threaten to work against the party in the 2023 general elections. Besides bragging about having control over the votes that come from his state during elections, the governor also claims to be influential in many other states outside the South-south region enough to garner an impressive number of votes from those states for any candidate he chooses to support. Mr Ayus resignation as the partys national chairman and a reshuffle of the National Working Committee (NWC), was part of Mr Wikes condition to Atiku to get his support. Well, Atiku and his camp would later tweak Mr Wikes request and deliver Mr Jibrin as the sacrificial lamb a sacrifice that was clearly not enough to appease the governor. The disrespect continues A shame, an insult and a few other words similar to these were Mr Wikes reaction to Mr Jibrins resignation. In his usual expeditious manner, to borrow the words of President Muhammadu Buhari in his letters to the Senate, Mr Wike would go on to lament how the PDP is unserious and unprepared for the 2023 polls and how the party comprises many enemies within and how he, again, fought for the survival of the party after it became an opposition. His call for Mr Ayus resignation, he said, is to correct the lopsidedness in the partys leadership structure. He has also described it as agitation for the inclusion of the South in the structure. Already, he has some southern governors like Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State supporting him. Until Mr Jibrins resignation, most top positions in the NWC were filled with officials from the North. Anyway, after his reaction, followers of the happenings in the party would expect one of two things to happen next that Atiku and the PDP will reconsider Mr Wikes demands and perhaps, try to reach a compromise or that the party would resist further humiliating or aggravating the governor. None of that happened. The party released the list of members of its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC). Among the 326-member list are the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal Mr Wikes foe who was named Director General of the Council and Mr Makinde, Mr Wikes ally, who was named the Councils Vice Chairman South. Mr Wike also made the list. He was named a member of the council. A whole Wike, member?! were the reactions of many Nigerians who saw the list. You would think that with his anger and threats and for failing to give in to his demands, the PDP would consider him for one of the top positions in the Council or so many thought. Different reactions have trailed the composition of the PCC and Mr Wikes appointment as a member. While many say all the regions were properly represented on the list, others are of the opinion that the Council headed by Mr Tambuwal, is unfair to the South. For Philip Aivoji, the PDP chairman, Lagos State, the South was properly represented on the Council, especially with the appointment of Governor Udom Emmanuel as chairman. Another argument would be that it is not entirely safe to entrust Mr Wike with a huge responsibility on the Council, especially since he still holds a grudge against Atiku the candidate he should be campaigning for. The partys failure to remove Mr Ayu as national chairman last week spelt do your worst for Mr Wike and his team. But with the PCC list and Mr Wikes appointment as a member, it appears the governor has been re-relegated. Wikes loud silence No, he has not been silent. In fact, he has been busy delivering speeches at events and signing bills and commissioning projects and, as usual, throwing jabs at whoever he places at the receiving end. He signed two impressive bills into law within the week one that seeks to allow women to partake in inheritance in Rivers State and another to ensure compulsory treatment of gunshot wounds. At another time, he blamed leaders who are not committed to fulfilling promises, for the lingering strike by university workers. Earlier in the week, his predecessor and former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, was the victim of Mr Wikes tantrums. He would go on to describe how much of a failed minister Mr Amaechi was and how he did nothing for Rivers State during this time. But how he has chosen to stay silent on his appointment as a member of the PCC still baffles many. Usually, it takes the governor at most four hours to respond to issues like this. Throwback to 8 September when Mr Jibrins resignation and Mr Wabaras appointments were announced, Mr Wike responded even before the National Executive Council meeting was over that day. And when Mr Ayu called some of his supporters children, he replied in less than 24 hours. It has been over 48 hours, yet no word from Mr Wike or his camp. His silence raises a lot of questions is he okay with the appointment? Will he now work with Mr Tambuwal as the campaigns start in a few days? Has there been an agreement that Nigerians are not aware of? Was he promised something bigger? And most importantly, why is he quiet? An unbothered Atiku Besides the opinion poll conducted by the NOI Polls, Atiku seems unbothered. The poll suggests a three-horse race between Atiku and the candidates of APC, Bola Tinubu and Labour Party, Peter Obi. The poll showed a significant lead for Mr Peter Obi with 21 per cent of voters proposing to vote for him if the presidential election were to be conducted today; and 13 per cent each proposing to vote for Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar who are both tied in second place. Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso (of the New Nigeria Peoples Party) was a distant fourth with 3 per cent of voters proposing to vote for him, a statement by ANAP foundation announcing the result of the poll shows. Atiku would later fly out to Dubai for a business trip and leave his spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, to dismiss the result of the poll which he described as hallucination and concocted trash. While Mr Wike maintains that he is fighting for the inclusion of the South in the partys leadership structure, many still believe he needs to calm down and not make decisions out of anger. As for Atiku and the PDP and Tambuwal next on the agenda are the campaigns. And for we the spectators, we now know better than to predict what happens next at the party. The Nigerian government has warned the public to desist from taking drugs without a prescription, saying self-medication poses a great danger to their health. Speaking during a walk to commemorate the 2022 World Patient Safety Day on Saturday, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said self-medication poses more danger to the human body than the ailment itself. Represented by the Director of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Adebimpe Adebiyi, he said the walk is to sensitise the entire populace to desist from the harmful act. It is not enough for you to have headache and grab paracetamol or panadol from the pharmacy. Although it is an out-of-the-counter medication, one still needs to know the underlying condition, he said. Mr Ehanire said the day is marked to sensitise the public, including healthcare professionals, to ensure they carry out best health practices. The walk was organised by the health ministry in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO). World Patient Safety Day World Patient Safety Day is celebrated on 17 September every year with a focus on medication without harm. The campaign which started in 2017 calls on stakeholders to prioritise and take early action in key areas associated with significant patient harm due to unsafe medication practices. These include high-risk situations, transitions of care, and concurrent use of multiple medications amongst others. Globally, one in 20 patients suffers avoidable medication harm and unsafe medication practices, the WHO said during a briefing to commemorate the day. The Director-General of WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said medication errors account for half of all avoidable harm in medical care. Mr Ghebreyesus said although medicines are powerful tools for protecting health, they can cause serious harm when wrongly prescribed, taken incorrectly, or are of poor quality. Patient safety Speaking during the walk, a community physician and patient safety consultant, Stephen Emoh, noted that the government is currently drafting a policy on patient safety for Nigeria. Mr Abah said patient safety is taking centre stage globally. We need to educate Nigerians on the danger inherent in this kind of practice. You need to know the drugs you are consuming, the consequences and empower patients families so that they can ask questions on the kind of medications they are given. He said todays walk is to raise awareness globally of the danger of self-medicating. Similarly, a patient safety ambassador, Ehi Eden, said medication safety has become a critical issue globally as it is one of the leading causes of death in healthcare. Mr Eden said about 50 per cent of deaths are from medication safety. He said such cases are underreported hence the need to create more advocacy, and awareness and engage stakeholders in possible ways to manage medication safety. He said many families have lost their loved ones through preventable ways caused by medication safety. He that has to live has no reason to die due to error caused by medication safety, he said. Twenty-four Nigerians have filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to give them and other seven million Nigerians adequate time and opportunity to complete their voter registration after they have carried out their registration online. The plaintiffs who are suing for themselves and on behalf of seven million other Nigerians want to complete the registration process, so that they can obtain their permanent voter cards (PVCs), and exercise their right to vote. INEC recently disclosed that out of 10,487,972 Nigerians who carried out their pre-registration online, only 3,444,378 completed the process at a physical centre. This represents just 32.8 percent of completed online registration. But in the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1662/2022 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the plaintiffs are seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to re-activate its continuous voters registration exercise to allow the Plaintiffs to complete their registration and collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs). The plaintiffs are also seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to provide adequate facilities and deploy personnel to the registration units of the Plaintiffs to enable them complete their registration and collect their PVCs. The plaintiffs are arguing that, We have completed the online registration exercise. Denying us the time and opportunity to complete the registration for our PVCs would impair our right to vote, and deny us a voice in the 2023 elections. The plaintiffs are also arguing that, The inability to complete our registration is entirely due to factors outside of our control. We are eligible Nigerians but unless we are given a reasonable time and opportunity to complete the registration process, and obtain our voter cards, we will not be able to vote in the 2023 general elections. The twenty-four Nigerians include: Adeeyo Bayo Wasiu; Kunat Tychius Amos; Tagbo Philips Chidubem; Emeghe Uchanma Grace; Ayoola Opeyemi Ebenezer; Eche Onah Otakpa; Olatoye Clement Damilola; and Ogunejiofor Raphael Emeka. Others include: Adedotun Adegoke Babatunde; Emmanuel Promise Tochukwu; Emmanuel Ternajev; Joy Oluwadamilola Ige; Lawerence Ignatius; Agbede Kunle; Eze Daniel Ndubisi; and Nkemdilim Agbor Bassey. Others are: Omoike Iredia Oseine; Joshua Patrick Ogenekaro; Wisdom Emeka; Ukpe Victor Destiny; Abayomi Opeoluwa; Ndubuisi Anthony Ahanihu; Akande Akintunde O; and Adamma Rhodes. The suit filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by lawyers to Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Kolawole Oluwadare and Adelanke Aremo, read in part: Closing the gates on eligible Nigerians cannot preserve trust in the electoral process. According to reports, the inability of Nigerians to complete their voters registration exercise or even transfer their permanent voters card, affected wide spectrums of persons, hence this class action by the identified plaintiffs on behalf of other affected Nigerians. There were reports of incidence of bribery, unethical conducts of INEC staff, registration process marred by irregularities, insufficient machines, malfunctioning of machines, insufficient staff and unskilled staff, before the defendant ended the Continuous Voters Registration Exercise on the 31st July, 2022. The right to vote is not merely the right to cast a ballot but also the right to be given the time and opportunity to complete the registration process, so that the right can be meaningfully and effectively exercised. Any proffered justifications of saving time and cost are therefore wholly insufficient. Administrative convenience is simply not a compelling justification in light of the fundamental nature of the right to vote. This severe vote deprivation cannot be justified by any perceived considerations of saving time, especially because Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that the registration of voters, updating and revision of the Register of Voters shall not stop not later than 90 days before any election covered by this Act. Providing fresh opportunity for the Plaintiffs and seven million other Nigerians to complete their registration would promote and preserve the right to vote, and ensure that legal and eligible voters are not inadvertently and unjustifiably turned away from exercising their fundamental right to vote. The Plaintiffs are Nigerians who commenced the voters registration exercises in their respective states via successful online enrolment at the respective dates but could not complete the registration process, and obtain their voters cards. The plaintiffs also include those who are interested in transferring their permanent voters cards to another location so that they can vote. The Plaintiffs and other eligible Nigerians have the rights to equal treatment before the law, equal protection, non-discrimination and equal opportunities to participate in the government of Nigeria. By refusing the Plaintiffs and seven million other Nigerians the opportunity to complete the registration for their PVCs, INEC have unfairly, unreasonably, and unjustifiably denied them the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner as to the reasons for not completing their registration. The Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) provides in Section 14(1)(c) that, the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. Similarly, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance guarantee the right to political participation, including the right to vote. The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), recently disclosed that over seven million Nigerians who carried out their voter pre-registration online could not complete the process at physical centres. According to a report released by INEC, out of 10,487,972 Nigerians who carried out their pre-registration online, only 3,444,378 Nigerians representing 32.8 percent, completed the process at a physical centre. 7,043,594 Nigerians carried out their pre-registration but are yet to complete the process at a physical centre. This represents over 67 percent of those who began their registration process online. According to INEC, a total of 12,298,944 Nigerians completed their voter registration; 8,854,566 of which were persons who did their registration entirely at a physical centre. The Plaintiffs and seven million other Nigerians have already completed their registration online, that is, via INEC online portal by providing their biodata and required documents. According to INEC, the process that is outstanding for the applicants to complete the registration for their PVCs is to visit INEC designated centres for their biometric to be captured. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit. Kolawole Oluwadare SERAP Deputy Director New Delhi, Sep 18 (UNI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will on Sunday embark on a three day visit to Egypt to hold bilateral talks with his Egyptian counterpart General Mohamed Zaki. "Tomorrow, 18th September, I would be in Cairo, on a 3 day visit to Egypt. Looking forward to holding discussions with my counterpart, General Mohamed Ahmed Zaki to further strengthen defence cooperation between both the countries," Singh said in a tweet on Saturday. The two Ministers will review the bilateral defence ties, explore new initiatives to intensify military-to-military engagements and focus on deepening cooperation between the defence industries of the two countries, the Defence Ministry said. An MoU to provide further impetus to enhanced defence cooperation between India and Egypt will also be signed. The Minister will also call on President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The visit by the Defence Minister aims to further consolidate defence cooperation and the special friendship between India and Egypt. UNI ASU PRT The APC in Lagos State has condemned the visit by Olajide Adediran (Jandor) and Funke Akindele to the people whose vehicles were auctioned by the Lagos State government. Seye Oladejo, the APC spokesperson in the state, in a statement on Sunday, described the visit as appalling. He said by the visit, the duo, who are the guber candidate and running mate of the PDP, have graduated from playing politics with human lives to blatantly encouraging the break down of law and order in our dear state. The move of Jandor amounts to turning compassion and charity on its head, the statement read. It was pathetic that he simply interpreted the loss of his hosts to having their means of livelihood taken away from them when in actual fact, people have lost their lives to accidents as a result of driving against traffic. Mr Adediran and his running mate visited some of the victims over the weekend, including one who lost his daughter while serving a three months sentence for a traffic offence. After serving the sentence, the government auctioned his vehicle. The PDP candidate said the purpose of government is to seek citizens welfare. That is not to say that if you go on the wrong side of the law, you wont be penalised for it. But we are standing against is that we dont want a penalty that will take peoples means of livelihood away from them. The Lagos State government last Thursday auctioned 134 vehicles impounded for violating the states traffic law. Read Lagos APCs statement below: JANDORS DESPERATION IS APPALLING. Our attention has been drawn to the recent characteristic charade of the PDP governorship candidate in Lagos state, Jide Adediran. Its saddening that Jandor and his deputy, Funke Akindele, have graduated from playing politics with human lives to blatantly encouraging the break down of law and order in our dear state. The visit to citizens who paid the price for violating state traffic laws, compensating , inducing and encouraging them is an act thats totally unacceptable in any decent society. The move of Jandor amounts to turning compassion and charity on its head. It was pathetic that he simply interpreted the loss of his hosts to having their means of livelihood taken away from them when in actual fact, people have lost their lives to accidents as a result of driving against traffic. However, we are not surprised by the promotion of lawlessness by the opposition party as it remains consistent with their desperation as we count down to the next elections. Their role in the spread of Covid with the promotion and sponsorship of needless mass gatherings- ENDSARS- during pandemic and the social events hosted by his deputy, Funke Akindele are pointers to the lawlessness of the duo and their party. We expect Funke to be eternally grateful to the state governor for receiving less than a slap on her wrist for a life threatening crime against the state. Theres no doubt that good governance can only thrive where law and order prevail. We recommend the recent honest admission of the former national deputy chairman of PDP, Chief Bode George, that the opposition party has no hope of winning elections in the South West to the political neophytes so that they can put their desperation in check. They may wish to note that Lagosians are not fooled by their constantly playing to the gallery because they have nothing to offer. Our government has the political will and duty to uphold the state laws at all times without succumbing to needless blackmail in the name of irresponsible politicking. Seye Oladejo Lagos State APC Spokesman. 18/09/2022. The House of Representatives will resume plenary on September 20 at the temporary chamber. This is contained in a statement by Yahaya Danzaria, the clerk of the House, on Sunday in Abuja. Mr Danzaria said due to the ongoing renovation in the old chamber, members are expected to resume plenary at the new improvised chamber in the new building with a capacity of 118 seats only. He said the new chamber has been expanded by an upper deck provision with a capacity of 236 seats, adding that rooms had been connected audio-visually and electronically with large screens. He, however, said there were no designated seats apart from the allocation for presiding and principal officers, noting that all other sitting arrangements would be based on arrivals. It is equally important to note that because this is a temporary improvised arrangement no provisions are made for legislative aides due to want of space. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the House on July 20 proceeded on a two-month annual recess ahead of its last lap of the 9th assembly. The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, on 14 September called for the speedy completion of the ongoing renovation of the National Assembly complex ahead of the August 2023 delivery deadline. Mr Gbajabiamila had inspected key aspects of the work, particularly the House of Representatives Chamber, the dome and the foyer of the complex. (NAN) The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has invited three former service chiefs to campaign for its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar. Ishaya Bamaiyi, Kenneth Minimah and Martin Luther Agwai, all retired lieutenant generals and former chiefs of army staff, were named as members of the partys Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), which has the mandate to organise the campaign. Membership of the much-awaited council was announced on Thursday by the PDP National Organising Secretary, Bature Umar, in Abuja. While the PCC is chaired by Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State with Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as his deputy in the north and south, respectively, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State was named the director general of the campaign. Mr Tambuwal is to be assisted by five deputies who will man strategic areas. According to the timetable and schedule of activities set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), campaigns will commence on 28 September. The army generals Mr Bamaiyi was army chief from 1996 to 1999 under the administrations of late Head of State, Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar. An indigene of Zuru in Kebbi State, the 72-year-old former military officer was in office when Nigeria transitioned from military to democratic rule. Mr Bamaiyi was detained and subsequently charged alongside others for the attempted murder of the Guardian newspaper publisher, Alex Ibru, by the Lagos State Government, but was discharged and acquitted in 2008. Although he is a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, it is not clear when the former army chief joined the party. He has been participating in the activities of the party, particularly in his north-west zone. READ ALSO: In October last year, he was linked with the alleged funding of a parallel congress of the party held at Shagalinku Hotel, Birnin Kebbi, which produced Ibrahim Manzo as state chairman. In February, when Governor Aminu Tambuwal travelled to Kebbi as part of his consultations for his presidential ambition, Mr Bamaiyi was among party members in the state who received and accorded him a rousing welcome. Mr Bamaiyis late younger brother, Danladi Bamaiyi, represented Kebbi South in the Senate between 1999 and 2003. Rivers State-born Kenneth Minimah, who is number 268 on the list of PCC members, served as army chief for one year 2014 and 2015 in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. PREMIUM TIMES could not establish the time he joined the PDP after his retirement. In 2016, the Presidential Committee on Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian armed forces had invited Mr Minimah and two of his predecessors, namely Abdulrahman Dambazzau and Azubike Ihejirika as well as over 290 serving and retired officers who worked with them over the procurement of arms, ammunition and equipment between 2007 and 2015. Last year, the 63-year-old retired officer was charged by the EFCC with fraud involving the alleged misappropriation of N13 billion meant for arms purchase. Mr Minimah was charged alongside an erstwhile Chief of Accounts and Budget of the Nigerian Army, A. O. Adetayo, a major-general, and a former Director, Finance and Accounts of the Nigerian Army, R. I. Odi, a brigadier-general, at the Federal Capital Territory High in Abuja. However, in May this year, he filed a suit against the EFCC over the criminal charges preferred against him by the commission. He was reported to have returned some money to the government though this could not be confirmed by this newspaper. Between 2003 and 2006, Mr Agwai served as chief of army staff and then chief of defence staff between 2006 and 2007. The Kaduna-born retired officer was hired from retirement by Mr Jonathan as the deputy head of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (Sure-P), a government intervention agency. He later became the head of the agency after the exit of Christopher Kolade, who was the chairman. He was, however, fired in March 2015for attending Mr Obasanjos birthday. He was said to have preached change while delivering a lecture at the event held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. At the time, change was the slogan of the opposition party, APC. It is not certain when Mr Agwai became a card-carrying member of the PDP. Meanwhile, it is speculated within the party that one of the three former service chiefs would head the security subcommittee of the campaign council. Going by the antecedents of the party, retired security chiefs head the security subcommittee of its conventions and campaign organisations. A former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, chaired the security subcommittee for the August 2013 PDP Special National Convention. Mr Okiro was at the time the chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC). Also, another former IGP, Solomon Arase headed the subcommittee during the partys convention in October 2021. Ex-servicemen in politics PREMIUM TIMES recently reported that though the influence of former military officers in the nations political process appears to be reducing as the nation heads towards its sixth general elections under the Fourth Republic, about five retired officers are seeking elective positions in the election. They are Sadique Abubakar, a former chief of air staff, who is the APC governorship candidate in Bauchi State and Aminu Bande, a retired major general, who is the PDP governorship flag bearer in Kebbi State. Hamza Al-Mustapha, a retired major and former chief security officer to the late Head of State, Sani Abacha, is flying the flag of the Action Alliance (AA) in the February presidential poll. Others are Kefas Agbu, a retired colonel and Samuel Abashe, a retired major. However, several former military personnel keep membership of some of the 18 registered political parties. Of the four presidents the country has had since 1999, two Mr Obasanjo and President Muhammadu Buhari are retired generals. Mufutau Lawal, the father of Kofoworola Babajide, the minority leader of the Osun State House of Assembly has regained his freedom after spending over a month in captivity. Mr Lawal was kidnapped on 5th August at his residence in Ede shortly after some arsonists suspected to be hoodlums set his apartment ablaze. The kidnappers, who were on a motorcycle, parked in front of Mr Lawals house, forced him onto the motorcycle and took him away. The lawmakers father told journalists on Sunday that his abductors took him to a shrine along Ilesa road for ritual purposes. We got to a place, there is a house there and I was asked to go inside. I met an old man with a boy, the man is a herbalist, and he welcomed me. Those who carried me to the place left. I saw the herbalist as he consulted the oracle, Mr Lawal said. After many incantations, the herbalist asked me if we have any deity in our family and I told him no, that we dont have any deity but my wifes family has a deity they worship. Later, I noticed that he was calling those who brought me to him to come and carry me, saying that I cannot be used, he added. Mr Lawal said he was left at the shrine for many days before his abductors took him to Lokoja, Kogi State. Those who brought me did not answer and I was there for many weeks before they came six days ago around 3 a.m. to carry me. As we were going in the middle of the night, I noticed that a car was coming behind us and not quite long, the motorcycle that they used to carry me stopped and I was asked to enter the car. It was the car that carried me to Lokoja in the morning, he said Mr Lawal said on getting to Lokoja, he was asked to contact the nearest police station. It was there in the station that they contacted some people in Osun to get my sons phone number. They called him to inform him that I came to explain how I got to Lokoja. It was my son who arranged how I got back to Osun, Mr Lawal said. Yemisi Opalola, the police spokesperson, confirmed that Mr Lawal has been freed. We rescued him from the kidnappers without the payment of ransom. He was brought by the police from Kogi State and we called his son to say that his father has been rescued, Mrs Opalola said. Mrs Opalola said the police had reunited the lawmakers father with his family. He has been reunited with his family members, the police spokesperson added. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday, at the Lancaster House, London, signed the condolence register for Queen Elizabeth II. Laolu Akande, senior special assistant to the Mr Osinbajo on Media and Publicity disclosed this in a statement. The vice president, in his message, described the late Queen Elizabeth II as a monarch for all seasons who brought people together from all over the world. Nigeria joins the government and people of the UK, the Commonwealth and the rest of the world in expressing our sincere condolence to the royal family on the passing of a monarch for all seasons. May the Lord bless her memory, he said. The vice president also joined other world leaders to pay their last respects to the late British monarch at the Queens lying-in-state at different times on Sunday. World leaders who visited the Westminster Hall to witness the lying in state alongside Mr Osinbajo included the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden, and French President, Emmanuel Macron, among other royals and Heads of State and Government. Later, Mr Osinbajo held a bilateral meeting with UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly. They discussed how to improve trade ties between both countries, especially expanding opportunities for Nigerian businesses and supporting the countrys climate objectives. The duo discussed the imperative of strengthening the international coalition to tackle insecurity in the Sahel and the horn of Africa region. Mr Cleverly welcomed Nigerias participation at the funeral programme for Queen Elizabeth ll. He expressed gratitude for Nigerias solidarity and friendship with the UK during the mourning of the monarch and also the celebration of the life and times of the late Queen. As of press time, King Charles III was hosting the vice president and other visiting world leaders at a reception at Buckingham Palace as part of activities for the State Funeral of the British monarch. On Monday, Mr Osinbajo will also attend the funeral service for the Queen at Westminster Abbey. (NAN) Movie title: The Woman King Release Date: 16 September 2022 Running time: 2 hours 14 minutes. Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Adrienne Warren, Jayme Lawson, Masali Baduza, Angelique Kidjo, Jimmy Odukoya, Thando Dlomo, Jordan Bolger, Zozibini Tunzi, Makgotso M, Siv Ngesi The devastating effects of the slave trade in Africa can still be felt today. It is evident in some of the existing slavery sites in todays West Africa, from Nigeria to The Gambia, Senegal and the Republic of Benin. The Badagry slave museum in Nigeria, to this day, still houses the relics of that era. The Woman King may just be another documentation of the slave era and the bravery of African female soldiers. Plot The Woman King is set in the West African kingdom of Dahomey, now known as the Republic of Benin, during the 1820s. It tells the story of the Agojie, an all-female group of warriors who protect the kingdom. They are fierce, vowed to a life of celibacy, and no man is allowed into their training ground. The opening sets the tone for whats to come when the Agojie liberates prisoners from the Oyo army. In that era, the ninth ruler of Dahomey, the new King Ghezo, tries to see things from a different perspective. His kingdom has a tributary pact with the mighty Oyo Empire. Included in the contract is the use of the Ouidah Port as a slave route. As the king puts it, the slave trade is the reason we prosper, but at what price? The kingdom is torn between paying the tribute, which comes with a heavy trade tax, or not paying, which is a declaration of war. To raise an army strong enough to dare the Oyo army, the leader of the Agojie, General Nanisca, is tasked with training a new generation of warriors to fight against an enemy. Nawi, a 19 years old girl, refuses to bow to culture by being a child bride. So her father gives her off to the Agojie. She is taken to the palace of women, where no men are allowed. Her presence in the army changes the course of events in the war that is to come. Review Not many historical movies look into the pre and colonial era exploits of the black race in a positive light. Films like Roots, Amistad, The Birth of a Nation and, more recently, The Underground Railroad all tell of that dark era with an undertone of a conquest of the black race. The Woman King mirrors this notion. The movie is one rare opportunity that sheds light on the collaboration of Africans in one of perhaps the darkest tragedies of humanity: the slave trade. King Ghezo sought to end slavery and replace it with the palm oil trade. He was told explicitly by members of his court, no one fears a ruler of peasants. Proper documentation It also cleverly highlights the existing civilisation at the time. The fact that the Europeans, the Portuguese and other slave dealers met well laid out cities and the current system of governance and, of course, an almost impregnable army on arrival at the African shores is rarely discussed. As King Ghezo tells the Portuguese who came to do business, I wish for my people to prosper as those of your land do We are under no illusion that you see us as a commodity. Another plus for the movie is the use of the authentic Nigerian, or rather, African accent. Casting The choice of Viola Davis as General Nanisca might make the viewer almost tempted to believe that she is of African descent. It is not surprising, though, as she has earned veteran status in Hollywood. Other cast members like Thuso Mbedu (South Africa) and Sheila Atim (Uganda) provided a balance that seems lacking in movies of that nature. However, for the Nigerian audience, John Boyega and Jimmy Odukoya were the icing on the cake. While Boyega plays the king, Odukoya plays Oba, the leader of the Oyo army. Both roles were pivotal to the films direction, and their delivery sold its different themes. An example would be the intense exchange both characters had at the marketplace over loyalty to the Oyo empire. Sub-themes Mainly, Hollywood films that depict Africans and their culture adopt a tortured accent. The fictional Black Panther quickly comes to mind. The movie also subtly touches on sub-themes like the existing patriarchy-fueled child marriage. In The Woman King, Nawi is that heady child who has no respect for established authority until she realises that General Nanisca is her mother, who gave her up for adoption many years back. Background The Woman King is based on the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey. They existed from the 1600s until 1904 and were from the Fon ethnic group. Dahomey in West Africa was one of the thriving kingdoms of the 17th century. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a significant regional power with an organised domestic economy built on conquest and slave labour. In the 19th century, the kingdom ended its tributary status to the Oyo Empire. It became independent in 1960 after over half a century of French rule. In 1975 it was renamed the Peoples Republic of Benin, and in 1990, it became the Republic of Benin. During her training, she pulls a prank showing that gunpowder doesnt need a gun to ignite. It only requires a spark. As the other tribes gather around the Plateau surrounding Dahomey, that revelation leads the Agojie to take the fight to them, ending the hold of the Oyo Empire over Dahomey. NDLEA says its operatives impounded a Peugeot J5 vehicle loaded with 18 pieces of pump action rifles and 1,300 cartridges in Kogi on Saturday. The vehicle took off from Onitsha in Anambra and was heading to Zaria in Kaduna State when it was intercepted on the Okene-Abuja Highway. NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi stated on Sunday in Abuja that two suspects found in the vehicle, Chukwudi Aronu, 51, and Shuaibu Gambo, 23, were arrested. He added that also on Saturday, one Anthony Agada, 37, conveying 1,000 ammunition cartridges to Abuja from Onitsha was nabbed in a bus. He stated also that 1,404 bottles of codeine syrup and 2,040 ampoules of pentazocine injection were seized from another vehicle which also took off from Onitsha and was heading to Sokoto. READ ALSO: Mr Babafemi added that the arranged receiver of the drugs, Stanley Raymond, 39, was arrested in Sokoto, while the sender, Shadrack Ifediora, 46, was simultaneously arrested in Onitsha. Meanwhile, in Kaduna State, a drug dealer, Mohammed Dalhatu aka Dawa, was arrested at Sabon Gari, Zaria with eight bags of Indian hemp weighing 67kg. Another suspect, Maikudi Hassan, was arrested at Gubuci village in Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State also with five bags of Indian hemp weighing 54.2kg. On Thursday, Sept. 15, operatives also arrested Mary Ugwu and Hawwa Idi, at Anchau town in Kubau Local Government Area of Kaduna State with 721 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 37,000 tablets of Exol-5 and nine ampoules of diazepam injection as well as 6.8kg of rubber solution. In Edo, NDLEA recovered 285kg of Indian hemp in two raids at Okpuje, Owan West Local Government Area, on Friday, Sept. 16. In Lagos, 972.5kg of Indian hemp was recovered from an electronics shop at Alaba Market and one of the suspects, Mrs Ebere Aja, 38, was arrested. Not less than 335.1kg of Indian hemp was also seized in a raid at Kwanar Kundum area of Bauchi town, where two suspects, Usman Garba and Najib Ibrahim, were arrested, Babafemi stated. Mr Babafemi quoted NDLEA Chairperson, Buba Marwa, as directing that the arms and ammunition impounded in Kogi be handed over to the police for further investigation. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng) About 40 Civil Society organisations (CSOs) from the 15 West African countries have launched the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) to address democratic backsliding and collapse as well as strengthen democracy in the sub-region. This held at a two-day event, between Thursday and Friday, in Accra, Ghana. It coincided with this years edition of the United Nations (UN) International Day of Democracy which holds annually on 15 September. The event brought together officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Ghanaian government, diplomatic corps and members who came together from Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region to form WADEMOS. Speakers took turns to condemn the recent democratic collapse and backsliding in some West African countries and called for joint efforts to restore the reputation that West Africa earned leading the third wave of democratisation in Africa in the 1990s. They applauded the emergence of WADEMOS as timely in complementing the efforts of ECOWAS and other pro-democracy actors to arrest the decline and collapse of democracy in the region. Since 2020, there have been successful coups in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, and failed attempts in Niger and Guinea Bissau. Also in many West African countries, some leaders muzzle opposition, stifle the multi-party system and wantonly tinker with their national constitutions to cling on to power. Democracy in distress At the launching of WADEMOS on Thursday, the Executive Director, Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana, Kwasi Prempeh, said, Even in countries that have not faced democratic collapse, the quality of democracy and governance leaves much to be desired. Mr Prempeh, a professor, and Project Director of WADEMOS, said winner-takes-all politics, imperial presidency and feeble countervailing institutions are still very much the norm in our sub-region. Democratic backsliding in West Africa represents a major setback for our region and its a source of grave concern for its people, Mr Prempeh said. READ ALSO: He recalled West Africas leadership roles in the so-called third wave of democratisation in Africa beginning with the Benin historic national conference in 1990. Continuing democratic decline with the risk of democratic breakdown in a few more countries will spell more disaster for the region. The future of West Africa, nearly 400 million people, is at stake, he said. In a similar vein, the Head of Regional Development Cooperation in Africa, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Ulla Andren, said, There is now growing evidence of democratic backsliding in the region. She pointed out that several countries had been affected by illegal means of power transfer, coup detat or illegal amendment of the national constitutions to extend the incumbents stay in office. Worrying coups, freedom under threat in Nigeria, four others On her part, Kamissa Camara, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali, who now serves as Senior Advisor for Africa to the United States Institute of Peace, said It is hard to believe what we are seeing recently. Despite its democratic gains, the ECOWAS region has suffered a major democratic decline. A significant number of heads of state are tampering with the constitutions to undermine a term limit within the countries and to retain power, Ms Camara said. She noted that Africa is obviously tormented by a spate of military coups, adding that since 2010 there have been over 40 military coups and attempted coups. She added that 20 out of this number, about 50 per cent of the total coups that happened in Africa occurred in West Africa and the Sahel region. Since 2019, there have been seven coups with five successful and two failed. She also cited the Freedom Houses newly released Freedom in the World report, which indicates that of the 12 worst performing countries with the largest year-on-year score declines around the world in 2019, five are in West Africa Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria. ECOWAS Protocols Ghanaian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Thomas Mbomba, observed that the constitutional breaches in different West African countries are against ECOWAS protocol on conflict prevention, management and resolution, peacekeeping and security among others. Similarly, Mr Prempeh noted that the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance sets standards and benchmarks to promote regional convention towards constitutional order. This West African legal instrument provides us with a useful rally point and framework for mobilisation to counter democratic backsliding and reinvigorating democratic processes and institutions across the region, he said. ECOWAS roles ECOWAS Resident Representative to Ghana, Baba Gana Wakil, identified steps the regional body had taken to address the alarming democratic backsliding witnessed since 2020. Principal among the steps, Mr Wakil said, is an ongoing effort to review the 2001 ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance with several new bold provisions. Among other measures, Mr Wakil said, ECOWAS had set up high-level mediators to interface with higher authorities of member countries faced with political crises Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. He also said the regional body had unfolded various regional Action Plans, including counter-terrorism action plans from 2020 to 2024 to address some of the stubborn drivers of insecurity in the sub-region. Given the complex situation we are faced with, Mr Wakil expressed hope that the formation of WADEMOS would mark the beginning of many more such interventions. Hope, solution Ms Camara cited a report by Afrobarometer which reveals that 76 per cent of West Africans still prefer democracy to any form of government despite the apparent popular support that military governments have received in the region recently. Democracy indeed has a chance of survival if the people see reasons to protect it, she said. She added that the focus should shift from waiting for breaches to happen before acting to taking more preventive measures. We now need to find a way to prevent unconstitutional means of change of government, she said, adding that the region should no longer wait for breaches to occur before taking steps. She applauded the formation of a transnational democracy network like WADEMOS as timely in helping to mobilise, to coordinate and to leverage the collective power of pro-democracy actors. Abdel Fatau, the Head of Political Affairs, Peace and Security of ECOWAS hailed WADEMOS for the community of knowledge it promises to bring in supporting democracy. WADEMOS WADEMOS is a non-partisan and independent civil society-led transnational democracy solidarity network. Funded by the Sweden International Development Cooperation, and the Open Society Foundation, WADEMOS which is located in 15 member states of ECOWAS, has its secretariat at CDD, Ghana office. On Thursday, Mr Prempeh, who heads the WADEMOS secretariat in Accra, noted that the network had adopted strategic priorities to cover the period 2022 to the end 2024. These include supporting frontline democracy defenders, activists, human rights campaigners and others that face repressive legislation and authoritarian attacks in their countries. Mr Pempreh also said the network would also focus on countries that have experienced recent democratic collapse. The Presidency says Nigeria, in collaboration with the Africa Business Roundtable, will be organising the second edition of the Nigeria International Economic Partnership Forum (NIEPF) in New York, United States. NIEPF is a global economic investment platform and is scheduled for 22 September on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly taking place in the American city. According to a statement by Garba Shehu, the Presidents spokesperson, the investment platform is being organised as part of continued efforts to further open up the countrys economy to international capital and attract foreign investment. Holding alongside the annual global gathering, the NIEPF is expected to draw the presence of world leaders in politics, economy, media as well as Civil Society organisations and international media to focus on the vast economic potentials of Nigeria and Africas leading economy, he said. Mr Shehu disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari would deliver the keynote address at the event. He said the president would also host a High-Level Presidential Session with fellow Presidents and Heads of delegations on Issues That Need Joint Action for African Countries on the Development Drive such as the Post COVID-19 recovery and financing priorities. It will also discuss Africas Investment Climate and Market as well as De-risking the Continent. According to him, NIEPF will bring together top Nigerian government functionaries as well as renowned and highly respected global public and private sector players rubbing their minds on Nigerias Economic Outlook. He said they would also focus on Nigeria in The Global Economy; and International Partnership for Nigeria on The Development Drive. READ ALSO: In view of the wide spectrum of personalities attending the forum, there will be cluster thematic sessions on: (i) Growing Nigerias Agriculture for Food Security & Access to Export Market with a special focus on the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War which presents opportunities for G7/G20-Nigeria Partnerships in Agriculture. (ii) Scaling Up International Resources for Financing Education in Africa with emphasis on Making facilities to Link Government, Deal Sponsors and International Pools of Capital in Education. (iii) Nigerias Oil and Gas Sector: Reforms, Results and the Road focusing on Scaling Up Investment into the Gas MarketPlants, Parks, Cylinders, Reinjection. Other issues slated for discussion include: Scaling Up International Resources for Healthcare in Africa bordering on: Upgrading and expanding Nigerias Healthcare Infrastructure towards making Nigeria the healthcare hub for Africa. Climate Change and Paths to Clean Environment with emphasis on Paths to Clean Economy, Clean Energy and Clean Development. Financing Nigerias Infrastructure with emphasis on Developing infrastructures such as Farm to the market corridor, Farm to ports corridor, Export transport corridor, Railway network, Road network upgrade and expansion, Airport upgrade, including dedicated airports for exports, Power generation, transmission and distribution. Speakers and panellists at the event include Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group; Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Satya Nadella, Chairman Business Council of the United States and Chief Executive Officer Microsoft Corp. Others are Antony Blinken, Secretary of State of the United States, Florie Liser, President of the Corporate Council on Africa, and Members of the Business Council of International Understanding and Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate; and Abdul-Samad Rabiu, Executive Chairman of BUA Group, Mr Rabiu is also the President of the France-Nigeria Business Council. Mark Zuckerberg, Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank and Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations will also speak at the event. (NAN) The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Bola Tinubu, has appointed Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State as the National Youth Co-ordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council. The appointment was conveyed in a letter addressed to Mr Bello and signed by Mr Tinubu. Mr Tinubu, in the letter dated 8 August stressed that Gov Bello who was an aspirant in the partys presidential primaries held in June, deserved the appointment owing to his impressive political achievements and the exemplary leadership he had demonstrated as governor of his state and as a party member. The former governor of Lagos State added that he was confident the Kogi governor would do his best in the new responsibility given him so that the party could run an effective, message-driven campaign, which would lead to victory in the 2023 presidential election. The letter, titled, Appointment as National Youth Coordinator for Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, read in part: By way of this letter, we are pleased to formally convey your appointment as National Youth Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council. READ ALSO: This appointment is fitting and appropriate, given your impressive political achievements and the exemplary leadership you have demonstrated as governor of your state and as a party member. We are grateful that you have joined our campaign team. We know you will do your utmost in this new responsibility so we conduct an effective, message-driven campaign leading us to victory in the 2023 presidential election. Together, not only can we ensure victory for our party in the February 2023 election but we shall also move Nigeria along the path of national greatness, Mr Tinubu said. This, he added, would be achieved by building on the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari -APC administration in providing progressive good governance to Nigerians. He congratulated Mr Bello and wished him Gods speed and guidance. Congratulations. Please, accept the assurances of our highest respect and regards always, Mr Tinubu added. Part members hail appointment Meanwhile, party members and analysts have described the appointment as a big boost for the campaign, considering the important place of youths in the 2023 elections and the impressive youth-targeted campaigns Mr Bello conducted before the primary election. It will be recalled that many youths and women across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, had, during the build-up to the APC presidential primary election, demonstrated their strong support for the Kogi governor, which they said was based on his youth- and women-friendly policies. Bello accepts appointment, thanks Tinubu In his acceptance letter, Mr Bello pledged to deploy all in his capacity, working alongside the presidential candidate, to ensure victory for the APC in the 2023 general elections. Tinubu is one great Nigerian , who not only exemplifies but abundantly demonstrates through transformational leadership and good governance, my own aspirations for a Nigeria that is secure, united and prosperous, he stated. (NAN) SUNDAY, Sept. 18, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When putting baby to bed, skip the cozy comforters, stuffed animals and pillows. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says bare is best just a sheet. And, it urges, always put baby down for a rest in products specifically designed for their sleep, including cribs, bassinets and play yards. What is comfortable for the way adults sleep, isnt safe for babies, said CPSC chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. Bare is best a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard, without blankets, pillows or other items. If you are worried about your baby getting cold, use warm pajamas not blankets. The warning dovetails with Baby Safety Month (September). Most infant deaths related to nursery products happen in a cluttered sleep space, according to the CPSC. Between 2016 and 2018, 87 infant deaths nationwide were associated with cribs, playpens/play yards, and bassinets/cradles. Most were associated with the presence of extra bedding, such as pillows, blankets or comforters, the CPSC said in a news release. Along with a bare sleeping space without bumpers, parents and caregivers should always put babies on their backs when they lay them down, the CPSC said. This reduces the risk of sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SUID/SIDS) and suffocation. Inclined products, which were associated with eight deaths between 2016 and 2018, should never be used for infant sleep, the commission said. These include rockers, gliders, soothers and swings. Infants should not be left in these products without supervision, the CPSC said. They should always be restrained. No soft bedding should be used in these products because they pose a suffocation risk. The safest place for babies to sleep is a firm, flat crib, bassinet, play yard or bedside sleeper. They should be moved into one of those if they fall asleep in a swing, bouncer, lounger or similar product, the commission said. More information Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, has more tips to keep babies and toddlers safe. SOURCE: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, news release, Sept. 15, 2022 Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? Was this page helpful? With increased tourist inflows into and within Nigeria as motivated by religious tourism, this is set to expand economic activities, increase jobs, grow incomes and livelihoods, while also enhancing government revenues directly and indirectly through multiplier effects. More so, inflow of the much-needed foreign exchange will increase with the continuous appeal of Nigerias sacred destinations and spiritual attractions. The search for connection to the spiritual for attaining material success and well-being is possibly the most significant driver of tourism in Nigeria, from the earliest times. These journeys have been both domestic and inbound, with hordes of locals and waves of pilgrims from different parts of the world, believing in and seeking deep bonds with essences that serve their spiritual, and religious, needs across different locations in the country. Religion and spirituality have inspired one of the fastest growing forms of tourism in the world which, on the home front, is as evident in the multitudes engaging in pilgrimages to the shrines of Osun Osogbo or Bilikisu Sungbo in Ijebu Ode, the long juju shrine in Arochukwu, the Api in Nsukka or even to the Guru Maharaji camp situated on the outskirts of Ibadan, among others. We equally have the massive followership of the two great Abrahamic faiths Islam and Christianity strewn across all towns and cities of Nigeria. Economic data might not presently capture the peculiar details of the levels of activity involved in spiritual visits or journeys within and to Nigeria, as a sizeable dimension of the activities are within the ambits of the informal sector. Correlative data however shows how huge religious tourism is in the country. This can be gleaned from information around contributions to the national GDP of the hospitality, catering, travels and aviation, and related sectors. From the dawn of creation, the human has essentially been a seeker, a journeying man or woman, who if not in search of physical sustenance to keep the body together, is on expeditions of finding meaning, or to understand the natural world, and that which is beyond the physical, and his or her place in it all. As communities dispersed due to different pressures, people took along with them many rites that had been formed around spirituality to their new locations, from where they also kept making return journeys to their original homes and points of spiritual departure for renewal and reconnection to the source. Tourism is closely linked to African traditional religions and spirituality, and Nigeria is location of and host to hundreds of festivals that arose from spiritual experiences, which people undergo travels from far and wide to partake in the spectacles involved. A few of the prominent ones among these rites beyond those initially cited include those of the Mmanwu, Omabe and Odo masquerades in Enugu State, the Omo-Ukwu in Ohaofia, and the highly revered Odun Ifa in Epe. As earlier alluded to, the prime example of the Osun Osogbo festival commemorates the Osun river goddess believed to hold the powers of wealth and fertility, and it finds great resonance with foreigners, locals and people from Nigerias various Diasporas, who are persistently drawn to its annual fairs. In addition, the Udju Iwhurie Festival, also widely known as the Agbasa Juju Festival in Warri, is celebrated by the Agbarha people as tribute to Iwhurie, the god of war. And, the Iriji or New Yam festival is regularly held to appease the deities of harvest, after bountiful seasons in many parts of South-East Nigeria. While there are equally other festivals arising from the worship of local deities like Sango, Ogun, and Obatala, etc. in South-West Nigeria that inspire domestic and inbound tourism, a number of other festivals have grown from religious roots to become great cultural enactments, such as the Argungu fishing festival, which has an Islamic ancestry and began as a way of ending hostilities between the Sokoto Caliphate and Kebbi Kingdom in 1934. There is also the Ojude Oba Festival in Ijebu Ode that was started as a way of paying homage to the Awujale, the paramount ruler of Ijebu land, on the third day after the Eid el-Kabir celebrations. Religion and Journeys of Faith People have engaged in journeys of faith from the earliest times, with numerous instances documented in the scriptural texts of Christianity and Islam from over two millennia back. In the Bible, some of the important religious journeys included the annual travels of Elkanah to Shiloh, as chronicled in the Book of Samuel, and the story of the travels of the Jews from all over the world to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, as recounted in the Act of the Apostles. A major stretch of convergence for a sizeable segment of Nigerian religious/spiritual tourism is the LagosIbadan Expressway corridor, which is occupied by more than twenty different religious prayer grounds, hence its designation as The Spiritual Highway. This is an expanse hosting the grounds of numerous denominations, such as the Redemption Camp of RCCG etc. There is equally the very visible Nasfat Islamic Centre, making it a multi-religious and diverse corridor. In Islamic lore, one of the most consequential journeys of the noble Prophet Muhammad (SWT) was the Hijra of 622 AD, from Mecca to Medina, signifying the human restoration from darkness to light; heathenism to true worship. No doubt, while a very significant aspect of the religious tourism embarked upon by Christians and Muslims are externally oriented towards the homelands of these faith, whether in Mecca, Medina or Jerusalem, yet there have equally been a vital inbound aspect to these journeys. The country has become a magnet to many who travel from distant and near locations for faith-healing. This has been more evident, though, within the Christian faith. Some statistics have pointed out that a huge percentage of travelers worldwide are interested in faith-based tourism. This is certainly true in Nigeria, with its very many religious communities, festivals, prayer camps, and affiliated industry, including trade and hospitality. For sure, faith-based tourism is big business in Nigeria. Instances abound of the vast inbound pilgrimages to religious grounds such as the Redemption Camp of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Ogun State for its worship sessions and Holy Ghost Congresses. Also, for the retreats and similar programmes of the Deeper Life Christian Life Ministry, and the meetings of the Living Faith (Winners) Church in Sango Ota, with its signature annual Shiloh fests. There are also the synods of the Anglican Communion and All Anglican Clergy Conferences that altogether pull massive attendances from across and outside the country. More so, there are the immense religious music fiestas that witness large local and foreign turnout, such as the yearly festival of the House on the Rock church, known as The Experience. A considerable religious economy has developed around these spiritual engagements and congregations which ripple across their different locations. This is testified to in the activities of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) based in Ikotun, Lagos, with some estimates putting its services as cumulatively having up to 150,000 weekly attendees! This was largely during times before the passing of its charismatic founder, the late Pastor TB Joshua. A typical event of the church had a congregation made up of Nigerians and a substantial foreign following, comprising of distinguished personalities like Heads of State of African countries, among others. There are also the highly attended programmes and conventions of different Christian denominations in the country, such as the many adoration ministries of the Catholic Church in Nigeria. A number of these are led by such renowned clerics like Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, Denis Attah (Agu Nwa Jesus), Basil Gbuzue, Paschal Tochukwu Edediegwu, Monsignor Emmanuel Edeh, etc. These are ministries that huge numbers of local and foreign faith travelers visit repeatedly, and quite often. A major stretch of convergence for a sizeable segment of Nigerian religious/spiritual tourism is the LagosIbadan Expressway corridor, which is occupied by more than twenty different religious prayer grounds, hence its designation as The Spiritual Highway. This is an expanse hosting the grounds of numerous denominations, such as the Redemption Camp of RCCG, the Prayer City of the Mount of Miracles and Fire Ministries (MFM), the Deeper Life International Conference Centre, the Foursquare Camp, etc. There is equally the very visible Nasfat Islamic Centre, making it a multi-religious and diverse corridor. Other religious camps that attract tourist traffic, both domestically and internationally, include those of Islamic groups like the Ansarudeen, Nawarudeen, Tijanniya, Shafau-deen in Islam, and Bebe Islam, etc., which are all dedicated to the production, propagation and consumption of spirituality in Nigeria. With the increasing pull of religion as a major category of tourism in the country, it is vital for the gamut of tourism practitioners in the country to pay greater attention to this ascendant form and partner with religious bodies to produce remarkable products and packages around it. Great lessons in this regard can be learnt from countries that have made huge successes of their economies of sacred places. This will go a significant way in enhancing Nigerian tourism, while creating a durable economic mine out of it. The Economics of Religious Tourism The phenomenon of religious or spiritual tourism has evolved what has been described as a sacred places economy, in which faith-based journeys and their associated rites have become a crucial source of livelihoods and jobs for an expanding number of people, even beyond the religious places. This form of tourism certainly brings the benefits of commerce to the travel and aviation, hospitality, catering, transportation, and telecommunications sectors. And, the proceeds from tourist spending have ripple and multiplier effects across the economy, from agriculture to transactions through financial institutions. A foremost instance of how religious tourism is a vital force in the fortunes of nations is evident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is location to one of the largest religious tourism activities in the world the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. These see to the visit of between two to three million people yearly (besides 2020 when the COVID-19 restriction was fully in place), adding about $12 billion to the countrys GDP annually. This is about 20% of the Kingdoms non-oil GDP and 7% of the yearly GDP. In 2017, over 900,000 new jobs were created as a result of tourism, which is also projected to earn about $15 billion this year. Similarly, as it is location to some of the most sacred sites in Christianity, Judaism and even Islam, religious tourism in Israel is noted as having witnessed as many as five million tourist arrivals in 2019 (just before the advent of the coronavirus), and about $8.46 billion in earnings, which is over 2% of the national GDP. With increased tourist inflows into and within Nigeria as motivated by religious tourism, this is set to expand economic activities, increase jobs, grow incomes and livelihoods, while also enhancing government revenues directly and indirectly through multiplier effects. More so, inflow of the much-needed foreign exchange will increase with the continuous appeal of Nigerias sacred destinations and spiritual attractions. A perspective on the extent of the possibilities of religious tourism is evident in some estimates around an annual convention of the RCCG, which had over four million people cumulatively in attendance of a week-long event. This witnessed visitors from 35 countries, including 12 African and 23 non-African countries, who were claimed to have expended about $1.5 million on accommodation, hospitality, memorabilia, etc. If this is extrapolated over the number of such activities routinely being hosted by the numerous denominations and religious groups, even within traditional worship, it speaks to the huge economic potentials of Nigerian religious tourism. And, if these possibilities are enlarged through the anticipated development of certain religious heritage sites, which are bound to become hubs of interest, the immense prospects of religious tourism in the country will definitely be on the uptick. It is interesting to note that five spots are being considered as World Islamic Heritage Sites in Nigeria, and these include Hubbaren Shehu, which is Sheikh Usman Danfodios house in Sokoto State (an outstanding example of Islamic traditional architecture). There is equally the Gobarau Minaret in Katsina (a unique structure of its kind), the Sheikh Alimi Mosque complex in Ilorin, the Mbormi Battle Ground in Gombe and Fanisau Palace Mosque in Kano. These are sites already proposed to the World Islamic Heritage Committee for official recognition. The great extents of interest these attractions will definitely induce and journeys they will inspire are certainly not too difficult to imagine. With the increasing pull of religion as a major category of tourism in the country, it is vital for the gamut of tourism practitioners in the country to pay greater attention to this ascendant form and partner with religious bodies to produce remarkable products and packages around it. Great lessons in this regard can be learnt from countries that have made huge successes of their economies of sacred places. This will go a significant way in enhancing Nigerian tourism, while creating a durable economic mine out of it. Folorunsho Coker is the Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and the chief marketer of the Nigerian destination. Interestingly, the Bible is very silent on practical marriage cases. But we dont even need any biblical practical marriage example, since the principles that are outlined in scriptures are enough to help couples to manage challenges and disagreements in a manner that wont result in the wrong use of words. Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth. (Ephesians 4:29AMP) Time and again, my experience with counselling couples proves to me beyond all doubt that the misuse of the tongue is perhaps the most significant source of crises in marriages. It is a pandemic and not an epidemic. Christian women who speak in tongues, pray and fast and who do all manners of spiritual activities still insult their husbands, curse the man and scourge him at will. And sadly, the men too who are even sometimes pastors and ministers use their tongues to pierce and damage their wives, given the slightest provocation. The scriptures are very clear! If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). But what is the root cause of this sad development in Christian marriages? That is, what causes people who claim to be followers of Christ to find it hard to tame their tongues? I have found four main causes of these negative occurrence: A lot of Christian men and women in marriages are not genuinely saved, as most are very religious but are really not in Christ; Some are saved, but are not discipled. Consequently, they are extremely carnal, behaving worse than unbelievers; There is a massive lack of growth-centered teachings in many of our churches. Rather, the messages in many of them are centered around success, positive thinking, psychological propping, prosperity, breaking generational curses, and so on; One party is genuinely saved, discipled but the other party is not, and out of pressure and frustration, the saved party caves in and also begins to scourge the unsaved party. Except we dont want to be honest, the strife of tongues within the marriage institution is the foundation of most other problems. How you use your words matter so much. Lets make it more practical couples often engage in the following scenarios that push out negative words from one party to the other: When cases of infidelity occur, couples lose control and unleash the strife of tongues against one another; When finances are bad or when the family is struggling with income to meet regular needs, couples lose control and unleash the strife of tongues against one another; When one party feels cheated, used or there is an indication of favouritism of one in-law over the other, couples lose control and unleash the strife of tongues against one another; When there is a case of physical abuse, couples lose control and unleash the strife of tongues against one another; When couples engage in prolonged argument, they lose control and unleash the strife of tongues against one another; When one party mistakenly or intentionally uses a foul language against the other, the other party loses control and unleash the strife of tongues. Interestingly, the Bible is very silent on practical marriage cases. But we dont even need any biblical practical marriage example, since the principles that are outlined in scriptures are enough to help couples to manage challenges and disagreements in a manner that wont result in the wrong use of words. Lets look at the Bible and glean wisdom from Gods word on the importance of the tongue: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers (Ephesians 4:29) Look at the AMP version of the same scripture: Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. Also, look at what the Bible has to say about our tongues! Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully, Psalm 52-2; Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit, Psalm 34-13; The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice, Psalm 37-30; The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness, Proverbs 15-2; Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles, Proverbs 21-23; But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, James 3-8; And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell, James 3-6. The best Institution for testing maturity is the institution of marriage. God designed it that way because of the complex nature of mankind. Its an institution not just for producing babies or for having sex, but primarily for developing and sustaining kingdom virtues and values. It is tough, sometimes frustrating, but with time, efforts and sacrifices, the two people will grow and mature above the wrong use of tongues. You are a believer, and must display all the values and virtues of Christ towards your couple. It is therefore important for me to give the following remedies, if you are about to get married to someone or if you are already married and your spouse constantly scourges you with their tongue: If you are not married yet, do no ignore any fiance or fiancee who yells or screams at you at the slightest provocation. It is a red flag; There is what I call the five-minute rule; never engage in any argument with your spouse for more than five minutes. When they go high, you go low; Before you say anything or discuss any issue with your spouse, pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit to take control of his/her thoughts; You must pray for your spouse, every day, asking the Holy Spirit to subdue his/her mind, will and emotions; You must never take revenge against an abusive spouse; that if he curses me, I must curse him. It is hard, but doable by the Spirit; Naturally, women speak more words than men. 14,000 words per day, against mens 2,000 words per day. You must invest in your wife by helping her to use these 14000 words for more productive things. Buy books for her; help her to develop a speaking platform. Just do something to help her convert her strength into something very productive. An idle tongue is a dangerous tongue. And it doesnt mean that because a woman speak more words, men who dont speak more words are better. There are men who are gentle devils. One word from their mouth can destroy a whole nation. The woman will need a lot of patience, prayers, counselling and the fruit of the spirit; Mental health also plays a role here. There are cases of severe mental illness like psychopathic tendencies, sociopathic tendencies, bipolar natures, and others. People who have such traits dont have feelings for their spouses and always use terrible words. If you notice such traits in your spouse, you need to seek medical advice. Lets look at the Bible and glean wisdom from Gods word on the importance of the tongue. Ayo Akerele, a leadership and system development strategist, and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com. I believe in Nigeria, that is why I would not compromise nor refrain from speaking the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The truth that will be able to set us free from the shackles of our weaknesses and inadequacies and propel us into our glorious destiny. The best bet Nigeria has to lead the world, however, is in its young people, which it has in abundance. The trend seems to be that whenever Nigerians are given the right environment to function, they tend to exceed their contemporaries and colleagues. I would like to mention a few stories of outstanding young individuals who left the shores of Nigeria to become the best in the various nations they found themselves in. 1. A 22-year-old Nigerian, Emmanuel Ohuabunwa, made history at John Hopkins University, United States of America. Ohuabunwa from Arochukwu, Abia State, did the nation proud by becoming the first black man to make a Grade Point Average of 3.98 out of 4.0 to bag a degree in Neurosciences in the University. He was also adjudged as having the highest honours during the graduation. 2. A genius could be referred to as an exceptional child who is academically sound. But, how would you describe an individual who never misses a point in his examinations from the first year in the university to the final year? If there is any adjective to qualify such a person, that word could best describe Tunji Olu-Taiwo, an Engineering student of Eastern Mediterranean University in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus who obtained 4.0 CGPA out of 4.0 CGPA; the first ever in the department. 3. Over the past five years, Nigerian students at the Russian National Research Medical University have consistently topped the graduation chat, bagging honours and contributing their wealth of knowledge to the Universitys academic status. 4. Olalusi, who for three years represented Nigeria in the Universitys Hall of Fame, delivered valedictory speech as the best graduating student in the Faculty of Clinical Sciences with a grade point of 5.0CGPA out of 5.0CGPA possible. 5. In the same University in 2012, another Nigerian student, Ganiyu Sanusi, bagged the Best Student of the year award at the Universitys quiz competition. He graduated as the best student in the Faculty with first-class honours and a CGPA of 5.0. 6. Another Nigeria-born Alonge Olanike Omotola, who in 2010 represented the country on the Russian National Research University Hall of Fame, bagged a first-class honours degree in Medicine and Surgery. She was the best graduating student and valedictorian for that year. 7. A 24-year-old Nigerian, Uwa Osamede Imafidon, graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in the US with a Masters in Microbiology and made a 4.0 CGPA out of the maximum 4.0 CGPA. This is just a small list of incredibly talented young Nigerians who are scattered all over the world pursuing their dreams and proving to be best in their fields. In the next 20 years, these people will be leading the world for sure. Friends, I dont have any doubt in my mind about the place and future of Nigeria among the comity of nations. In fact, I still count it the biggest miracle of my life when a distant relative paid off my fifty naira WAEC fee (final high school exams). Otherwise I was on my way out into the world without a high school certificate, because of fifty naira that my whole family could not come up with. Friends, believe me, mine was not the only case. Cases like this abound in their millions all over Nigeria and Africa. Finally, and in all humility, I am not going to allow anybody to forget about Pastor Sunday Adelaja. The only black man in the world who leads a congregation of mostly Caucasians in 50 countries. Below are some facts about Pastor Sundays life and ministry. Pastor Sunday is the pastor of the largest Evangelical Church in Europe with a population of 99.9% white Europeans in Kiev, Ukraine; Pastor Sunday is the pastor of the largest Evangelical Church in Europe with a population of 99.9% white Europeans in Kiev, Ukraine; His ministry has charity units that feed over 5,000 people on a daily basis; His ministry has charity units that feed over 5,000 people on a daily basis; Through his ministry, over 30 thousand people have been delivered from drug and alcohol addictions; Through his ministry, over 30 thousand people have been delivered from drug and alcohol addictions; He helped raise over 200 millionaires in US dollars in his church, most of whom were former drug/ alcohol addicts and societal outcasts; He helped raise over 200 millionaires in US dollars in his church, most of whom were former drug/ alcohol addicts and societal outcasts; He has raised a global movement that is influencing over 70 million people around the globe; He has raised a global movement that is influencing over 70 million people around the globe; Branches of his church are in over 50 countries; Branches of his church are in over 50 countries; He has spoken in different nations of the world on national transformation; He has spoken in different nations of the world on national transformation; Pastor Sunday is one of the few, if not the only African, who has ever spoken in the US Senate; Pastor Sunday is one of the few, if not the only African, who has ever spoken in the US Senate; Pastor Sunday is one of the few African pastors who has spoken on the floor of the United Nations (UN); Pastor Sunday is one of the few African pastors who has spoken on the floor of the United Nations (UN); He has addressed the Japanese members of parliament; He has addressed the Japanese members of parliament; He has spoken in the Knesset to members of the Israeli parliament. The list goes on and on; He has spoken in the Knesset to members of the Israeli parliament. The list goes on and on; His ministry has over 500 hundred government officials holding different government positions in Ukraine; His ministry has over 500 hundred government officials holding different government positions in Ukraine; He has written and published over 300 books and recorded thousands of messages. Many have challenged me to come to Africa to contribute my quota. Have no doubt about it, I am coming sooner or later. Right now I am busy fighting the demons, forces of evil and principalities of Europe and Russia. But, in the meanwhile, I am also thinking about my beloved country Nigeria and mother Africa for which I am developing some grand plans and projects. By the grace of God, by the time I am privileged to come to Africa, everything I have achieved so far would be dwarfed in comparison to what I would be doing for the African continent by Gods grace. Now on a personal note, I would like to say that when I was growing up in Africa, I never saw anything special about myself that could distinguish me from the millions of kids in my nation. As a matter of fact, there are still so many millions of Sunday Adelajas wasting away in their villages and hamlets without any sort of recognition whatsoever. I was destined to be in their number, if not for divine grace. Whenever I visit Nigeria I see myself in all those young men. I see myself in those barefooted boys and girls running about the streets with protruding stomachs without shirts, hawking one product or the other for survival. That was me! In fact, I still count it the biggest miracle of my life when a distant relative paid off my fifty naira WAEC fee (final high school exams). Otherwise I was on my way out into the world without a high school certificate, because of fifty naira that my whole family could not come up with. Friends, believe me, mine was not the only case. Cases like this abound in their millions all over Nigeria and Africa. Many of them are wasted in the villages and farms of the continent. The Adelajas, the Chimamandas, the Ogunlesis, the Dangotes, the Imafidons, the Okoyas etc. Imagine what awaits Nigeria when all our potential is harnessed towards the development of every citizen, Nigeria, Africa and the world at large. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT NIGERIA WILL ONE DAY LEAD OUR WORLD! This article is called When Nigeria Teaches America. But in the same vein, it could easily be called: The Next World Super Power or When Africa Leads the World. Nigerians are resilient, hardworking, passionate, enterprising and aggressive even though most people tend to unfairly emphasise only our negative parts, but there is much more to Nigerians than such tendencies. I admit we are not without our demons, yet as said by Mario Andretti, If everything is under control, you are not going fast enough. I see that many people who read my articles cant seem to understand the reason for my passion about Nigeria. I have seen the future of this country. Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone elses hands, but not you. Jim Rohn Besides I have been privileged to compete in universities where we had students from 99 countries of the world and a Nigerian led the pack. This is not unusual as seen in the stories above. In over 60 countries of the world where I have been, Nigerians are always the head and not the tail, the first and not the last. I remember in 2005 while in Seoul, South Korea, some South Koreans scientists told me they carried out an experiment which showed that Nigerians have one of the three top IQs in the world. Nigerians are resilient, hardworking, passionate, enterprising and aggressive even though most people tend to unfairly emphasise only our negative parts, but there is much more to Nigerians than such tendencies. I admit we are not without our demons, yet as said by Mario Andretti, If everything is under control, you are not going fast enough. Can you imagine, a country where there is NO functioning electricity 24 hours? What will begin to happen if all our citizens have a 100% electricity supply? If Nigerians could come top in all the above listed areas of life, without any basic amenity. Imagine then what will happen if they were to have all these things. Friends, can you imagine what would happen if every Nigerian child, in every village is raised up in a sanitised environment, with good nutrition, libraries, water supply, transportation system, equal opportunities, access to money, education, good health facilities etc. We dont have much yet, still we are leading the world. What will happen if all the above mentioned facilities are in place? We know the long list of our failures, despite all the things we lack as a nation, yet we perform. Now imagine what could have been. Today Nigerians economy is ranked number 26 in the world. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. Matt 19:30. I am convinced that if we get just one thing right, which is electricity, our GDP growth will double from 6% yearly to 12%, which will propel us to become one of the top three countries in the world in the next 20 years. I believe in Nigeria, that is why I would not compromise nor refrain from speaking the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The truth that will be able to set us free from the shackles of our weaknesses and inadequacies and propel us into our glorious destiny. NIGERIA SHALL INDEED ONE DAY TEACH THE WORLD. So help us God! Sunday Adelaja is a Nigeria born leader, transformation strategist, pastor and innovator. He was based in Kiev, Ukraine. Nineteen persons have been confirmed killed while eight others were injured in a Sunday auto crash at Yangoji-Gwagwalada Road in the FCT. Dauda Biu, Acting Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, confirmed the figures to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) when he visited the accident scene. Mr Biu said the crash which occurred on Sunday involved three vehicles two Toyota Hiace buses with registration numbers MUB- 30 LG and DWR-985 XJ and an articulated vehicle. Mr Biu said 31 persons were involved in the accident comprising 11 males, one female and 19 others who were charred beyond recognition. Out of the 31 victims, eight persons comprising of seven males and one female sustained various degrees of injuries, while 19 others were burnt beyond recognition. Investigation showed that the main causes of the crash were speed limit violation and wrongful overtaking which eventually resulted in loss of control, he said. According to him, the Toyota Hiace bus with Registration Number MUB- 30 LG, crashed into the Citroen articulated vehicle and burst into flames, killing everyone on board. The second bus hit the first bus from behind and also caught fire. The fire melted the second bus with Bauchi State number plate. READ ALSO: It was coming from Takai, Kano State while heading to Benin. The Citroen vehicle loaded chicken feeds from Zaria in Kaduna State and was heading to Akwa Ibom. The nineteen corpses were trapped but extricated by rescue operatives, Biu said. He added that police had taken over the investigation and met with relevant authorities for the mass burial of 18 of the mutilated corpses. The bodies could not be preserved for identification as they were burnt beyond recognition, he said. Clearing of obstructions for free flow of traffic is still ongoing as you can see and we will do our best to ensure we have a crash-free society, Mr Biu told NAN. Injured victims were taken to a nearby hospital in Kwali in the FCT and one identified male corpse was deposited at the mortuary at Kwali General Hospital, he said. Mr Biu cautioned road users to always avoid excessive speeding, wrongful overtaking and other bad driving behaviours. He also admonished commuters to always plan their trips to fall within the day time and avoid night trips because of hazards associated with dark hours. He also re-emphasised that the Corps would step up both sensitisation of the motoring public and enhance its patrol activities to deter traffic violators. He admonished the public to always call the FRSC toll-free line 122 and the National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM which were always available for all road users to report emergencies at any given time. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Acting Corps Marshal was accompanied by the management team and other rescue operatives. (NAN) The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, said his government has earmarked N1.5 billion to fight insecurity in the state. Mr Masari disclosed this during the Passing-Out-Parade (POP) of 600 volunteers at the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) College Katsina, on Saturday. Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Muntari Lawal, the governor commended the volunteers who pledged to go into the forest in all the nooks and crannies of the state to assist the government in the fight against banditry. He pledged that the state government would do its best to assist the volunteers in their efforts to assist the state and the country in general in combating insecurity. My administration will not relent to assist security agencies, organisations and well-meaning individuals in the fight against insecurity in the state, he added. Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security (SAS), Ibrahim Ahmad, said the 600 individuals were able-bodied men and women of high integrity with various academic qualifications. He said they possessed qualifications ranging from Diploma, Higher National Diplomas, National Certificate in Education, Degrees, Masters, PhD and others. These people had sacrificed to assist the state government in the fight against banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, among others across the state. According to the SSA, the volunteers were disturbed by the persistent insecurity in the state, prompting them to offer themselves to assist the government. In his remarks, the Commandant of the NSCDC College Katsina, Babangida Abdullahi, said that the volunteers were trained for about two weeks in the college on armoury and other strategies on how to combat insecurity. (NAN) The Anambra state government has banned the wearing of miniskirts as a uniform in all schools in the state. Commissioner for Education, Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, a professor, stated in Awka on Sunday that the announcement of the ban became necessary as schools resume on Monday. She said the ban had been communicated to education secretaries of public and private schools in the state. The commissioner condemned the growing trend of wearing miniskirts as school uniforms and said it was morally wrong and unacceptable for children of school age. READ ALSO: A student should look smart, well-groomed, project positive vibes and not be indecently dressed for school. The acceptable length for uniforms in the state remains knee length and not above the knee, which is fast becoming the fashion trend in schools, she noted. The commissioner said education secretaries had been charged to ensure that schools complied with the directive to salvage the future of students in the state. Mrs Chuma-Udeh also urged the secretaries to instill the right morals and discipline in students so that they would be well-behaved and grow to become responsible adults. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng) RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of AI graduate students in several prestigious international universities concluded their participation in the second edition of the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence, which concluded yesterday in Riyadh and visited Masmak Palace in the center of Riyadh to be briefed on the history of the capital. International students conclude their participation in Global AI Summit to attract global capabilities The students represented six countries joined by several Saudi scholarship students in the same specialization. Their participation came within the knowledge exchange initiative launched by "SDAIA" and hosted 19 male and female students of different nationalities including the US, the UK, India, Jordan, Algeria, South Korea, and Nigeria, who study at prestigious international universities and institutes, including the Sorbonne University in Paris, Oxford University, University College London, Durham University, Nottingham University, Sussex University in the UK, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA, and King's College London. Through this initiative, SDAIA aimed to attract global capabilities in artificial intelligence and to enhance the role of distinguished youth based on the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and its aspirations to enable them to lead the future of artificial intelligence in the Kingdom, the region, and the world. On this occasion, SDAIA President, Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi explained that the knowledge exchange initiative was designed to achieve several benefits, including engaging visiting students in knowledge exchange dialogues to explore opportunities for future cooperation, and introducing them to the Kingdom's efforts in pioneering the data and artificial intelligence and the future of the sector during a journey that Saudi students will lead with their peers from international universities. He stressed that "SDAIA" aims through the initiative to build qualitative partnerships that support its efforts in data and artificial intelligence and help attract global capabilities that achieve qualitative addition to the Kingdom, adding that the initiative contributes to activating the distinguished role of Saudi youth and engaging them in a real dialogue that develops their leadership spirit and shows their knowledge capabilities. Al-Ghamdi said that this will enhance the Kingdom's position in data and artificial intelligence, noting that the initiative provides the opportunity to exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for future cooperation through a constructive dialogue that brings together Saudi youth and foreign graduate students. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1901312/SDAIA.jpg SOURCE SDAIA AUCKLAND, New Zealand and NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Air New Zealand touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport today, marking the first of its non-stop flights connecting the city of sails and the city that never sleeps. Minister of Tourism for New Zealand Hon Stuart Nash, Chair Dame Therese Walsh and Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran were onboard the inaugural flight, along with key tourism and travel partners. Foran says the introduction of a non-stop service between Auckland and New York connects his two favorite places. "As one of the world's greatest cities, Air New Zealand is proud to add the Big Apple to its list of 29 international destinations. By adding greater access to the East Coast of the US, we're connecting our North American customers to the possibilities of 20 destinations within New Zealand as well as the Pacific and Australia, all within easy reach. This is terrific for our customers." The airline's new international menu was debuted onboard NZ2, showcasing the best of New Zealand produce to the world. This features more choice in the air, so Premium customers can add the likes of seared salmon from Marlborough, free-range chicken from Waikato or bacon, and streamed green vegetables or fresh, crisp salads picked straight from orchards and fields in Gisborne, Waikato and the Manawatu. As part of the new menu, Business Premier customers were welcomed to their dining experience with an amuse-bouche of New Zealand paua saucisson (abalone sausage) with herb cream and tomato. Air New Zealand now serves seven destinations in North America Chicago (from 31 October), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and (after much anticipation), New York City. The first flight from New York (JFK) to Auckland (AKL) departs at 21:55 ET with an estimated flight time of 17 and a half hours. Flight schedule between Auckland and New York, effective 19 September 2022: Flight No. Aircraft type From To Departs Arrives Frequency NZ2 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Auckland New York 19:40 19:55 Mon, Thu, Sat NZ1 New York Auckland 21:55 07:30 +2 Link to broll video of NZ2 departing Auckland International Airport: https://airnz.sharefile.com/d-s3cb34d348575416dbb78c029e80733ff Link to images of NZ2 departing Auckland International Airport: https://airnz.sharefile.com/share/view/s5ecccadfde2942868faa917770e6c5fd Link to broll video and images of NZ2 arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Air New Zealand flight attendants in New York City: https://airnz.sharefile.com/d-sac2061cacfa6460e96d32366eaefe23b SOURCE Air New Zealand Global bakery manufacturer and ingredients distributor unveils new consumer trends report and patent-pending non-sticky donut glaze JACKSON, Mich., Sept. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global bakery manufacturer and ingredients distributor Dawn Foods., today unveiled its new Global Bakery Trends Report and announced its latest product innovation, Dawn Exceptional Pak Perfect Non-Sticky Glaze at the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE). Dawn's 2023 Global Bakery Trends Exceptional Pak Perfect Non-Sticky Donut Glaze Experience Exploration "Our new Global Trends report and donut glaze are the latest examples of Dawn's commitment to providing industry-leading insights, high-quality products and innovative solutions to our customers," said Carrie Jones-Barber, CEO of Dawn Foods. "These offerings provide a greater understanding of consumer wants and needs and drive efficiencies for our customers. Dawn continues to inspire new ideas and fresh thinking to help bakeries succeed every day, and we look forward to demonstrating our industry leadership at IBIE." What's Trending: Trends & Insights Impacting the Bakery Landscape For the past three years, Dawn Foods' Global Market Research & Insights teams researched the most significant changes in consumer behavior, including fielding a global study to create first-of-its-kind proprietary research. The team interviewed more than 3,000 consumers and visited hundreds of bakeries, grocery stores and food service establishments globally to observe how these trends come to life. Dawn's 2023 Global Trends include: Technology Transformation : Technology has forever changed the consumer eating experience, transforming how we choose, receive and consume food whether it be via touch screen ordering or sharing food experiences virtually. This trend will only accelerate in the years to come 57% of global consumers* plan to order more food online in 2023 than they have previously. Experience Exploration : Consumers seek foods that not only enhance their nostalgic memories but incorporate fresh and new flavor experiences from other cultures. For example, while 56% of global consumers* have tried American baked goods like chocolate chip cookies and apple pie 30% of consumers* actively plan to try traditional African baked goods. Daily Delights : Tied to the growing importance of mental wellness, consumers are finding ways to bring moments of joy into their daily routine with smaller-sized, high-quality sweet treats. This trend will continue in the years to come 77% of global consumers* will continue eating sweet baked goods regularly moving forward. Mindfulness Matters : Acutely aware of how their choices affect their personal health, their community and their planet, consumers are looking for authenticity and want to make a positive impact on the world. When it comes to the environment, 71% of global consumers* are willing to pay a premium for sweet baked goods that are made sustainably. Innovative Pak Perfect Non-Sticky Donut Glaze Delivers Breakthrough Solution for Bakers Showcased at Dawn Foods' IBIE booth #1601, the patent-pending glaze technology allows for packaged yeast-raised donuts to stay non-sticky for up to five days. "Dawn's latest donut innovation provides grocers and manufacturers with a solution that keeps yeast-raised donuts looking great while staying fresh, longer," said Roja Ergun, Director of R&D Wet Ingredients, Dawn Foods North America. "Our new donut glaze remains intact, non-sticky and greatly reduces waste and assists with the labor needs of bakeries." Consumer feedback has also been positivethrough Dawn Sensory Testing, 66% of consumers** noted they prefer Pak Perfect yeast-raised donuts over traditional glazed donuts. Dawn Executives and Experts Take the Stage at IBIE At IBIE, Dawn executives and team members will also participate in multiple panels, events and education sessions throughout the show, including: Sarah Hickey , Senior Director of Insights & Market Research: Fresh out of the Oven: Dawn's latest trends and insights impacting the bakery landscape. ( Saturday, Sept. 17 1:30-2:30 p.m. PST and Tuesday, Sept. 20 9:45-10:45 a.m. PST ). ( and ). Alexis Gilbert , Senior Director, Global Brand and Communications: Breaking Through the Digital Noise Strategies, Tactics and Tools to Get Your Bakery Noticed Online. ( Saturday, Sept. 17 2:45-3:45 p.m. PST and Sunday, Sept. 18 9:45-10:45 a.m. PST ) ( and ) Paul Caske , Vice President, National Technical Sales and Randy McArthur , Technical Sales Representative : Tips and Tricks for Better Efficiency at Your Bakery. ( Sunday, Sept. 18 8:30-9:30 a.m. PST ) Tips and Tricks for Better Efficiency at Your Bakery. ( ) Felisa Stockwell , Vice President, Global People and Culture : How to Start Building your Diversity Initiative: Best Practices from Industry Peers . ( Monday, Sept. 19 11 a.m. noon PST ) : ( ) Dawn Foods, alongside The Society of Bakery Women, will host 'Donuts with Dawn,' a women's networking event on Tuesday, Sept. 20 , from 9-9:45 a.m. PST at Dawn Foods booth #1601, with Carrie Jones-Barber , CEO of Dawn Foods speaking. To learn more about Dawn's four new global trends, or to learn more about Dawn's donut glaze innovation, stop by the Dawn Foods IBIE Booth #1601 or visit DawnFoods.com/Trends. *Source: Dawn Foods 2023 Global Trends Study **Source: Dawn Sensory Testing, 2021. Consumers evaluated Dawn Exceptional Pak Perfect TM Donut Glaze and Dawn Exceptional Medium-Thick Donut Glaze after 48 hours in a clamshell. N=101 About Dawn Food Products, Inc. Dawn Foods is a global leader in bakery manufacturing and ingredients distribution. For more than 100 years, Dawn has been the partner of choice for inspiring bakery success every day and is committed to delighting its customers around the world with the partnership, insights, innovations, bakery products and expertise that empowers them to achieve their aspirations. Headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, Dawn Foods has more than 4,000 Team Members globally and provides high-quality bakery products to more than 50,000 customers located in more than 100 countries. For more information about the company, its products and culture, please visit www.dawnfoods.com. Allison Pierce Alexis Gilbert Zeno Group for Dawn Foods Senior Director, Global Brand & Corporate Communications 312-998-7919 517-414-1348 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE Dawn Food Products, Inc. NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Coupang, Inc. (NYSE: CPNG) pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and related prospectus (collectively, the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with Coupang's March 2021 initial public offering (the "IPO") of the important October 25, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased Coupang securities pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Coupang class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8383 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than October 25, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the IPO Registration Statement featured false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Coupang was engaged in improper anti-competitive practices with its suppliers and other third parties in violation of applicable regulations, including: (a) pressuring suppliers to raise prices of products on competing e-commerce platforms to ensure Coupang's prices would be more competitive; (b) coercing suppliers into purchasing advertisements that would benefit Coupang financially; (c) forcing suppliers to shoulder all expenses from sales promotions; and (d) requesting wholesale rebates from suppliers without specifying any terms relating to rebate programs, all of which served to artificially maintain Coupang's lower prices and artificially inflate Coupang's historical revenues and market share; (2) Coupang had improperly adjusted search algorithms and manipulated product reviews on its marketplace platform to prioritize its own private-label branded products over those of other sellers and merchants, to the detriment of consumers, merchants, and suppliers; (3) unbeknownst to its Rocket WOW members (a customer loyalty program for the Company's most engaged and frequent customers), Coupang was selling products to non-member customers at lower prices than those offered to its Rocket WOW members; (4) Coupang subjected its workforce to extreme, unsafe, and unhealthy working conditions; (5) all of the above illicit practices exposed Coupang to a heightened, but undisclosed, risk of reputational and regulatory scrutiny that would harm Coupang's critical relationships with consumers, merchants, suppliers, and the workforce; and (6) Coupang's lower prices, historical revenues, competitive advantages, and growing market share were the result of systemic, improper, unethical, and/or illegal practices, and, thus, unsustainable. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the Coupang class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8383 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. Leader in space exploration joins forces with agencies to increase access to space and expand commercial opportunities in respective countries PARIS, Sept. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Voyager Space , a global leader in space exploration, and its operating company Nanoracks, today announced while at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) that the company has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Colombian Space Agency, El Salvador Aerospace Institute, the Mexican Space Agency, the Guatemalan Association of Space Sciences and Engineering, and the Costa Rican startup Orbital Space Technologies. Nanoracks and Voyager signed an individual MoU with each agency, with the intent of opening up access to space and furthering commercial space opportunities within the respective countries. "This is a momentous occasion, not only for our teams at Voyager and Nanoracks but also for the growing space economies of each and every one of these countries," said Jeffrey Manber, President of International and Space Stations at Voyager. "We look forward to working closely with the space agencies in Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and potentially more countries in the region to support their current space initiatives and work together to make future commercial space platforms accessible. "This is a major initiative to help ensure that as we move towards commercial space stations, the doors are open for countries that are emerging space nations," says David Marsh, Vice President of Strategy at Nanoracks. "Nanoracks has been focused on making space accessible since day one, and we are proud to carry the legacy forward from the International Space Station to Starlab. We cannot wait to get to work with our friends from the Latin America region." Colombian Space Agency This agreement outlines support of projects and plans for the continued development of space activities in Colombia as well as participation in Starlab and George Washington Carver Science Park (GWCSP) planning efforts. By working together, the companies will support near term space activities in Colombia, grow cooperation with the space, commercial, and scientific communities within the country and continue to advance the future of space technologies and capabilities for Voyager and its portfolio companies. "Not only is this agreement an essential step in supporting the development of Starlab and other future ISS experiments, it is also an opportunity in the new space age to be in the space with some of Colombia's key space initiatives, including our GreenSat CubeSat project, our Vision Agro program, and our Aprendiendo con Galileo program and education," said Pilar Zamora Acevedo, executive director at the Colombian Space Agency by private initiative. "We are eager to begin working closely with the Voyager and Nanoracks teams and help accelerate growth for our country in the space industry." El Salvador Aerospace Institute (ESAI) This agreement is to help expand space exploration activities in collaboration with businesses, institutions, non-governmental and government agencies within El Salvador, which includes the development of the STEAM framework of knowledge with social benefits for the Salvadoran economy and its citizens. This agreement also supports cooperation and collaboration with ESAI and Nanoracks for Starlab and the GWCSP. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support efforts around Starlab and the GWCSP and to leverage the unique capabilities of Voyager, and its portfolio companies, to plan for future Salvadoran payloads, equipment, and astronauts," said Luis Alfaro, president and CEO of ESAI. "We look forward to sharing knowledge and collaborating on the future of commercial space activities within the North Triangle of Central America and beyond." Mexican Space Agency This agreement will explore projects and plans for future space activities in Mexico, including satellites, lunar payloads, and youth engagement efforts while building technical expertise and expanding the economic base of Mexico. Similar to the other MoUs, this agreement will also allow the Mexican Space Agency to participate in the development of Starlab and provide input for elements of the GWCSP. "Signing this MoU with Voyager Space is essential in order to further the integration of Mexico to the international space community and promotes the effective development of space activities within our country," said Dr. Salvador Landeros Ayala, Director General of the Mexican Space Agency. "By joining forces, we will be able to execute on our joint objectives in a timely manner and change the course of our future in space for the better." Guatemalan Association of Space Sciences and Engineering (AGICE) This MoU is intended to support space activities in Guatemala with a specific focus on educational programs. In addition to collaborating on near-term support for the Association's objectives and programs, the AGICE will also have the opportunity to participate in Starlab and GWCSP. "There is a growing need and interest in space from the Guatemalan community and we are eager to continue to build upon this momentum with Voyager," said Katherinne Herrera Jordan, president of AGICE. "Voyager and Nanoracks are making waves with the development of Starlab while simultaneously moving the future of commercial space forward. We welcome the chance to collaborate with them and extend our reach in the space industry." Orbital Space Technologies This agreement is with Costa Rica's first space startup and will support the development of additional capabilities and technologies within the growing space sector in Costa Rica, helping to launch new space initiatives and eventual ground station services in the region. The MoU also allows for the participation in Starlab and GWCSP. "It's an exciting step for us to sign this agreement with Voyager and move forward in furthering the development of the space sector in Costa Rica and Central America," said Valeria Dittel, CEO of Orbital Space Technologies. "We are hopeful that this collaboration will reap massive benefits for our region, not only to establish ourselves as a strong force in the industry but also to support key initiatives such as access to microgravity experimentation in Latin America." About Nanoracks Nanoracks, powered by Voyager Space, is a global leader for providing commercial space services. Nanoracks owns and operates private hardware on the International Space Station and has launched over 1,300 research experiments, deployed over 300 small satellites, and installed the Bishop Airlock. Today, Nanoracks leverages over a decade of experience to develop new commercial space systems in direct response to customer needs. These space systems include converting commercial launch vehicle upper stages into functional secondary platforms, building new habitable space stations, supplying payload and crew airlock systems and services infrastructure, and more. Follow on Twitter to learn more or visit https://nanoracks.com. About Voyager Space Voyager Space is a space technology company with nearly 20 years of spaceflight heritage. Voyager's long-term mission is to create a vertically integrated NewSpace company capable of delivering any space mission humans can conceive. The firm's first-in-industry model is uniquely tailored to support the growth needs of commercial space companies by replacing traditional private capital models with a longer-term approach that provides permanent capital. Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including those with respect to Voyager Space, Inc.'s (the "Company's") mission statement and growth strategy, are "forward-looking statements." Although the Company's management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. These forward-looking statements involve many risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; and the ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms or at all. Readers should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve these known and unknown uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. SOURCE Voyager Space MONTREAL, Sept. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Comexposium USA is pleased to be hosting their first event in Montreal on September 18-19th, 2022. The tradeshow was originally planned in 2020, however due to the pandemic & travel restrictions it was postponed. Curve Montreal is coinciding with Montreal Fashion week taking place Sept 19th to 25th. "Mathieu St Arnaud president of MMode, an organization whose aim is to bring together players of Quebec fashion industry, and his team have been very supportive of bringing a Curve event to Montreal," says Raphael Camp, President of Curve. "Canada was on very strict lockdown, so this is the first time many of the retailers are traveling. Expectations are quite high as the Canadian lingerie community is looking forward to network & having a chance to preview collections more locally. We are bringing the curated Curve experience of the 50+ best intimate apparel & swim collections to Montreal with ample opportunities for discovering new designers & learning new business strategies. We are excited to introduce brand MRKNTN, which was selected as one of the 10 talented designers for the prestigious Making the Cut reality tv fashion competition. By introducing new talents, we are listening to the demands of the market." "Buying is always the focus of the Curve shows, however, post-Covid retailers are craving experiences. Consequently, panels & special networking events have become equally important," says Kirsten Griffin, Communication and Visitor Promotion Director. "After 2 years of shutdown, buyers want to feel connected to the lingerie community, make some memories & have fun too. We worked hard to find a nice of balance at the upcoming Curve Montreal. The show will open with Keynote speaker Gilbert Russell of No Qualms Retail discussing Profitability & Growth for 2023 and in the afternoon Elomi, Freya, Goddess, & Fantasie will host a fit workshop. On Monday, Sept 19th buyers are invited to kick off Montreal Fashion Week with a special panel on Diversity & Inclusivity, co-organized by MMode. The highlight of the show will be an invitation-only dinner cruise on the Bateau Mouche. " ABOUT CURVE Curve produced by Comexposium USA, is the leading trade show for intimate apparel and swim in North America, with events in New York, Los Angeles, and Montreal. Top brands, buyers, & industry influencers come to Curve to create business relationships and learn about the latest fashion trends and industry shifts. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Comexposium US The Bold Group Brings the 92 nd Saudi National Day Celebration to the Metaverse King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) as sponsor of the event RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following its recent expansion, The Bold Group achieves its first milestone by bringing the 92nd Saudi National Day celebration into the metaverse. The Bold Group has developed an unparalleled immersive experience on the metaverse by displaying Saudi culture in a new digital realm. The virtual Saudi National Day celebration will begin on the 22nd of September until the 24th of September 2022. First Saudi National Day celebration to be held in the metaverse The Bold Group The metaverse is a concept of a persistent, online, 3D universe that combines multiple different virtual spaces. It allows users to work, meet, game, and socialize together in these 3D spaces. As an exciting emerging technology, there is an increasing market for the metaverse where some brands, entities and even countries see it as a new channel to utilize, and adoption is rising quickly across the globe. In Saudi Arabia, The Bold Group is among the first to venture into such unchartered territory, activating the metaverse by using it as a platform for visitors to tour the Kingdom, interact with the various aspects of Saudi culture, and explore landmarks, food, music, art, and more in one place. For this pioneering initiative, The Bold Group collaborated with King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) to make the user experience come to life. This strategic partnership will enable an authentic immersive experience as both Darah strive to make Saudi Arabia's history and culture accessible to the world, and to educate future generations on the full breadth of the Kingdom's great heritage. Abeer Alessa, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Bold Group said, "The Bold Group is at the forefront of innovation among the local marketing industry. We are activating the metaverse in an impactful way by paying tribute to Saudi National Day. Fusing our past with our future, we are honoring the storied history of the Kingdom, preserving our heritage and displaying it with pride for people to engage with in the new digital realm." She continued, "Our focus has always been to bring value to our partners and community, and this unique experience paves the way for others to discover exciting new opportunities in the market. In line with the Kingdom's transformative outlook for the Vision 2030, The Bold Group embraces the change and strives to be the pioneer of new and emerging technologies in the digital sphere." The Bold Group's multi-faceted Saudi National Day experience in the metaverse will be held on the 'Decentraland' platform. It will feature multiple layers of Saudi culture in an open-air museum, with each level displaying various representations of the beauty of Saudi Arabia. The experience will also feature exclusively tailored Saudi national attire, created and inspired by the different regions of the Kingdom. These iconic pieces will be made available as wearable NFTs for event visitors. The Bold Group will also be providing the POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol) as a limited edition collectible NFT for users to showcase with pride their participation in the world's first Saudi National Day metaverse celebration. Ziad AbuRjaily, Creative Technology Director in the Bold Experience Unit said, "We're witnessing a major transformation in the Saudi digital industry where Saudi Arabia is being increasingly recognized as a key player in the global technology scene, enabled by the developments achieved in the pursuit of realizing the Saudi Vision 2030. Disruptive technologies like the metaverse are the future, and we at The Bold Group aim to be a key player in that evolution. The idea to usher the Saudi National Day, a historically traditional celebration, into the new era of technology was inspired by the challenge of convening people across the Kingdom's 13 different regions to celebrate Saudi Arabia in one virtual space." Saudi Arabia has one of the world's youngest populations with digital transformation at the core of its development as the Kingdom aims to be a global technology hub. The Saudi community is digitally savvy, and with the metaverse and other groundbreaking technologies still in early stages of development, the potential for communities and brands are exponential. With its new move into specialization, The Bold Group is always on the lookout to explore and invest in new technologies that result in elevated experiences and unprecedented outcomes for its partners. To learn more about the activation please visit: saudionmeta.com About The Bold Group The Bold Group is a Saudi independent creative ecosystem, spearheaded by three units including Bold Brands, Bold Comms and Bold Experiences. These are the fields that The Bold Group is in a unique position to offer, due to their vast experience in local communication and clear vision for the future of marketing and advertising in KSA. The Bold Group is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary group known for being strategically led, culturally driven and creatively obsessed. Since its inception, Bold has evolved into an agency of 70+ professionals, spread across 2 offices Riyadh & Egypt, with over 180+ clients. Snapchat, Almarai, Arab National Bank (ANB), Alwaleed Philanthropies, Saudia Cargo, Saudi Ministry of Tourism, and Spots for All (SFA) are some of the major partners Bold has worked with. Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1901253/Bold_Group_Metaverse.mp4 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1901252/The_Bold_Group.jpg SOURCE The Bold Group BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on Friday made fruitful achievements by signing the Samarkand Declaration and a raft of documents and statements for not only regional countries but also the international community, showing the world the organization's and regional countries' joint pursuit of stability and development amid a complicated global geopolitical situation. The prospering organization is becoming a stronger force in upholding international order by appealing to more countries to join in, and playing a more important role on the global economic stage, such as serving as a stabilizing force of international energy and food markets. The region is working closely in doubling down on efforts in fighting terrorism in this region. The SCO represents an ideal international relationship that countries have long desired, said experts. President Xi on Friday attended the restricted session of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. While delivering a keynote speech, he pointed out that since its founding more than 20 years ago, the SCO has upheld the Shanghai Spirit and succeeded in exploring a new path for the development of international organizations. Xi also outlined several priorities going forward for the SCO state members, including staying committed to the Shanghai Spirit and enhancing solidarity and cooperation, maintaining strategic independence and safeguarding regional stability, pursuing inclusiveness and shared benefits in promoting development cooperation, and advancing the SCO expansion process and strengthening SCO institutions. Zhu Yongbiao, executive director of the Research Center for the Belt and Road and director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Friday that the fruitful contents of the Samarkand Declaration showed that the SCO is marching toward becoming a more international organization from a regional organization, while its membership expands along with the member states' issues of interest. The Shanghai Spirit upheld by the SCO members could also be applied in dealing with international issues, Zhu said. On Friday, SCO member states signed the Samarkand Declaration and issued statements on safeguarding global food security and energy security, addressing climate change, and maintaining a secure, stable and diversified supply chain. Besides traditional regional security and development cooperation, the Samarkand Declaration also contained various international issues such as concern over unilateral protectionist actions that undermine the multilateral trading system. It also demonstrated that the SCO has become more mature and contributed more to the international governance system and improvement of the global order, Zhu said. Calling for joint efforts to counter terrorism is an important part of the declaration. It noted that based on each country's laws and coordination, state members are working to form common principles and stances on creating a unified list of banning terrorist, separatist and extremist activities. The upgrading of various anti-terrorist institutions to a comprehensive security threat center as well as joint statements on issues including food security and climate change are a natural expansion after 20 years of the organization's development, and is also a necessary move amid new security challenges facing the region, Zhu said. In addition to stressing joint efforts on countering terrorism, the Samarkand Declaration has also expressed member states' concerns over the security of outer space and other controversial fields. "Member states stand for keeping outer space free from weapons of any kind and state the major importance of the unfailing implementation of the existing legal framework envisaging only the peaceful use of outer space," the document says. The SCO's proposals on international issues have greatly boosted the UN's significance and inclusiveness, as many international mechanisms represent the will of developed countries but do not give full consideration to developing countries, according to Zhu. Growing bigger with a better future One of the most important achievements reached in Samarkand is the expansion of member states. The SCO was founded with six members in 2001 and has since expanded to eight, in addition to having four observer states and six dialogue partners. On Friday, a memorandum of obligations on Iran's SCO membership was signed, and the SCO members began a process to admit Belarus to the SCO. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt will formally become SCO dialogue partners with the signing of relevant documents, and negotiations will be held on granting Bahrain, the Maldives and other states' the status of dialogue partner. Chinese analysts said that more countries are expected to apply to become full members of the SCO due to its growing attraction. The attraction of SCO is that it helps member states safeguard their independence and sovereignty, provides them with broader space for cooperation, and enhances their international voice and influence. It also helps members effectively cope with changes in the international and regional situations, hedge external pressure and respond to security threats, and resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, Zhao Huirong, an Eastern European studies expert from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday. Zhao said China and Russia, as founding members and permanent members of the UN Security Council, have an important leading role in the development of the SCO, and the two countries have common interests in promoting peace and development in the region, and putting forward many initiatives. The two countries have established a high level of strategic partnership of coordination, which to a large extent guarantees the stable development of the SCO, Zhao said. SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming told media recently that many other countries have also expressed the hope that they can become members, observer states or dialogue partners. The Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development, is increasingly important in the current international environment amid hegemony and small cliques, and more countries that prefer multilateralism and peaceful development are attracted by the SCO as the organization can maintain unity and solve stability and development issues in the region, Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. Zhou Rong, a senior researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of the Renmin University of China, said that the SCO has evolved from an organization mainly focusing on border safety cooperation to incorporating nations from a wider geographical context. "It will become an organization that represents the emerging nations, which will play a pivotal role in safeguarding world stability and peace," Zhou said. SOURCE Global Times America's Warrior Partnership's new study reveals at least 44 former service members take their own life each day by suicide or overdose AUGUSTA, Ga., Sept. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, America's Warrior Partnership (AWP) released an interim summary report from the multi-year study Operation Deep Dive (OpDD). The report was created to develop a profile of former service members (FSM) most at risk for suicide, as well as inform the development of impactful suicide prevention strategies at the local, state and national levels. Researchers gathered state-provided death records and coordinated with the Department of Defense (DoD) to corroborate military affiliation and identify commonalities of the person, military service, and cause of death. The research uncovered disparities between the state and federal data, finding that, across the eight states that participated in the study, the actual suicide rate was much higher, at 1.37 times the rate officially reported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Approximately 24 FSMs between the ages of 18 and 64 die each day by suicide (as determined by coroner or medical examiner) instead of the 17 veterans per day reported by the VA. Additionally, Operation Deep Dive found that the VA has not been accounting for Self-Injury Mortality (SIM), which are attributed predominately to overdose deaths. Separate of suicide, the rate of SIM among former service members is at least 20 per day. SIM is defined by accidents or undetermined deaths that are closely aligned with self-harm/suicidal behavior. When suicide and SIM are combined, this brings the true rate of deaths among former servicemembers to at least 44 per day, or 2.4 times the rate the VA reports. The difference in the data is likely due to undercounting of FSM's deaths and the greater specificity of the decedent's demographics, military experience, and death details available to OpDD. "If we are going to make progress toward preventing former service member suicide, we need better data," said Jim Lorraine, President and CEO of AWP. "Inaccurate data leads to a misallocation of very valuable resources. Operation Deep Dive is designed to address this. The study results can help fix issues surrounding the one-size-fits-all approach, instead enabling a holistic solution that begins at the community level and addresses concerns around housing, employment, financial security, relationships, purpose, physical health, and mental well-being." Other key findings of OpDD include: FSMs deaths were miscounted at a combined error rate of 25 %, including 18% of FSMs not being recognized as FSMs. %, including 18% of FSMs not being recognized as FSMs. Every year served in the military equates to a 2% reduction in the probability of a FSM taking their own life. equates to a 2% in the probability of a FSM taking their own life. Those who served in the military less than 3 years had the greatest risk of suicide/SIM. had the greatest risk of suicide/SIM. Living with a partner decreased the odds of suicide by nearly 40%. decreased the odds of suicide by nearly 40%. Receiving a demotion during military service increases the odds of dying by suicide/SIM by 56%. during military service increases the odds of dying by suicide/SIM by 56%. Coast Guard FSMs were most likely to die from suicide, followed by Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and then Air Force FSMs respectively. "We started Operation Deep Dive to end veteran's suicide by using data to develop an effective and targeted veteran suicide prevention strategy," said Cheree Tham, Chief of Programs and Initiatives at AWP. "By merging identified state death records with military service data and incorporating other individualized sources such as VA health care and benefits numbers, we can develop better tools and methods to prevent these heartbreaking incidents that shatter lives and communities." America's Warrior Partnership contracted with the University of Alabama and partnered with Duke University to gather data from eight states: Alabama, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, and Oregon. This was measured against data available through the Department of Defense. Moving forward, Operation Deep Dive's research partner is Duke University. The purpose of the study was to inform community suicide prevention programs that focus on veterans to determine who has the highest probability of taking their life by suicide or overdose. The study was funded by Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. Former Service Member - Former Service Member encompasses everyone who served in the Active, National Guard, or Reserve forces but may not be eligible for US Department of Veterans Affairs services. The interim summary report from Operation Deep Dive can be read in its entirety here: https://www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive About America's Warrior Partnership America's Warrior Partnership is committed to partnering with communities to prevent veteran suicide. We fill the gaps between veteran service organizations by helping nonprofits connect with veterans, their families, and caregivers. Our programs bolster nonprofit efficacy, improving their results, and empowering their initiatives. Our ultimate goal is to increase the quality of veterans' lives, thus helping to end veteran suicide. https://www.americaswarriorpartnership.org SOURCE Americas Warrior Partnership Solve Innovation Future announces investment in three new Solver teams CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute for Technology with a mission to drive innovation to solve world challenges, revealed the new Solver teams and Indigenous Communities Fellows selected for its 2022 Global Challenges. The news was announced during Solve's annual social impact pitch event in New York City ahead of UN General Assembly Week. The new 2022 Solver and Indigenous Communities Fellow Class was selected by Solve's expert judges from a pool of over 1,100 applicants from 117 countries and 46 Native Tribes. In this new class, 70% of Solver teams are women-led, 20 countries and eight American Indian Tribes are represented, and 48% are for profit/hybrid organizations. You can find out more about the Solver class for the 2022 Global Challenges: Included in this 2022 Solver Class are the first teams to join the inaugural Black & Brown Innovators in the US Program , launched this year as part of Solve's ongoing racial equity work. "Solve sees the power in supporting entrepreneurs with proximity and experiences of global challenges and their impact on their communities. I'm excited to see the positive changes these teams will make," said Solve's Executive Director, Alex Amouyel. "In the coming nine months, our teamwith the support of our growing Solve Community made up of corporations, foundations, and institutionswill fund, support, and mentor these entrepreneurs so they can scale their work and impact." Over $2M in prize funding was awarded to the 2022 Solver teams and Indigenous Communities Fellows as well as select Solver teams from previous classes, with prize pools split as follows: The GM Prize supported by General Motors - $150,000 - Recipients: Annie, Amazon Gatherers for the Future, Indigenized Energy Initiative, Kibo - Inclusive Education for Blind, Mana Mama / Anax Angil, MycoTile Panels The Innovation for Women Prize supported by Vodafone Americas Foundation - $75,000 Recipients: Batonga's Podcasts for Equality: rural girl-led storytelling, Kidogo - quality childcare through social franchising, omgyno: Home Testing & Telehealth The Living Proof Prize: Women's Leadership Solutions supported by Living Proof - $100,000 - Recipients: Lakou Kajou's Eksploratoryom, Same Same: A lifeline for LGBTQI+ youth Heifer International Prize for Innovation for Smallholder Agriculture supported by Heifer International - $250,000 - Recipients: 2021 Solver teams Brastorne and Hiveonline AI for Humanity Prize supported by The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation - $150,000 - Recipients: Amazon Gatherers for the Future, DawaMom, Kibo - Inclusive Education for Blind, Tarjimly: Translating for Humanity The Elevate Prize supported by The Elevate Prize Foundation - $300,000 - Finalists (recipient to be announced in January 2023 ): Indigenized Energy Initiative, 2020 Solver team SmartFish Mexico, Tarjimly: Translating for Humanity ): Indigenized Energy Initiative, 2020 Solver team SmartFish Mexico, Tarjimly: Translating for Humanity The GSR Prize supported by GSR - $200,000 Recipients: Annie, Batonga's Podcasts for Equality: rural girl-led storytelling, MycoTile Panels The Health Access Prize supported by Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, a fund within the Johnson & Johnson Foundation - $175,000 Recipients: DawaMom, Speetar, Care Xchange - Staff share, Jamii Life , omgyno: Home Testing & Telehealth , omgyno: Home Testing & Telehealth The Good Energies Prize supported by Good Energies Foundation - $100,000 Recipients: Amazon Gatherers for the Future, Easy Housing, Housing NOW, MycoTile Panels The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion supported by Andan Foundation - $100,000 - Recipients: Earth Enable, 2021 Solver team Hello World, and 2020 Solver team SOLshare The Health Equity Catalyst Prize supported by Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada - $40,000 Recipient: MedHaul All 2022 Solver teams and Indigenous Community Fellows also receive a $10,000 grant from Solve, which is funded through donor gifts and Membership contributions. Additionally, Solver teams and Indigenous Communities Fellows are eligible for investment from Solve Innovation Future , Solve's first-of-its-kind philanthropic venture fund. Solve Innovation Future invests debt and equity in for-profit and hybrid Solver teams. Solve Innovation Future is an evergreen fund, held as a donor-advised fund with ImpactAssets, with Solve serving as the donor advisor. Any returns are reinvested in future Solver teams, meaning donor gifts are multiplied over time. Solve Innovation Future has invested in 13 Solver teams since launch, and for every dollar invested, the team has catalyzed an additional five dollars of investment to Solver teams. Solve is excited to announce three new Solver team investees: GLOBHE provides high-resolution imagery as an alternative to satellite data. By leveraging a global network of drone operators, GLOBHE is able to better inform businesses, organizations, and researchers to drive for a sustainable future. provides high-resolution imagery as an alternative to satellite data. By leveraging a global network of drone operators, GLOBHE is able to better inform businesses, organizations, and researchers to drive for a sustainable future. Ilara Health , creator of Butterfly iQ , is using tech-powered diagnostic devices to save lives, equipping a network of primary healthcare clinics (PHCs) to deliver quality healthcare to Africa's under-served communities. , creator of , is using tech-powered diagnostic devices to save lives, equipping a network of primary healthcare clinics (PHCs) to deliver quality healthcare to under-served communities. Dondoctor, creator of Sexperto , is working to make health systems more efficient, cost effective, and equitable for all patients. An online scheduling and software system for medical centers, clinics and hospitals, dondoctor provides real time, factual information and access to reproductive care to individuals across Latin America through their Sexperto platform. Read Solve Innovation Future's annual report to learn more. About MIT Solve: Solve is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a mission to drive innovation to solve world challenges. Solve is a marketplace for social impact innovation. Through open innovation Challenges, Solve finds incredible tech-based social entrepreneurs all around the world. Solve then brings together MIT's innovation ecosystem and a community of supporters to fund and support these entrepreneurs to help them drive lasting transformational impact. Solve has catalyzed over $60 million in commitments for Solver teams and entrepreneurs to date. Join Solve on this journey at solve.mit.edu . Stay Connected Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube Media Contact Maya Bingaman Officer, Communications & Content [email protected] SOURCE MIT Solve Lucknow, Sep 18 : Uttar Pradesh Minister Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh appeared before a court in Sultanpur in connection with a case related to the violation of Model Code of Conduct in 2017 and deposited Rs 500 fine, as ordered by the High Court (HC), after which the proceedings against him were closed. The Minister of State for Health, a five-time MLA from Tiloi Assembly constituency, appeared in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) (III) Saima Siddiqui Jarrar Alam on the directions of the HC. He filed an application for depositing the amount of fine and ending the case. The local court accepted his application and ordered to end the proceedings in the case. Advocate Ravivansh Singh, who represented the Minister, said the police had registered a case against Singh and his 150 unidentified supporters for violating the Model Code of Conduct in Gauriganj Kotwali area of Amethi district during the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The Police had filed the charge-sheet only against Singh as the supporters could not be traced during the investigation. The lawyer said that taking cognisance of the charge-sheet filed on March 18, 2019, the Minister was summoned by ACJM III. Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh challenged the order issued by the court and the charge-sheet of the Police in the HC. He said the HC directed the court concerned to end the proceedings after he deposits the fine. In compliance with this order, Singh deposited the fine. Ramallah, Sep 18 : Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye has accused Israel of defying all the signed peace agreements and disregarding international law. He made the remarks during the annual grape festival held in the West Bank city of Hebron, urging the Israeli government to stop all its violations in the Palestinian territories, according to a Palestinian statement on Saturday. "The occupation (Israel) violates all the signed peace agreements with disrespect and does not respect the law and international legitimacy," Ishtaye was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, the Palestinian premier announced that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is on his way to participate in the meetings of the UN General Assembly, adding that "his message to the world that all Israel's unilateral measures must stop". On Saturday, the Israeli army dispersed a demonstration against Israeli settlement and land confiscation in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron, and arrested three demonstrators, according to official Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses as quoted by Xinhua news agency report. Jammu, Sep 18 : A suspected Pakistani drone was spotted on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district along the International Border, Police said. Border Security Force (BSF) sources said that suspicious drone activity was reported in Sarathi Kalan village near the International Border in the Samba district. "It is near the regal border outpost. At this place several attempts have been made in the past to drop weapons by drones from Pakistan." "Area is being searched by the BSF. Intensive search will start with the first light of the morning," sources added. Gaza, Sep 18 : The annual Arab financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) had declined to 3 per cent of UNRWA's budget in 2022, a UN advisor said. Adnan Abu Hasna, the media advisor of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip, told reporters on Saturday in Gaza city that in 2018, the Arab financial support to the UN agency reached $200 million, Xinhua news agency reported. "In 2021, the Arab financial aid to the agency declined to $20 million," he said, adding that "this year (2022), the financial support will be much less than we expect." Abu Hasna said that during all the previous Arab summits, the Arab League agreed that Arab support for the UN agency should not be less than 7.5 per cent, "but today we have seen it decline to 3 per cent ... this is a big problem." He added that UNRWA is trying hard, with the help of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to restore contact with many Arab countries that have suspended and reduced their financial aid. Abu Hasna said that the UN agency is counting on the success of the meeting of the donor countries, which will be held in New York on the sidelines of the meetings of the UN General Assembly. "We hope to mobilise the required and enough financial support that would cover UNRWA's financial deficit, which has reached $100 million," he added. He warned that "if there are no financial developments after the conference, the crisis will intensify in the coming months of November and December." UNRWA was established as a UN agency by a decision of the General Assembly in 1949 and was mandated to provide assistance and protection to Palestine refugees registered with it in the agency's fields of operations. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. Ranchi, Sep 18 : Aara-Keram village, located at 32 km from Jharkhand capital Ranchi and surrounded by hills, has become a model for the rest of the country. This village has its own set of rules which are required to be followed for residing in the area. A board has been placed on the side of a clean road at the entrance of the village, displaying the rules which are - 'Shramdan', 'Nashabandi', ban on open defecation, prohibition on leaving cattle unattended, ban on cutting trees and plants, ban on dowry system, plastic ban and deep boring ban. These are the rules, which the people of the village had imposed on themselves about five years ago with mutual consent. The effect of these rules was such that the Aara-Keram village under Ormanjhi block has created a model of self-reliance and development, which is now being discussed in the whole country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also appreciated the model of this village in his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme. In other districts of Jharkhand, initiatives are being taken to adopt the model of Aara-Keram. The Khunti district administration has started work on a plan to implement this model in 80 villages of the district simultaneously. The villagers of Alankel Tola in Khunti district have imposed similar rules on themselves. A group of 50 newly-elected public representatives from gram panchayats of Koderma district led by Deputy Commissioner Aditya Ranjan visited the village this month and tried to understand the modus operandi there. The DC said the plan is to develop at least one village on this pattern in every panchayat of Koderma district. Aara-Keram has set an example in various fields, including drugs ban, water management, sanitation, education, organic farming, horticulture etc. The population of the village is barely around 1,000. Before 2018, the people of the village used to go to Ranchi or Ormanjhi for daily wage work. Somehow, they gave a certain direction to the spring water flowing from the hill, which not only stopped soil erosion and crop failure, but the farm fields are also getting water now. It was not so easy to take water to every field without a pump. For this, MGNREGA schemes were also used. Siddharth Tripathi, then MNREGA commissioner of Jharkhand, had inspired the people of the village a lot. First, a loose boulder structure was built in the hill to stop the water flowing from it. As a result, the speed of water was reduced, cutting down soil erosion. Simultaneously, the water was supplied to the fields by making trenches on the sloping land of the village. Two ponds were dug near the hill. Today, water reaches the fields only by connecting pipes with the ponds. Today, 95 per cent of the village population is dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry for livelihood, while 70 per cent of the farmers cultivate vegetables throughout the year. Cultivation through drip irrigation is being done in about 35 acres of land. Strict rules have been implemented here to save the forest area spread over 400 acres. Gopal Ram Bedia, the head of Aara village, said that with the help of 'shramdan' and mutual support, the people of Aara-Kairam have created 12 small ponds, trenches in 300 acres, mango horticulture in 20 acres, medicinal plants in five acres of land, 35 peat compost and 80 cattle sheds. The village head said that when a meeting is held in the village, the presence of one member from every family is mandatory. In this sequence, Rs 5 per family is deposited in the village fund. The development of the village is done with the same money and by doing shramdan. The villagers meet every Thursday and discuss the ongoing schemes. Aara-Keram has been declared by the Jharkhand government as the first drugs-free village in the state. New Delhi, Sep 18 : Just days after the exit of eight Congress MLAs in Goa, veteran Congress leader and old hand in Kashmir affairs Karan Singh has complained of being sidelined with no communication from the party. The complaint comes as the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra is progressing. It will culminate in Kashmir, where Karan Singh's father Hari Singh was the erstwhile ruler before acceding to India. He expressed his disappointment at not being invited to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra, saying it seems that the party doesn't need him anymore. 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 developed between the party and me. I have been in the party my whole life, but it seems that they don't need me anymore." He added: "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. There is no contact, nobody asks me anything." Not only Karan Singh who is hinting that he is upset with the party, there is an endless list of those who have parted ways with the Congress including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Ashwani Kumar, both former cabinet ministers, and loyalists like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada and RPN Singh. Azad attacked the party leadership like no one before him and even said that PAs and security guards were running the show in the party. Asked about the exit of senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Karan Singh, who is from the erstwhile royal family of Jammu and Kashmir, said that it will have an impact and the party will suffer. However the Congress has justified Azad's exit. On Saturday Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet after the results from Ladakh came in, "Here is some breaking news for Modi, Shah and Azad. The Congress party has defeated the BJP by a convincing margin in the Temisgam by-election to the Ladakh Hill Council. Congratulations to the Ladakh District Congress Committee!" Ghulam Nabi Azad in his resignation letter accused the Congress Working Committee members of humiliating him after the G-23 leaders wrote a letter to party president Sonia Gandhi. "The only crime committed by the 23 senior leaders who wrote that letter out of concern for the party is that they pointed out both the reasons for the weaknesses in the party and the remedies thereof. Unfortunately, instead of taking those views on board in a constructive and cooperative manner we were abused, humiliated, insulted and vilified in a specially summoned meeting of the extended CWC meeting," he said. "In the August of 2020 when I and 22 other senior colleagues, including former Union Ministers and Chief Ministers wrote to you to flag the abysmal drift in the party the "coterie" chose to unleash its sycophants on us and got us attacked, vilified and humiliated in the most crude manner possible," he added. The veteran leader alleged that on the directions of the coterie that runs the AICC today his mock funeral procession was taken out in Jammu and those who committed this indiscipline were feted in Delhi by the general secretaries of the AICC and Rahul Gandhi personally. "Subsequently the same coterie unleashed its 'goondas' to physically attack the residence of a former ministerial colleague Sh. Kapil Sibal who incidentally was defending you and your kin in the courts of law for your alleged acts of omission and commission," Azad wrote in the letter. The Congress is maintaining that it is not going to be deterred by the BJP or it's agents; the yatra is getting a huge response and it will strengthen the party. The Congress launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari 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 in 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. Bhubaneswar, Sep 18 : It seems that Odisha has become a safe haven for the ganja and brown sugar mafias as the state is witnessing the seizure of such NDPS material almost every second day. According to data shared by the Odisha directorate of excise, officials have conducted several raids and seized ganja and brown sugar worth Rs 83 crore from April to August during the current financial year. There is a growth of 110 per cent in the seizure of NDPS ( Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) till August against the seizure of such substances in the same period of last financial year 2021-22. During April to August 2021, NDPS material worth Rs 39.49 crore was seized. The seizure of ganja and brown sugar has increased by 132 per cent and 191 per cent, respectively. While 9874 grams of brown sugar were seized this year against 3392 grams last year till August, the state has seized 21,690 kg of ganja till August this year against the seizure of 9,339 kg last year. The registration of NDPS cases has increased from 243 till August '21 to 739 till August this year, registering a growth of 204 per cent. While 295 persons were arrested in these NDPS cases till August of 2021-22, the number of arrests also increased to 865 in such cases till last month this fiscal. The detection and seizure of NDPS cases increased due to regular monitoring by excise commissioner Ashish Kumar Singh and strong enforcement activities, said an official. To further strengthen enforcement, vehicles are being provided to each range office, he said. In the meanwhile, taking a cue from the Uttar Pradesh police, the Odisha police has started demolishing the illegal structures/homes of the drug mafiosi. The twin city commissionerate police on Saturday demolished the house of Ranju Nayak, a drug trader and an accused in a murder case. "We have launched an operation White Spider to check the drug menace in the capital city. Under the operation, almost every day we are seizing drugs and making arrests," said Manas Ranjan Garnaik, ACP (zone 1), Bhubaneswar. As drug trader Ranju had constructed the house illegally and used it in the drug trade, the house was demolished, he said. Earlier, the police had bulldozed the grocery shop of a man who was peddling brown sugar in the Nayapalli area of Bhubaneswar. Besides, the police also seized the entire property of drug mafias. Following the request of the Odisha police, the competent authority under the NDPS Act has confiscated property worth Rs 6 crore, including gold jewellery worth Rs 4.5 crore, of notorious drug don Rajanikant Patnaik from Khallikote in Odisha's Ganjam district. In another instance, the court has ordered the forfeiture of properties worth over Rs 3 crore owned by two ganja smugglers in the same district. Chennai, Sep 18 : Is it going to be a sparkling bright or dark Diwali is the question that is being asked by the fireworks industry for the past couple of years. With Diwali this year to be celebrated next month - and virtually without any curbs and the Covid pandemic wanes, the question gains more importance. Production of fireworks in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district, is yet to pick up even as there is just a month to go for the festival of lights, industry officials said. The Supreme Court had banned the use of barium in 2018 in making firecrackers and it was reconfirmed in 2021, putting the fireworks industry in Sivakasi - the firecrackers hub of the country with around three lakh workers directly employed in around 1,000 organised units there - in a tight spot, they said. "The case is still pending in the Supreme Court. The court had earlier said the final hearing will be in June 2022. But that has not happened," Sivakasi Fireworks Manufacturers Association (SFMA) Vice President A. Murali told IANS. "The ban of barium is baseless, imposed without any scientific study being conducted on the possible hazardous impact with regards to the pollution." "We are being targeted because of the hue and cry of the environmentalists in the name of pollution, although other sectors as well are using barium in various production operations. I should say that we are the weaker opponent and are being made scapegoats," Murali contended. After the SC had reconfirmed the ban in 2021, many of the stakeholders have impleaded in the case seeking lifting of the ban. Murali said, barium is one the main oxidisers for most of the fireworks and without it, the simple sparklers cannot be made. "After the ban, my factories are running at 50 per cent capacity and reduced production by 50 to 60 per cent which obviously impacted the business. For instance, I have a group of companies which employs 450 to 500 workers and after the ban I could employ 200 people only," he said. The production value of firecracker factories in Sivakasi is about Rs 2,500 crore and the retail sales value may be about Rs 6,000 crore. For a long time, the fireworks industry has been a target in different forms. First, the manufacturers were targeted for child labour and it was followed up with the noise pollution charge. With the noise pollution issue getting resolved with the laying down of the norms, the industry is being charged with polluting the air. "The next charge may be that the brightness emitted by the firecrackers are injurious to the human eyes," claimed an industry player. The industry players and common people are of the view that Diwali is being targeted by vested interests. Manufacturers say that Sivakasi would have turned into a ghost city long back if firecrackers were the reason for air pollution in Delhi. On an average, the industry players daily burst around Rs 1,00,000 worth of crackers for testing purposes, but people breathe good air and there are different kinds of birds in Sivakasi, industry officials had told IANS. Sivakasi accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the country's firecracker production, and has 1,070 firecracker units located in and around the city. About 300,000 workers are directly employed whereas another 500,000 workers are in the allied sectors. "The automobile industry was given a long buffer time to shift over to the BS VI emission norms. But the fireworks industry was not given any norms or time to change over," a manufacturer had told IANS. Industry officials have been questioning the efficacy of the formulation provided by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to make green crackers. As per Murali and other industry officials, the NEERI claims that using its formulation in firecracker manufacturing, the emission levels will go down by 30 per cent but this "is not scientific". (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in) Chandigarh, Sep 18 : A woman hosteller of a private university in Punjab's Mohali was arrested on Sunday for making porn videos on her phone of at least eight fellow hosteller while taking bath. She illegally sent the nude images and videos to a male friend in Shimla, resulting in the footage being circulated online. As students came to know that their photos went viral, there was a ruckus at Chandigarh University in Mohali overnight with crowds of hostellers staging a massive protest. Students shouted slogans: 'We want justice'. Reports say that eight students living in the hostel attempted suicide when they saw their video on the Internet. They have been taken to different hospitals. Also, the college management is pressurising the students to not report the matter to the police. Woman students said that they brought the matter to the notice of the university authorities earlier several times but no action was initiated. During the protest, police had to cane-charge students to disperse them. Gandhinagar, Sep 18 : The Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested former Gujarat minister of state for home and former Chairman of Dudhsagar dairy Vipul Chaudhary on Thursday. The allegations against him are that during his tenure as chairman of Dudhsagar dairy, a Rs 800 crore scam took place. Now he is on seven days' police remand. But rumours floating around in north Gujarat political circles, say that it is less to do with financial irregularities and more with politics, a war going on between two sections of the Patel community, OBC Patels and non-OBC Patels, said sources in the BJP. According to the sources Vipul Chaudhary, and BJP's other leaders like Shankar Chaudhary, Haribhai Chaudhary, sitting MP from Banaskantha Parbat Patel are Anjana Chaudhary, Patel's sub caste, that is included in the OBC category. Health minister Rishikesh Patel, former Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Anandiben Patel are upper caste Patels. Political analyst Hari Desai says that since the last one decade or so a constant effort has been made by some Patidar leaders to either sideline or cut to size Anjana Chaudhary Patels from politics, be it the cooperative sector or mainstream politics. First they got Shankar Chaudhary defeated in the assembly elections, then instead of nominating him as a Lok Sabha candidate from Banaskantha seat, they took the resignation of Parbat Patel (Anjana Chaudhary) and sent him to the Lok Sabha. Desai says this is the first time that there is not a single Anjana Chaudhary representative in the state cabinet. According to his knowledge Vipul Chaudhary was victimised over corruption charges. But this time the ruling party may have to pay, because anti BJP anger in Anjana Chaudhary's is very high, who can vote against the BJP candidates in North Gujarat. A senior BJP leader from Gandhinagar wishing anonymity told IANS, if Anjana Chaudhary decides, at least on 20 seats in five districts of Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Banaskantha and Patan they can sabotage the ruling party's prospects. The leader said the timing of the arrest is not surprising, because on September 18 Chaudhary has called the All Gujarat Arbuda Sena meeting, the panel he led to contest elections in Dudhsagar dairy. In the last two months two major sensitive issues were raised by Chaudhary during his campaign -- about cows death due to lumpy virus with the state hiding the death figures and the OBC reservation issue. Not just Anjana Chaudhary but now members of other castes falling under OBC category have started supporting Vipul Chaudhary, which was worrying the upper caste Patel leaders of the ruling party, so Vipul Chaudhary was their target, said the leader. In Anjana Chaudhary dominated villages, Vipul Chaudhary supporters have started putting up banners and hoardings warning leaders against entering the village for campaigning until Vipul Chaudhary is released. New Delhi, Sep 18 : Only 24 per cent of the eligible population has been covered so far (As on September 16) under the precaution doses for Covid-19. This is despite the governments campaign of free doses aimed to increase uptake for the precaution dose among the eligible adult population. The special 75-day campaign for administering free precaution doses will end in less than two weeks on September 30. Government data revealed that there are many states like Haryana and Jharkhand where only 10 % of the eligible population has been covered for the precaution doses. As per the government data (As on September 16), states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and many others recorded less than the national average of 24 per cent of precaution dose coverage. States including Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka recorded precaution dose coverage of 13 per cent, 13 per cent, 15 per cent, 17 per cent and 19 per cent of their eligible population respectively. On the other hand states like Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and a few others have performed better than the national average. States like Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha recorded 26 per cent, 37 per cent, 39 per cent, 30 per cent and 38 per cent coverage respectively of their eligible population. Eligible populations are the persons who have completed 6 months from the date of administration of the 2nd dose. As per the government data, 19.14 crore people have been covered as of September 16 out of the total eligible population of 78.44 crore in the country. The Covid-19 precaution dose administration for age group 18-59 years also started from 10th April, 2022. Thereafter, the 'Covid Vaccine Amrit Mahotsav' campaign was launched on July 15, 2022 to give an impetus to precaution dose as part of the national Covid vaccination drive. Under the campaign, free precaution doses at all government Covid vaccination centres for persons aged 18 years and above for 75 days (from July 15 to September 30, 2022) are being provided. Being implemented in a 'Mission Mode' this special Covid vaccination drive is a part of the celebration for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The special drive is aimed to increase uptake for the precaution dose among the eligible adult population. Earlier, States/UTs were urged to implement 'Covid Vaccination Amrit Mahotsava' for 75 days as 'Jan Abhiyaan' with huge mass mobilization, through a camp approach. They were advised to organise special vaccination camps on the routes of Char Dham Yatra (Uttarakhand), Amarnath Yatra (Jammu & Kashmir), Kanwar Yatra (all States/UTs of North India) as well as major melas and congregations. States/UTs were advised to operationalise special workplace vaccination camps at big office complexes (public & private), industrial establishments, railway stations, inter-state bus stations, in schools and colleges etc. Besides, States/UTs were also advised to do wide advance publicity of this initiative in print, electronic, social and mass media. State health authorities were urged to undertake a regular weekly review of the progress at the state level. As per the Ministry of Health, States/UTs were advised to ensure that the available Covid vaccine doses are consumed in a timely manner and no dose expires in both government and private facilities. States were requested to assess the requirement for the 75-day special drive as per the eligible population groups and inform the Centre. It was to enable the Union Ministry of Health to provide adequate doses to the States/UTs that need them. The principle of First Expiry, First Out shall continue to guide the Covid vaccination. Caracas, Sep 18 : Venezuela "strongly" rejected a recent White House memorandum that listed it as one of the countries involved in drug production or trafficking, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The memorandum issued on Thursday accuses more than 20 countries of being "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries." The memorandum is of an "interfering nature" and has no legal status, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday. "In that infamous publication, the faithful compliance with international commitments" of Venezuela in the fight against illegal drug trafficking is not mentioned, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the ministry's statement. The ministry also condemned the US government for trying "to be the policeman of the international arena and to persist in the imposition of extraterritorial policies". The United States, it added, "seeks to make unfounded judgments" about Venezuela to justify its annual expenses in the alleged war on drugs. The Venezuelan government said it was only after the expulsion of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from its territory in 2005 that the country began to make the largest drug seizures in its history. The South American nation also reaffirmed its "unrestricted and unconditional commitment in the frank, upfront, and sincere fight against drug trafficking. New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Arvind Kejriwal-led government is working continuously to make Delhi the 'City of Lakes' by developing 250 reservoirs and 23 lakes are being developed across the national capital. A budget of Rs 376 crore was approved by the Delhi government for 159 water bodies, while a budget of Rs 77 crore was passed for the construction of two big lakes. This project, started by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in 2017-18, is likely to be finished by 2024. The foundation stone of the Delhi government's project to revive and develop lakes and reservoirs was laid in 2017. Under this, the DJB was entrusted with the task of reviving and developing about 250 reservoirs and 23 lakes in different parts of the city. The DJB started work on the project in 2018. Under the project, work is being done in two categories - firstly, on the lakes which have dried up and are in bad condition, and secondly, construction of artificial lakes at seven different locations in the national capital. Apart from this, the government is also working to revive small water bodies. The objective of this entire project is to create various reservoirs to prevent urban flooding, to raise the groundwater level, and to resolve the issue of blocked drains. The initiative will also help in tackling the problem of water scarcity in Delhi. The Delhi government is rejuvenating these lakes using a sustainable model. Local flora is being planted around the lakes. Along with this, beautification work is being also carried out around these water bodies. DJB Consultant and Engineer Ankit Srivastava told IANS that the project is the brainchild of Chief Minister Kejriwal. Under this, the priority was to increase the ground water level and to keep its own water reserves ready. Later it was also decided to beautify the surroundings of these water bodies. He said that about 1,000 MGD of water is supplied in Delhi, out of which 900 MGD comes from other states, while about 100 MGD of water is drawn by the Delhi government itself. After the completion of the project, Delhi will become self-sufficient to a large extent. According to the DJB, in the first phase of the project, 50 water bodies have been identified, where the waste water used to go. They are now being revived. Apart from this, lakes have been dug at seven places, in which water is being released from sewage treatment plants (STPs). Piezometers are also being installed in lakes to measure the ground water level. According to the DJB, in the lakes that were excavated in the first phase, there was an increase of 1.5 to 1.75 metres in the ground water level. After which the lakes are being deepened and better results will be seen in the coming time. The first water body work under the project was started as a pilot in Rajokri. Srivastava told IANS that usually the work of water bodies gets completed in 6-7 months, but there are many places where there are encroachments and thus people create obstacles, and due to this, some projects are getting delayed. According to Srivastava, the water related work in 50 water bodies has been completed. Now, the beautification and tourism related works are being done there. He said that the work has been completed in Pappan Kalan and Nilothi. While in Dwarka, 90 per cent work has been done, 50 per cent work is completed in Iradtnagar, Shahdara, and Roshanara, 70-80 per cent in Rohini, 95 per cent in Timarpur and 70 per cent work has been completed in Sanauth so far. New Delhi, Sep 18 : A moderate consumption of black, green or Oolong (traditional Chinese drink) tea is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a study involving over a million adults from eight countries has revealed. The findings suggest that drinking at least four cups of tea a day is associated with a 17 per cent lower risk of diabetes over an average period of 10 years. "Our results are exciting because they suggest that people can do something as simple as drinking four cups of tea a day to potentially lessen their risk of developing type 2 diabetes", said lead author Xiaying Li from Wuhan University of Science and Technology in China. The study, to be presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Sweden next week, scanned 19 cohort studies. While it's long been known that regularly drinking tea may be beneficial for health because of the various antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic compounds tea contains, less clear has been the relationship between tea drinking and the risk of diabetes. Overall, the new meta-analysis found a linear association between tea drinking and diabetes risk, with each cup of tea consumed per day reducing the risk of developing diabetes by around 1 per cent, said the study published in peer-reviewed journal Diabetologia. When compared with adults who didn't drink tea, those who drank 1-3 cups daily lowered their risk of diabetes by 4 per cent, while those who consumed at least 4 cups every day reduced their risk by 17 per cent. The associations were observed regardless of the type of tea participants drank, whether they were male or female, or where they lived, suggesting that it may be the amount of tea consumed, rather than any other factor, that plays a major role. "While more research needs to be done to determine the exact dosage and mechanisms behind these observations, our findings suggest that drinking tea is beneficial in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, but only at high doses (at least 4 cups a day)", said Li. It is possible that particular components in tea, such as polyphenols, may reduce blood glucose levels, but a sufficient amount of these bioactive compounds may be needed to be effective. Despite the important findings, the authors noted that the study is observational and cannot prove that drinking tea reduces the risk of diabetes, but suggests that it is likely to contribute. That filmmakers are exploited by just about all associated with a film is a fact one cannot deny. A producer knows it all but has no courage to do anything about it, more so once his film is under production. Once the film starts rolling, the producer is at his most vulnerable. He just can't say no to any demand. The one who exploits the filmmaker the most is his star. And when demands of a star are entertained once, it becomes the norm. In August, the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) halted all shoots till it settled the issue of prices that worked at the whims and fancies of the stars. The producer had no say in the matter and they often had to go with unviable demands just to stay in business and hope for the best. The Telugu producers realised that at the end of the day, after making a film worth crores, they usually incurred losses, while everyone around them who worked on the films, made money. The shoots were stalled till three basic problems facing the production sector were settled. The most important problem among them were the exorbitant star prices. The other two were high admission rates in cinemas and the challenge of the OTT platforms. The production activities stayed suspended from August 1 for over four weeks till all the issues were addressed. The stars agreed to be more reasonable. In the South, producers are united and when the stars are approached at the association level, they have to toe the line. As for the admission rates at cinemas, the initiative to control the exploitation had already been taken by the Andhra Pradesh government, which had stipulated ticket rates for different films according to their budgets and the centres were graded as A or B. The rates were also fixed for the multiplexes. Now, the Telugu industry has gone one step further. All the daily charges paid by the filmmaker to the star's retinue, like the driver, makeup man, costume man, attendant, and so on, will no longer be borne by the producer. The state government, trade bodies and producers are working in tandem, taking definite steps against all kinds of exploitation, so what stops the Hindi film industry from doing something about these problems? Isn't it strange that the filmmaker, who takes all the risks, ropes in stars and makes a film costing many crores, has no say with the stars he engages! Mukesh Bhatt, a regular filmmaker, and once the president of the most affluent and influential film producers' body, the Guild, had put his laments on record during an interview some years back. Someone in social media pulled it out and reposted it recently. Mukesh had worked out that a star's support staff added as much as Rs 2 crore to a film's budget.(Bhatt's lament has been mentioned earlier, too, in this column.) Bhatt elaborated on the break-up: Make-up man and hairstylist: Rs 1 lakh per day; star's driver: Rs 5,000 per day just to bring him to the shoot and thus oblige the producer! Another Rs 5,000 each day to the lad whose only job is to be at an arm's length from the star carrying his phone, cigarettes or whatever, and also for the other lad who acts as a hanger, carrying the star's costume change. The star, moreover, comes in his own luxury vanity van loaded with all the five-star amenities, and charges Rs 20,000 per day for it, though rented ones come for Rs 10,000! According to Bhatt, as a result of all this, additional expenses per day work out to Rs 1.20 lakh for the producer! In the film industry, the filmmaker ends up working for the star, rather than giving creative inputs to the film. His job is reduced to keeping the star and his entourage in good humour. Yes, you have to call the lot as the entourage, for they find being called 'the staff' insulting! The producer ends up just being a provider and a hanger-on on the sets of his own film. I wonder if a star, when he demands all these luxuries, ever recalls the time when he went from office to office pleading with a filmmaker's staff to let him meet the producer, left his portfolio pictures at these offices, survived on vada pav and travelled on local trains across Mumbai. Why isn't he just grateful to the filmmaker and the film industry for giving him his status and his riches? Despite these riches, the stars have always been greedy. Some take away costumes meant for a film, some even take away the wigs, and their entourage does not get to keep the money collected in their name. The stars have their costume designers and the producer has to pay for the dresses. One top star of the 1960s and 70s was seen wearing the same shirt in five films and charging all five producers! Why is no producers' body doing something about this shameless exploitation by the stars, cinemas and others concerned with filmmaking? Yes, they have as many as four associations representing film producers. Some have become defunct, but what about the one with the biggest producers on its rolls, the Guild? Bhatt, who highlighted all kinds of exploitation a producer is subjected to, was the President of the Guild from 2012 to 2016. While enjoying an important office in a strong trade body, many concessions are available, a fringe benefit of sorts. So why muddy the waters? The Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) has come down hard on some issues troubling filmmakers. The decisions have been made with the agreement of all the parties concerned, so they are bound to stick. Accordingly, no per-day payments to drivers, makeup men and rest of the star's retinues. These are to be included in the star's remuneration decided upon mutually per project and will be paid to the star or the technician directly. And, not to leave any loose ends, the TFCC makes it compulsory for all producers to enter into agreements with the stars and technicians concerned, mentioning the fees before the film production starts. These agreements, in turn, will have to be submitted to the TFCC for approval. The TFCC has also decreed that an eight-week window will be maintained between a film's theatrical and OTT releases. No film will carry the name of its OTT or satellite channel partner on either the publicity material or in the film titles. It thus makes it clear that the film producer is the master and he won't sell himself cheap. No obligations to OTT platforms or satellite channels. And, finally, the TFCC has also resolved the issues of the cine workers who were slated to strike work unless their demands were met. It has been decided to grant a raise of 15 per cent and 30 per cent for those daily workers employed in small- and big-budget films, respectively. Hindi filmmakers, meanwhile, will continue to be exploited, grumble about it over a drink, but the show will go on, for they are not the kind to go for a showdown. Bengaluru, Sep 18 : Lokayukta investigation of corruption charges against former Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa will prove to be a roadblock for BJP's old horse who is all set to embark on state wide tour to strengthen the party. The opposition Congress has delivered a master stroke at a crucial time by ensuring the Lokayukta FIR against Yediyurappa. The complainant, senior advocate and activist T. J. Abraham has stated that all relevant documents are provided by senior Congress leader Ugrappa. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has stated that Yediyurappa has to come clean in the investigation by the Lokayukta. However, the party is worried over the development according to insiders. The investigation will hamper the plans of not only Yediyurappa but also of his son Vijayendra who is all set for aggresive campaign. Abraham stated that this issue was raised in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 2020 by the leader of Opposition Siddaramiah. Then CM Yediyurappa and Law Minister Madhuswamy had agreed to face any enquiry by any agency including CBI, on the floor of the House. "Will they undertake again publicly that they will not challenge the order for investigation by the Lokayukta Police, passed by the Special Court?" he challenged. The FIR is lodged against Yediyurappa, his son B.Y. Vijeyandra, his grandson Shashidhar Marandi, his daughter's son-in-law Sanjay Shree, Co-operation Minister S.T.Somashaker and others. Chandigarh, Sep 18 : A woman hosteller studying MBA in a private university in Punjab's Mohali was detained by police on Sunday on charges of making a porn video and MMS of fellow hostellers. Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Soni categorically told the media that no attempt to suicide was reported after the incident came to light. Also, he said, so far there was no evidence of the video being made viral. "As per the investigation, the accused made her own video and no video of other students was made. There was no evidence so far. There is so much misinformation and rumours doing rounds. We should respect the modesty of the accused student as we are investigating the matter," he said. Soni appealed to the public and the students to maintain calm and help police to investigate the matter. As per reports, the accused hosteller illegally sent the nude images and videos to a male friend in Shimla, resulting in the footage being circulated online. As the video went viral, a massive ruckus on the campus of Chandigarh University erupted overnight with crowds of hostellers staging a massive protest. Students shouted slogans: 'We want justice'. During the protest, police had to cane-charge students to disperse them. AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reacted to the incident and urged the people to act with patience. "In Chandigarh University, a girl has gone viral by recording objectionable videos of many girl students. This is very serious and shameful. All the culprits involved in this will get the harshest punishment. Victim girls have courage. We are all with you. All act with patience," he said in a tweet. Requesting the students to keep calm, state Minister of School Education Harjot Singh Bains said, "No one guilty will be spared. It's a very sensitive matter and relates to dignity of our sisters and daughters. We all including media should be very very cautious, it is also test of ours now as a society." Punjab State Women Commission Chairperson Manisha Gulati, who reached the university, clarified on the rumours around victims of alleged video and MMS scandal attempting suicide. "The probe is underway and law will take its course," she said, asking the commission to inspect all universities so that such incidents did not reoccur. "The police are investigating the entire incident and we are assisting them," said Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University. New Delhi, Sep 18 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was conducting raids at more than 23 locations across the country in connection with a terror related case involving the Popular Front of India (PFI). A source said that in Telangana's Nizamabad, Karate classes were being organised by a group of people, but the main purpose was to impart terror training. The source said that raids were underway in Kurnool, Nellore, Kadapa and Guntur of Andhra Pradesh and Nizamabad, Telangana. The main accused in the case is PFI District Convener Shadullah. His premises were also being searched. "Our searches are ongoing in the Kurnool and Kadapa areas. Our investigations are ongoing with two teams in Guntur district. We have proof that terror activities were going on in Andhra pradesh and Telangana," said a source. Earlier, the local police had arrested Mohammad Imran and Mohammad Abdul Mobin. A case of treason was registered against them. "We have found active extremist trained fanatics. The youth were being misled by them," the source said. Further probe in the matter was on. London, Sep 18 : President of India Droupadi Murmu will be among 500 foreign dignitaries who will attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II - who ruled for a record 70 years - on Monday September 19. Ashis Ray London, Sep 18 (IANS) President of India Droupadi Murmu will be among 500 foreign dignitaries who will attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II - who ruled for a record 70 years - on Monday September 19. Britain's broadcaster BBC commented it will be "in the 21st Century, an event beyond compare". Murmu has been invited for a state reception at Buckingham Palace in London being hosted by King Charles III, who succeeded Elizabeth, and Queen Consort Camilla for foreign dignitaries today Sunday. This will take place after the visiting leaders have paid their respects to the body lying-in-state in a coffin with a bejewelled crown above it in Westminster Hall in the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament. The Earl Marshall the Duke of Norfolk, who is overseeing the elaborate arrangements, told media: "It is our aim and belief that the state funeral and events of the next few days will unite people across the globe." There will be more than 2,000 guests attending the service at Westminster Abbey in central London opposite the Houses of Parliament known at the Palace of Westminster, where the body has been lying-in-state for several days, with an estimated 750,000 Britons and foreigners filing past it. Around 4,000 personnel of the armed forces will participate in the ceremonies. The television audience is forecast to be in the billions. In what will be the first state funeral in Britain since the one held for the heroic Second World War prime minister Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, the emperor of Japan will be present, as will be the kings and queens from Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. Leading the list of heads of state or government will be the president of the United States Joe Biden and French president Emmanuel Macron. Germany following protocol is sending its head of state president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and not its head of government chancellor Olaf Scholz. Chinese president Xi Jinping was extended an invitation. This gave rise to some British members of parliament voicing their objection. Wang Qishan, vice-president of China, could instead represent the People's Republic. Russia, Belarus, Syria, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Venezuela are among the few nations who are not on the guest list. The invitation to North Korea is only at the level of its ambassador in the United Kingdom. The dress code laid down for members of the British royal family for the ceremonies has been the subject of much debate on the UK's media. For the service at the Abbey and ceremonies on Monday, King Charles III, his son Prince William, now the heir to the throne, Charles' sister Princess Anne and brother Prince Edward will wear military uniform. Charles' brother Andrew and younger son Prince Harry, who are no longer 'working royals', have been relegated to civilian attire. The funeral will begin at 3.30 p.m. Indian Standard Time and is expected last an hour. The Last Post on a bugle will be sounded when the service concludes. A two-minute silence will follow. Thereafter, the body will be taken to Windsor Castle - a British royal residence 25 miles west of the capital. Her final resting place will be at the chapel there beside her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in 2021. The monarchs, presidents and prime ministers present would constitute one of the biggest gatherings of world leaders in history - to pay tribute to one of the most recognised world figures, who was also the head of the Commonwealth - an association of 54 countries, including India. Sources at Buckingham Palace revealed Elizabeth was herself involved in the planning of her funeral. Monday has been declared a Bank Holiday in Britain. ( can be contacted at ashiscray@gmail.com) Beijing, Sep 18 : Twenty-seven people were killed and 20 others injured after a bus turned on its side in China's Guizhou Province early Sunday morning. The bus with 47 people on board was running on a highway section in Sandu Shui Autonomous County when the accident happened, Xinhua news agecy reported quoting the county's public security bureau. Details are awaited. New Delhi, Sep 18 : A day after Cheetahs were released in the Kuno National Park by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Sunday claimed that it was their government which initiated the process, and accused the PM of stating the facts. The Congress on Sunday said that the process of induction was started by the UPA government and former Union Minister for environment Jairam Ramesh released a letter to prove his point. "This was the letter that launched Project Cheetah in 2009. Our PM is a pathological liar. I couldn't lay my hands on this letter yesterday because of my preoccupation with the #BharatJodoYatra". The letter written to M.K. Ranjit Sinh on October 6, 2009 says, "Please go ahead and prepare a detailed roadmap for the reintroduction of the Cheetah which should include a detailed analysis of different potential sites." "The analysis should be carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with other organizations like BNHS and WTI. You may also like to take State Forest Departments as part of this study. I expect that the roadmap would be submitted to the MOE&F by the end of January 2010." On Saturday, the Congress said that the 'tamasha' orchestrated by the PM was unwarranted and was yet another diversion from the pressing national issues, said Congress general secretary and in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh in a tweet. "PM hardly ever acknowledges continuity in governance. Cheetah project going back to my visit to Capetown on 25.04.2010 is the latest example. The tamasha orchestrated by PM today is unwarranted and is yet another diversion from pressing national issues and Bharat Jodo Yatra," tweeted Jairam Ramesh. He said further that when tigers were first translocated to Panna and Sariska during 2009-11, there were many prophets of doom, Ramesh said, adding that they were proved wrong. "When tigers were first translocated to Panna and Sariska during 2009-11, there were many prophets of doom. They were proved wrong. Similar predictions are being made on the Cheetah project. The professionals involved are first-rate and I wish the project the very best!," he said in another tweet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released cheetahs flown in from Namibia into special enclosure in Kuno National Park of Madhya Pradesh, as part of the programme to reintroduce the feline in India seven decades after it was declared extinct in the country. Eight cheetahs were brought to Gwalior from Namibia in a special plane on Saturday morning as part of the cheetah reintroduction programme. New Delhi, Sep 18 : IDBI Trusteeship Services has asked the administrator of Reliance Capital, Nageswara Rao Y. to withdraw the allegations of breach of confidentiality. In a letter to Rao, IDBI Trusteeship Services said the allegations have been made on the basis of a media article which said IDBI Trustee has alleged that RCap CoC minutes do not accurately reflect discussions. "At the outset we are surprised to note the contents of your email which are baseless, unsubstantiated and far from the truth. We deny the same," IDBI Trustee said in the letter to Reliance Capital administrator. "We note that said purported allegation has been raised as the said letter supposedly refers to the concerns raised in our letter dated August 16. It is stated that merely because the said article refers to the concern raised in our aforesaid letter does not in any manner whatsoever establish or even suggest, to say the least, that the same has been published at our behest. You are strictly put to proof in this regard. On the contrary, this only reflects that your email (including the allegations made therein) have been made without taking any efforts to verify the factual position," IDBI Trustee said. "As a reputable professional trustee company, we are diligent about the sensitivity of the information involved and are bound by the undertaking furnished by us in relation to the same. We as well as the secured party with whom we are acting as trustee, deny any breach of confidentiality being committed as alleged in your email", IDBI Trusteeship Services said. "In view of the above position, you are being requested to kindly forthwith withdraw the allegation raised in your email," IDBI Trustee said in the letter. New Delhi, Sep 18 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that all the culprits, who were involved in the alleged video leak from girls' hostel in a private university in Punjab, will get the harshest punishment. "In Chandigarh University, a girl has recorded objectionable videos of many other girl students and has made it viral. This is very serious and shameful. All the culprits involved in this will get the harshest punishment. Victim girls must have courage. We are all with you. All act with patience," tweeted Kejriwal. He asked the victim students to have courage and patience. Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for School Education Harjot Singh Bains has asked the students, who have been protesting in the university campus located at Ludhiana-Chandigarh road, to stay calm. He assured them that the guilty will not be spared. Earlier, there were reports that the girl student had made videos of some women students and sent those to a youth in Shimla, who allegedly uploaded them on social media. The girl student was apprehended and an investigation into the matter was underway. Senior Superintendent of Punjab Police Vivek Soni, said "As per the investigation, the accused made her own video and no video of other students was made. There was no evidence so far. There is so much misinformation and rumours doing rounds. We should respect the modesty of the accused student as we are investigating the matter," he said. Rajkot : , Sep 18 (IANS) The Rajkot police have detained three men, including the husband and brother-in-law for their role in the gang-rape and murder of a 50-year-old woman. The police were awaiting Covid reports of the three accused, following which they will be officially arrested if the reports are negative. The incident came to light when a farm owner, Sanjay Detroja, suspected the activities of the accused. Not being satisfied with their replies, he informed the police. The woman was working at Sanjay Detroja farm for the last one year. According to the Jamkandorna Police station officer on Saturday, the victim's husband, Kisan Bamaniya, his brother Ramsang Bamaniya and their friend Ramesh Mavji, were found carrying the victim's body to their native place in Madhya Pradesh. They informed the farm owner that the victim had died due to some unknown reason and were taking the body to their native place for final rituals. Unsatisfied with the reply, Detroja called the police. When the police checked the body, they found injury marks on head, blood on body and other marks on the body. Police sent the body for post-mortem to Rajkot government hospital and started investigation. Deceased woman's son Sunil in his complaint stated that his mother was married to Kisan and from marriage they had five children. Between September 16th night and 17th afternoon the incident has occurred, in which his father Kisan had a quarrel with his mother, during which he disrobed her and forced himself over her. He later hit her brutally with a farm equipment. After which Kisan, his brother Ramsang and Ramesh poisoned her and killed her. Sunil suspected that before the murder even Ramsang and Ramesh had raped his mother. Police have registered a case of murder and gang-rape. Panaji, Sep 18 : Irked with the deed of eight defectors, who according to them defied and betrayed God by merging into the BJP, some hardcore devotees of Lord Bodgeshwar at Mapusa on Sunday offered nine bananas along with areca nut and betel leaves praying that God should 'teach them a lesson'. These devotees, gathered at Lord Bodgeshwar Temple at Mapusa in North Goa, said that eight bananas are in the name of defectors and ninth banana is in the name of those who have welcomed them in the party. On September 14, former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes merged the Congress party into the BJP. Kamat had justified his decision saying it was under God's guidance that he decided to quit the Congress and join BJP. What has hurt these devotees of Lord Bodgeshwar, that these defectors though had taken oath before Gods at Church, Dargah and Temple that they will not defect, have not only betrayed voters but also God. "God told me 'you take the decision, I am with you'. Hence I decided to join the BJP," Kamat had said. Justifying his deed by saying that 'God has told him to join the BJP, has largely caught the attention of many people across the country. "I went back to the temple and I asked God and Goddess what I should do. We have a system of taking 'Prasad'. God said go ahead, don't worry," Kamat further said. 'Prasad' is traditionally practiced in Goa from ancient times, asking Gods and Goddess about different problems and their solutions through Priest. This is practiced in many temples of Goa. Devotees take this 'prasad' before doing any good work and also seek solutions to their problems. "The people of Goa are hurt because these defectors have lied to God. We have prayed to God that within the next 15 days He should teach them a lesson," a devotee said. These devotees targeted Digambar Kamat, Sankalp Amonkar, Michael Lobo and his wife Delilah Lobo for switching the parties. "It is strange to see Digambar Kamat saying God spoke to him. Does it suit him to speak like this at this age?," he questioned. These devotees said all the eight defectors will suffer major loss in the future for betraying God. "If these MLAs had guts then they should have resigned and contested on the BJP ticket," the devotee said. Shahjahanpur, Sep 18 : A non-bailable warrant (NBW) has been issued against former union minister Swami Chinmayanand, for not appearing in a pending rape case against him before the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) in Shahjahanpur. The case was filed in 2011 and a charge sheet was subsequently filed in the court in October 2012. Trial proceedings thereafter could not start following the Allahabad high court's stay order. In 2018, the Yogi government decided to withdraw the case against Chinmayanand and filed an application before the court of chief judicial magistrate under section 321 of CrPC. The application was rejected by the CJM after the rape survivor filed an "objection." Later, the survivor moved an application in the high court mentioning that "she doesn't have any objection, if the case is withdrawn". That decision is pending before the high court and the case proceedings began in the lower court in Shahjahanpur. Recently, the lower court directed police to ensure the accused is produced on September 26, the next date of hearing. Shahjahanpur SP Sanjay Kumar, said, "We have come to know about the NBW. We will take necessary action." San Francisco, Sep 18 : With an aim to make it more user-friendly, tech giant Microsoft has announced that its Teams meeting attendees can now have an interpreter in their preferred language. The feature has been in testing for quite some time but is now generally available. Meeting participants can set their preferred language and then listen to a meeting in that language, reports WindowsCentral. The feature allows meeting organisers to have professional interpreters translate meetings in real-time. Attendees can set their preferred language when they join a meeting and should hear the interpreter's translation at a louder volume than the speaker. Microsoft outlined the key features of language interpretation, which include listening to a meeting in the language they are most comfortable using, collaborating in meetings where multiple languages are spoken, etc. As per the report, language interpretation joined a growing list of Teams features to overcome language barriers. For example, Teams also supports translating typed messages. "Here at Microsoft, we serve a diverse set of global customers, including governmental institutions that hold parliament meetings in multiple languages, multinational and multilingual corporations, businesses that work with vendors around the world, and many more," Microsoft's Shalendra Chhabra, was quoted as saying. "This feature was built to support customers and users who need to communicate in the virtual world across languages," Chhabra added. A Microsoft support document breaks down how to organise a meeting with language interpretation, how to add interpreters, how to choose a language, and how to designate someone as an interpreter. Meeting organisers have to provide their own interpreters. Up to 16 interpreter pairs can be added to any given meeting. The feature works in scheduled meetings, channel meetings, meetings with up to 1,000 people, and webinars. Chennai, Sep 18 : Director Vignesh Shivan, who celebrates his birthday on Sunday, has disclosed that his wife, actress Nayanthara, had pleasantly surprised him by organising a 'dreamy' birthday party beneath the world-renowned Dubai landmark, Burj Khalifa. Taking to social media to share pictures of their birthday celebration together, Vignesh Shivan wrote: "A birthday filled with pure love from a loving family! Awesome surprise by my wife, my thangam -- a dreamy birthday below Burj Khalifa with all my lovely people with me !" "Can't get better and more special than this! Always thanking God for all the lovely moments he gives me in this blessed life!" Nayanthara, for her part, tweeted: "Happiest birthday to the Super special Vignesh Shivan! Stay Blessed always!" She also posted a video clip of the birthday celebrations of her husband. The clip shows a close group of family members and friends clapping to the beats of a song being played even as the camera zooms in on three cakes, each of which has lighted candles on it. While one cake reads: "Happy birthday Magane (Happy birthday son!)", the second one reads, "Happy birthday Wikki sir" and the third, which is the biggest of the lot, reads, "Happy birthday Ulagam (Happy birthday my world)." New Delhi, Sep 18 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday detained four persons after conducting searches at multiple locations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in a case registered against Popular Front of India (PFI) cadres in Nizamabad by Telangana Police. The names of the four detained have been withheld so far as the probe is ongoing, said source. "Today, we conducted searches at 38 locations in Telangana (23 in Nizamabad, four in Hyderabad, seven in Jagityal, two in Nirmal, one each in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts) and at two locations in Andhra Pradesh (one each in Kurnool and Nellore districts) in the case relating to Abdul Khader of Nizamabad District, Telangana and 26 other persons," the official said. He said that the accused were organising camps for imparting training to commit terrorist acts and to promote enmity between different groups on the basis of religion. "During the searches conducted today, incriminating materials, including digital devices, documents, two daggers, cash Rs 8,31,500 have been seized," the official said. Further investigation in the matter was on. The case was initially registered on July 4 at Nizamabad police station in Telangana. During investigations by the state police, four accused namely, Abdul Kader, Sheikh Sahadulla, Md Imran and Md Abdul Mobin were arrested by the Telangana Police. Later, the case was re-registered by the NIA on August 26. Chandigarh, Sep 18 : Describing the incident of the alleged video leak from girls' hostel in a private university as unfortunate, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday ordered a high-level probe into the incident. The Chief Minister said the daughters "are our dignity and pride adding that any such incident is highly condemnable". Mann said he "is peeved to learn about the entire matter and has asked the district administration to undertake in-depth enquiry about the incident". He categorically said anyone found guilty will not be spared and severest of severe action will be taken against the perpetrators of this heinous crime. Earlier, there were reports that the accused girl student had made videos of some women students and sent those to a youth in Shimla, who allegedly uploaded them on social media. The girl student was apprehended and an investigation into the matter was underway. Senior Superintendent of Punjab Police Vivek Soni told the media, "As per the investigation, the accused made her own video and no video of other students was made. There was no evidence so far. There is so much misinformation and rumours doing rounds. We should respect the modesty of the accused student as we are investigating the matter." The Chief Minister said that he is in constant touch with the district administration and is keeping a tab on the entire situation. Mann urged the people to not get swayed away with the rumours being spread by some anti-social elements. He also warned that strict action will also be taken against those who are spreading canards regarding this sensitive issue. Saharanpur, Sep 18 : Maulana Arshad Madani, veteran Muslim scholar and principal of Darul Uloom in Uttar Pradesh's Deoband, has said that it was well within the rights of the government to undertake a survey of madrasas. "Let them conduct the survey. I see nothing wrong in it. There are no illegal activities being carried out in the madrasas. If any madrasa has been constructed illegally after land grab, we will have no problem if the government demolishes it," he told reporters. He said that the community has no problem in providing information about the madrasas to the government. "The government can do whatever it feels is in national interest but there should be no efforts to target the Muslims. This is a message that is being sent across and we are opposed to it," he said. Maulana Madani said that madrasa has been the centre of enlightenment and love for thousands of years. "Madrasas are there to fulfil our religious needs. Imams for lakhs of mosques are needed. They come from these madrasas. I have told madrasas that all questions of the government should be answered. Madrasa land should be legal," he added. He further said that madrasa operators have been told that there should be good and hygienic food arrangements in madrasas. About 500 persons related to various madrasas attended the convention in Darul Uloom on Sunday and discussed the issue of survey threadbare. New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Aam Aadmi Party introduced the culture of free revdi for the first time in the Indian politics which is neither being eaten nor swallowed by them (BJP), said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while addressing the party's first ever Rashtriya Janpratinidhi Sammelan held in the capital city here on Sunday. Without taking any names, he said further that they say that this will increase the debt on the government. "Gujarat and Punjab have a debt of Rs 3.5 lakh crore, but the governments there did not give anything for free. Everything is free in Delhi, yet there is no debt," he asked. Talking about his party's rising presence nationwide, Kejriwal said that the four things which people like about Aam Aadmi Party are - AAP's honesty, education, health services and freebies. "Those who say that there should be no free ki revdi, are dishonest and corrupt leader. Together they want to crush the Aam Aadmi Party. Total 169 cases were filed against AAP leaders, none was punished, and AAP leaders have been acquitted in 135 cases," the AAP chief said. For the first time, all elected representatives of the Aam Aadmi Party across the nation met at Rashtriya Janpratinidhi Sammelan on Saturday. The national meeting of all elected representatives has been called to discuss the way to strengthen the party organisation. "The Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. In 60 years, the leaders of these parties blew up the rags of that Constitution, then God had to come in the middle and exactly 63 years later, on November 26, 2012, the Aam Aadmi Party was formed. Today we have 1,446 public representatives in 20 states and Union Territories," said Kejriwal. These include MLAs, MPs, Zilla Panchayat members, he said further, adding that these were seeds which have become a tree now. This seed has become a tree in Delhi and Punjab, now this tree is going to be made in Gujarat too, he stated. While talking about ongoing face-off between Centre and Delhi govt, he said, "Hiren Joshi is the media advisor of the Prime Minister Office who threatens media. Stop this bullying, everyone has kept screen shots and recordings. If someone may issue that evidence, it will create problems." He said that India will not become a world guru by speaking abroad, it will be made by building schools and imparting education. Talking about allegations made against AAP MLAs, Kejriwal said "If Satyendar Jain had been in any other country, he would have been given the Bharat Ratna. The man gave Mohalla clinics, free electricity and free treatment. After nothing came out in three courts against him, now they are saying change the judge." "They raided Manish Sisodia's house alleging liquor scam of Rs 144 crore. But, nothing came out. Yesterday, they caught Amanatullah Khan," he added hitting at the Centre. They will put everyone in jail, prepare to go to jail for 3-4 months, they cannot harm you. Jail is not that bad, even I have come spending 15 days there. If everyone gets this courage, then they can't do anything, added Delhi Chief Minister in his address to party's representatives. "If the issues of education, health, women's security, farmers' income, employment and infrastructure are fixed, no one can stop India from becoming the number one country in the world. We have to make an alliance of 130 crore people," he concluded. New Delhi, Sep 18 : A 60-year-old man was robbed by three people in south Delhi's Madangir area while he was returning home from the market after buying groceries, an official said on Sunday. The police have arrested two of the three accused who committed the crime. According to the official, a PCR call regarding robbery of a mobile phone and other articles of the caller's father at Nala Road Madangir was received at Ambedkar Nagar police station on September 13. The elderly man, in his written complaint, stated that the incident took place on September 13 when he was returning from Pipal Chowk vegetable market via Nala Road, Madangir after purchasing the vegetables. "At about 9:20 p.m., when the complainant reached near F-2 block, Madangir, 2-3 unknown boys of age about 20-25 years came from behind, caught hold of him and robbed his gold chain, one ring of 15 gram, a wrist watch, a mobile phone and wallet containing Rs 4,000-5,000 cash along with some documents," Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Chandan Chowdhary said. Accordingly, based on the complaint, the police registered a case under section 392 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and began probing the matter. During the investigation, a police team was constituted which checked the footage of about 70 CCTV cameras in the area and developed local intelligence on its basis. After scanning multiple CCTV footages, all the three accused, identified as Rahul (22), Jaidev (22) and Harsh Negi were identified. Subsequently, the police team conducted raids at their addresses and two of the three accused were arrested while the third accused Harsh Negi is still at large. Bengaluru, Sep 18 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said all three major rail projects, proposed by Kerala, have been rejected. Talking to media after meeting with the delegation headed by the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his official residence, Bommai said: "We are sister states and a lot of cultural exchange is also there. But, three railway projects proposed from Kasargod to Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru to Talacherry and Kanhangad - Kaniyur railway lanes come under eco-sensitive zones." "The railway department had rejected the Kangar - Bantur - Kaniyur railway project. Now, the railways is maintaining that if the two states agree, the project could be pursued. So, they brought this proposal and it was rejected," Bommai said. "This lane passes through eco-sensitive Sullia, Subramanya stretch. "We can't agree. We will see how much it is beneficial for Karnataka passengers and check environmental challenges. We have clearly told them that until then, it is not possible to give consent," Bommai said. "The projects will pass through the national parks, tiger sanctuaries and elephant sanctuaries. These are old proposals. Earlier also we have rejected them and now also we have said no to them," Bommai said. "Talacherry-Mysuru railway lane passes through Bandipur and Nagarahole National Sanctuaries. They proposed to implement the project with new alignment. We have not agreed. We have told them that no compromise will be made with the environment," he said. "The Kerala delegation also proposed an underground tunnel in the forest stretch, which we have rejected," he said. Vijayan had asked for a meeting during South Zone Committee convention of South Indian Chief Ministers at Thiruvananthapuram. "Today we met," Bommai said. On arrival, Vijayan was honoured with the traditional 'Mysuru Peta' headgear and sandalwood garland. Chennai, Sep 18 : Actor-director Raghava Lawrence, who is known for his philanthropic activities, has said that those receiving help must not fall at his feet but that he must be the one to fall at people's feet and offer them help. Taking to social media, Raghava Lawrence put out a video clip in which he said that he was taking the first step to bring about a small change in himself. "Whoever I help shouldn't fall at my feet, I will fall at their feet and offer my service," he said. "For a long time, I was waiting to bring about a small change within myself. Tomorrow I'm taking the first step. I've always seen the poor fall at the feet of rich people asking for help and they do the same after receiving help as well. I have personally never liked seeing it because of a few incidents that have happened in my life." "When a family came to me seeking help for the open heart surgery that they had to perform on their child, they fell at my feet asking for help. I moved away but then, I saw the child's face. The child was crying when his/her parents fell at my feet for help." "I can understand and feel the pain that parents and children go through because in front of their children, any father will want to be a hero. Just because the rich have money, I don't think it's fair that the poor fall at their feet." "Also, after a successful surgery, parents place their kids at my feet. I believe that God and kids are one. So I feel like God is falling at my feet. Sometimes, when I visit villages and help the elderly people who are my mother's age, they do the same. Is this fair?" "I strongly believe that they (those receiving help) are the ones giving me pure blessings. Hence, hereafter, whoever I help, I will fall at their feet and take their blessings. I hope my little ego also vanishes. Tomorrow, I'm meeting my fans and making a small effort to bring about this change within myself. I need all your blessings. #Serviceisgod, Forever grateful, Ragava Lawrence." The actor also put out a statement which had the same information he spoke in the video. Beijing, Sep 18 : A Chinese spy carrying out industrial espionage against GE Aviation and Honeywell's aerospace division was caught with the help of access to an iCloud backup of his iPhone, media reports say. The data obtained included a never-before-seen copy of a security form used by the Chinese security service when recruiting spies, citing Bloomberg, 9To5Mac reported. Xu Yanjun, an officer in China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) was arrested and brought to trial in the US after investigators lured him out of the country to a meeting in Belgium, from where he was extradited to the US. As per the report, the executive summary is that China targeted academics and engineers working on aerospace projects. The arrest of Yanjun proved a much bigger deal than the FBI had expected, the report said. The data was accessible because, although iCloud backups are encrypted, they don't use end-to-end encryption. This means that Apple holds the key, and can hand over data to law enforcement on receipt of a court order. The documents obtained included one the FBI had never seen before. Beijing, Sep 18 : Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, will travel to China for the 17th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation and the seventh meeting of the China-Russia law-enforcement and security cooperation mechanism from September 18 to 19, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Sunday. Patrushev's visit is at the invitation of Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and Guo Shengkun, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Mao. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War New Delhi, Sep 18 : Delhi Police have apprehended four people who allegedly obstructed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials while they were conducting a raid in the Waqf Board corruption case, an official said Sunday. The accused were identified as Afsar (20) and Anwar (31), both residents of Batla House, Shakeel Ahmad (45), a resident of Jakir Nagar and Sikander (45), a resident of Jogabai Extension. Earlier on Saturday, the police had arrested Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan's close aide Hamid Ali in the Arms Act case and also lodged three separate FIRs. "One illegal weapon and some live cartridges were recovered from Hamid Ali's house. He was arrested in this case," Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) Esha Pandey said. The second FIR was registered against Kaushar Imam Siddique alias Laddan, a resident of Jogabai Extension in Arms Act. A country-made pistol and three live rounds were recovered from his place. As per latest update, the accused Kaushar Imam Siddique is still at large in one case of arms act. The third FIR was lodged for obstructing the raiding party of ACB in discharge of government work for which now four people have been apprehended. Meanwhile, a video of MLA Khan's supporters assaulting and manhandling the ACB officials surfaced on Sunday and has gone viral on social media. In the 27-second video clip, a dozen men could be seen pushing away an official wearing the uniform of the Anti-Corruption Branch. Sources told IANS that the video was shot on September 16 when the ACB officials were conducting multiple raids in Delhi in a case pertaining to financial misappropriation and other irregularities in the functioning of Delhi Waqf Board. The AAP MLA was arrested in the same case on September 16 after ACB's multiple raids conducted by the agency resulted in recovery of incriminating material and evidence. As alleged in the FIR, MLA Khan while working as Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board illegally recruited 32 persons violating all norms and government guidelines and with allegations of corruption and favouritism. The then CEO of Delhi Waqf Board had clearly given a statement and issued a memorandum against such illegal recruitment. Further, it was alleged that as Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board, Amanatullah Khan rented out a number of properties of Delhi Waqf Board illegally with allegations of corruption and favouritism. "He has allegedly misappropriated the funds of Delhi Waqf Board comprising grants in aid from Delhi Government," said Anti-Corruption Branch chief Madhur Verma. During ACB's raid at four locations, Rs 24 lakh cash was recovered and two illegal and unlicensed weapons and cartridges and ammunition were also recovered. MLA Khan is currently in police custody for four days. Colombo, Sep 18 : Sri Lanka has sought more information from the Ukrainian government and Ukrainian embassy in New Delhi on the news of the rescue of seven Sri Lankan students from Kupyansk Medical College in the Kharkiv region in Ukraine. Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry said that it has requested the Ukrainian Government to ascertain the veracity of the news item and to provide more information on it as a matter of priority, given the need to ensure the welfare of Sri Lankan nationals in Ukraine. "The Ministry is in close communication with the Ukrainian Government through the Sri Lanka Embassy in Ankara which is concurrently accredited to Ukraine, as well as through the Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi, in order to obtain further information on this matter," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. On Friday, Ukrainian media reported quoting Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelensky who said that seven Sri Lankan students have been rescued from "torture chambers"; where civilians were abused by Russian soldiers in areas of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine. "In the Kharkiv region, investigative actions are continuing in the areas that were liberated from Russian occupation. All crimes of Ruscists are being recorded, and evidence of their guilt is being collected. Torture chambers where civilians of occupied cities and towns were bullied and premises where people, even foreigners, were kept have been found," President Zelensky had said. "In particular, seven citizens of the Republic of Sri Lanka, students of Kupyansk Medical College [were rescued]. Back in March, they had been captured by Russian soldiers and subsequently kept in a basement. Only now, after the liberation of the Kharkiv region, were these people rescued. They are being provided with proper medical care," quoted as said by Ukrainian President. Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry had told local media that it had earlier received reports about an incident where seven Sri Lankan students were missing since March, however it had not received any complaints from any of their parents or other relatives. Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry stated that as the war broke against Ukraine, it had facilitated the return of over 90 Sri Lankans, including 16 students living in Ukraine, in the period February to June 2022, with the support of the Ukrainian authorities, and in coordination with the Sri Lanka Missions in Ankara and Warsaw. Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War Villagers of Naxal affected villages are singing the national anthem everyday, from August 15, the police and the villagers together started the initiative. Image Source: IANS News Villagers of Naxal affected villages are singing the national anthem everyday, from August 15, the police and the villagers together started the initiative. Image Source: IANS News Villagers of Naxal affected villages are singing the national anthem everyday, from August 15, the police and the villagers together started the initiative. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, Sep 18 : With an aim to generate positive atmosphere, the people of Mulchera village in the Maoist-affected Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra have been singing the national anthem every day since August 15 this year after police and villagers took up the initiative together. Gadchiroli police said that residents of Mulchera village in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra start their day by singing the national anthem every day. Every day the villagers, along with shopkeepers and other small traders, gather in the village at 8.45 a.m. and sing the national anthem. This meaningful initiative has been started from August 15 this year. Speaking to IANS, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police, Ankit Goel said that this is a good initiative. The villagers feel the collective patriotism everyday by singing the national anthem. It has been started by the police and villagers on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. He stated that if its result is good, then it will be started in other Maoist-affected areas as well in collaboration with the villagers. As part of this initiative, police officers of Gadchiroli play patriotic songs on loudspeakers for a minute in Mulchera village every day, Mulchera API Ashok Bhapkar told IANS. This informs the villagers that the national anthem is about to begin. After this, all the villagers gather in one place to sing national anthem. According to the information, after Nalgonda village of Telangana and Bhilwadi village of Sangli district of Maharashtra, this is the third village in the country and the second village in Maharashtra, where this kind of collective national anthem is performed. Gadchiroli Police is continuously campaigning against the Maoists and the support of the villagers is most important for this. Mulchera village, which is about 900 km from Mumbai, has a population of around 2,500. Significantly, this village has been considered a Maoist-affected village for years. Incidents of Maoist violence have been witnessed here many times. But now the national anthem has been started to erase this identity. Bengaluru, Sep 18 : In a shocking case, a man shot dead a dog for barking at him in Bengaluru's Madagondanahalli on Sunday. The Karnataka Police filed a case against the man. According to police, the person who shot the dog has been identified as Krishnappa, a local resident. Krishnappa was irked over the barking of the dog, named Rocky, at him and shot it in the head with an air gun. Police said that Krishnappa had chased the dog for quite a distance before shooting at it in the village. The villagers were shocked to see the dog being killed in a public place. The dog was nursed by Harish who also belonged to the same village. He lodged the complaint with Doddaballapura rural police station. Animal lovers have expressed shock over the incident. New Delhi, Sep 18 : A huge quantity of medicines, worth over Rs 90 lakh, were seized from a Vietnam-bound passenger at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here , a CISF official said on Sunday. The official said that on Saturday, CISF surveillance and intelligence staff noticed suspicious activities of a passenger at check-in area of Terminal 3. The passenger, identified as Ravibhai Devanandbhai Joshi, bound for Ho Chi Minh City by a Vietnam Airlines flight, was diverted to a random checking point for thorough checking of his baggage. "On screening of his baggage through X-BIS machine, CISF personnel noticed suspicious images inside the trolley bag and 7 cartons. On physical checking, a huge quantity of different types of medicines of approximate value Rs 90.68 lakh were detected. On enquiry, the passenger could not produce supporting documents or doctors' prescription for carrying such huge quantity of medicines," the official said. Senior CISF and Customs officials were informed and the passenger and the medicines were handed over to Customs for further action in the matter. RTHK: Russian pop superstar comes out against Ukraine war Russian pop superstar Alla Pugacheva on Sunday denounced the Ukraine conflict and the "death of our boys for illusory goals" amid severe repression of any anti-Kremlin criticism. This is the first time that the legendary crooner has publicly spoken out about the Ukraine offensive. Her husband Maxim Galkin had just been recognised as a foreign agent a label reminiscent of "enemy of the people" that has been used extensively against opponents, journalists and human rights activists. "I am asking you to include me on the foreign agents list of my beloved country," 73-year-old Pugacheva told the Russian justice ministry and her 3.5 million followers on Instagram. "Because I stand in solidarity with my husband, who is an honest and ethical person, a true and incorruptible Russian patriot, who only wishes for prosperity, peace and freedom of expression in his Motherland," Pugacheva said. Pugacheva added that her husband wanted "the end of the deaths of our boys for illusory goals that make our country a pariah and weigh heavily on the lives of its citizens". She became hugely popular in Soviet times and has remained so ever since. The pop star's husband Maxim Galkin a TV presenter now living abroad has often criticised the operation in Ukraine. Russian media said Pugacheva left the country after the beginning of the offensive. She was seen in Moscow at the funeral of the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev who tried to initiate democratic reforms on September 3. Russian authorities have clamped down on any criticism of the offensive in Ukraine, handing out fines and prison sentences. Many Russian artists who denounced the conflict have had their shows cancelled. Pugacheva has met several times with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but she has never publicly supported him. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2022-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Siem Reap, Cambodia : The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement could be a contributor to the region's post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, according to an ASEAN joint statement released on Sunday. The statement was issued after the inaugural RCEP Ministers' Meeting held in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, on the sidelines of the 54th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Economic Ministers' Meeting. The meeting welcomed the entry into force of the RCEP agreement on January 1, 2022 and looked forward to its ratification by all signatory states, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the statement. The mega-regional trade pact comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 ASEAN member states-Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. "The meeting shared the view that the RCEP could contribute to the region's post-pandemic recovery efforts and to creating a more resilient supply chain," the statement said. "In this regard, the meeting highlighted the need to promote greater utilisation of the RCEP agreement to deepen regional economic integration." The meeting also noted the progress of the work of the RCEP Joint Committee and welcomed the establishment of subsidiary bodies under the joint committee's supervision, it said. "The meeting encouraged officials to work to expand the utilization of the RCEP agreement and to monitor and review the implementation of the RCEP agreement to improve business environment in the region," the statement said. Also, the meeting looked forward to the expeditious establishment of the RCEP Secretariat, on terms to be agreed by the parties, to provide secretariat and technical support to the RCEP Joint Committee and its subsidiary bodies, it added. "The RCEP trade deal is an important instrument to boost the post-pandemic economic recovery in the region," Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Undersecretary of State and Spokesman Penn Sovicheat said during a press conference after the meeting. "For Cambodia, the RCEP has injected new momentum into our foreign trade growth, and we have seen a remarkable rise in our export to the RCEP member countries in the first half of this year," he added. Sovicheat said Cambodia's total export to the RCEP member countries had increased to 3.28 billion US dollars during the January-June period of 2022, up 10 percent from the same period last year. Thong Mengdavid, a research fellow at the Phnom Penh-based Asian Vision Institute, said the RCEP established the biggest trade bloc in the world's history, covering nearly a third of the global population, around 30 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), and 28 percent of global trade. "With free flow of products and more relaxing trade barriers among the 15 member states, RCEP provides various benefits and opportunities for the bloc to diversify their markets and enhance the production capability," he told Xinhua. "Additionally, the RCEP will enhance the roles of multilateralism based on a rule-based international order, henceforth, promoting more cooperation and peaceful trade activities in the region," Mengdavid said. Chennai, Sep 18 : The parents and uncle of a 20-year-old woman, who complained that her father has been sexually abusing her since she was 12 have been arrested, police said on Sunday. The woman finally filed a complaint with the all woman police station in Chennai on September 7 and police arrested all three on Friday and charged them under the Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. They have been sent to judicial custody. The woman, who was suffering from mental trauma, told the police that she had informed her mother and her paternal uncle of her plight but they asked her to keep quiet. Police said that the 58-year-old accused was working in a private company in Chennai. Los Angeles, Sep 18 : Woody Allen has announced his retirement from filmmaking. in Europe to work on his 50th film, the maestro told Spanish newspaper 'La Vanguardia' that he intended to retire from making movies and to dedicate more time to writing during his twilight years, reports 'Variety'. His final film is set in Paris and will be shot entirely in French in a couple of weeks. Allen described the film to be similar to 'Match Point'. It would be "exciting, dramatic and also very sinister." Allen recently wrote his fifth collection of humour pieces, 'Zero Gravity', which will be published on September 27 by Alianza in Spain. In the US, it was published by Arcade and distributed by Simon & Schuster, notes 'Variety'. Allen has been shooting more often in Europe as his support in the US has plunged given the abuse accusations against him. In 2020, he opened the San Sebastian Film Festival with 'Rifkin's Festival', shot in and around the tony city of San Sebastian. His relationship with the Basque provincial capital's festival goes back to 2004 when he premiered 'Melinda & Melinda' and in 2008 with the premiere of 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'. Starring Elena Anaya, Louis Garrel and Gina Gershon, 'Rifkin's Festival' takes place during the fest, the most important in the Spanish-speaking world. Curiously, adds 'Variety', Allen announced at the press conference marking the start of production on the film that he "never thought of retiring". 'Rifkin's Festival' was backed by Spanish media giant Mediapro, which also supported two of Allen's more successful films: 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', which garnered Penelope Cruz her first Oscar, and 'Midnight in Paris'. Amazon Studios shelved Allen's previous film 'A Rainy Day in New York' after accusing him of "sabotaging" the future of the film by his comments on the abuse accusations of his daughter Dylan Farrow. He sued them for $68 million, alleging a breach of contract. The dispute was later settled out of court. Allen has had trouble with publishing houses as well. Hachette canceled the publication of his memoir 'Apropos of Nothing' after staff protests, but it was picked up by another publisher, Arcade. New Delhi, Sep 18 : The police have arrested two interstate illicit liquor suppliers in the national capital and seized over 20 cartons of liquor that were meant to be sold in Haryana only, an official said on Sunday. According to the official, the police had received specific information about the presence of illicit liquor suppliers in the city and subsequently a police team was constituted to nab the offenders. Acting on a specific input, the police team laid a trap near forest gate Shamshan Ghat Wali Gali, Gupta Colony, Sangam Vihar where four accused people were seen coming from the forest area. "All the accused were rounded up there and two of them were caught while the other two managed to flee back in the jungle," Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Chandan Chowdhary said. Later all the accused persons were arrested and produced before a local Court. The probe is still on, the official added. New Delhi, Sep 18 : Delhi Police have arrested a 25-year-old man for stabbing his younger brother to death in North-East Delhi following a quarrel in the family over house property. According to the police, an information was received at Nand Nagri police station on Saturday night from GTB Hospital that an injured youth named Yash (21) was brought to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. Initial investigation revealed that Yash was the son of Maya Devi, wife of late Devender Kumar, a resident of E-Block in Nand Nagri. Devender Kumar had succumbed to Covid-19 in 2020, leaving behind Maya Devi and their three sons -- Rohit (25), Prashant (23) and Yash (21) -- all unmarried. "After her husband's death, the house was transfered in the name of Maya Devi, but Rohit wanted it to be in his name. Due to his alcoholic nature and quarrelsome attitude, Maya Devi had disowned Rohit in August this year," said Sanjay Kumar Sain, DCP (North-East). The officer said that on Saturday, a quarrel broke out in the family and a PCR call was made at 6.15 p.m. in which the caller said that his brother had consumed alcohol and was trying to commit suicide. A PCR van was dispatched to the spot which took Rohit, who was in an inebriated state, to the GTB Hospital. "Later, Rohit came back to the house and fought with his mother and brothers. In a fit of rage, Rohit attacked Yash with scissors and stabbed him on the chest," the DCP said. Yash was rushed to the GTB Hospital where he was declared 'brought dead'. The police have booked Rohit under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. Guwahati, Sep 18 : A man was trampled to death and five others were seriously injured by a herd of wild elephants in Assam's Baksa district, officials said on Sunday. The incident happened at Khairani village of the district late on Saturday night. The deceased has been identified as Ravindra Boro. The five injured persons are Dhanpati Boro, Anil Daimary, Paresh Boro, Thengona Musahari, and Sulendra Boro. The villagers said that a herd of wild elephants from the nearby forest entered the area in search of food. The locals tried to frighten them so that they return to the jungle but, the jumbos attacked them instead. Ravindra Bodo was badly injured. He was taken to the nearby hospital at Rangia with other five injured, but the doctors declared him dead. Daimary's condition is said to be critical. The locals claimed that earlier few other people also came were attacked by wild elephants and accused the Forest Department of not taking adequate measures to stop these incidents. The villagers also complained that the crops were also regularly destroyed by the wild elephants. They have urged the state government to take look into this immediately. "This is not the first time that an elephant has killed a man in this village, earlier also, numerous people had perished as a result of elephant attacks," a village resident said. In Assam, elephant-human conflicts have been on a rise due to habitat loss. Environmentalists have already warned that such conflicts could get worse unless the forested areas are protected. As per the official data, at least 229 people were killed in Assam in the last three years due to human-elephant confrontations. Chennai, Sep 18 : If rumours doing the rounds in the industry are to be believed, Naseeruddin Shah is to play the lead in the Hindi remake of director Ratheesh Raghunandan's Malayalam film "Udal". The film, which was quite well received in Malayalam, is to be remade in Hindi by Malayalam production house Sree Gokulam movies. In May, producer Gokulam Gopalan had announced the remake of "Udal" in Hindi. Sources say that the writer and director of "Udal", Ratheesh Raghunandan, will direct the Hindi version as well. Santhosh Thundiyil will be the cinematographer of the Hindi version while the Malayalam version was shot by Manoj Pillai. The story of "Udal" (Body), which featured Dhyan Sreenivasan, Durga Krishna and Indrans in the lead, happens in one night and revolves around a daughter-in-law, who has been taking care of her ailing mother-in-law. San Sebastian, Sep 18 : "You have to know how to reject roles so as not to enter into a system in which women are only seen in a certain way," French actress Juliette Binoche said here on Sunday, according to 'Variety'. Binoche spoke up for women while answering questions from the media at the San Sebastian Film Festival, where she is a recipient this year of the festival's Donostia Award as a tribute to her career. 'The English Patient' star is a go-to actress for a slew of auteur directors, including Krzysztof Kieslowski and Claire Denis, who joined her on stage to discuss 'Both Sides of the Blade', this year's Silver Bear winner for Best Director at the Berlinale. A love triangle film co-starring Binoche, the film will be screened at the festival before the award's presentation. 'Both Sides of the Blade' also stars Vincent Lindon and Gregoire Colin. "You have to go instead to the new. And you have to jump into the unknown and work outside of macho codes," continued Binoche, according to 'Variety'. Talking about her experience of working in the US, Binoche, who spoke in French, said: "In American cinema it has sometimes happened to me that they call me to be 'the wife of' and then say 'no' because I'm not interested. Growing old in front of the camera is a challenge, it forces you to be truthful." As well as working with Denis, one of the most acclaimed French directors, three times, Binoche has been with numerous great directors, including the late Jean-Luc Godard, who she said was not easy, adds 'Variety'. She worked with Godard on the 1985 film 'Hail Mary'. "There was a series of casting I did with him that lasted for a long time," she recalled. "For rehearsals, I had to be naked while combing my hair, and saying a poem by heart. He didn't choose me for the role but he created a new role for me." Binoche got into acting through theatre, and trained at the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Paris. Her film debut came in 1973 with 'Liberty Belle', which was followed by numerous roles, including the Godard film. Her early English-language credits include 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' (Philip Kaufman, 1988), and 'Wuthering Heights' (Peter Kosminsky, 1992). For Kieslowski she acted in 'Three Colours: Blue' in 1994. For the film, she received her first CAsar and the acting award at the Venice Festival. Chandigarh, Sep 18 : Donning black T-shirts, students of Chandigarh University in Punjab's Mohali district continued to protest demanding justice over the alleged 'leaked objectionable videos' on Sunday. Following protests by the students on Saturday night, a female MBA student of the private university was arrested by the police on Sunday morning on charges of making an objectionable video. She has also been accused of filming her fellow hostellers and making the videos viral. As the matter drew angry political reactions, the university authorities clarified that "no videos were found of any student which are objectionable, except a personal video shot by a girl which she shared with her boyfriend". Also dismissing reports of suicide attempt by some students who were allegedly filmed, the authorities said "there are rumours that seven girls have committed suicide whereas the fact is that no girl has taken any such step". Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Soni, who is leading the investigation team, categorically told the media that no attempt to suicide was reported after the incident came to light. Also, he said, so far there is no evidence of the video going viral. "As per the investigation, the accused made her own video and shared it with her boyfriend. There is no video of other students made by her. There is no evidence of that so far. A lot of misinformation and rumours are doing the rounds. We should respect the modesty of the accused student as we are investigating the matter," he said. Soni appealed to the people and the students to maintain calm and help the police probe the matter. As per reports, the accused hosteller sent nude images and videos to her male friend in Shimla, resulting in the footage being circulated online. As the news spread, a massive protest was staged on the university campus on Saturday night with scores of hostellers raising 'we want justice' slogan. The police had to resort to lathi charge to disperse the crowd. Amid the raging controversy, Chandigarh University Pro-Chancellor R.S. Bawa said there are rumours that seven girls have committed suicide. "No girl has attempted any such step. No girl has been admitted to the hospital," he said. "Another rumour is doing the rounds that 60 objectionable MMS clips have been found of different students. This is totally false and baseless. During the preliminary investigation conducted by the university, only one personal video was found which was shot by a girl who shared it with her boyfriend," Bawa said in a statement. He added that all mobile phones and other materials have been handed over to the police for further investigation. Meanwhile, terming the incident as unfortunate, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann ordered a high-level probe into the matter. The Chief Minister said that "daughters are our dignity and pride", adding that any such incident is highly condemnable. He categorically said that anyone found guilty will not be spared and severe action will be taken against the perpetrators of this crime. Requesting the students to maintain calm, Minister of School Education Harjot Singh Bains said, "The guilty will not be spared. It's a very sensitive matter and relates to the dignity of our sisters and daughters. We all, including the media, should be very very cautious." Punjab State Women Commission Chairperson Manisha Gulati, who reached the university, said, "The probe is underway and law will take its course." She also said that the commission will inspect all universities so that such incidents do not occur again. Additional Director General of Police Gurpreet Deo told the media that a youth from Shimla is known to the accused girl. "More details will be known once he is detained. Forensic probe of the girl's mobile phone will be conducted," he said. Meanwhile, former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tweeted, "The #chandigarhuniversity incident is shameful. Those responsible must be given exemplary punishment. The dignity & safety of our daughters should be of topmost priority. Hope police gets into action and sets an example against the culprits." Shillong, Sep 18 : Tripartite talks were held between the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), and the Meghalaya and Central governments to take forward the dialogue with the outlawed militant outfit, peace process interlocutor Sadon K. Blah said on Sunday. Blah, who was appointed by the HNLC as its interlocutor in March, said that five members of the rebel group came to Meghalaya from their camps in Bangladesh and after the talks, returned to the neighbouring country on Friday. Terming the talk as "positive", he said that HNLC members have gone back to Bangladesh to apprise the central executive committee members and general council of the outfit on the outcome of peace talks and to take a strategy and finalise issues before the second round of talks. Officials of the Union Home Ministry, the Meghalaya government and state government appointed interlocutor, retired IAS officer, Peter S. Dkhar were present in the talks with HNLC's Vice-Chairman Manbhalang Jyrwa, Political Secretary Aristerwell Thongni, 'Foreign Secretary Phrangkupar Diengdoh and two other members -- Aiborlem Marbaniang and Storgy Lyngdoh. Blah said that the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency against four HNLC cadres would not disturb the ongoing peace talks. The NIA recently filed charge sheet against four, including its Chairman-cum-Commander-in-Chief Bobby Marwein in connection with the bomb blast at the staff quarters of Star Cement Factory Colony Lane in East Jaintia Hills on December 12, 2020. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who facilitated the peace process with the HNLC, had also said that the charge sheet would not upset the ongoing peace process. The latest development has taken place after the government had in July allowed 'safe passage', facilitating the leaders of the Khasi insurgent outfit to come to the negotiating process. Following the HNLC's offer to hold peace talks without any preconditions, the Centre had given its nod to the peace process leading to the Meghalaya government initiating formal talks with the outfit earlier this year. The state government also appointed Dkhar, who has vast knowledge of ethnic issues of Meghalaya, and is a former Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills districts, as interlocutor. Retired IPS officer A.K. Mishra, who is the advisor of the Union Home Ministry, will coordinate between the Centre and the state government on the talks with the HNLC. Sangma earlier held a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla in New Delhi and discussed the peace proposal by the HNLC. While militancy is on the decline in Meghalaya over the last several years, but since 2020, the HNLC has been behind a few low-intensity IED blasts in the state. The HNLC, which has been demanding a sovereign Khasi tribal homeland in Meghalaya, is a breakaway faction of the Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council, the first tribal militant outfit of the mountainous state, formed in the mid-1980s. New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Indian Army has invited domestic defence industries to offer critical equipment for emergency procurement. Proposals have been invited for guns, missiles, drones, counter-drone, loiter munition, communication and optical systems, as per a series of tweets from the Army's Additional Directorate General of Public Information. The Army has also invited the proposals for specialist vehicles, engineering equipment, and alternate energy resources. "In keeping with its commitment to fight the future wars with Indigenous Solutions, Indian Army invites Indian Defence Industry to offer critical defence equipment for Emergency Procurement," it announced. The industry will have to deliver the equipment within one year of signing the contract. "The process will be based on compressed timelines, wherein the procurement window will be open to Indian Industry for six months & the industry would be expected to deliver equipment within one year of signing the contract. Procurement cases will be based on Open Tender Enquiry", it said in another tweet. Bengaluru, Sep 18 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday flatly refused the opposition parties' demand for Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar's resignation over the deaths in the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS). Two ICU patients, including a woman, had died allegedly due to power failure and a defunct generator. Bommai said the previous Congress government had tabled the Karnataka Private Doctors' Bill, which was opposed by the state's private doctors who struck work for five days, and at that time, around 80 people had died. "Did the then Health Minister resign? The habit of the Congress Party is to politicise everything," he said. Bommai said he did not know why Congress MLA Priyank Kharge is opposing the announcement of Rs 5,000 crore grant for the Kalyana Karnataka Development Board (KKDB) instead of welcoming it, adding that it looks like that he is not in favour of development of the backward region. The CM said he had announced on Saturday that a Rs 5,000 crore grant will be provided for the development of Kalyana Karnataka region in budget 2023-24, and last year, he had promised to provide Rs 3,000 crore which had been provided in the current year budget. "Instead of welcoming it, the Congress MLA has opposed it. It will give an impression that Priyank wants this region to remain backward forever. All of them must work accordingly when an initiative was made for the development of backward areas and it is not correct to politicise it," he added. Chandigarh, Sep 18 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday firmly turned down the pension request of an agriculturalist woman, saying only eligible persons would be entitled for a pension. "You already own nine 'kilas' of land and your annual income is Rs 2.5 lakh, therefore you are not eligible for pension benefits," he told the woman at a Jan Samvad Programme in Sirsa town. The woman informed the Chief Minister about her three daughters and sought financial help from him. Khattar then announced to give Rs 1 lakh to the woman from his voluntary quota. He said to avail pension benefits, a beneficiary should not have land more than five 'kilas'. But in this case, as the woman owns nine 'kilas', she is not eligible for the pension benefits. During the Jan Samvad Programme, the Chief Minister heard problems of locals at Chaudhary Devi Lal University auditorium. A total of 227 complaints were heard and redressed, an official statement said. Noting ensuring a roof over every head is the utmost priority of the state government, Khattar said: "The government is working on a plan to provide 1 lakh houses." Hearing a complaint against a patwari of Rania who refused to register a 'girdawari', the Chief Minister directed officers concerned to immediately suspend the official. London, Sep 18 : Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the Defence Ministry and the General Headquarters (GHQ) will consult on the appointment of the next chief of army staff (COAS) by October end and the decision will be made soon, media reports said. Asif was speaking at Nawaz Sharif's London residence where he arrived accompanying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Samaa TV reported. The ruling PML-N leadership at a party meeting is expected to hold a consultation over the key appointment as Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is set to retire on November 29, according to the report. Asif said that the appointment of the next Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is a routine matter and it is the first time in history that Imran Khan is raising a 'hue and cry' over the issue. Imran Khan has proposed to postpone the appointment until after the general elections and grant an extension [to Gen Bajwa], Asif said. The date of appointment is over two months away, he said, adding that only Imran Khan is worried about the appointment and raising a hue and cry. Shehbaz Sharif, who is enroute New York for the UN General Assembly session, has arrived in London where the ruling PML-N is holding a party meeting to finalise some key decisions, including the one on the appointment of the next COAS, Samaa TV reported. The Prime Minister and his entourage landed at the Luton airport where he was received by Pakistan Ambassador to the UK, Moazam Ali Khan. He then left for London accompanied by federal ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb and Khawaja Asif. During the PML-N meeting under Nawaz Sharif, consultations will be held on the key November decision while the no-confidence motion in Punjab will also be discussed, Samaa TV reported. Chennai, Sep 18 : Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that the National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020 recognises all Indian languages as national languages. In his address at the 36th convocation ceremony of SASTRA deemed to be University at Thanjavur, he also said that the country has the knowledge capability to find sustainable solutions at global level. Pradhan, who is also Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Minister, said that NEP 2020 recognises the positive impact of the mother tongue in fostering critical thinking and innovation, as well as its potential in terms of teaching methodology and learning outcomes. He also said that entrepreneurship should be promoted and that bridging the gap between education and skills was important. Pradhan said that initiatives were in place for harnessing and integrating knowledge in Indian folklore and old literature. He conferred degrees of Doctor of Science on Krishnaswami Alldi, Professor of Mathematics, University of Florida, and Doctor of Letters on Chamu Krishna Shastry, Chairman, Bharathiya Basha Samiti, on the occasion. Chandigarh, Sep 18 : The prime accused in the Chandigarh University video leak row was arrested from the Himachal Pradesh capital on Sunday, police said. Chandigarh University in Punjab's Mohali district has been witnessing strong student protests since Saturday night after it was reported that a woman student leaked obscene videos of several occupants of the girl's hostel online. The student, who was earlier arrested by the police, had purportedly sent some nude images and videos to her male friend in Shimla and these were leaked. "All the rumours of objectionable videos shot of other girl students are totally false and baseless," university's Pro-Chancellor R.S. Bawa said in a statement. Chennai, Sep 18 : Estranged AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O. Panneerselvam has urged the state government to close schools as flu-related cases are on the rise in the southern state. He called upon Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to immediately intervene in the matter and take steps to close down schools to prevent the spread of the disease. In a statement issued on Sunday, OPS, as Panneerselvam is popularly known, said that it is the duty of the state government to maintain public health, pointing out that hospitalisation of children is on the rise in the state. The former Chief Minister said, "The Tamil Nadu government should declare holidays in schools for some time and postpone the exam schedule till the time the cases come down. The government should take steps to create awareness among the people about the flu and make the necessary medicines available to them." He also said that doctors have warned people above 60 years of age to be careful. OPS said that schools in Puducherry have already been shut till September 25 due to the spread of flu cases in the Union Territory. New Delhi, Sep 18 : Delhi Police have arrested a notorious criminal, who used to steal two-wheelers vehicles and later used them to commit robbery, an official said Sunday. The accused, identified as Rahul Sharma (29), was previously found involved in six robbery cases and theft. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West), Usha Rangnai, said that in order to curb incidents of snatching and robbery in the North-West district, a team was constituted to deploy anti-snatching pickets and to nab the suspicious persons. "On Saturday, the team positioned near Laxmi Bai College was checking vehicles when they noticed a Scooty, which was coming towards them, taking a U-turn in order to escape. The police swung into action and nabbed the rider, Rahul, after a brief chase," the DCP said. After a search, a button actuated knife was recovered from Rahul possession, while the Scooty he was riding was also found to be a stolen vehicle. The police have lodged an FIR under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act and apprehended the accused. On sustained interrogation, Rahul confessed that he was roaming in the area in search of parked two-wheelers, so as to steal them and them=n commit robbery using them. He was evading arrest and was on the run in two cases of robbery and under the Arms Act. Further efforts are being made to trace his possible involvement in other cases, the official said. Guwahati, Sep 18 : Assam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi on Sunday said that after the division of the country, total restrictions were imposed and therefore, areas of both India and Bangladesh (then east Pakistan) abutting each other could not develop while trade and commerce was also hit. However, things have changed now and for almost a decade, the northeast has been given top priority by the Indian government to enhance the trade relationship with Bangladesh, he said. "Both Assam and Bangladesh are working for mutual interest by strengthening trade, water resources and connectivity," Mukhi said while interacting with a delegation of 17 trainee officers of the Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy in the Raj Bhavan here. Hailing Bangladesh for its progress in garment industries, the Governor pointed out that both Assam and Bangladesh can share their expertise in exchanging their respective prosperity. He said that India's relations with Bangladesh are deep-rooted, and person to person, or more of family relationship and expressed hope that Assam would play a more important role in strengthening these ties in the days to come. He said that the medical colleges, cancer care centres, universities, IITs, IIITs, IIMs and other centres for excellence in the northeast can contribute in expanding bilateral ties. The Governor also said that greater emphasis should be put on student exchange facilitation programmes and cultural exchanges between Assam and Bangladesh. Bangladesh's Assistant High Commissioner in Guwahati Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur, who was present in the meeting, thanked the Governor for the interaction programme. New Delhi, Sep 18 : Delhi Police have arrested four members of a notorious family of thieves, known in their locality as 'chor parivar', for stealing jewellery worth Rs 1 crore, an official said on Sunday. The accused have been identified as Amar alias Patti (prime accused), Laxmi alias Dabhi (Amar's sister), Sobha (Amar's wife) and Vishnu (Laxmi's brother-in-law). Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), Shweta Chauhan, said a PCR call was received on September 13 regarding jewellery theft. The complainant had said that he works at Sheetal Jewellery House and on September 13 he got into an e-rickshaw from Azad Market to Karol Bagh. At that time, two ladies and one child were sitting in the back seat of the e-rickshaw while two men, including the driver, were sitting in the front. "After travelling some distance, the man sitting next to the driver changed his seat and sat next to the complainant in the back. In the meantime, one of the ladies opened the zip of the complainant's bag and took three pairs of gold bangles from it," the DCP said. During the course of the investigation, the police questioned the other employees of the showroom to rule out the possibility of any internal involvement. "The accused persons did not use any mobile phone during the entire incident which made it difficult for the police to trace them," the official said. However, while scanning CCTV footage, the police found that the e-rickshaw used in the crime had a designer sticker -- 'Maurya e-rickshaw' -- which helped the police established that the accused persons belonged to the Sultanpuri area. "From local inquiry it was found that the family was famous in the area as 'chor parivar' as all the family members were involved in committing theft and other criminal activities," Chauhan said. The police then conducted a raid at their house, but the accused had fled before the cops could reach there. After this, policemen were deployed in the area in civil clothes to gather information. On Saturday, the police got a tip-off that the accused persons were coming to Chandni Chowk to sell the stolen jewellery after which the police laid a trap and apprehended all the four accused persons. "The stolen jewellery worth Rs 1 crore has been recovered from the accused persons," the officer said. New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has summoned Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez again on Monday for questioning in connection with the Rs 200 crore extortion-cum-cheating case involving Multimillionaire conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. On Wednesday, the EOW had grilled Jacqueline for over eight hours in connection with the case. As per sources, the EOW has summoned the actress again as it found contradictions in her earlier statements. To clear the contradictions, the EOW had also quizzed another Bollywood personality, Nora Fatehi, and Pinky Irani, an aide of Chandrashekhar, on Thursday. According to the ED chargesheet, Jacqueline knew about Chandrashekhar's involvement in criminal activities but she chose to overlook them and indulged in financial transactions with the conman. Chandrashekhar was arrested for allegedly cheating and extorting money from some high-profile people, including former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh. Many Bollywood actors and models have been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate for their alleged links with Chandrashekhar. In April last year, Chandrashekhar was arrested in another money laundering case linked to the 2017 Election Commission bribery case, which allegedly involved a former AIADMK leader, among others. New Delhi, Sep 18 : The re-appointment of John Varghese as the Principal of St Stephen's College does not fulfil varsity rules or UGC norms and is thus invalid, the Delhi University has said. The varsity's Joint Registrar, in a letter to the St Stephen's governing board Chairman P.C. Singh, said that norms were violated, making the re-appointment of Varghese flawed and invalid, and the University is bound not to recognise Varghese as the Principal. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Secretary of the University Grants Commission (UGC). St Stephen's was required to abide by the rules set by the UGC in the matter, the Joint Registrar wrote. The Delhi University had earlier told the college that keeping Varghese as the Principal after his term ended was invalid. It had noted that Varghese took over as Principal on March 1, 2016 and the decision of the college's supreme council to re-appoint him for another term was against the varsity's rules. According to the rules, the term of the Principal of St. Stephen's or other constituent colleges is five years and a second term is only possible by following the necessary selection process. In a letter, DU's Assistant Registrar had said that the varsity's ordinances have no provision of extending the tenure of a Principal by another term, though they provide for a further term by means of the duly laid out recruitment process, as per the UGC norms. However, the college's supreme council openly violated this. Todd Miner helps A Gift For Teaching fundraise money When I learned that so many teachers have to dig into their own pocket at the beginning of the school year to buy supplies for their students, that was troubling. I knew that was something that I could get involved in. Most people, once they learn what's going on, they will help too - Todd Miner More than 70% of schools in Central Florida are considered high-need, and the teachers shared that more than half of their students arrive at class without all the necessary school supplies on the first day of school. Knowing this, teachers will then often purchase supplies out of their own pockets to ensure every child in their class has an equal opportunity to start the school year with success. A Gift For Teaching serves as Central Floridas primary provider of free school supplies to teachers for their students who need them most. Teachers who shop at A Gift For Teaching often bring an average value of $650 worth of free supplies back to their classrooms. Open throughout the entire school year, eligible teachers have the opportunity to shop every month for free educational resources at a store, online, or through a mobile unit. Donations help provide supplies to students who need them most, and every $1 received is transformed into $10 worth of supplies, so learning can occur for all. This year, with everyone's help,Todd Miner Laws 2022 Back-to-School Telethon with A Gift For Teaching raised $83,207, providing $832,070 worth of essential supplies to teachers and students! Thanks to everyone that participated. This wouldnt be possible without everyones help. If youre going to get involved with an organization, its got to be something you have a passion for. And when I learned that so many teachers have to dig into their own pocket at the beginning of the school year to buy supplies for their students, that was troubling. So I knew that was something that I could really get involved in, and I think most people, once they learn what's going on, I think they can too, said Miner. How To Help Even Though Todd Miner Laws 2022 Back-to-School Telethon for A Gift For Teaching has ended, anyone can still help Central Florida students. Donations will elevate education, empower teachers to unlock student potential, accelerate academic achievement, and foster our communitys future leaders. Every dollar received is transformed into $10 worth of supplies for local teachers and students. Read more at: https://www.agiftforteaching.org/contribute/ We will continue working on the experiences offered at Dolphin Cove Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, and Moon Palace to continue creating memorable moments in the lives of our visitors. Dolphin Cove, a brand member of The Dolphin Company family, a park operator with global presence, was awarded during the World Travel Awards that took place on August 31. Specifically, it was the winner of the Caribbeans Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction category due to the educational experiences with dolphins and various species that offers to its visitors in Jamaica. The World Travel Awards are recognized worldwide as a seal of quality and were created in order to recognize, reward and celebrate excellence in various sectors of the tourism industry. This is the tenth year that Dolphin Cove has received this important award, which demonstrates the exceptional quality of the experiences it offers. We are very pleased to have been recognized by the World Travel Awards as the Caribbeans Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction. This award excites us and motivates us to continue offering unforgettable experiences for all our guests. We are very proud of our associates because service is part of the experience we offer and we recognize that it is also thanks to their dedication and commitment that visitors recognize us as the Caribbeans Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction. We will continue working on the experiences offered at Dolphin Cove Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Moon Palace to continue creating memorable moments in the lives of our visitors, said Gonzalo Pacheco, Regional Director of Dolphin Cove. Dolphin Cove is recognized in the Caribbean thanks to its more than 20 years of experience, diversity of locations and unforgettable activities in the company of marine species such as dolphins, stingrays, sharks, some types of birds, among others. In addition to having three locations in Jamaica, Dolphin Cove is also present in Grand Cayman, in the Cayman Islands. About Dolphin Cove: Dolphin Cove promotes educational interaction with species such as dolphins, sharks, stingrays, rabbits and birds, among others, with the aim of fostering love and respect for animals and the environment. It has a presence on 2 Caribbean islands: Grand Cayman and Jamaica, in three locations: Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Moon Palace. Dolphin Cove is a proud member of The Dolphin Company, a park operator with global presence. For more information visit http://www.dolphincoveja.com and http://www.thedolphinco.com About The Dolphin Company: For more than 27 years, The Dolphin Company, a park operator with global presence, has provided 'The Experience of a Lifetime' to more than 16 million visitors at its 35 parks, dolphin habitats and marinas around the world. With a presence in Mexico, the Caribbean, the United States of America, Argentina and Italy, The Dolphin Company offers exciting activities that provide unique and memorable experiences, while raising awareness among its visitors about the importance of animal welfare and the preservation and care enviroment. For more information visit http://www.thedolphinco.com Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against Habit Employment, L.P., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against Habit Employment, L.P. alleging the company violated Labor Code 2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code 201-204 et seq., 210, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 227.3, 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. The lawsuit against Habit Employment, L.P. is currently pending in the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Case No. 22CV402597. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here. According to the lawsuit filed, Habit Employment, L.P. allegedly failed to fully relieve Plaintiff and other Aggrieved Employees for their legally required thirty (30) minute meals breaks. Employees were also allegedly required, from time to time, to work in excess of four (4) hours without being provided the legally required ten (10) minute rest periods. The California Supreme Court defines off-duty rest periods as the time during which an employee is relieved from all work-related duties and free from employer control. PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code. For more information about the lawsuit against Habit Employment, L.P., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct. ***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT*** Click here for old website Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz says he, the cast and crew of the Karate Kid sequel series are not involved in the new Karate Kid movie Sony Pictures recently announced. ADVERTISEMENT "The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday. But this one isn't from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast. Don't know much about it, but wish it well. #KarateKid #CobraKai," Hurwitz tweeted Saturday. Season 5 Cobra Kai began streaming on Netflix earlier this month. The show stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, the actors who played rivals in the original 1984 movie, The Karate Kid. Macchio went on to star in two sequel movies, Hilary Swank took over the franchise in The Next Karate Kid in 1994 and Jaden Smith starred in a remake called The Karate Kid in 2010. Sony Pictures announced its 2023-24 theatrical release schedule last week. It included a new Karate Kid film, set to open June 7, 2024. No casting or director have been disclosed yet, however. Athens, GA (30605) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 52F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 52F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Considerable cloudiness. Low around 35F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness. Low around 35F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chinese rights activists overseas have told RFA that they are concerned but unsurprised at recent allegations that an agent of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working at Twitter, saying such infiltration is part of Beijing's global influence operation. The FBI informed Twitter of at least one Chinese agent among its employees, according to U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, while hacker and whistleblower Peiter Zatko said the company's lax security sparked fears that personal data on Chinese users was being collected by authorities in China. Zatko, Twitter's former head of security, made the allegations during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, detailing internal clashes between some who sought advertising revenue from China, and others who were concerned about doing business inside China amid rising geopolitical tensions. "This was a big internal conundrum," Zatko told the hearing, adding that Twitter appeared reluctant to turn away from China. "In a nutshell, if we were already in bed, it would be problematic if we lost that revenue stream," he said. Zatko said the FBI had told the company that China's secret service, the Ministry of State Security, had an agent on the payroll. A Twitter spokesperson said Twitter's hiring process was independent of foreign influence, and that access to personal data was subject to stringent controls, adding that Zatko's allegations were "riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies." France-based commentator Wang Longmeng said the CCP has long targeted Western social media platforms to wage its overseas influence campaigns, and that some of the company's regional executives have close ties to the CCP, including Kathy Chen. A Twitter logo is displayed on a mobile phone in an August 2020 file photo. Credit: AFP Whistleblowers "This was a big internal conundrum," Zatko told the hearing, adding that Twitter appeared reluctant to turn away from China."In a nutshell, if we were already in bed, it would be problematic if we lost that revenue stream," he said.Zatko said the FBI had told the company that China's secret service, the Ministry of State Security, had an agent on the payroll.A Twitter spokesperson said Twitter's hiring process was independent of foreign influence, and that access to personal data was subject to stringent controls, adding that Zatko's allegations were "riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies."France-based commentator Wang Longmeng said the CCP has long targeted Western social media platforms to wage its overseas influence campaigns, and that some of the company's regional executives have close ties to the CCP, including Kathy Chen. Chen's 2016 appointment as Twitter's managing director for Greater China raised concerns in particular, as it emerged she had served as a software engineer in the Peoples Liberation Armys strategic missile force. "Kathy Chen, who had a military background, joined [the company], then Fei-fei Li became an independent director," Wang said. "The CCP's infiltration of Western media is one of its key strategies." "It's not surprising that the whistleblower revealed there are Chinese agents at Twitter, because there have been suspensions and deleted accounts, and yet Twitter still allows CCP diplomats to spread rumors and lies," he said. China bans Twitter, Facebook and other U.S. social media firms, but government agencies and diplomats use the platforms to reach an international audience Rights activist Zhou Fengsuo, a former student leader during the 1989 Tiananmen protests and the chairman of Humanitarian China, said the U.S. government hasn't responded adequately to the problem. "Zoom closed our Zoom account for commemorating the June 4 [Tiananmen massacre], and the Zoom employee who was later indicted was part of China's state security police," Zhou told RFA. "This has also been played out several times at Twitter, with Kathy Chen, who everyone knows has a military background, hired as managing director for the Greater China region, and then Fei-fei Li's appointment to the board," he said. "She has previously expressed her loyalty to the CCP." "The United States has done nothing to remedy the situation," Zhou said. "It selectively ignores this massive problem of high-tech companies colluding with the CCP because they want to do business in China." "I have been calling on the U.S. government to investigate all high-tech companies," he said. Blocking of sites A blogger known as "the Voice of Surfing" said there are other examples of pro-CCP bias on the platform, including the blocking and banning of the Great Translation Movement, which provides uncensored examples of social media comment from China's tightly controlled internet. "The Great Translation Movement, which uses Twitter as its main platform, has been repeatedly banned by Twitter officials for violations of the rules," the blogger said. "With Twitter management infiltrated by CCP forces, employees often take a pro-China stance when it comes to Chinese censorship on the platform," they said. "They help the CCP's United Front Work Department to tell good stories about China, and use their positions to suppress dissent against the Chinese government." "This shameless practice is also happening on other platforms that have been infiltrated by the CCP." The blogger said many Chinese rights activists who use Twitter have been subsequently summoned by state security police for posting politically sensitive material, yet the company has remained silent on how much user data is being leaked to the Chinese government. "We often hear about Chinese users being 'invited to tea' by the local police because of politically sensitive remarks on Twitter, but Twitter officials have never responded to questions about the disclosure of users' personal information [to the Chinese authorities]," they said. "Under the influence of CCP capital, Twitter has moved closer to Weibo." Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. YEREVAN -- The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives blamed Azerbaijan for the latest outbreak of fighting with Armenia, as she made a high-profile trip to Yerevan in a public show of support. Nancy Pelosi spoke on September 18, a day after arriving in the country. She is the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to Armenia since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Asked at a Yerevan news conference about the latest spasm of fighting, which erupted last week, Pelosi said her trip had particular significance following the "illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan" on Armenia. "We strongly condemn those attacks," Pelosi said, adding that the border fighting was triggered by Azerbaijani attacks on Armenia. "As for what Armenia expects [from the United States], we expect active support for [our] democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in all possible directions," Alen Simonian, the speaker of Armenias parliament, told the news conference. WATCH: Nancy Pelosi laid flowers on September 18 at a Yerevan hilltop monument honoring the nearly 1.5 million Armenians who died during World War I in a campaign of orchestrated violence by Ottoman Turks. Azerbaijan condemned Pelosi's remarks, calling them "unacceptable." "The unsubstantiated and unfair accusations leveled by Pelosi against Azerbaijan are unacceptable," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "This is a serious blow to the efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. "Such unilateral steps and baseless statements serve not to strengthen the fragile peace in the region, but to increase tensions," the ministry said. Later, the U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and urged him "to adhere to the cease-fire, disengage military forces, and work to resolve all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan through peaceful negotiations." The Azerbaijani press service said that "the sides stressed the importance of strengthening the cease-fire, ensuring lasting peace and stability, and normalizing Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, including continuing talks on a peace treaty and opening transport corridors." It said the U.S. side initiated the call. Earlier, ahead of meetings with President Nikol Pashinian, Pelosi laid flowers at a Yerevan hilltop monument honoring the nearly 1.5 million Armenians who died during World War I in a campaign of orchestrated violence by Ottoman Turks. The killings have been classified as genocide by a growing number of historians, as well as by the U.S. Congress, which unanimously passed genocide resolutions in 2019. U.S. President Joe Biden also formally declared the killings to be genocide in April 2021. From the United States to Ukraine, Taiwan, Armenia, the world faces a choice between democracy and autocracy, and we must choose democracy again, Pelosi said in a post on Twitter on the eve of her arrival. The remarks were a reference to other high-profile trips she has made in recent months. In May, she traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy amid his countrys ongoing war with Russia. Last month, she traveled to Taiwan, a trip that was angrily denounced by China, which sees the island nation as a renegade province and has vowed to reunite it with mainland China. Pelosi is from California, which is home to one of the largest ethnic Armenian communities in the United States. She was accompanied on her trip by Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo, both California representatives who have Armenian heritage and who face reelection in November, and Representative Frank Pallone (Democrat-New Jersey). The delegation's trip comes days after the worst violence in two years between Armenia and Azerbaijan, fighting that left more than 200 dead on both sides. Since before the Soviet breakup, the two sides have fought over a mountainous region called Nagorno-Karabakh. Ethnic Armenian forces gained control of it in 1994. In 2020, however, Azerbaijan, which has spent years building up its armed forces, pushed Armenian forces out of much of the region and surrounding districts. In the latest spasm of violence, the two countries traded artillery and mortars across their shared border, and Azerbaijani forces targeted sites within the borders of Armenia itself. Russia, which maintains ties with both countries, brokered a cease-fire not long after the fighting erupted, but clashes continued. The European Union's executive body called for cutting 7.5 billion euros in funding for Hungary, due to concerns about corruption and backsliding over democracy. The recommendation, made September 18, was the first to be made by the EU under new policies aimed at protecting the rule of law in the 27-nation bloc. Hungary has until November 19 to address the concerns, EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said. "It's about breaches of the rule of law compromising the use and management of EU funds," Hahn said in Brussels. "We cannot conclude that the EU budget is sufficiently protected." He said the money would come from cohesion funds granted to Hungary, which is one of the biggest parts of the bloc's budget. The money helps countries to bring their economies and infrastructure to meet EU standards. Any action to suspend Hungarys funds must be approved by the blocs 27 member countries. Under EU rules, this requires whats called a qualified majority, which amounts to 55 percent of the member states representing at least 65 percent of the total EU population. Not long after the EU announcement, Tibor Navracsics, Hungary's minister in charge of EU negotiations, said there was "a good chance" his government would be able to sign an agreement over the use of European funds by the end of the year. Last week, Hungarian officials reacted angrily when the European Parliament approved a resolution saying the country was not a "full democracy." Fidesz, the ruling party that is controlled by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said "the European Parliament is attacking Hungary again." But Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said that Budapest would establish an anti-corruption department and a working group with nongovernmental organizations to oversee spending of the EU funds.T "The government has either accepted the requests of the European Commission, or in the areas where we could not accept them, we have managed to reach a compromise that is satisfactory to both parties," Gulyas told reporters on September 17. Orban, who was reelected for a fourth consecutive term in April, has clashed often with the bloc over issues such as judicial independence, LGBT rights, and media, academic, and religious freedoms. With reporting by Reuters and AP PRISTINA -- Amanda Toska has learned a lot. The 32-year-old Pristina native has two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree, and is pursuing a fourth. But, so far, the secret to landing a job in Kosovo's civil service has eluded her. Four times she's applied for various positions within state institutions, including the Health Ministry and the national public broadcaster, and four times she's been rejected. "I suspect that the refusal of work was due to the fact that I belong to the Romany community," Toska told RFE/RL's Balkan Service, "because I've always applied for positions for which I'm qualified." Where can you gain experience when there's no opportunity for a job?" She's one of thousands of frustrated job seekers from a woefully unemployed segment of the Balkans' newest state since its declaration of sovereignty from Serbia 14 years ago. Kosovo has perhaps more than its share of challenges, both short- and long-term. They range from partial international recognition that's blocking UN membership and bedeviling Pristina's governments to a disaffected Serb minority and unresolved questions about wartime atrocities, as well as a nationwide teachers strike this month that has canceled classes for 320,000 schoolchildren. What has gotten less attention in the former Serbian province is its ongoing problem with joblessness among smaller ethnic groups like the Romany, Ashkali, and Balkan Egyptian minorities. The situation remains a drag on the aspiring EU member and an obstacle to integration in a region where ethnic enmities underlying the Balkan wars of the 1990s are fresh in the minds of many and reconciliation has been slower than many hoped. 'Margins Of Kosovar Society' The Romany, Ashkali, and Balkan Egyptian communities total 40,000 or so people in a country of 1.7 million forged from an ethnic Albanian-led war of independence in the late 1990s that led to the 2008 declaration of sovereignty. That represents less than 1 percent of the total population, versus the roughly 6-7 percent of Kosovars who are ethnic Serb, according to official government data. The Romany community is the smallest of the three based on the 2011 census, at fewer than 9,000 members, with more than 15,000 Ashkali and over 11,000 Kosovar Egyptians. The European Commission warned in its latest progress report on Kosovo that too little headway had been made and the situation for the Romany, Ashkali, and Egyptian minorities remains "challenging." It said "more needs to be done to effectively guarantee the rights" of all three groups. The OSCE noted in its overview in 2020 that Romany, Ashkali, and Balkan Egyptians "often live at the margins of [Kosovar] society, struggling with high unemployment rates and low educational attainment." "When members of the three communities are employed, it is often seasonal manual labor," the OSCE said, adding, "Some work in the public sector, mainly as teachers or civil servants." Representatives of NGOs that advocate greater integration and try to combat injustice argue that discrimination is the biggest factor in such unemployment, beyond but sometimes in conjunction with lower educational achievement, despite recent improvements. They say the members of those minorities frequently aren't considered for job openings, including in the budgetary sector. "The government's previous justification that there are no qualified personnel no longer holds," Bashkim Ibishi, director of the Advancing Together NGO, said. "There are plenty of competitive guys and gals in the market. But, unfortunately, there's no understanding on the government's part to engage them in public institutions." Ibishi, who is Romany, said his own son had applied six times for a job with the Foreign Ministry since receiving his master's degree in political science and diplomacy and had never been invited to an interview. He said the NGO sector was virtually the only reliable employer of young Roma, Ashkalis, and Balkan Egyptians. Ninety-Percent Joblessness Kosovo's constitution, adopted in 2008, prescribes that "the composition of the civil service shall reflect the diversity of the people of Kosovo." The country adopted a new law on civil service in 2010 that sought in part to standardize recruitment. It required that 10 percent of the jobs in national public institutions be filled by minorities, with additional quotas at more local levels dependent on the makeup of specific communities. Twelve years later, Voice of Roma, Ashkalis, and Egyptians (VoRAE), a local NGO that says its mission is social justice, says 113 of Kosovo's 80,000 public-sector jobs are held by all three of those communities combined. The Interior Ministry says it employs just 36 members of those minorities with a staff of more than 13,000 people. Officials acknowledge that there's a problem. More than 90 percent of Roma, Ashkalis, and Balkan Egyptians are jobless, according to data from the Office for Community Affairs within Prime Minister Albin Kurti's administration. The unemployment figure for Kosovo's larger minority communities of Serbs and Turks is high but less than half that figure, at 40 percent. In June, the government established an "inter-institutional team" to encourage and promote employment of Roma, Ashkalis, and Balkan Egyptians. "Within this mechanism, we are identifying education profiles, age, [and] geographical aspects to see where we can orient and employ these communities in public institutions," Habit Hajredini, director of the presidential Office for Community Affairs, told RFE/RL's Balkan Service. Romany NGO head Ibishi said that's not enough and suggested that some job offers should be restricted solely to Roma, Ashkalis, or Balkan Egyptians. Job seeker Toska, meanwhile, said she expects to add a master's degree in inclusive education to her previous master's degree in education-sector management and her undergraduate degrees in business administration and in education. She has vowed to keep up her pursuit of a job in Kosovo's public sector, along with her education. The Health Ministry failed to respond to an RFE/RL query concerning Toska's application. The public broadcaster, Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), responded broadly that "the process of electing members of the RTK board is done by the Assembly of Kosovo," the national parliament. "Discrimination [in employment] takes place in the application of criteria, when work experience is required," said Toska, who has cooperated with VoRAE. "The young people of these communities have no work experience. Where can you gain experience when there's no opportunity for a job?" Written by Andy Heil based on reporting by RFE/RL Balkan Service correspondent Nadije Ahmeti. The death toll from the flare-up in violence along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border has risen to near 100 as a tense cease-fire and joint patrols of the two Central Asian nations' forces were put in place amid scattered gunfire and shelling. Kyrgyz authorities on September 18 said 59 of its citizens had been killed after days of shooting along the border with Tajikistan. Meanwhile, Tajikistan said at least 35 on its side had been killed, while unnamed officials told RFE/RLs Tajik Service that at least 39 Tajik citizens had died in the violence. Civilians, including women and children, were reported to be among the dead and injured, along with security personnel. The reports could not be independently verified. The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said on September 18 that 12 more bodies had been recovered from the Batken region, the worst-hit location in Kyrgyzstan. Multiple cease-fires have been agreed upon by both sides, with each accusing the other of breaching the truces. Kyrgyzstans national security committee said that as of 10 p.m. on September 18, the situation on the border was tense but calm and appearing to stabilize. A statement said that under a newly reached agreement, additional forces and means are being withdrawn from the state border line to places of permanent deployment. Law enforcement agencies of the two republics are monitoring public order in the border areas and conduct joint patrols along border highways, the statement said. The spasm of violence between the Central Asian neighbors is the worst since at least 2021, when two dozen people were killed and at least 150 wounded on both sides. Hours after a cease-fire took effect on September 17, both sides reported that several border villages had been hit by new shelling. Tajik authorities accused Kyrgyz forces of using Grad multiple-rocket launch systems from the Osh region to target a rural community in the Lakhsh district on September 17. Tajik officials said four people had been injured and three houses had been destroyed. The cause of the latest violence wasnt immediately clear. Long-standing tensions in Central Asia, particularly in the fertile Ferghana Valley, stem in part from Soviet-era borders that artificially divided ethnic groups and communities. Access to water is also increasingly driving tensions. Central Asian nations compete for water for agriculture, electricity generation, as well as drinking, and prolonged drought and climate change have started to make it more scarce across the region. Earlier in the week, the Kyrgyz border guard service accused Tajik forces of using tanks, armored personnel carriers, and mortars. Tajikistan, in turn, accused Kyrgyz forces of bombarding an outpost and seven villages with "heavy weaponry and also accused them of using combat helicopters and drones. Both countries host Russian military bases, but Moscow has played a minimal role in the latest outbreak of fighting. Russian officials on September 16 called again for a halt in the clashes, and on September 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the presidents of both countries. Putin called on the parties to prevent further escalation and take measures to resolve the situation as soon as possible by exclusively peaceful, political, and diplomatic means, the Kremlin said in a statement. More than 140,000 people have been evacuated from the Batken area, Kyrgyzstan's Emergencies Ministry said. In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, and in other cities, volunteers were gathering humanitarian aid and donating blood for people affected by the clashes. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a September 17 statement that it was concerned about the upsurge of military activities along the border and its humanitarian consequences. With reporting by Reuters and AP The number of abortions in Turkmenistan has not decreased despite a recently enforced ban, as many women now pay bribes to terminate their unwanted pregnancies, women and doctors say. Just days after the authoritarian countrys new president -- Serdar Berdymukhammedov -- succeeded his father and took power in March, the government unveiled a law that effectively bans abortion after five weeks of pregnancy, except if it poses serious health risks to the mother or child. The law -- which was originally adopted in 2015 but wasn't ever made public or enforced -- caught everyone by surprise, according to the Saglyk (Health) website run by Turkmen activists and medics abroad. Women have been barred from the front seats of vehicles. Authorities have banned women from wearing heavy makeup and using eyelash extensions or fake nails. Breast implants and lip augmentation have also been banned. The law shortens the period during which women are allowed to terminate an unwanted pregnancy without health reasons from 12 weeks to five weeks. A Turkmen doctor who specializes in reproductive health issues slammed the law, saying most women dont even know theyre pregnant in the first five weeks. The law allows exemptions for certain health issues, but it stipulates that such an exemption can only be granted by a special medical commission after undergoing a number of medical tests, ultimately delaying abortion and increasing health risks for the mother. Citing several patients and medical sources, RFE/RL correspondents in Turkmenistan say the ban has paved the way for more corruption in womens clinics and hospitals. The sources said women who want to end a pregnancy pay bribes to obstetricians, who falsely register the patients visit as a preventative checkup or consultation. The patient officially pays a consultation fee and then separately provides cash bribes for an abortion, they added. In Turkmenistan, where corruption is rife in almost all spheres, people say every problem can be resolved with money, a source said. The amount of the bribe for an abortion ranges between $100 and $500 depending on how advanced the pregnancy is, medical sources in the city of Mary said, adding that its cheaper when the patient approaches a doctor in the early months. It also varies in different cities and regions. At a womens health center in Lebap Province, one source said patients pay up to $340 in bribes for an abortion in the later stages of pregnancy. Limited Access To Contraceptives The ban on abortion comes as a significant number of reproductive-age women in Turkmenistan dont have access to contraceptives, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), which aims to improve reproductive and maternal health worldwide. According to the UNPFA, there are still about 160,000 women [in Turkmenistan] aged 15-49 who would like to prevent or delay their pregnancy but are not using modern contraceptives. The reasons are different for each woman and range from a lack of information about services to a lack of support from their parents, husband, or communities, as well as the ability to decide or purchase contraceptives by themselves, the agency said. In Turkmenistan's conservative society, nearly 60 percent of women arent able to independently decide on these fundamental issues -- contraceptives and abortions -- that affects their lives and health. Abortion is frowned upon by many older Turkmen, but the younger generation has a more liberal view toward it. Turkmen usually have large families, but younger, urban Turkmen are having fewer children, with some blaming shrinking family sizes on economic hardship. Turkmenistans virtual ban on abortions has gone largely unnoticed by the media, as it was revealed at the same time as many other restrictions affecting womens lives. Women have been barred from the front seats of vehicles in everything from private cars to public transport. Police across the country have stopped and fined drivers who defied the ban, even if the female passenger was a family member. Authorities have also banned women from wearing heavy makeup and using eyelash extensions or fake nails. Breast implants and lip augmentation have also been banned, along with eyebrow tinting -- something that became popular among Turkmen women in recent years. Additionally, working women are forced to submit a written pledge to management that they won't wear tight-fitting clothes or use heavy makeup. The bans came without any official announcement or explanation from the government. Women found out about the measures from their employers or from police, who began enforcing the ban in late March and early April. 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 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has cited a "series of victories" on the battlefield against invading Russian forces following reports that Ukrainian troops reached the eastern bank of a major river in the northeast, but he joined Western military and other officials cautioning of new risks in the nearly seven-month-old conflict. An attack by Russian troops on a nuclear power plant near Mykolayiv in the south reportedly did not damage any reactors but underscored ongoing risks to Ukrainian atomic facilities. 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. Zelenskiy warned late on September 18 that any "lull" was part of "preparation for the next series" of operations. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said that while Ukrainians "are defeating Russia," there's still much more to be done. The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff signaled concerns about how Moscow might react to setbacks in battle, urging U.S. troops in Europe and allies to be at "high states of readiness [and] alert." "Maybe it seems to some of you that after a series of victories we now have a lull of sorts," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "But there will be no lull. There is preparation for the next series.... For Ukraine must be free. All of it." Earlier in the day, Ukraine's military said via Telegram that its troops had established a bridgehead ver the Oskil River in their counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where they appear to have retaken thousands of square kilometers so far this month. Experts suggest the foothold on the Oskil could threaten Russian troops in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine that Moscow has suggested is a priority and where Russia-backed separatists have held swaths of territory for eight years. The Oskil flows south to the Siverskiy Donets River, which bisects the Luhansk region that along with Donetsk composes what's known as the Donbas. Ukraine's military said late on September 18 that its troops "have pushed across the Oskil," adding, "From yesterday, Ukraine controls the east bank." WATCH: 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. The governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Hayday, wrote on Telegram that "Luhansk region is right next door. Decoccupation is not far away." Early on September 19, the Ukrainian General Staff said there had been six Russian missile strikes in the past day and a half, 22 air strikes, and more than 90 strikes from multiple-rocket launchers. It said infrastructure in more than 30 cities and towns had been damaged and warned Ukrainians of the continued threat of air and missile strikes all over the country. The Ukrainian nuclear operator, Enerhoatom, accused Russian troops of striking the Pivdennoukrayinska nuclear power plant in the southern Mykolayiv region but said none of its three reactors had been damaged. The facility is functioning normally, Enerhoatom said. Ukrainian officials on September 18 accused Russian troops of pounding civilian infrastructure with artillery including in the city of Zaporizhzhya, where Europe's largest nuclear facility lies. Russians have occupied Zaporizhzhya since shortly after the February launch of their invasion, and electricity was reportedly restored over the weekend to the plant to help allay fears of a catastrophic disaster there. RFE/RL cannot independently verify battlefield claims in areas of the most intense fighting. WATCH: 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. After a visit to a base in Poland where troops from the United States and other countries are aiding Ukraine's defenders, U.S. Army General Mark Milley, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "the war is not going too well for Russia right now." While he said U.S. troops in Europe are not under immediate threat, questions about Russian President Vladimir Putin's response to battlefield losses mean it is "incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness [and] alert." U.S. and NATO officials have warned Moscow that any attack on NATO territory would elicit a strong military response. President Biden said during a television appearance that "winning the war in Ukraine is to get Russia out of Ukraine completely and to recognize [Ukrainian] sovereignty." He suggested that "they're defeating Russia," and said, "Russia's turning out not to be as competent and capable as many people thought they were going to be." Asked about the risk of Putin considering the use of nuclear weapons amid setbacks in its Ukraine war, Biden had simple words for the Russian president: "Don't. Don't. Don't. It would change the face of war unlike anything since World War II." With reporting by Reuters The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, wiped away tears as she laid flowers on September 18 at a Yerevan hilltop monument honoring the nearly 1.5 million Armenians who died during World War I in a campaign of orchestrated violence by Ottoman Turks. The killings have been classified as genocide by a growing number of historians and countries, as well as by the U.S. Congress. Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to Armenia since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. (bloomberg.com) - The secretive sale of Russian diamonds, worth hundreds of millions of dollars every month, is fracturing the global trade that stretches from cutting factories in Mumbai to luxury stores on New Yorks Fifth Avenue. Many in the industry refuse to deal in Russian gems following the invasion of Ukraine and after mining giant Alrosa PJSC was hit with US sanctions. But theres a handful of Indian and Belgian buyers who are snapping up large volumes at lucrative terms, getting to pick and choose the diamonds they need while others stay away. The deals are happening quietly, even for the famously secretive diamond world. 16:00 | Lima, Sep. 16. During a press conference held at the Lima-based Government Palace, the Cabinet member stressed that Parliament had approved the President's trip to New York, United States, where Mr. Castillo will participate in the 77th Annual Session of the United Nations General Assembly. "We welcome Parliament's decision to have approved, yesterday, the trip of the President of the Republic (for him) to participate in a United Nations General Assembly , which includes not only protocol conferences, but also meetings with heads of state to consolidate policies in educational matters, the fight against terrorism, closing of social gaps, and other levels," he expressed. Somalia: Briefing and Consultations Tomorrow morning (7 September), the Security Council is scheduled to hold an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the situation in Somalia. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) James Swan will brief on the latest political, security and humanitarian developments in the country. Acting Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia and head of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Fiona Lortan and EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa Annette Weber are also expected to brief. The dire humanitarian situation in Somalia is expected to be a key focus of tomorrows meeting. Swan is likely to highlight the Secretary-Generals latest report, covering developments from 7 May to 23 August, which describes the severe drought pushing Somalia to the brink of famine. According to the report, the drought has affected 7.8 million peoplenearly half of the Somali populationand led to the displacement of more than one million. Swan may describe the efforts by humanitarian actors to provide assistance to 5.3 million Somalis despite challenges to humanitarian access. He may also draw attention to the 2022 Drought Response and Famine Prevention Plan, released by the UN and its humanitarian partners in June, which aims to mobilise $993.3 million to reach 6.4 million Somalis. On 19 August, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths released $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support humanitarian response efforts in Somalia. Since 2 September, Griffiths has been on a visit to the country, which is ongoing at the time of writing. The aim of his visit is to assess the situation on the ground and to meet with the federal and regional authorities, affected communities, and partners. In a 5 September message, Griffiths said: We are in the last minute of the eleventh hour to avoid a full-blown disaster in Somalia. Council members are likely to express serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation and call for enhanced international support to avert the looming famine. Some members may also mention emergency assistance they have provided to Somalia in response to the international humanitarian appeal. Political developments in Somalia are another likely focus of tomorrows meeting. In June, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was inaugurated as president; he subsequently appointed Hamza Abdi Barre to serve as prime minister. Following prolonged consultations, Barre announced the formation of his cabinet on 3 August. In this regard, Swan may describe his engagement with the new Somali leadership on how to align the UNs support with the governments priorities. These priorities include promoting national reconciliation; strengthening the federal system and improving relations between Mogadishu and the regional states; intensifying the fight against Al-Shabaab; finalising the constitutional review process and judicial reform; and addressing the humanitarian situation. Council members are likely to welcome the conclusion of Somalias electoral process with the formation of a new government. They may also take note of the priorities outlined by the new government and underscore the need to align UN support with these priorities. Council members are awaiting the outcome of the UNSOM strategic review in line with resolution 2632 of 26 May, which extended the mandate of the mission until 31 October. Resolution 2632 renewed UNSOMs mandate for a shorter period than the customary one year, with the aim of allowing time for a new government to form and for its priorities to inform any potential change to UNSOMs mandate. The strategic review team under the leadership of Ian Martin, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), visited Somalia and Ethiopia between 1 and 9 August to conduct consultations with the Somali federal government, regional states, UN agencies, the AU, ATMIS, women and youth civil society representatives, and international partners. The teams report is expected by the end of September and is likely to inform UNSOMs mandate renewal process in October. Lortan is likely to stress the need for the Somali federal government to accelerate the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan and National Security Architecture. In this regard, she may call for the authorities to promote effective force generation and the integration of regional forces into the national security forces to facilitate the drawdown of 2,000 ATMIS troops by 31 December, in line with resolution 2628 of 31 March, which reconfigured the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) into ATMIS. She may also draw attention to the funding challenges that ATMIS faces and call for renewed engagement to address this issue. Although Lortan will brief tomorrow, it should be noted that AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat appointed Mohamed El-Amine Souef as the new AU Special Representative to Somalia and Head of ATMIS on 1 September. Before his appointment, Souef was the head of the regional office of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in Gao, Central Mali. He had also previously worked with the UN-AU Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Council members may emphasise the need for progress in implementing the Transition Plan. Members look forward to receiving the benchmarks and indicators requested by resolution 2628, which are due by the end of September. These benchmarks and indicators, for the effectiveness of ATMIS and the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan and National Security Architecture, are being drawn up by the UN in consultation with the Somali government, the AU, the EU, and other relevant member states. In terms of the security situation, the persistent threat posed by Al-Shabaab continues to be a major concern for Council members. The UN recorded a monthly average of 227 security incidents between May and July. Al-Shabaab is implicated in most of these incidents. On 2 September, the group attacked trucks transporting food supplies in Hiiraan region, central Somalia. This incident, in which at least 20 civilians were reportedly killed, happened two weeks after Al-Shabaabs siege of a hotel in Mogadishu in August that left 21 people dead and more than 100 people injured. Council members are likely to condemn these recent attacks by Al-Shabaab and express support for the federal governments renewed determination to combat terrorism in Somalia. Weber may mention her visit to Mogadishu in May following the conclusion of Somalias electoral process and her discussion with Mohamud to reaffirm the EUs support for the consolidation of peace, security and development in Somalia. Regarding the humanitarian situation, she may allude to the EUs humanitarian air bridge that is a means of delivering emergency assistance to Somalia. Weber may refer to the EUs recent decision to resume direct budgetary support to the federal government to assist reform efforts. She may also refer to the EUs continued support to ATMIS through the provision of 120 million to the military component under the European Peace Facility (EPF) and 20 million to the civilian and police components under its Africa Peace Facility (APF). YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The territorial security, sovereignty and democracy of Armenia are a value to us in America, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said during a joint press conference with Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan in Yerevan on September 18. Asked whether the United States expects that Armenia should leave the CSTO, and what the American government proposes Armenia, whether it is ready to guarantee the security of Armenias sovereign territory and borders, Speaker Pelosi gave the floor to US Congressman Frank Pallone to answer the question first. We understand that Armenia is part of this security arrangement with Russia. We are not suggesting anything about that. What we are saying is that the United States is very concerned about Armenias security. We want to do whatever we can to be more supportive of Armenias security, Frank Pallone said. Then Pelosi continued: Democracy in Armenia is a joy to the world. The Velvet Revolution was cheered globally. The recent election was free and fair and was recognized as such. You are a good example to the transition to democracy. And we support that, she said. As Mr. Pallone said, your inter-relations with other entities is up to Armenia to decide. But from my standpoint, territorial security and sovereignty of Armenia, democracy of Armenia is a value to us in America. And in our relationships with other countries, we should be using our influence, our leverage showing that Armenian democracy and sovereignty is a priority, she said. News Concealed carry gun applications surged in San Francisco after Bruen decision Jim Wilson/The New York Times A man carries a gun in his waistband. Since the Supreme Courts decision, San Francisco has seen a surge in concealed permit applications. San Francisco has seen a dramatic spike in applications to carry a gun in public since the U.S. Supreme Court loosened the eligibility requirements for such permits less than three months ago. The San Francisco Sheriffs Department has received 45 concealed carry weapons permit applications in the weeks following the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The department typically sees just two concealed carry permit applications each year, a spokesperson said. The high courts decision has prompted the San Francisco Sheriffs Department this month to issue new policies to keep up with the pace of permit applications and to ensure that it grants permits only to applicants who are law-abiding, responsible persons. The surge in concealed carry applications demonstrates the immediate impact of the Supreme Courts rightward turn, even in liberal San Francisco. City and state officials who have advocated strict forms of gun control have no choice but to follow the courts ruling. As a result, more people will be allowed to carry guns in public in San Francisco. Concealed carry permits allow licensed individuals to carry a small firearm, like a pistol or a revolver, on their person and out of sight in public spaces. It also allows licensed individuals to keep a gun unlocked in their car. It is still prohibited for concealed carry license holders to carry a weapon in some places in California, including schools, courthouses and bars. Until the Bruen decision, California required all concealed carry applicants to demonstrate a good cause for carrying a gun, usually a clear and present danger to oneself or ones family. As a result, few people sought them, especially in San Francisco. But the June 23 U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidated Californias policy by overturning a similar New York gun safety law. The ruling also prohibits local authorities from denying these permits based on subjective criteria beyond a background check, known as may issue laws. In addition, the Supreme Courts decision requires lower federal courts to use a new test in determining whether gun laws are constitutional. The new test essentially requires gun restrictions to have a historical analog to the time period between 1791, the year the Second Amendment was ratified, to about 1868, the year the 14th Amendment was ratified. As a result of the decision, some of Californias restrictions on who can carry guns in public places were deemed unconstitutional. It is the Attorney Generals view that the courts decision renders Californias good cause standard to secure a permit to carry a concealed weapon in most public places unconstitutional, Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote following the Bruen decision. Permitting agencies may no longer require a demonstration of good cause. Local and state agencies can still enforce other components of Californias gun laws, such as taking fingerprints and requiring background checks and gun safety training. The San Francisco Sheriffs Offices new policies seek to codify the gun control rules it is still allowed to enforce. Concealed carry applicants in The City must pass a psychological test, a background check and a gun safety training course. The Sheriffs Department will also review criminal history and other factors to determine whether the applicant is of good moral character. The policy states that the Sheriffs Department must process applications within 90 days, or 30 days after receiving the background check results, whichever is later. The increase in requests for concealed carry weapons permits follows a notable uptick in fatal and nonfatal shooting incidents reported by the San Francisco Police Department in recent years. Citywide, there were 222 gun violence victims in 2021, up from 167 in 2020 and 137 in 2019. That trend matches a national uptick in homicides, which increased 28% from 2018 to 2020, the largest increase ever recorded, according to Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, assistant professor in the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis. Growth in firearms purchases often correlate to real or perceived increases in crime. In 2020, Californians were more likely to report being somewhat or very worried about violence compared with before the pandemic, according to the statewide California Safety and Wellbeing Survey that Kravitz-Wirtz directs. We have seen during this period an equally unprecedented increase in firearm purchasing that really began with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued through now, Kravitz-Wirtz said. In one of the strongest long-course womens professional triathlete fields ever assembled, it was the punishing Texas heat that won the PTO US Open. Ice packs became precious commodities. With humidity, the temperature felt like 100 degrees. It was so hot that during the start of the second lap of the 2 kilometer swim, some athletes poured cold water on their head in the few seconds they were on land. In the end it was Australian Ashleigh Gentle who managed to win the 100k race, overcoming a nearly seven minute deficit on the run to claim victory. Gentle surged into the lead with just over 2 kilometers to go, passing long-time leader American Taylor Knibb. Gentles time of 3:37:18 was almost irrelevant. On a more humane day much of the field would have been able to match it. That was brutal, said Lucy Charles-Barclay, who finished in third place. Im just happy to make the finish line. As athletes finished many appeared in distress. Canadian Paula Findlay peeled over after crossing the finish line and poured bottles of water on her head. Swede Lisa Norden fell to the ground and her leg appeared to seize from a cramp. I was just dying overheating, Knibb said after the race. I dont know how I made the finish line. Knibb was the only athlete who could keep up with Charles-Barclay on the swim. Both returning from season-derailing injuries, Charles-Barclay barely edged Knibb out of the water in 27:01, but the pair had earned more than a minute over a trailing group of athletes. Once on land, though, it was Knibb who quickly surged on the bike and took the lead. Charles-Barclay dropped back and so began her nightmare bike leg. The battery on her Di2 shifter died, and she was forced to pedal in a huge gear before stopping to get a replacement. She dropped at least two water bottles in the punishing heat and was lucky to not earn a penalty for doing so. Knibb had the fastest bike split on the 80 kilometer course, finishing the leg in 1:56:18 and started the run with a 3:42 lead. Despite her troubles on the bike, Charles-Barclay started the run in second with a two-and-a-half minute gap over a group that included Findlay, Norden, Olympic champion Flora Duffy and Brit Holly Lawrence. But the run, and the race, would be defined by Gentle staying cool in the Texas heat. Trailing by 6:51 at the start of the run, the Australian kept an even pace as others faded. The effects of the lost nutrition on Charles-Barclay meant she started to crack in the heat. As Gentle caught the Brit for second, the leader Knibb began to falter as well. The American began to walk. Knibb ran again, but she never matched the same pace that Gentle was closing with. With just over 2 kilometers remaining Gentle passed Knibb and surged into the lead. As she crossed the line in first, Gentle broke down in sobs. Due to be married in a few weeks, it was likely Gentles last major race in 2022. I had to dig to the depths of my soul for that one, Gentle said. It is very hot. Women's Top 10 Results 1. Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) 3:37:182. Taylor Knibb (USA) 3:38:333. Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) 3:40:324. Holly Lawrence (GBR) 3:43:385. Lisa Norden (SWE) 3:44:506. Flora Duffy (BMU) 3:45:187. Jocelyn McCauley 3:45:358. Rebecca Clarke (AUS) 3:47:019. Katrina Matthews (GBR) 3:48:3410. Paula Findlay (CAN) 3:49:09 Photo Credit: Professional Triathletes Organisation To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! The Australian dollar is trading at multi-year highs against the pound, euro and New Zealand dollar. That will help offset the coast of soaring airfares and inflation when travellers spend their cash overseas. The Australian dollar is buying about 58 pence the strongest it has been against pound for five years. At the start of the year, it was buying 53 pence. Our dollar is riding high against the pound, euro and NZ dollar Credit:Bloomberg One Australian dollar is buying about 67 euro cents, close to its five-year high in August. It was 64 euro cents at the start of the year. The dollar as also at about $NZ1.12 another five-year high. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The United States is committed to support Armenias democracy and stands by the Armenian people at difficult moments, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said in her remarks at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Yerevan on September 18. Mrs. Pelosi said that she is the first Speaker of the US House of Representatives to visit Armenia. I am now standing between the flags of our two countries. Its a great pride, she said, stating that it shows the partnership with Armenia. Speaker Pelosi also extended the congratulations of the US Congress to Armenia ahead of its Independence Day, celebrated on September 21. For us, it's almost like a family visit. We are elected from districts where there are so many Armenian-Americans. They are patriotic Americans and are very very proud of their Armenian heritage. They make that very clearly to us. We follow the Armenian challenges through their eyes, the Speaker said. She said that they are proud of eventually adopting the resolution on the Armenian Genocide. Joe Biden has been the friend of Armenia, and we are proud that he signed it and also invited the Prime Minister of Armenia to the Democracy Summit which was a very important event. I am here just to say that America is committed to Armenia's security and Armenia's democracy. And we stand with Armenia at any difficult time when there is a battle between democracy and autocracy. Armenia is a place where we can see those contrasts coming to play, the Speaker of the House of Representatives said. Nancy Pelosi said that her visit to Armenia was planned earlier, since last week. But we came here at the moment when we can in person strongly condemn Azerbaijans recent attacks on Armenia. This is unacceptable and is threatening the prospects for the much needed peace agreement. As an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair and Armenias friend, the United States is committed to supporting the negotiated, comprehensive and sustainable settlement, including especially those hostilities directed towards civilians. The United States has long said that there can be no military solution to this conflict, she said. Nancy Pelosi said that the United States continues to watch the situation closely, adding that it is a priority direction for President Biden and the Congress. Our delegation visited Armenia to discuss matters of security, democracy and economy, Nancy Pelosi said. A former Penrith rugby league player has been sentenced to at least nine years jail for his very senior role in a major drug importation and supply syndicate in a case that saw the judge grapple with the impact of a lengthy jail term on someone suffering a sport-related brain injury. Levi John Russell, a first and reserve grade player with the Panthers from 1994-98, was sentenced in the District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to charges relating to the importation of hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine and commercial supply of cocaine between 2017-19. Levi John Russell, photographed on his arrest in August 2018. Credit:NSW Police Some charges carried the potential for life imprisonment. The consideration given to Russells brain injury on sentencing comes amid a public debate over the impact of sports-related long-term brain injury in the community. The NSW government is considering a cut to the number of traffic lanes on a busy arterial route in Sydneys inner west after the final stage of the multibillion-dollar WestConnex toll road is completed late next year. Yet, a lack of progress on a pledge to devote two lanes solely to public transport on Parramatta Road, from Burwood to Haberfield, has sparked concerns that any plan to remove traffic lanes in a bid to revitalise Victoria Road in Rozelle will fail to materialise. Victoria Road in Rozelle is one of Sydneys busiest commuter corridors. Credit:Kate Geraghty The government has forecast a drop in traffic of up to 50 per cent on a stretch of Victoria Road in the inner west suburb when a complex underground motorway junction for WestConnex opens to motorists in late 2023. A 1.1-kilometre tunnel bypass of Victoria Road from the Iron Cove Bridge to the new interchange at Rozelle is part of the $3.9 billion final stage of WestConnex. Police have charged a fourth and final suspect alleged to have played a key role in Mondays daylight murder outside a gym in Brisbanes south-east, setting off a five-day search ended more than 150 kilometres away. Kyle Martin, 24, surrendered to police on Saturday night after his girlfriend was allegedly seen buying takeaway food for two in cash and returning to their accommodation in Warwick, about two hours west of Brisbane. Police had earlier identified the car belonging to the 24-year-old Wynnum West woman who was also arrested with Martin with skilled detective work, tracking it to the Albion Street address and waiting. That vehicle was observed for some time, with a breakthrough coming through at about 6.30[pm] last night, Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said at a Sunday morning press conference. In her speech broadcast from Cape Town on her 21st birthday, Queen Elizabeth famously declared that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service. Of course, she couldnt have known her service as sovereign would begin less than five years later when her father died unexpectedly. Queen Elizabeth dedicated herself to a life of service. Credit:Getty Images Or that she would end up serving us for 70 years. She served right up until the end when just two days before her death, aged 96, Her Majesty swore in her 15th UK prime minister. No one can no doubt she fulfilled her pledge. More than one in three Australian office workers would immediately quit their job or start looking for a new one if their employer announced they had to return to the office full-time, according to research. The number of people searching for jobs that include remote work has surged following the pandemic, separate research found, which could lead to some companies struggling to attract or retain workers if they dont embrace flexibility. EY talent leader Elisa Colak said the company has offered working-from-home arrangements for a decade, boosting worker wellbeing and productivity. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research in the US found Australians worked an average of two days a week at home at the time of the surveys, higher than the survey average across 27 countries of 1.5 days. They found Australian employers on average wanted workers to have just one day working from home, while employees on average would like to work remotely two days a week. Independent MPs are challenging the federal government to take a stand on economic change for women by planning a move that will force Labor caucus members to decide whether to support an increase in paid parental leave to 26 weeks. While the government says it is looking at ways to make the current scheme more flexible, the crossbench will ask Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his MPs to take a firmer stand on the promises outlined at the governments jobs summit earlier this month. Independent MPs Zali Steggall and Zoe Daniel want the government to commit to expanding paid parental leave. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen They want the current 18-week paid parental leave scheme expanded to 26 weeks, costing $600 million a year, to boost womens workplace equity. The pressure over extending the Commonwealth parental leave scheme adds to the debate about government services and how they will be paid for, following Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowes comments on Friday that Labor will need to either hike taxes, cut spending or undertake structural reform to meet community expectations. The reaffirming of Singapores stance comes as nearby Malaysia shifts towards removing mandatory death sentences for drug trafficking and 22 other offences and as Thailand liberalises the consumption of cannabis. Thailands decision to become the first country in Asia to decriminalise marijuana has not come without significant complications, with politicians expressing mounting concern about it being used recreationally rather than for medical reasons, as the government in Bangkok intended. Singapore says its tough stance on drugs has made it one of the safest cities in the world. Credit:Bloomberg It is certainly a path Singapore wont be following. Instead, it is doubling down on an approach it says is keeping its streets secure, and for which it makes no apologies. We want the message out very clearly that we dont want to become like western Europe. We dont want to become like most of the Western cities, we certainly dont want to become like many cities in South-East Asia, said Shanmugam, a former foreign minister. Singapore is clean, crime-free effectively, safe. And the only way it can remain that way is that we are tough on traffickers. Anti-death penalty advocates stress there is no evidence that the death penalty acts as a deterrent against drug trafficking and that the punishment ensnares only vulnerable low-level mules, not the kingpins who send them. The most high profile of the campaigners, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, even warned this year that Singapores use of the death penalty may instead be a deterrent to those seeking to invest and trade in the future. Shanmugam, however, disputes that Singapores appeal as a global financial hub has been dented at all. Singapores reputation has actually been enhanced in the two years, not because of the death penalty, but because of the way we handled the pandemic and the calmness in which we went through the whole thing. So, I would say our reputation has never been higher, he said. He also takes aim at questions about deterrence, quoting a survey by Singapore in neighbouring countries in which, he said, about 80 per cent of respondents replied that the threat of capital punishment made them not want to commit serious crimes in the island nation. Shanmugam said Singapore had no power to catch drug lords, who capitalised on the flood of illicit substances pouring out of the Golden Triangle region on the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar but were unlikely to dare venturing to the city-state themselves. So what are we supposed to do about that? Now, if I say I dont catch traffickers and wait for the kingpins, basically my drug policy will be out of the window, he said. Are we only catching the small guys and not the big guys? Its a non-question because, you know, the big guys dont come into Singapore for good reasons. Imagine if they were in Singapore, Singapore would be a very different place. Thats why they dont come in. On Nagaenthran, whose ultimately unsuccessful last-minute appeal this year garnered international headlines, Shanmugam has pointed to the decision of judges in Singapore, who determined that he did not have an intellectual disability despite an IQ of 69. I would accept that his IQ was lower than the average person. But in law, that is not the main point, he said. Has anyone raised an eyebrow when the US executed at the same time last year in October, two others with the same IQ? And the US courts dismissed the same arguments. Because the fact that you have a low IQ by itself is not the main point in law. The question is, did you know what youre doing? And he knew what he was doing. In fact, he was creating excuses and finding new ways of trying to explain away his conduct. Beyond culpability for the crime, lawyers for Nagaenthran also claimed his mental capacity had declined in his 12 years on death row and that he should not be hanged under the UN Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which forbids execution of the intellectually disabled. Two psychologists, from Australia and Britain, made submissions to his last-ditch bid to have his sentence commuted to life in prison, describing deterioration in his neurocognitive function that was clear and significant. But Shanmugam said they were irrelevant because neither had seen the prisoner but had only reviewed the reports of other experts. Minister Shanmugam on: Australias relations with Singapore and South-East Asia I think our prime minister with your different prime ministers have had a very good relationship [and] see eye to eye. And so, the economic relationship, the political relationship, is good. With the other countries in South-East Asia I would say Australia has been leaning forward. Its a question of whether different countries have had their own priorities. Some have leaned forward, some havent. So, I think thats where I see some gaps. And I think this [Australian] government is keen to close those gaps, and rightly so. Tension between the US and China and staying neutral We are very concerned about it. We are all subject to the vagaries of the tensions. So obviously, we want the tensions to cool down, and if we take sides, that is highly disruptive, either for our security or our economy or many other aspects. Maybe at some point we will be forced to make a choice, but Singapores position is we will not make a choice. Beijing: Two Chinese astronauts went on a spacewalk on Saturday from a new space station that is due to be completed later this year. Cai Xuzhe and Chen Dong installed pumps, a handle to open the hatch door from outside in an emergency, and a foot-stop to fix an astronauts feet to a robotic arm, state media said. A screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre in Beijing shows Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe, top and Chen Dong conducting extravehicular activities, also known as a spacewalk, around the station lab module Wentian on Saturday. Credit:Xinhua/AP China is building its own space station after being excluded by the US from the International Space Station because its military runs the countrys space program. American officials see a host of strategic challenges from Chinas space ambitions, in an echo of the US-Soviet rivalry that prompted the race to the moon in the 1960s. The latest spacewalk was the second during a six-month mission that will oversee the completion of the space station. The first of two laboratories, a 23-ton module, was added to the station in July and the other is to be sent up later this year. London: King Charles has sought out police officers and other emergency responders to thank them for protecting the public as record crowds gathered to mourn his mother. The monarch and elder son William, the Prince of Wales, visited the Metropolitan Polices Service Operations Room at their headquarters in Lambeth in south-east London, near where the head of the enormous queue of well-wishers has gathered to view the Queens coffin at Westminster Hall. King Charles III meets with members of the Metropolitan Police Service. Credit:Getty With scores of VIPs, including the presidents of the United States and Israel, the Japanese Emperor as well as European royals descending on the British capital ahead of Mondays state funeral, authorities are on the highest-alert for danger or disruption to the official mourning events. The military and contracted security officers are helping an estimated 20,000 police officers drawn from all over the country to control and monitor the enormous and largest-ever continuous queue that has formed in Central London to view the Queen lying-in-state, as well as keep VIPs safe. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today the delegation led by Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Nancy Pelosi, the PMs Office said. In his welcoming remarks, the Armenian PM said in particular: Mrs. Speaker, dear colleagues, let me warmly welcome you in our country, in our government. This is really an unprecedented visit by the United States to Armenia, and we appreciate that. I would like to express our gratitude to you, Mrs. Speaker, for your personal efforts and contribution to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States, as well as for the efforts of your delegation. This is really highly appreciated, and even taking into account this fact only, all Armenians consider you as Armenias reliable friend. But I want to continue my words of gratitude because I also want to express gratitude for the US support to the Armenian democracy, as this is also very important for us. We see the readiness of the US government to support the democratic agenda in our country. I want to express our dedication to the agenda of democratic reforms, despite the fact that, as you see, its not an easy path. One more fact that I would like to mention is that we appreciate the clear position of the United States over Azerbaijans aggression against Armenia. Of course, the clear formulations by the US government are appreciated because it is highly important for us. You know that the UN Security Council has discussed the current situation, and we hope and this is our position that this situation should remain on the agenda of the UN Security Council and in this respect, we, of course, rely on the US support. Mrs. Speaker, let me once again welcome you and your delegation. I am confident that we will be able to hold productive talks today. I am very glad for this opportunity. In her turn, Nancy Pelosi said: Thank you very much Mr. Prime Minister for the warm words of welcome and for appreciating the significant work done my colleagues, who are members of this delegation. The support to democracy in Armenia, the resolution on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, countering Turkey over the Nagorno Karabakh issue, and in all other terms, we are the friend of Armenia. We are here by respecting your government. Elections were held last year which were assessed as free and fair, and your wonderful victory in the conditions of war and other circumstances. And the thing is that when we travel to any country, it has a purpose of showing respect, listening and learning, but I can say frankly that this delegation which came from the United States to Armenia has brought with it the love and the respect of the American people to your government and the love to the people of Armenia. Thank you for this hospitality. The sides, then, discussed a broad range of issues relating to the Armenian-American partnership and the further development of cooperation in different directions. PM Pashinyan said that the government of Armenia will continue the consistent steps to strengthen democracy and develop democratic institutions. He highly valued the US support to promoting the rich agenda of reforms of the Armenian government. Nikol Pashinyan and Nancy Pelosi also discussed the recent aggression of Azerbaijan against Armenias sovereign territory and issues relating to the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani units from Armenias territory. The possibilities of the unblocking of transportation infrastructure in the region, the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict were also discussed. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives assured that the American side will continue actively contributing to the further expansion of bilateral multi-sectoral cooperation and the programs aimed at the development of democracy in Armenia. London: The Speaker of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has conceded that Chinese government officials would be allowed to visit the Queens coffin as it lies-in-state, reversing an initial order that they be banned from the Parliamentary estate. The move contrasts with the promises made by new Prime Minister Liz Truss, in her campaign to win Tory votes for the leadership, to be tough on China. The Chinese delegation views the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall on Sunday. Credit:Getty Images MPs who are campaigning for the UK to take a tougher stance on China were furious and decried the late-hour change of heart as appeasement and embarrassment, hitting out at the political establishment for leaning on the Speaker. The row began last week when it emerged that Chinas Vice-President Wang Qishan will attend the funeral on Beijings behalf. This account of the administrations effort to control escalation in the war is based on conversations with more than a dozen senior US officials as they struggle to calibrate the next steps hoping to build on Ukraines advances without triggering a wider conflict. It comes as the Ukrainians have gained momentum and the Russians, for now, are still in disarray. US officials believe they have, so far, succeeded at boiling the frog increasing their military, intelligence and economic assistance to Ukraine step by step, without provoking Moscow into large-scale retaliation with any major single move. Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking to the media after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Friday, September 16, 2022. Credit:Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP They say Putin almost certainly would have pushed back hard if Washington had, at the outset of the war, provided Ukraine with the kind of support it is getting now, such as intelligence that has allowed Ukraine to kill Russian generals and target arms depots, tanks and Russian air defences with precision-guided rocket attacks. Instead, the Americans believe their incremental strategy, and refusal to give Ukraine advanced weapons or aircraft that could reach deep into Russia, has put guardrails on the conflict. But Putin has grown increasingly frustrated as his military struggles. We are, indeed, responding rather restrainedly, but thats for the time being, Putin said on Friday local time, after attending a regional summit in Uzbekistan. If the situation continues to develop in this way, the answer will be more serious. Loading He claimed that Ukraine was trying to carry out terrorist acts in Russia, and described recent Russian cruise missile attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure as warning strikes. The same day, speaking at an intelligence conference in Washington, the deputy director of the CIA, David Cohen, said Putin would be asking his military leaders what has happened, why it is happening, what can we do to push back and to retain our position? I dont think we should underestimate Putins adherence to his original objective, which was to control Ukraine, Cohen said. He added, We should not underestimate his risk appetite. Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defence for policy, said in a statement to The New York Times on Friday that Ukraines success on the battlefield could cause Russia to feel backed into a corner, and that is something we must remain mindful of. But he said that while the United States is committed to providing Ukraine with the equipment it needs to counter Russian aggression, the Pentagon has assessed that Ukraine does not need the ATACMS for targets that are directly relevant to the current fight. On Capitol Hill, Democrats and Republicans have expressed support for preventing the war in Ukraine from spilling into a wider conflict. But many politicians said the Biden administration was being overly cautious in denying Ukraine additional advanced weaponry. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden stand at the top of steps of Air Force One before boarding at Andrews Air Force Base on Saturday, as they head to London. Credit:AP Ukraine has called for much greater Western assistance, like fighter jets, tanks and long-range missiles. Although Zelensky has asked for ATACMS, the Pentagon has instead provided thousands of satellite-guided rockets and 16 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers, or HIMARS, to fire them. Those rockets have struck more than 400 Russian ammunition depots, command posts and radars. The HIMARS can carry six guided rockets at a time, each of which can strike targets nearly 80 kilometres away a range that Pentagon officials say covers the vast majority of Ukraines intended targets. By comparison, a HIMARS launcher can carry only one of the larger ATACMS missiles at a time before needing to reload. Critics say the military aid that the West has provided until now has been enough for Ukraine to stay in the fight but not to win. Democrat MP Jason Crow, who serves on the House intelligence and armed services committees, said the United States should send ATACMS to Ukraine. I worry that if we dont provide the Ukrainians with the weapons they need to push back further ... the Russians may regroup. Evelyn Farkas, McCain Institute Sure, escalation remains a concern, and we have to be mindful of that threat, said Crow, a former Army Ranger. But I dont think providing ATACMS is substantively escalatory. We need to provide what Ukraine needs to win. An increased flow of arms and advice now, some former officials said, is vital to help the Ukrainians capitalise on the counteroffensive and survive the coming winter. We have a window of opportunity, Evelyn Farkas, the executive director of the McCain Institute and a former senior defence official during the Obama administration said, speaking at an intelligence and security summit in Washington. I worry that if we dont provide the Ukrainians with the weapons they need to push back further, get more territory, they will not be strong enough at the negotiating table and the Russians may regroup. Loading Some US officials express concern that the most dangerous moments are yet to come, even as Putin has avoided escalating the war in ways that have, at times, baffled Western officials. He has made only limited attempts to destroy critical infrastructure or to target Ukrainian government buildings. He has not attacked the supply hubs outside Ukraine. While he has directed low-level cyberattacks against Ukrainian targets every week, they have been relatively unsophisticated, especially when compared with capabilities that Russia has shown it has, including in the SolarWinds attack on US government and commercial systems that was discovered just before Biden took office. Some officials have expressed concern that Putin could detonate a tactical nuclear weapon perhaps in a demonstration blast over the Black Sea or Arctic Ocean, or in Ukrainian territory. But there is no evidence that he is moving those weapons, officials say, or preparing such a strike. One senior intelligence official said there was a debate underway inside US intelligence agencies over whether Putin believes such a step would risk Russias alienation from the countries it needs most especially China or whether he is holding the option in reserve. Putin, despite his early setbacks, appeared generally satisfied with how the war was going in recent months, content to give his army the time to make slow progress as it pummelled Ukrainian lines with a brutal artillery campaign. But as he made clear on Friday, he is content no more. US officials say Moscow is even more ready to blame the United States for its troubles than it was earlier in the war. The disclosures that the US intelligence is helping the Ukrainian side has shifted the Russian narrative even more to the message: We are fighting NATO now, said Larissa Doroshenko, a researcher at Northeastern University. There also are signs that Putin could be worried about his own political standing. Public criticism in Russia is on the rise in the aftermath of the counteroffensive. Commentators have, mostly, avoided any direct critique of Putin. But some academic experts see harsh assessments of the Russian military command as an implicit criticism of Putin. The troubles facing Putin from mounting criticism to the Ukrainian military strength mean that his escalation calculus could change. That has made the decision on longer-range weaponry particularly difficult. The recent rhetoric out of Russia may well be designed to make the United States think twice about the ATACMS. The missiles would allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia or Crimea. Zelensky has vowed to take back the peninsula, and has carried out stunning attacks against Russian targets there in recent weeks. Still, the missiles would not allow the Ukrainians to break the defensive lines that the Russians are trying now to rebuild. And some experts caution that they are unlikely to tip the balance in the war. Throughout the war, US intelligence has proved adept at learning Russian military plans, but its track record on Putins intentions is more mixed. Intelligence officials have said publicly that Putins war aims remain the same from the beginning of the war which include the removal of Zelensky. In response to the recent setbacks, Putin could also consider some kind of additional military mobilisation, according to US officials. Putin has so far been unwilling to trigger a full mobilisation. But military experts said he could call up more reservists, or men who have previously served in the military which would be less politically fraught and could bring forces to the battlefield quicker. What Putin decides to do could depend on his assessment of his own strength at home, how quickly he thinks Ukraine can regroup and attempt another counteroffensive and what he can do to deter, rather than encourage, further American support. The New York Times Rome: Italy celebrated the return of three stolen ancient terracotta figures, depicting Orpheus and the Sirens, in a ceremony on Saturday at Romes newly inaugurated Museum of Rescued Art. Until this year, the figures which date to about 300 BC had been on exhibit at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. But Italian carabinieri officers in the countrys art theft division uncovered incontrovertible proof last year that the sculptures had been illegally excavated from a site in southern Italy, and the museum agreed to return them. The J. Paul Getty Museum announced in August that it would ship back the nearly life-size group of statues known as Orpheus and the Sirens. Credit:AP The head of the carabinieri art theft division, General Roberto Riccardi, said on Saturday at the ceremony that two moments from the investigation stood out. The first was in March 2021, when two lieutenants in his squad had come into his office to report that a suspect in an ongoing investigation had come clean. The statues, the suspect had told the officers, had been excavated by tomb robbers in the early 1970s in a town close to Taranto, in Puglia. The second moment of note, Riccardi said, was exactly a week ago in Los Angeles, at the Getty Museum, where the work had ended up. To see this work being packed up was truly one of the greatest things of my life, Riccardi said. London: As 2000 mourners gather in Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth IIs state funeral on Monday, high above them hangs the largest-ever portrait of the monarch painted by an Australian. People say it forms part of the fabric of the abbey I couldnt have dreamt of a better outcome for the painting, says artist Ralph Heimans, who was granted an hour-long sitting with the Queen in the Yellow Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace in 2012. Sydney-based Heimans was given 10 days to prepare his ideas for the majestic portrait commissioned to celebrate her 60 years on the throne. Artist Ralph Heimans photographed outside the Palace of Westminster in London, England ahead of the Queens state funeral. Credit:Kiran Ridley It was a huge gamble for me, he says. London: What would the royal family do without the wives of Windsor? The monarchy may have lost its beloved matriarch, but what we have learnt this week is that it is more than ably supported by a formidable sisterhood that helps to keep this ancient institutions feet firmly on the ground. From Camilla, the Queen Consort, soldiering on through visits to all four corners of the United Kingdom with a broken toe, to Princess Anne, the Princess Royals extraordinary two-day journey from Scotland to London with her late mothers coffin, to Sophie, the Countess of Wessexs heartwarming hug with a teenage wellwisher in Manchester, these leading royal ladies could not have done a better job of honouring Queen Elizabeth IIs memory. Camilla, the Queen Consort, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex. Credit: It was less than a decade ago that the novelist Hilary Mantel cruelly described Catherine, the now Princess of Wales, as a personality-free shop window mannequin; a machine made princess, who appeared to have been designed by committee. The attack by the Booker Prize-winning author came to symbolise the lefts view of royal women as one-dimensional breeding machines with plastic smiles. But in reality, as the Princess of Wales has demonstrated each and every time she has stepped up in support of Crown and country, if it werent for these dutiful duchesses, the royal family might still be regarded as it was in Mantels Tudor times: out of touch, unfeeling and downright scheming. HANOVER TWP. Upward Farms co-founder and CEO Jason Green said the companys newest facility in Hanover Twp. will be the largest organic vertical farm in the world. Green joined state and local officials and officials from NorthPoint Development on Thursday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of Upward Farms 250,283-square-foot indoor farm on Tradeport Road. The facility combines modern vertical farming with the ancient farming practice of aquaponics, which uses fish to fertilize crops. Work continues inside the building and Upward Farms officials said they expect the aquaponics side should be completed by early next year and the agriculture side will be completed late next year. The Brooklyn, New York-based organic aquaponic vertical farming company, founded in 2013, offers a portfolio of fresh and nutritious products. The companys microgreen products are sold in 21 Whole Foods Markets and six Westside Markets throughout the greater New York metropolitan area. Its hybrid-striped bass are sold through Greenpoint Fish & Lobster in Brooklyn, New York. Upward Farms was conceived through some unique technical insights on how we use constructed environments to drive improved performance for biology and we combine that with deep passions for more delicious and more responsible meals, Green said. Green said the companys goals are to heal the broken food system and address many of the problems across climate, supply chain and food security. He pointed out that 40% of all food is wasted within the American supply chain and 40% of the worlds soils have been eroded because of the overuse of chemicals. Farming is the largest consumer of fresh water in the world and one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, he said. At the same time, more consumers have been engaged in where their food comes from now than ever. Consumers are demanding solutions that are better for people and better for the planet. Green said Upward Farms officials believe that making the real things that people need where they need it is the opportunity we think not only of this decade, but of this century. Upward Farms operates three vertical farms and Green said he believes there are more to come. Brian Stahl, vice president of development for NorthPoint Development, said Upward Farms new facility in the development called Tradeport 164 marks an investment of more than $200 million in construction and interior buildout. NorthPoint Development officials estimated that the investment in the indoor farming facility is anticipated to generate more than $3.63 million in annual wages. Stahl said he is thankful that Upward Farms was successful in turning mine-scarred land in Hanover Twp. to productive use. Upward Farms offers solutions for food production at the highest standards so that everyone can nourish their bodies, their families and the planet, he said. Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, who spoke at the ceremony, said the project will create more than 125 jobs in addition to about 400 construction jobs. What a big deal this is, Redding said. It is big for Pennsylvania. Its big for agriculture. Its big for consumers. Sen. John Yudichak, I-14, Swoyersville, said the development marks another milestone for a new generation of Northeastern Pennsylvania families that will continue to have many, many opportunities to build a prosperous economic future right here in Luzerne County. He pointed out that Upward Farms ranking as the number 1 most sustainable indoor farming business by FoodTech 500 in 2020 and 2021 highlights that Upward Farms is not just about creating jobs. Its about creating a more environmentally sustainable food supply chain that protects the quality of our environment, Yudichak said. The developer of a $14.4 million project to build a new cancer treatment center for Auburn Community Hospital is seeking more than $4 million in tax breaks to help finance it. Cayuga County residents will have an opportunity to comment on the proposal on Monday when the Cayuga County Industrial Development Agency holds a public hearing on an application for sales and property tax exemptions. Rochester-based Park Grove Realty LLC, through a subsidiary established for the project called PG Auburn MOB LLC, has secured city planning board approval to construction a new 12,000-square-foot cancer treatment center building for the hospital. The building would be sited where an employee parking lot is currently located at the corner of North and Lansing streets. The hospital is partnering with Rochester-based Park Grove as well as Upstate Medical University Hospital in Syracuse on the project. The 1.14-acre lot is being acquired by Park Grove and leased back by the hospital. Hospital officials have said ACH does not have the financial resources to develop the project on its own. City planning board OKs Auburn cancer center proposal Construction of a new 12,000-square-foot cancer treatment center at Auburn Community Hospital can move forward. As a result of that arrangement, the property loses its tax-exempt status that applies to the nonprofit hospital's current parking lot. Under the terms of the lease agreement, the hospital will be responsible for covering the property taxes, but to make the project feasible, the partners said they need tax breaks authorized by the IDA. According to the financial assistance application, an exemption on sales taxes associated with construction materials would be worth an estimated $360,000. A mortgage recording tax exemption would provide an additional $82,500 in assistance. But the biggest exemption would come from a break on property taxes. The application proposes reductions in the added assessed value of the site over 15 years that would amount to $3.79 million in real estate tax savings. The application said the cancer center would add 19 jobs over its first three years, with additional payroll totaling $1.7 million by the third year. Park Grove and the hospital first approached the Auburn Industrial Development Agency in February to outline the project's concept, but not with any type of formal financial assistance proposal. At an August meeting in which the Cayuga County IDA authorized the public hearing on the proposal, officials explained why they ultimately decided to seek assistance from the county's agency instead of the city's. "We think this project benefits the entire community of Cayuga County, so that's why we're going though this board," hospital chief financial officer Jason Lesch said at the Aug. 16 Cayuga IDA meeting. The major expansion would allow the hospital to add radiation oncology services to its cancer treatment offerings, which it launched in early 2020 in partnership with Upstate cancer physicians. In its certificate of need application filed Dec. 29 with the state Department of Health, the hospital said Upstate Medical University will provide clinical physicians, technologist and management oversight while the center will be operated by ACH. It will operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the space will include seven exam rooms, a consultation room, CT scanner room, a linear accelerator treatment vault, controls rooms, patient treatment planning/dosimetry space, eight infusion rooms and staff office space. Hospital officials have said the project will take about one year to complete once construction begins. 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The dinner will honor the Revs. Frank Lioi and Lou Vasile for "their many years of dedication to the priesthood, serving with distinction in many parishes of the Rochester diocese," the organization said in its invitation to the event. The event will begin with cocktails at 5 p.m. at the inn, 6141 W. Lake Road, Fleming. There will be a family-style dinner, and former TV news anchor Dan Cummings will emcee the event. Tickets are $40, and RSVPs are requested by Oct. 2. For more information, or to RSVP, call Felix Mucedola at (315) 406-4859 or email lynda@cayugacountyciao.org. The Border Police Inspectorate General (IGPF) informs that on Saturday, September 17, a number of 241,400 persons entered Romania through all border crossing points nationwide, out of whom 11,173 Ukrainian citizens, increasing 4.3 percent from the previous day. According to an IGPF press release sent to AGERPRES on Sunday, approximately 241,400 persons performed the border control formalities both on the way in and on the way out of the country, Romanian and foreign citizens, with over 60,200 means of transport, told Agerpres. On the way into Romania, there were 112,406 people, of whom 11,173 were Ukrainian citizens (up by 4.3 percent compared to the previous day). Thus starting February 10 (pre-conflict period), until Saturday, at midnight, 2,339,683 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania. All maneuvers in the Romanian ports at the Black Sea have been closed on Sunday morning due to strong wind, according to the Romanian Police Inspectorate General's INFOTRAFIC Centre. "All maneuvers in the ports on the Black Sea shoreline have been, both for maritime transport and for river transport, due to strong wind," the information mentions. The National Weather Administration informed that starting with the second half of the night of Saturday to Sunday wind speed would gradually grow higher in all Romania's regions. In the south, east and centre and in the mountain areas wind is speeding at 55 to 75 km per hour, told Agerpres. The Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) informs it has summoned at its headquarters the ad interim charge d'affairs of Belarus to Romania, following the statements made by the leader of Minsk, Aleksandr Lukashenko, saying that the United States are pushing Europe into a military confrontation with Russia on Ukraine's territory and that other states, Romania included, would be directly involved." "Following the statements made by Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko at a public event on Saturday, September 17, on which occasion he mentioned, among others, that the United States are pushing Europe into a military confrontation with Russia on Ukraine's territory and that other states, Romania included, would be directly involved, Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu decided to convene at the MAE headquarters the ad interim charge d'affairs of Belarus to Romania to be communicated the following stand elements: Thus, the Romanian side firmly rejects such inadmissible accusations, which fuel the rhetoric based on call to force and threat with force in international relations," reads a clarification the Romanian Foreign Ministry issued on Sunday, told Agerpres. In its stand, the Romanian Foreign Ministry adds that "furthermore, the role and international responsibility of Belarus as accomplice of Russia in the support for the war of aggression against Ukraine cannot be ignored." At the same time, "MAE brings to mind that Romania is a NATO member state and benefits, to the highest level, of all security guarantees deriving from this status in accordance with the collective defence clause of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO being the strongest political-military alliance in history," the information sent out by the Romanian Foreign Ministry also points out. British Ambassador to Romania Andrew Noble and members of the community of Viscri, Brasov County, will pay a last homage on Sunday the Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II inside the 'Blue House,' owned by the current sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III, told Agerpres. "On Sunday, September 18, on the evening before the State Funeral, the British government has invited the public to participate in a National Moment of Silence to reflect on the life and heritage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This moment will also be marked in Romania on Sunday, September 18, at 20:00, local, by British Ambassador Andrew Noble and members of the community wanting to pay a last homage to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the village of Viscri, Brasov County, inside the well-known 'Blue House,' owned by the current sovereign, His Majesty King Charles III," the British Embassy informed. As many as 719 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, down 735 from the previous day, with over 7,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Sunday. Of the new cases, 135 were in re-infected patients, who tested positive more than 90 days after the first time they recovered from the disease. Most of the newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Romania since the previous reporting were recorded in Bucharest City - 93, and in the counties of Timis - 45, Arges - 42, Bihor - 38, told Agerpres. The highest 14-day notification rate is in Cluj County - 2.31, followed by Timis County - 2.19. As of Sunday, 3,253,082 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania. - Hospitalisations - As many as 1,653 people with COVID-19, up 44 from the previous reporting, including 190 minors, are hospitalised in Romania at specialist care facilities. Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 126, down 4, are in intensive care. Of the 126 patients admitted to ICU, 113 are unvaccinated against COVID-19. - Deaths - According to the ministry, seven Romanians, five men and two women, are reported dead in the last 24 hours. Of the seven deaths, one was recorded in the age group 50-59 years, one in the age group 70-79 years and five in the age group over 80 years. All deaths were in patients with comorbidities and none was vaccinated. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 66,919 people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania. The white-tailed eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla, is the bird that appears on the first coins discovered in the Histria citadel and the largest diurnal raptor that nests in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (RBDD), in the forests of Northern Dobrogea, on the river Prut, on the Small Island of Braila, in the Danube Valley and on the rivers in western Romania. According to a paper by the Tulcea Danube Delta National Research and Development Institute (INCDDD), the erne also appears on the first coins of Histria from the 5th century BC, the first issues from Antiquity in today's Romania, and also on the current coat of arms of Constanta County, told Agerpres. "More than likely this bird holding a dolphin in its claws is a white-tailed eagle," INCDDD specialist Vasile Alexe told AGERPRES. Worldwide, there are eight species of the genus Haliaeetus, but the white-tailed eagle has the widest distribution. However, only Haliaeetus albicilla nests in Europe. "In Europe, there are two main sub-populations of white-tailed eagles. The first is the northern one, which also has a wide distribution, and the second is the central and southern one in the Danube countries that nests in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine and Romania in the Danube Valley, including in the reserve. The population of white-tailed eagle in southern European countries is made up of about 650 pairs, of which about 200 are in the area of the Danube river and its meadows," the researcher said. The white-tailed eagle has a massive silhouette both in flight and at rest. The adult bird is generally pale brown in colour, with lighter edges on the feathers. The head and nape are more yellow than the rest of the body, and in very old specimens they can even be white. The plumage of the young ernes varies greatly in coloration. The tail is sharper than in the case of adults, and following successive moulting, the silhouette of the tail becomes rounder as the bird advances in age. The species' main habitats for nesting are alluvial forests, followed by gallery forests, the mixed deltaic Danube forests and the Balkan-Pannonian forests of Turkey oak and sessile oak, and as frequent feeding areas it uses ponds, shoals, beaches, shallow water, lakes, marshy areas, the Danube branches, main tributaries and canals and agricultural land outside the reserve. The nests of the ernes in RBDD are between 5 and 24 metres high from the ground or from the surface of the water, but, according to specialists, nests have also been found on the ground in the reserve. The nests are located on willow, poplar, oak, linden or alder trees. "It is a monogamous species that tends to keep its mate all its life. The nesting period varies according to geographical latitude. In RBDD, the nuptial games start in December, and the nesting at the end of January. During the breeding season, it makes sounds that can be heard even from a distance of three kilometres in good weather. For nesting, it uses the same territory year after year, using alternately two or three nests. A more extreme case is of a pair in Norway that had 11 nests," according to Alexe. The white-tailed eagle builds its nest in mature trees in old forests, with the size of the nest reaching up to one cubic metre. The inner part of the nest is lined with grass and earth. It usually lays two or three eggs, rarely four, each two to four days. "In late April - early May, during fish spawning, the ernes hunt fish on their feet, with jumps in small water. Thus, carp weighing 10 - 15 kilograms often fall prey to them. They drop turtles from a considerable height in order to break their shell, and many times they try to pry open the carapace with their beaks," according to the INCDDD specialist. Among the factors that influence the population of white-tailed eagles in RBDD and neighbouring areas are primarily the natural ones, the wind, and among the anthropogenic factors identified are the behaviour of fishermen and tourists, forestry works, fires, the construction of huts and some agricultural activities, such as the inappropriate use of pesticides. In RBDD, the white-tailed eagle competes for food with the jackal, the raccoon dog, the fox, the otter and the greater spotted eagle. "Red wood ants (Formica rufa) are the natural enemy of the nestlings. They live on most of the old trees in RBDD, inside the trunk, and move along the bark and branches on their pheromone-marked paths. The trees that hold white-tailed eagle's nests have ants on their surface, which climb up in search of food and are attracted by the smell of the dead bodies in the nest brought by the erne parents for their chicks. When they climb into the nest, the adults or the chicks can accidentally crush the ants and the formic acid that is released triggers a vehement attack and the insects can kill the chicks. Ants can also disturb the female during the hatching time," said Alexe. A hunting prohibition, a ban on the use of poisons to combat predators, measures to stop the bioaccumulation of chemical substances have all led to the improvement of the reproduction and survival of the white-tailed eagle specimens, and together with the establishment of protected areas at the pan-European level, they gave the species a positive population trend, especially in northern and central Europe. "Still, certain dangers persist, and others are increasingly present, such as the loss of suitable natural habitats, chemical pollution, and more recently climate change. At the moment, the population nationwide is increasing," according to Alexe. ST. LOUIS Madelyn Lumpe runs a vintage clothing store. She is 32 years old. Almost everything she sells is older than she is. Black Rabbit Vintage, at 2800 McNair Avenue in Benton Park West, mostly sells clothes from the 1950s through the 1980s, though some items are older. The stores inventory reflects the taste of its owner and sole employee. Lumpe loved playing dress-up as a girl (My mother has a lot of very interesting pictures lying around, she said), and when she was a teenager she often wore the clothes her own mother wore in high school in the 1970s. She notes with some pride that her mother wore a Gunne Sax Renaissance dress to her prom, and her father wore a powder blue polyester suit to his. I grew up romanticizing the period, she said. Lumpe still wears vintage clothing almost exclusively today, and her hobby of collecting it eventually led to the opening of Black Rabbit Vintage. But first, there were more than the usual number of obstacles to overcome with the help of a dash or two of good fortune. After college she was an art major Lumpe worked at what she now dismisses as a desk job. She also took a series of jobs in the service industry, all the while adding to her burgeoning assortment of vintage clothing. About six years ago, she began to sell some of the clothes at pop-up events and other temporary sites, while still buying more. At the time, she looked at her interest as nothing more than a hobby. Then, in 2019, Adrianne (Ace) Mammet offered to sell her the entire inventory of her store, Ace of Hearts Vintage Clothing, which had been a mainstay on Cherokee Street since the 1980s, when it was first called Ruths Basement. She (Mammet) cut me a good deal and changed my life. Im very grateful to her, Lumpe said. Thats when Black Rabbit Vintage was born, at least officially. Lumpe found a suitable location and began working on the necessary permits. Getting the buildings zoning changed was a challenge that required three hearings in a courtroom. Though she thinks of her business as a well-curated vintage clothing and jewelry store, the city thinks of it as a second-hand store, which means youre under the same coding as a pawn shop, she said. She also took the unusual step of financing the business without a single loan. Both the money and the original inventory were all her own. Everything was in place and she was ready to open in April, 2020. But the country went into a coronavirus-related lockdown the month before. The store could not open. Lumpe continued working at Nippon Tei restaurant (her boyfriend, Reed Joern, is a sushi chef at its sister restaurant, Indo). Meanwhile, her landlady kept the stores space open and available for her. The shop finally opened in October, 2021; it celebrates its first anniversary on Oct. 7. Meanwhile, Lumpe continued to work at the restaurant, which accommodated her hours, for the first nine months. The store is doing well enough now that she can make it her only job. Ive wanted to own a vintage shop since high school, and here I am, she said. Sophia Scott recently bought a pair of 1970s sage-colored Farah pants there. It was the second time she had been to the store. It has the most authentic older period clothes from the 60s and 70s, she said, adding that other vintage clothing stores in the area generally sell goods that are newer. I really love the style. I like the whole idea that you can buy something that had its own story and then you can buy it and give it a new life, Scott said. Lumpe feels much the same way. She looks at clothes from the past as having their own character and history. She feels a connection to them; she knows exactly when and where she acquired each piece. At the store, she arranges the inventory according to her own particular logic. The clothes, whether originally intended for men or women, are all hung on the same rack. Shirts are sold with shirts. Pants are sold with pants. They are sorted not by size but by style and color. A tan Walt Disney Animation suede jacket from the 80s that has never been worn hangs next to a couple of brown leather jackets from the 70s. Yellow macrame ponchos all hang together in the front of the coat rack. The organization policy is all part of Lumpes commitment to inclusivity. I dont gender any of my clothing. I want (the store) to be a very safe space for people of any sex, race or shape or size, she said. If it fits you and you like it, just wear it. It doesnt matter if it was made for you or not, she said. The store does not have nearly enough room for her entire inventory, including the oldest item she has for sale, a riding jacket from the 1860s. Also hidden from view is a collection of wedding dresses dating back to the 1920s, which she shows by appointment only. When customers are not in the store, she can often be found on a sewing machine making the alterations and minor repairs that are often necessary on clothes that are many decades old. She inherited a love of sewing from both her mother and her grandmother, she said. Her sense of style, though, is her own. Some would say that in fashion, everything old is new again. But to Lumpe, the styles of the past are always proper for the present. Or rather, theyre almost always proper. Styles always come back, even if you want them or not. Low-rise jeans keep threatening to come back, she said. Now that school has started, and as I watch the school buses stop near my house to pick up students, it makes me wonder what it would be like to live in a country that either severely restricts or forbids access to education for girls and women. The Zonta Club of Auburn has a long history of supporting education for women and girls, locally and worldwide, and as the saying goes, It takes a village to raise a child. For the Zonta Club of Auburn, this started with Marian de Forest in 1919 when she founded the first Zonta Club in Buffalo. The goal of the club was to be a service organization that was comprised of executive women working to improve the legal, political, economic and professional status of women worldwide. These ladies realized that these goals could not be attained without access to a quality education for all women and girls. In order to continue to achieve these goals, one of the organizations that Zonta has partnered with is UNICEF (the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund), which was established in 1946 after World War II in order to address the issues of health, human rights, education, nutrition, etc. for the worlds women and children. An example of this partnership is when Zonta and UNICEF collaborated. In 2016, "Zonta International began supporting UNICEFs Let Us Learn program in Madagascar, which creates opportunities for vulnerable and excluded girls to realize their rights to an education in a secure and protective environment. From 2016 to 2018, about 400 girls who had dropped out of school participated in catch-up classes and 573 students benefited from literacy classes. More than 13,000 girls benefited from pedagogical kits and materials, and 615 teachers received training. Zonta International continued its support for Let Us Learn Madagascar from 2018 to 2020, reaching more than 21,000 additional girls during that time. (Quoted from the Zonta International Foundation website.) On a local level, the Zonta Clubs in the United States work collectively with local agencies, schools and other organizations to advance the educational opportunities for women and girls. In addition, in the spirit of being part of the village, several members of the Zonta Club of Auburn also sit on the board or volunteer their time to other local organizations who are also working to provide positive educational opportunities for our community members. Some examples are as follows: The Booker T. Washington Community Center recently sponsored a back to school event where they recently gave away several hundred school backpacks loaded with essential school supplies for the children to start school with. They also have on-site staff at all the Auburn schools to provide support for various school programs. Several of our Zonta members sit on the board of the Auburn Educational Foundation, which sponsors events in order to provide educational grants to local students. Some members also sit on the board of Community Action Programs Cayuga/Seneca CAP or volunteer their support for the various programs that CAP offers, which includes early childhood educational opportunities. On an international level, the Zonta International Foundation offers four different scholarships in the fields of technology, the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, the Young Women in Public Affairs Award and the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship. The Zonta Club of Auburn also offers a local scholarship, the Jean M. Coon Award. As always, the Zonta Club of Auburn, as part of the Zonta International Foundation, is committed to building a better word for women and girls," and we are grateful that we live in a country that encourages women and girls to reach their full potential. In addition, check out our Facebook page for information on our Masquerade Party on Oct. 29 at the Ukrainian National Club in Auburn. For information regarding the Zonta Club of Auburn, please visit our website at zontadistrict2.org/auburn or email us at zontaclubofauburn@gmail.com. Twice this summer, Circuit Judge Steven Privette has attracted the attention of the Southern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals. For circuit court judges, that's generally not a good thing, particularly for those with ambition. Privette has ambition. He has applied to join the Court of Appeals. In late July, in a decision that drew statewide headlines, the Court of Appeals overturned Privette in a case involving the new Eleven Point State Park in Oregon County. Privette had previously ruled that the Department of Natural Resources didn't have the authority to buy the 4,200 acres in southeast Missouri and turn it into a state park. The appeals court, in a unanimous ruling, said Privette got the law wrong. The park has been preserved. Now the same court is asking Privette to explain himself in a case that is much more personal. The appeals court last week issued a "stop order" to Privette, barring him from taking any action in a contempt of court case he filed against Oregon County Circuit Clerk Betty Grooms. The story, laid out in court records, reads like a small-town soap opera, with a judge driven by personal conflicts playing the main character. The story starts in November 2018, when Grooms, a Republican, won the race for circuit clerk over Alice Bell, a Democrat. Bell was a deputy clerk in the o ce and continued to work there after she lost the election. Three years later, in November 2021, Bell married Privette, the presiding judge of the 37th Judicial Circuit, which covers Howell, Oregon, Shannon and Carter counties. Privette, a Republican, was first appointed a judge by Gov. Mike Parson in 2018. Circuit clerks and judges tend to work closely together. Last December, Bell was scheduled to be the court clerk in a civil case in Privette's courtroom. Because the clerk and judge are married, ocials from the Oce of Supreme Court Administrator advised Grooms that she should replace Bell on that case with another deputy clerk. When Grooms tried to do so, Privette said in open court that "he would have the sheri remove Betty from the courtroom if she insisted on replacing Alice Bell as his courtroom clerk in that pending civil case," according to court records. So Grooms stood down. Fast forward to May. Privette asked Grooms to provide him with a spreadsheet of all criminal cases over the past three years, as well as a breakdown of court costs and the outstanding bills for jail stays, called board bills. Many rural judges care deeply about how well they are recouping the costs tied to the American court system spending far too much time serving as collectors of backdoor taxes than purveyors of justice. In 2019, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that judges could not threaten defendants with more jail time in an attempt to collect the bills for previous stays behind bars. Grooms provided Privette hundreds of pages of documents, but apparently not in the form he preferred. So in late August, the judge did something highly unusual: he asked an assistant prosecutor in Howell County to file a criminal contempt of court charge against Grooms for not providing him a spreadsheet. That case is now before Privette. He is trying to be, so to speak, judge and jury over the political opponent of his wife. Grooms hired an attorney, David Duree, of O'Fallon, Illinois. He has a bit of experience in the judge-vs.-clerk racket. Duree represents Lincoln County Clerk Karla Allsberry, who won a dispute that went all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court when the presiding judge in that county, just north of St. Louis, tried to improperly strip her of her oce. Duree has asked for a change of judge in the case of Privette vs. Grooms, citing the obvious conflicts of interest. "Judge Privette is attempting to remove Betty from oce by initiating these contempt proceedings in the hope that his wife, Alice Bell, will then be appointed to fill Betty's remaining four-year term," he alleged in a motion for a new judge. Privette denied the motion, as well as a motion to dismiss the claim. So Duree went to the Court of Appeals, which has now told Privette to stop all action in the case unless that action is to dismiss it. The appeals court has asked Privette to explain himself. On Friday, he did so. "In early 2022, the Sheri s of both Oregon and Howell County complained to Judge Privette that (Grooms) would not certify cost bills," wrote Assistant Howell County Prosecutor Heath Hardman on behalf of Privette. "As a result, the Counties/Sheri s were not being reimbursed tens of thousands of dollars for board bills. ... Judge Privette was left with little choice but to take public action to see that (Grooms) executed her statutorily required duty to prepare cost bills in criminal cases." In his response to the appeals court, Privette calls it "pure unfounded speculation" that the case has anything to do with his wife. He denies he has a conflict of interest. As Privette waits to hear if he will be a finalist for the Court of Appeals opening, perhaps his latest legal filing will serve as his unocial job application. All he has to do to win his promotion is convince the Court of Appeals judges that he is above the law. Good luck with that. Tony Messenger 314-340-8518 @tonymess on Twitter tmessenger@post-dispatch.com ST. LOUIS Prosecutors have charged a couple in the Aug. 31 accidental shooting death of a 21-month-old St. Louis boy. Khori Pattersons mother, Alea Little, 24, and her boyfriend, Donnell Straughter, 30, each were charged Friday with one count of child endangerment resulting in death. Little lives in the 900 block of Melvin Avenue where the boy found a gun and shot himself. Straughter lives in the 1800 block of Meadow Trails Drive in unincorporated St. Louis County near Florissant. The charges against the couple say Little and Straughter were lying in bed with Khori at Littles home in the citys Baden neighborhood about 1 p.m. when the boy crawled off the bed and left the room. A few minutes later, charges said, Little heard a gunshot and found Khori slumped over in a pool of blood. Khori had shot himself in the head. Little told police that Straughter had put a gun on a television stand the night before and that the gun would have been within the boys reach, charges said. She also said she knew the gun was there and that neither she nor Straughter moved it. According to charges, Little also told police Straughter told her that after finding Khori, he said, They cant know I had this gun. They cant know he shot himself with this gun. Straughter then drove off in his vehicle, leaving Little at home with Khori, charges said. Straughter did not go to the hospital where Khori was taken and did not respond to efforts to reach him. A neighbor reported hearing a gunshot and seeing a man run from the home and drive off in a vehicle, charges said. The boys grandfather, Lee Little, told the Post-Dispatch his daughter called him right after the shooting, and he rushed over from his home about 3 miles away. Police arrived and decided they did not have time to wait for an ambulance. The boys grandfather said he held Khori in his arms in the police SUV as an officer drove toward the hospital and met up with an ambulance. I kept telling him to breathe, and he would take a breath, Lee Little said. I said, Khori, if you hear me, hug me. He wrapped his arm around me and he took a breath and he never took another one. Lee Little said his grandson loved to accompany him on neighborhood walks and play with all the dogs on the block. He said Khori also loved animals, eating ice cubes and running up and down the neighborhood street. The walks were my way of teaching him about birds and flowers and dogs and squirrels, Little told the Post-Dispatch. And we would go over the ABCs and go over our numbers. He was just a wonderful kid, and he was going to be a wonderful person one day. A judge ordered Alea Little and Straughter held without bail. They were not in custody Saturday. ST. LOUIS COUNTY A former St. Louis-area substitute teacher was charged Saturday with raping one of his former students, a 14-year-old girl, police said. According to St. Louis County Police, Brandon Holbrook, 30, of the 3100 block of Nebraska Avenue in St. Louis, was charged Saturday with three counts of second-degree statutory rape and six counts of second-degree statutory sodomy. On Monday, police began an investigation into Holbrooks alleged sexual contact with one of his former students at Bernard Middle School, 1054 Forder Road, in the Mehlville area, police said. Police believe Holbrook met the girl there in May and that he began grooming her via social media. Holbrook went to her home three times and raped her, charges said. A judge set Holbrooks bail at $500,000 cash-only. Police said Holbrook was a substitute teacher for unknown area school districts. Police believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information to call authorities at 314-615-5400. CLAYTON A University City man who in 2020 dressed as the Batman villain, the Joker, inside the Blueberry Hill bar in the Delmar Loop while livestreaming a threat of violence on Facebook was sentenced Friday to 60 days in jail. Jeremy Garnier, 51, pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge of making a terrorist threat. Prosecutors reduced the charge from a felony version of the charge. He said Saturday that he never intended to make a threat and pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor to avoid many more months in jail. I was talking like The Joker, Garnier said Saturday in a telephone interview. I was in character. Everybody knew that it was a joke and that I had no intentions of following through with a threat. The police didnt think it was a joke. Police said Garnier dressed up the evening of March 2, 2020, as the Joker, entered Blueberry Hill and uttered threats of violence via the Facebook Live app. Police responded to the scene in response to a call for an active shooter. Garnier was not armed. A nearly hourlong livestream posted to Garniers Facebook account in 2020 showed him as the Joker talking to the camera in a bedroom where he was putting on a costume. He drove to the St. Louis Galleria while livestreaming and was stopped by security and asked to leave. The video then showed him driving to the Delmar Loop, at times talking about ending the countrys opioid epidemic. Yes Im doing this for attention, but the attention I seek is to take over the world, he says early in the video. He talks about killing people until he reaches a certain number of Facebook viewers. Were not going to go to any movie theaters. Were going to go totally unarmed because we dont want to alert the authorities into thinking we might be on an actual rampage. He then went into Blueberry Hill where a host asked for his identification. When he said he didnt have it, he told another worker hes 48 years old and was allowed in. He walked through Blueberry Hill and looked out the front windows and noticed a police car. I think theyre looking for me, but its OK, the man said. He was later seen telling someone, presumably a bartender, that he wants a Sprite and doesnt drink alcohol. Circuit Judge Joseph L. Walsh III accepted Garniers guilty plea, suspended a one-year jail sentence, put him on probation and ordered him to serve a 60-day jail sentence with credit for time already served. A jail official said Saturday he was not in custody and had already served several months while awaiting trial. Garnier said he served about 5 months in jail. Conditions of Garniers probation include no contact with Blueberry Hill, no guns, ammunition or living in homes with them, not to appear in public wearing a costume or face makeup and only using social media to promote his artwork. The judge also barred him from engaging in performance art such as dressing up in character costumes and wearing makeup. That means Garnier cant dress up in public as The Joker anymore, or another character he made up: Clouty the Clown. Garnier said the character chases clout, or more specifically, the power that comes from popularity. On Friday, he posted on Facebook that he was Finally free!!!! He then posted a comment that read Five months of my freedom over some (expletive)!!! Garnier told the Post-Dispatch he served more than 20 years in federal and state prison for robbing a credit union in the 1980s and other felonies, such as burglary and stealing. Those crimes, he said, were to support his crack habit. He said he is now sober and wants to use his platform to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic. Garnier said he also learned a lesson from the ordeal that cost him time away from family, months on house arrest and thousands of dollars in attorney fees. Think before you act, he said. Your actions have repercussions. No matter how trivial and joking I thought it was, people took it seriously. Each election cycle, thousands of eligible voters are effectively disenfranchised because they sit in a jail cell. Americans detained before trials are allowed to vote, a status affirmed by a 1974 Supreme Court case. As a matter of law, pretrial detainees are presumed innocent and retain the voting rights they had before being charged with a crime. Yet people in jail face significant, sometimes insurmountable obstacles to registering to vote and accessing a ballot. Advocates say that this de facto disenfranchisement affects the majority of the roughly 445,000 people in American jails who have not been convicted of a crime. Many are in jail simply because they cant afford bail. That is creating a system where if you are rich enough, you can access your right to vote, because youll be able to get out of pretrial detention, said Sylvia Albert of Common Cause, an advocacy group for voting rights. And if you arent rich enough, then you cant access your right to vote. The issue doesnt only affect those held while awaiting trial. Nationally, about 100,000 people are serving sentences for misdemeanors in jails on any given day, according to estimates from the Prison Policy Initiative, a criminal justice think tank. Depending on state laws, many of them retain their voting rights even while incarcerated. The burden falls particularly heavily on Black and Hispanic Americans who, despite making up a combined 30% of the U.S. population, account for 52% of the countrys jail population. Those disparities stem from well-documented racial bias in the criminal justice system, from policing to prosecution to sentencing. Nor is there a simple fix for those in jail hoping to cast a ballot. For one, the average jail stay is 28 days complicating efforts for anyone to request, cast and return a ballot by mail. It doesnt stop there: Being in jail is not a recognized excuse for voting absentee in several states. Incarcerated people may worry about the secrecy of their ballots and may not have access to voter guides. And if they do request a ballot, unreliable jail mail may hold it up. There are just so many individual logistical problems with trying to vote from jail, said Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative. The biggest barrier, she said, is that incarcerated people often dont realize theyre allowed to vote. Many think their criminal charge disqualifies them. And they have other concerns in jail beyond figuring out how to cast a ballot. If an eligible voter wants to register, additional obstacles stand in the way. In most cases they must meet registration deadlines, difficult to research from a cell. Furnishing identification in states requiring voter ID can be nearly impossible. And registration forms may not be available in jail. The lack of government attention to jail voting has persisted even as the number of pretrial detainees in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s. Still, activists and officials in parts of the country are working to improve voting access in the nations jails. Registering behind bars For Durrel Douglas, helping people navigate voting from jail seemed like a natural next step in his life. A native of Houstons South Park neighborhood, Douglas took a job as a correctional officer in Texas prisons after graduating from high school. After advancing to lieutenant, he left for political and organizing work, including participating in voter registration drives. If you put five years of working in the prison and my organizing work in a blender and boil it down, what you get is: Wait a minute, how do people vote in jail? said Douglas, 35. Douglas remembers being stunned to learn that there was no process for incarcerated people in Texas Harris County to determine whether they were registered to vote. There was this huge gaping hole there, he said. Harris County, home to Houston, is the most populous county in Texas. Its jail can house more than 10,000 people, most of them held pre-trial. In 2017, Douglas organization, Houston Justice, launched Project Orange, seeking to register eligible voters in Harris County Jail. Douglas and volunteers went cell-to-cell to register voters on five consecutive weekends. The projects name was a nod to the clothes incarcerated people wear in the jail and the TV series Orange Is the New Black. Volunteers wore shirts that said, Voting Is The New Black. Their efforts included filming a public service announcement with Houston rapper Bun B informing pretrial detainees of their right to vote. Since Texas requires voters to register 30 days before an election, Douglas figured the effort would reach many people who would no longer be in jail on Election Day. Douglas says Project Orange has registered well over 5,000 people since 2017. Houston Justice also helped people in jail vote by mail, assisting more than 300 people in 2018. But for voters jailed shortly before an election, absentee ballots wont work, and they cant walk to their local polling place. In some places, advocates and officials have brought the polling places to them. In Cook County, Illinois, the county jail has served as a polling place since 2020. Spurred by a 2019 law, the sheriff and clerks office established several polling places around the sprawling jail complex in Chicago. The polling places were up and running for the 2020 primaries, when the facility was touted by local officials as the nations first jail-based precinct. County officials have continued to operate the polling places in recent years. In the 2022 primary, voters at the Cook County Jail could cast a ballot in one of the five polling places at the complex. Voters at the jail turned out in higher numbers than voters in Chicago as a whole in that primary. Block Club Chicago reported that roughly half of the 1,384 jail voters made use of Illinois same-day registration. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, a Democrat, said the polling place is critical to his agencys work. In all seriousness, what better way to get a person committed to their community? Theyre voting for the people that are running their community, he said. Department officials estimate that 80% of people in custody at the jail are eligible to vote. Working with sheriffs In many communities, officials with direct control over the criminal justice system appear on the ballot, including sheriffs, district attorneys and judges. That gives people in jail a powerful reason to vote. And while neighboring Will County, Illinois, opened a polling place in 2022, jail-based polling places like Cook Countys are a rarity. Advocates say many in law enforcement are apathetic or actively opposed to helping incarcerated people vote. Barriers to jail voting cited by other sheriffs and election officials are not insurmountable, Dart said. I just dont find the concerns that I have heard over the years to be serious ones, he said. I just dont. Douglas and others in Texas took inspiration from the Cook County polling place and similar efforts in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Houston Justice pushed for a polling place in Harris Countys jail. Advocates determined that a change in state law wasnt necessary, but Douglas said working with county officials across several departments was a yearslong slog. It should have been a Netflix series, he said. The work paid off. By November 2021, a polling place opened to voters in the Harris County Jail for the first time. The option was available again for the 2022 primary. Just 13 people cast a ballot there in the most recent election. Texas voting laws make casting a ballot from jail more difficult than in Illinois the state does not have same-day voter registration, and ID requirements made some people in jail hesitant to vote, Douglas said. Elections and jail officials nevertheless praised the effort. The countys elections administrator, Isabel Longoria, said that her office was honored to provide an opportunity to enfranchise voters in the Harris County Jail. But Harris and Cook counties are outliers, large places with significant resources. Jail officials in the nations more than 3,000 counties typically have smaller budgets, and perhaps less interest, in helping incarcerated people vote. The only counties that have really succeeded in getting voter turnout in jails are the ones that have proactively set up a jail polling place, said Prison Policy Initiatives Bertram. Advocates for changes in the criminal justice system also have to balance jail voting with other priorities. Kentucky is one of just three states with a constitution that permanently disenfranchises people with felony convictions. (The governor has to intervene to restore voting rights, which current Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear did to restore rights to 140,000 people in 2020.) Kentucky also is one of six states that disenfranchises people serving time for misdemeanor convictions. As Kentuckians have debated changing the state constitution, jail voting has flown under the radar, according to state Rep. Keturah Herron. There has not been a push statewide for that, Herron said. Still, the issue is an urgent one for many Kentuckians, she said, particularly potential voters who are Black or have low incomes. We know that theres a lot of folks who are in our local county jails, who are awaiting trial, who have not been convicted, she said. Youre talking about a large population of people whose voices have been denied and shut up. Mendelson is a reporter with the Center for Public Integrity, a Stateline news partner. 2022 The Pew Charitable Trusts. Visit at stateline.org. A new Illinois law allows high schools to teach media literacy to students in all subjects. In case skeptics are tempted to portray this as some kind of underground conspiracy to indoctrinate kids, its exactly the opposite. Theres no agenda here other than to arm young people with better tools to distinguish fact from fiction and to be on the lookout for deliberate misinformation. This is an age where computer programs can generate video or alter photographs to make it appear that something concocted digitally actually happened in real life. There are thousands of people out there who have nothing better to do with their lives than to make up stories disguised as actual news. Before anyone has a chance to debunk such social media postings, an item might have already gone viral by being shared and shared again. Thats how QAnon got started. Todays political context is rife with examples. But the manipulation of media for surreptitious goals goes way back to include the John F. Kennedy assassination, U.S. moon landings and even the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. And because some people will believe anything, professional manipulators like Infowars Alex Jones gladly feed their conspiratorial appetites with nonsense, such as that the 2012 massacre of little kids at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut was faked and that grieving parents were just actors. Jones, at long last, faces multimillion-dollar court judgments for the harm he inflicted on the real parents of real Sandy Hook victims with his lies. So why turn high school students into misinformation debunkers? Young people who heavily rely on their phones to consume social media and internet content are probably the biggest recirculators of bogus content. Some think theyre sharing something funny. Others take it seriously and want to alert others. Either way, misinformation postings that deserve to die in obscurity wind up going viral and being accepted by the gullible as fact. The idea is to teach about asking questions about how such messages are constructed, Yonty Friesem, an associate professor of civic media at Columbia College in Chicago, told National Public Radio. Who is behind it? Whats going on here? And how does it affect me and society? And whats my role in how Im using media? Friesem helped write the new Illinois law. Among the questions he wants kids to ask is: How do you assess, like, the media effects on yourself but others to trigger emotions and behavior? In other words, how are people trying to manipulate their audience to win acceptance of bogus postings and get them to take action by recirculating it? This isnt about censorship but rather teaching healthy scrutiny among the upcoming generation of news consumers. More states should consider such laws to fight back against the Alex Joneses of the world. Born and raised in Washington, Pennsylvania, Paige Spara currently lives in Vancouver, where she films the ABC medical series The Good Doctor. Her character, Lea Dilallo, is the head of a hospitals Information Technology department and is married to Shaun Murphy an autistic doctor played by Freddie Highmore. Shes the kind of person who strives to do good in the world and be there for the people she loves, said Spara, 33. Lea would make an excellent travel partner, if you enjoy impulsive adventures and are down to do anything and everything in a day. Id travel with her. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, police work in Russia has become easier because arresting and prosecuting critics of the war has become a priority. Organized crime, corruption and street crime were neglected while the police tended to critics of the war and those who threatened pro-war Russians. Such was the case in August when Darya, the 29-year-old daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, a prominent pro-Putin nationalist and outspoken proponent of greater (larger) Russia, was killed by a car bomb in her car. Darya shared and enthusiastically promoted her fathers pro-war beliefs. Her death was seen as a direct assault on pro-war Russians and the police, with the help of the FSB (Federal Security Service, successor to the KGB) were ordered to find and arrest whoever was responsible. Within 36 hours the culprit was identified as Natalya Vovk, a 42-year-old Ukrainian woman who had driven to Moscow a month earlier, accompanied by her 12-year-old daughter and rented an apartment in the same building that Darya lived in. In the weeks preceding the bombing Natalya observed Darya and her routine. On August 20th Natalya allegedly planted the bomb in Daryas car and promptly left the country with her daughter. First Natalya allegedly changed the license plates on her car and then drove to Estonia without incident. The FSB lost track of Natalya Vovk after that but declared the crime solved. The FSB didnt solve the murder of Darya, but did send a message to someone, possibly her father Aleksandr Dugin. While a popular pro-Putin nationalist, Aleksandr Dugin was uncomfortably unpredictable and this annoyed Putin, or at least some Putin associates. It seemed more likely that the bombing was a warning for Aleksandr Dugin to not stray too far from whatever the official government position was on Ukraine and similar nationalist subjects. A month ago, there were many Putin associates warning that Russia might be driven out of Ukraine. Recent events in Ukraine, where Russian forces suffered a massive defeat, seemed to back that glum assessment. Another problem with Dugin was that he advocated violence against critics of his beliefs. This was seen as a threat to the Russian government and that sort of thing has never been tolerated by any Russian government. Such murders are nothing new for the FSB or Putin, who is accused of several similar murders over the las two decades. That makes more sense than a mysterious Ukrainian agent and her daughter coming to Moscow, carrying out the killing and then magically disappearing. ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland and Labrador--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- After a long week of conciliation meetings, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the City of Mount Pearl have reached a tentative agreement. The bargaining team for CUPE Local 2099, representing the Citys municipal workers, has agreed to present a tentative agreement to the membership for a vote. Id like to thank the bargaining committee who worked extremely hard on behalf of our members, said Ken Turner, CUPE 2099 President. It has been a long and difficult journey getting to this point. Details of the contract will not be made available until it has been presented to CUPE 2099 members, and both sides have ratified the agreement. The members will be asked to vote on the tentative agreement this coming week. The members of Local 2099 have been on strike since July 7. On behalf of the members Id like to thank residents of Mount Pearl for their patience these past 11 weeks and for the respect they showed for our picket lines, said Turner. CUPE Local 2099 represents approximately 220 municipal workers who work in recreation services, garbage collection, administration, taxation and finance, road maintenance, water and sewage, facilities and landscape maintenance, engineering, planning and more. :sm/cope 491 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220918005055/en/ Nicole Dunphy CUPE National Representative 709-727-1505 Ken Turner President, CUPE Local 2099 709-631-2873 Gaelle McNeil CUPE Atlantic Communications 902-471-8923 Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees Study of the Paradise Ultrasound Renal Denervation System Shows Significant Reduction in Blood Pressure in Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ReCor Medical, Inc. (ReCor), a wholly owned subsidiary of Otsuka Medical Devices Co., Ltd., today announced the detailed results from the RADIANCE II US FDA IDE pivotal trial evaluating the endovascular Paradise Ultrasound Renal Denervation (uRDN) System as a treatment for hypertension. Principal Investigator Ajay J. Kirtane, MD, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons / NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, presented the study results in a Late Breaking Clinical Science session at TCT 2022, the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. The highly anticipated results follow ReCors announcement in July that the RADIANCE II study met its primary efficacy endpoint, demonstrating a statistically significant reduction in daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure at two months between uRDN and a sham procedure. Conducted as an international, multicenter study, RADIANCE II is a US FDA IDE, randomized, sham-controlled pivotal trial of the Paradise uRDN System in the treatment of patients with uncontrolled hypertension. Among 1038 patients screened for eligibility at more than 60 study centers in 8 countries, 224 patients with uncontrolled hypertension were randomized 2:1 to uRDN or a sham. Patients were to remain off antihypertensive medications throughout the 2 months of follow-up unless specified BP criteria were exceeded. At the 2-month primary efficacy endpoint, patients treated with the Paradise uRDN system had a mean reduction in daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure of -7.9 mmHg, compared to a reduction of -1.8 mmHg in the sham arm, corresponding to a statistically significant between-group difference of -6.3 mmHg (p These results are important to the field of hypertension treatment. RADIANCE II is the third and largest randomized, sham-controlled study to show that the Paradise uRDN System delivers meaningful reductions in blood pressure in patients with uncontrolled hypertension, said Study Principal Investigator Ajay Kirtane. On behalf of my co-principal investigator Professor Michel Azizi and the entire steering committee, I would like to thank the study patients, investigators, and coordinators who gave so much of themselvesincluding during the COVID pandemicin order to complete this rigorously conducted trial. Echoing these thoughts, study principal investigator Michel Azizi, Professor of Medicine at Universite Paris Cite, Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France, said, The results from RADIANCE II provide further evidence for uRDN as a potential therapy option for hypertension. The RADIANCE II results are strongly consistent across all measures of blood pressure within the study and are also consistent with the prior SOLO (off-medication) and TRIO (on triple antihypertensive combination treatment) trialsadding confidence in the treatment effect of the Paradise uRDN system across a broad spectrum of hypertension severity. These results align well with the recent consensus statement from the European Society of Cardiology, supporting the use of renal denervation for treatment of uncontrolled hypertension. Additionally, if these results are maintained over the long-termas already shown by the 36-month results of the SOLO trial and 24-month results of the TRIO trialthe reductions in blood pressure seen in the RADIANCE trials are of a magnitude previously shown in hypertension drug trials to be associated with cardiovascular risk reduction. We are thrilled with the results from RADIANCE II. This is further evidence that the Paradise uRDN System lowers blood pressure in a wide range of patients who are struggling to control their hypertension, said ReCor president and CEO, Andrew M. Weiss. ReCor looks forward to working with physicians and regulating bodies around the world to make the Paradise System treatment available to patients and their physicians who are seeking better control of their hypertension. About ReCor Medical, Inc. ReCor Medical, headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Otsuka Medical Devices Co., Ltd., is a medical technology company focused on transforming the management of hypertension. ReCor has pioneered the use of the Paradise ultrasound renal denervation (uRDN) system for the treatment of hypertension. The Paradise System is an investigational device in the United States and bears the CE mark in the EU. ReCor has reported positive outcomes in three independent, randomized, sham-controlled studies of the Paradise System in patients with mild-to-moderate and resistant hypertension and plans to submit results of its RADIANCE Global Program as part of a PMA to the US FDA for market approval. In addition, ReCor has initiated the Global Paradise System (GPS) Registry in the EU with plans to expand on a global basis. http://www.recormedical.com/ About Otsuka Medical Devices Co., Ltd. Otsuka Medical Devices focuses on the global development and commercialization of medical care products including endovascular devices that provide new therapeutic options in areas where patient needs cannot be met through pharmaceutical or other conventional treatment. Otsuka Medical Devices Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. (www.otsuka.com/en), a global healthcare company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (JP 4578). https://www.omd.otsuka.com/en/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220918005026/en/ Media Contact Annika Parrish Health+Commerce [email protected] Source: ReCor Medical, Inc. JoLynn Mulholland knew people who only had the occasional drink before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then during the outbreak, it became one drink a night, before becoming multiple drinks a night in some cases. Mulholland, the STOP Act Coordinator for the Drug-Free Community Coalition through the Cayuga Community Health Network, shared that observation in assessing a troubling trend that she and several law enforcement officials have been confronting a noticeable increase this year in local arrests involving people operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Law enforcement officials in Auburn and Cayuga County have expressed alarm over the uptick in such arrests this year, citing factors such as people dealing with isolation during the pandemic, people going out more following the rollback of COVID-19 restrictions and additional bars being open now. Auburn Police Chief James Slayton told The Citizen that the APD made 29 driving while intoxicated arrests in all of 2021, compared with 38 DWI arrests from January through August this year. Auburn police made five driving while ability impaired by drugs arrests in total last year and were already at that same mark through Sept. 16 this year. Older drivers In Auburn, the problem is coming more from older residents, the chief said. Looking at the arrest data, Slayton noted there doesn't appear to be many younger people getting DWI arrests, "which tells me that they're being responsible and getting rides, getting Ubers," adding that many younger people use ride-sharing programs. He praised younger people in the area for getting rides if they've been out drinking instead of getting behind the wheel themselves. The average age of those in Auburn who have been picked up on DWIs was 27 years old in January, which Slayton said was the lowest average age of the year so far, as of Aug. 30, while the average age in July was 44. He noted the average age from February to July for DWI charges in the city was the mid-30s to low-50s, which he said has been the average age range for Auburn for around the last three years. Slayton also noted that overall activity outside the home has picked up this year due to fewer pandemic restrictions and concerns. "We're getting back, somewhat, to normal lifestyles. I wouldn't say (people) weren't out drinking, (but) there were restaurants that weren't open, there were bars that weren't open, so there weren't opportunities for people to be out as much as they are now again," he said. Slayton said the APD has been proactive, with officers taking on extra traffic patrolling when they have time. "It's always a concern, it only takes one incident to have a tragedy happen, somebody plowing through an event that's going on or somebody striking a family coming home late at night. So it's always concerning for us and the best thing that we can do is stay proactive like we have been," he said. "We do make more traffic stops now when officers are available. Those arrest numbers are likely to rise, Slayton added, due to the APD's number of officers rising from previous years, so there more officers available to go on patrol. He used the example of seven officers working a shift. If five are on calls, two would still be available to make traffic stops. "The more staff that we have, the more likelihood somebody's going to get caught (if they are drinking and driving,)" Slayton said. Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck has also seen a year-to-year bump in such arrests. Thirty-eight DWI arrests were made by members of the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office in 2021, he said, with three driving while ability impaired by drugs arrests that year. That compares to the office's 50 DWI arrests and two driving while ability impaired by drugs arrests as of Sept 16, 2022. "We have been doing a little bit more proactive enforcement but that doesn't account for the sharp increase in numbers. I think it's a clear indication that more people in our community are, unfortunately, making that decision to drive under the influence," he said. "It's not a trend that we want to see continue." A variety of people have been taking to the road while under the influence, Schenck said, noting that the sheriff's office's data shows a mix of males and females getting arrested from individuals in their 20s to those in their 60s. The data from the sheriff's office as of Aug. 31, Schenck said, showed many arrests involve drivers going from establishments that serve alcohol and events where alcohol may be present. "We also have, in a number of cases, these offenders indicating that they're coming from a friend's house and a family member's house and it appears that they've been using alcohol and then, unfortunately, make that poor decision," he said. Schenck noted that intoxicated drivers put themselves and everyone around them at risk. "Some of the worst crashes that I've been involved in investigating or been a responder to have been those where somebody under the influence has caused the death or serious injury of others," he said. Emphasis on help Schenck stressed that help is available for people struggling with alcohol abuse. He mentioned that organizations such as the Auburn-based nonprofits Nick's Ride 4 Friends and Confidential Help or Alcohol & Drugs can help people secure the assistance they need. Local government agencies such as the Cayuga County Mental Health Office can also help people locate resources. "Many of the individuals that we arrest for driving under the influence, I'm certain, do have problems with addiction and they need that help, but I would encourage them or family members or friends to reach out and try to extend that hand to help them find the local resources that they need," Schenck said. Schenck said the sheriff's office tries to highlight these services, frequently setting up tables at community events to provide people with information. "We are out there working on prevention, as well, because we believe very strongly that that's a key aspect of solving this issue in our community," he said. The sheriff's office has also been enacting what Schenck characterized as "aggressive" traffic enforcement. "I'm certain that if somebody makes that decision and drives under the influence and they don't get caught, that they are or will do that again down the road," he said. "So it's key that we do that traffic enforcement and try to hold these offenders accountable." More than alcohol Speaking with The Citizen Sept. 7, Cayuga County Senior Assistant District Attorney Diane Adsit said there have been more driving while ability impaired by drugs cases now than she has seen in her entire career. She expressed worry about issues such as fentanyl ending up in other drugs. "People think they're taking what they think is (a) harmless molly-type drug, but it's got fentanyl in it. We've got people who are overdosing in their cars and things like that ... so a bad issue is becoming worse," Adsit said. "Some of the marijuana use is increasing, so you're seeing more DWAI drugs (arrests) with marijuana." She also noted that there are more drug recognition experts in the law enforcement community because "drug use has become such a problem in all communities" and that also has been bringing driving while ability impaired by drugs arrests up. More officers are being trained as drug recognition experts in the state, Adsit said, mentioning that it is difficult to become such an expert. She said the Auburn barracks of the New York State Police has one drug recognition expert and the APD has one as well. While citing the same trend of increased DWI cases this year compared with the previous one, Adsit also said the numbers didn't go down during the beginning outbreak as much as was anticipated at the time. "I'm not sure why that happened, but we didn't drop anywhere near as far (in DWI arrests) than I thought we should have when everything was in lockdown," she said. Additionally, Adsit noted that the number of DWI-related arrests that the Cayuga DA's office prosecuted, including driving while ability impaired by drugs cases, from Jan. 1 through Sept. 1 from 2018 to 2022, were higher before the pandemic than in the present days. Adsit shared statistics with The Citizen within those parameters showing the DA's office handled 189 cases in 2018, 180 in 2019, 126 cases in 2020, 128 in 2021 and 134 through Sept. 1 in 2022. "We are down a little bit from where we were before COVID," Adsit said. She also noted in an email the average age of DWI-related offenders in Cayuga County is "significantly higher" than in other counties in the state. Adsit said she feels these arrest numbers can be mitigated through education, advertising and emphasizing that there are consequences to driving while under the influence. "Especially when we have deaths and we're prosecuting somebody for a homicide or vehicular assault, we try to make sure people know that there are serious consequences to these things," she said. Despite the county's numbers seeing a hike from 2021 to 2022, there might not be a trend occurring statewide. Beau Duffy, director of public information for the New York State Police, said in an email that in comparing state police tickets only from Jan. 1 to Sept. 14 over the last three years, there were 7,146 DWIs in 2020, 8,813 in 2021 and 7,846 in 2022. For DWAI by drugs arrests during that same timeframe, there were 1,119 in 2020, 1,523 in 2021 and 986 in 2022. Focus on solutions Mulholland, who also serves as the State Opioid Response Grant prevention educator with CHAD, said she has spoken with Slayton and Schenck about the arrest increases as a part of monthly meetings with Cayuga County's Alcohol & Substance Abuse Committee. Mulholland believes one of the factors behind the increase is New York's decriminalization of marijuana in 2021, as she believes that may have prompted more people to drive while using the substance. She also talked about the idea that even though marijuana is decriminalized in the state, that doesn't make it any less illegal or dangerous to use while behind the wheel. She noted that marijuana is addictive like alcohol and other substances. "We want people to know that driving under the influence is still driving under the influence," she said. She also said the STOP Act has been running training for bars, events that serve alcohol and any entity in the county that serves alcohol to help personnel stop overpouring, spot signs of alcohol intoxication in patrons, spot underage underage drinkers and noticing proper identification. "We want to give people the confidence and the skills to do well in their jobs and to prevent alcohol tragedies," Mulholland continued. Adding that Auburn has become a "brewery town" in recent years, she noted many IPAs and other beers served in breweries tend to have higher alcohol content levels. Mulholland also feels society is playing a role. "We normalize alcohol drinking as OK. We normalize, 'Oh, you're stressed because of your kids, here's a drink,' or 'You had a rough day at work, here's a drink,' Someone dies, 'Here's a drink,'" she said. She also said there has been in increase of women in Cayuga County dealing with substance abuse and she believes there is stigma around women seeking substance abuse treatment. She talked about the importance of reducing stigma for people trying to get treatment. There are substance abuse counselors, she said, who have had clients who have brought children to meetings because they didn't have childcare. "Prevention staff will meet you where you are at," she said. "Addiction touches all aspects of life, race, gender, ethnicity," she added. "It doesn't matter who you are, we're willing to help you and give you the services you need so that can live a healthy life and learn from mistakes and move forward and make sure that you are healthy and you have the supports you need to live a successful life. It's doable." Leader in space exploration joins forces with agencies to increase access to space and expand commercial opportunities in respective countries PARIS, Sept. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Voyager Space, a global leader in space exploration, and its operating company Nanoracks, today announced while at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) that the company has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Colombian Space Agency, El Salvador Aerospace Institute, the Mexican Space Agency, the Guatemalan Association of Space Sciences and Engineering, and the Costa Rican startup Orbital Space Technologies. Nanoracks and Voyager signed an individual MoU with each agency, with the intent of opening up access to space and furthering commercial space opportunities within the respective countries. "This is a momentous occasion, not only for our teams at Voyager and Nanoracks but also for the growing space economies of each and every one of these countries," said Jeffrey Manber, President of International and Space Stations at Voyager. "We look forward to working closely with the space agencies in Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and potentially more countries in the region to support their current space initiatives and work together to make future commercial space platforms accessible. "This is a major initiative to help ensure that as we move towards commercial space stations, the doors are open for countries that are emerging space nations," says David Marsh, Vice President of Strategy at Nanoracks. "Nanoracks has been focused on making space accessible since day one, and we are proud to carry the legacy forward from the International Space Station to Starlab. We cannot wait to get to work with our friends from the Latin America region." Colombian Space AgencyThis agreement outlines support of projects and plans for the continued development of space activities in Colombia as well as participation in Starlab and George Washington Carver Science Park (GWCSP) planning efforts. By working together, the companies will support near term space activities in Colombia, grow cooperation with the space, commercial, and scientific communities within the country and continue to advance the future of space technologies and capabilities for Voyager and its portfolio companies. "Not only is this agreement an essential step in supporting the development of Starlab and other future ISS experiments, it is also an opportunity in the new space age to be in the space with some of Colombia's key space initiatives, including our GreenSat CubeSat project, our Vision Agro program, and our Aprendiendo con Galileo program and education," said Pilar Zamora Acevedo, executive director at the Colombian Space Agency by private initiative. "We are eager to begin working closely with the Voyager and Nanoracks teams and help accelerate growth for our country in the space industry." El Salvador Aerospace Institute (ESAI)This agreement is to help expand space exploration activities in collaboration with businesses, institutions, non-governmental and government agencies within El Salvador, which includes the development of the STEAM framework of knowledge with social benefits for the Salvadoran economy and its citizens. This agreement also supports cooperation and collaboration with ESAI and Nanoracks for Starlab and the GWCSP. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support efforts around Starlab and the GWCSP and to leverage the unique capabilities of Voyager, and its portfolio companies, to plan for future Salvadoran payloads, equipment, and astronauts," said Luis Alfaro, president and CEO of ESAI. "We look forward to sharing knowledge and collaborating on the future of commercial space activities within the North Triangle of Central America and beyond." Mexican Space Agency This agreement will explore projects and plans for future space activities in Mexico, including satellites, lunar payloads, and youth engagement efforts while building technical expertise and expanding the economic base of Mexico. Similar to the other MoUs, this agreement will also allow the Mexican Space Agency to participate in the development of Starlab and provide input for elements of the GWCSP. "Signing this MoU with Voyager Space is essential in order to further the integration of Mexico to the international space community and promotes the effective development of space activities within our country," said Dr. Salvador Landeros Ayala, Director General of the Mexican Space Agency. "By joining forces, we will be able to execute on our joint objectives in a timely manner and change the course of our future in space for the better." Guatemalan Association of Space Sciences and Engineering (AGICE) This MoU is intended to support space activities in Guatemala with a specific focus on educational programs. In addition to collaborating on near-term support for the Association's objectives and programs, the AGICE will also have the opportunity to participate in Starlab and GWCSP. "There is a growing need and interest in space from the Guatemalan community and we are eager to continue to build upon this momentum with Voyager," said Katherinne Herrera Jordan, president of AGICE. "Voyager and Nanoracks are making waves with the development of Starlab while simultaneously moving the future of commercial space forward. We welcome the chance to collaborate with them and extend our reach in the space industry." Orbital Space TechnologiesThis agreement is with Costa Rica's first space startup and will support the development of additional capabilities and technologies within the growing space sector in Costa Rica, helping to launch new space initiatives and eventual ground station services in the region. The MoU also allows for the participation in Starlab and GWCSP. "It's an exciting step for us to sign this agreement with Voyager and move forward in furthering the development of the space sector in Costa Rica and Central America," said Valeria Dittel, CEO of Orbital Space Technologies. "We are hopeful that this collaboration will reap massive benefits for our region, not only to establish ourselves as a strong force in the industry but also to support key initiatives such as access to microgravity experimentation in Latin America." About NanoracksNanoracks, powered by Voyager Space, is a global leader for providing commercial space services. Nanoracks owns and operates private hardware on the International Space Station and has launched over 1,300 research experiments, deployed over 300 small satellites, and installed the Bishop Airlock. Today, Nanoracks leverages over a decade of experience to develop new commercial space systems in direct response to customer needs. These space systems include converting commercial launch vehicle upper stages into functional secondary platforms, building new habitable space stations, supplying payload and crew airlock systems and services infrastructure, and more. Follow on Twitter to learn more or visit https://nanoracks.com. About Voyager SpaceVoyager Space is a space technology company with nearly 20 years of spaceflight heritage. Voyager's long-term mission is to create a vertically integrated NewSpace company capable of delivering any space mission humans can conceive. The firm's first-in-industry model is uniquely tailored to support the growth needs of commercial space companies by replacing traditional private capital models with a longer-term approach that provides permanent capital. Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including those with respect to Voyager Space, Inc.'s (the "Company's") mission statement and growth strategy, are "forward-looking statements." Although the Company's management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. These forward-looking statements involve many risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; and the ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms or at all. Readers should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve these known and unknown uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/voyager-space-and-nanoracks-sign-mous-with-five-latin-american-space-agencies-301626657.html SOURCE Voyager Space WASHIINGTON (Tribune News Service) President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin would face a "consequential" U.S. response if the Russian president used nuclear or chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine. "Don't. Don't. Don't," Biden said in an excerpt from an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" when asked what he would say if Putin were considering using tactical nuclear weapons or chemical weapons in the almost 7-month-old conflict. "You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II." Biden declined to specify the possible consequences, saying that "the extent of what they do" would determine the response. "Of course, I'm not going to tell you. It'll be consequential," Biden said. "They'll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been. And depending on the extent of what they do will determine what response would occur." Biden's full CBS interview will be broadcast on Sunday night. Various Russian officials have issued veiled threats of nuclear escalation over Ukraine, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said in April there's a "serious" risk of nuclear war. Days after invading Ukraine, Putin ordered his country's nuclear forces on high alert for the first time since the end of the Cold War. More recently, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told a security conference in Moscow on Aug. 16 that Russia had no plans to use tactical nuclear or chemical weapons in Ukraine. 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ANCHORAGE, Alaska Floodwaters were starting to recede in some parts of western Alaska that were battered by the worst storm in a half century, leaving debris flung by the powerful Bering Sea waves on beaches and in seaside communities. The storm, the remnant of Typhoon Merbok, was weakening Sunday as it moved north from the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast. But it remained a hazardous threat to smaller communities along Alaska's northwest coast, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kaitlyn Lardeo. "This guy is going to hang out in the Chukchi Sea for the next few days and just rapidly weaken because it's so stationary," she said. The storm's crashing waves caused widespread flooding and damage along 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) of the Alaska coastline, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said. It was also massive system big enough to cover the mainland U.S. from Nebraska west to the Pacific Ocean and from Canada to Texas that has influenced weather systems as far away as California, where a rare late-summer storm was dropping rain on the northern part of the state. There have been no reports of injuries or deaths in Alaska, the governor said during a Saturday evening news conference. However, roads have been damaged and state officials are assessing potential damage to seawalls, water and sewage systems, airports, and ports. Several communities reported the force of the incoming water, often propelled by winds gusting near 70 mph (113 kph), knocked some homes off their foundations. One house in Nome floated down a river until it got caught under a bridge. Many homes were flooded and about 450 residents on the western coast sought refuge in shelters, with more than half of them at a school in Hooper Bay, where they ate processed moose donated by village residents. Others rode out the storm on higher ground outside their communities. The former typhoon caused the highest water level at Nome 11.1 feet above the normal tide level since a large storm in 1974, and other communities might have surpassed levels seen in 48 years ago. "One of the big features of this storm was the wide swath of significant damage," said Rick Thoman, a climate specialist with the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. "So, did it live up to the hype? I would say absolutely," he said of the storm, which had officials urging people to prepare days before it hit. Becca Luce and her family live about a half mile from the Bering Sea coast in Nome. "We have a pretty good view of the ocean from our living room," she said. "We could see the waves crashing form our window and going over the road." Nome itself was inundated, including Front Street, the city's main business thoroughfare that also doubles as the finish line for the Iditarod Trail Sled-Dog Race. The city's mini-convention center, which also serves as Iditarod headquarters for the end of the race each March, was surrounded by water. One downtown restaurant, the Bering Sea Bar and Grill, was destroyed by fire Saturday night, but the cause and whether it was related to the storm is not yet known, said interim city manager Bryant Hammond. The receding water revealed the detritus left in the streets and yards, including trash, organic debris, rocks and asphalt, Hammond said. Cleanup was to start immediately. Part of a highway was washed out in Nome, forcing residents to use a bypass to reach the community of Council, adding up to 15 miles to the 72-mile trip, he said. "Another major concern is that freeze-up is near, and all of this damage to the roads will need to be repaired before the month ends," Luce said, using the local term for the onset of winter, which is in October in many parts of Alaska. "And it's hard to say if that will be possible, especially for the remote village villages without as many resources as Nome has." Dunleavy, who issued a state disaster declaration Saturday and is considering seeking a federal disaster, said state officials intend to get communities up and running again as soon as possible. "We just have to impress upon our federal friends that it's not a Florida situation where we've got months to work on this," he said. "We've got several weeks." The rain in Northern California helped firefighters increase containment on the biggest wildfire in the state so far this year. The Mosquito Fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of the capital of Sacramento was 34% contained after downpours early Sunday. More rain was expected, which fire spokesman Scott McLean called a mixed blessing. "It did help a bit to stifle that aggressive fire," McLean said. "But we're going to have new safety issues now with all the mud that's out there. And the ground moisture could cause some of those damaged trees to fall over." An average of a quarter-inch of rain fell overnight across Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties north of San Francisco, with more than double that amount recorded in some mountain areas, the National Weather Service said. Winds gusting up to 40 mph were forecast Sunday along Northern California coastal areas and at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada. Gusts that strong can blow down branches and drought-stressed trees and cause power outages, warned weather service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun. He said thunderstorms were expected on and off until at least Monday, making for slick roads during the morning commute. Weber reported from Los Angeles. AP journalist Nishit Morsawala contributed to this report from London. An exhaustive study four years in the making has found nearly a 40% higher rate of veteran suicides than that reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The studys interim report, based on service records from the Defense Department and death records from eight states, examined suicides and self-injury mortality or deaths classified as accidental or undetermined in people aged 18 to 64 from 2014 to 2018. Americas Warrior Partnership, a suicide prevention group, contracted with the University of Alabama and partnered with Duke University to gather state-provided death data and coordinate with the DOD to corroborate military affiliation. It was funded by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. The study identified a 37% greater suicide rate than reported by the VA. That was because Operation Deep Dive, as the study is called, worked to get specificity of the decedents demographics, military experience and death details. The VA, by contrast, gets its suicide numbers reported by the county authorities where the death occurred. The study found that method failed to identify veterans about 18% of the time. Its not the VAs fault. The issue is the counties, said Jim Lorraine, an Air Force veteran and president of Americas Warrior Partnership. The VA did not return phone calls or an email for comment. The states that provided death information for the study were Alabama, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana and Oregon. If the eight states represented a national rate, study authors said, approximately 24 veterans die each day by suicide, as determined by a coroner or medical examiner, compared to the VAs average of 17.7 veteran suicides per day. In addition, some 20 former service members die each day by self-injury mortality listed as accidents or an undetermined cause of death. More than 80% of those were overdose deaths, Lorraine said. The study identified that veterans most at risk of suicide were those who served for less than three years, had been demoted, and lived alone in a suburban or rural area. The study will continue for another four years, Lorraine said, with plans to get data from more states and drill down into the specifics of each suicide with the ultimate goal of creating prevention tools, Lorraine said. Weve got to get those numbers down, Lorraine said. The New York Attorney General's Office said that 172 firearms and more than 50 pounds of ammunition were turned in at a gun buyback event at the Camillus Fire Department Saturday. The AG's office, along with the Camillus Police Department, accepted with no questions asked working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site. Saturdays community gun buyback resulted in the collection of 172 guns, including 91 long guns, 51 handguns, 26 non-working guns, and four assault rifles. The AG's office said in a news release that it has helped remove nearly 3,500 guns out of communities since 2019. Monetary compensation in the form of prepaid gift cards was given for every unloaded gun that was received and secured by an officer on site. Getting guns off the streets and out of our communities is one of the many ways my office is working to protect New York families and combat rising crime rates, Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. By working closely with our partners in the Camillus Police Department, we were able to organize this successful event and remove 172 guns from the local community. I will keep working to protect New Yorkers from gun violence and ensure that our state is a great place to live, work, raise a family, and retire. Collecting unwanted firearms is an important community service and I appreciate Attorney General Letitia James actions to ensure public safety in Central New York, said State Sen. John Mannion. This event is the safe, responsible, and legal way to remove any unwanted firearms from your home. An eyewitness in the station told the Sunday World the woman was extremely agitated and had apparently been arrested under suspicion of assaulting a garda. A PSNI officer is among a number of people from Northern Ireland arrested during the sold-out Garth Brooks concerts in Dublin, we can reveal. Last Saturday, a female PSNI officer was arrested and taken to Mountjoy Garda Station in north Dublin. An eyewitness in the station told the Sunday World the woman was extremely agitated and had apparently been arrested under suspicion of assaulting a Garda. And they said the woman was arrested a second time while in the station after an allegation was made that she assaulted a second Garda officer. She was arrested on the same night a Castlewellan man was arrested and later appeared in court charged with an alleged assault on a Garda officer which left the Irish cop with a broken nose. Last night the PSNI confirmed they had been made aware of an incident involving a serving police officer. A spokesperson for the PSNI told the Sunday World: An Garda Siochana have informed the Police Service of Northern Irelands Professional Standards Department of an incident involving a serving officer in Dublin at the weekend. There are no further details at this time. Neither police force would give any details on whether the officer had been charged with any offence. But an eyewitness in the station told this paper they witnessed the officer being released in the early hours of Sunday morning. My partner had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly at the gig last Saturday night, said the eyewitness. Im pregnant so I was stone-cold sober and had to wait at Mountjoy Garda Station for hours until he was released. While I was waiting, I got speaking to this woman who told me she was waiting for her friend who had been arrested too for hitting a Garda. The woman said to me, youd think shed know better shes a serving PSNI officer. This was about 10.15pm. A garda officer came out and told the friend that her friend had been acting up and demanded to be taken to hospital when nothing was wrong with her and then they said theyd just had to arrest her a second time for hitting another Garda. My partner was a cell near her and said she was kicking off and at one stage three or four Garda officers went to her. She was released at around 2am but she was furious. I saw her getting her belongings and she came back to the desk to complain that her watch was missing. She was told her watch was in the front of her bag but when she got it out she said it was all broken and the charm bracelets were all broken too. The Garda officer told her, Well, thats what you get for fighting with guards. A Garda spokesperson refused to confirm or deny if a serving officer from Northern Ireland had been arrested And when asked to confirm how many arrests there had been by the end of last weekends gigs, all they would say was: We wont be compiling statistics for arrests until all the concerts have taken place. During the same concert 27-year-old Co Down man Gary Doyle was arrested and charged with breaking a gardas nose. Gary Doyle Doyle, of at Kinallen Road, Ballyward, Castlewellan, denies striking the officer and told police he was the designated driver for a group of concertgoers. Garda Sergeant Elaine Murtagh gave evidence of the accuseds arrest, charge and caution at a court in Dublin on Monday. She said Doyle was arrested at Croke Park on Saturday at 10.05pm and brought to Store Street Garda Station, where he was charged in her presence. When charged, the accused replied: I didnt do it. He strenuously denies assaulting the police officer and a defence solicitor told the court they believed CCTV footage would exonerate him of the allegation. He was granted bail of 1,000 and will appear again before the court in October. The final Garth Brooks concert took place last night after five 80,000 sell-out concerts. The bizarre incident left airport police scratching their heads and sparked two separate investigations in its immediate aftermath. A garda who abandoned an unmarked squad car at Dublin Airport while he went on holidays with colleagues has had his home searched in a dawn raid as part of a corruption probe. The mid-ranking officer had his home raided by officers attached to the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) at 6.30am on Friday morning. Acting on a search warrant, specialist officers arrived at his home and searched it. It is understood that the gardas mobile phone was seized. An internal disciplinary investigation into the matter was completed several months ago and the officer at the centre of the controversy was given a slap on the wrist by his superiors in Waterford. However, following a series of revelations about the incident in this newspaper in July, it is understood that the Anti-Corruption Unit decided to launch its own investigation into the matter. This culminated in the dawn raid and search of the gardas house on Friday morning. The Sunday Independent previously revealed that a group of gardai based in Waterford travelled to Dublin Airport in the vehicle while they flew out for a non-work trip. When contacted this weekend, Garda Headquarters declined to comment on the matter, saying it does not comment on an internal disciplinary investigations. The bizarre incident left airport police scratching their heads and sparked two separate investigations in its immediate aftermath. The unmarked car, which is attached to a specialist unit in the Waterford garda division, was driven by the officer in the company of other members to Dublin Airport. It was then left in the vicinity of the airport while the gardai flew out on holiday. The garda who drove the squad car was put back on uniform duties following an internal probe. Nobody knew he was over in the Ukraine fighting. He went on annual leave and simply didnt come back Sources say colleagues of Mountjoy Prison officer Brian Meagher were stunned by his appearance on RTEs Prime Time after failing to show up for work for months. Nobody knew he was over in the Ukraine fighting, a source told the Sunday World. He went on annual leave and simply didnt come back. Its understood Mr. Meagher had initially gone on annual leave in June before failing to return to work after his holiday leave expired. Its further understood efforts to contact him to see what was going on with him were unsuccessful. Sources say the situation will now have to be reviewed by Brians employer, the Irish Prison Service, to establish whether his action constitute a breach of contract. He is facing possible disciplinary action and possible dismissal as a result of his actions, a source said. There will understandably be huge sympathy for his situation but you cannot simply stop coming into work. Brian received gunshot and shrapnel injuries in an ambush Contacted yesterday the Irish Prison Service said: The IPS cannot comment on issues relating to individual staff members. Appearing on Prime Time this week, Brian, a former Irish Defence Forces soldier, revealed he had been shot and hit by shrapnel, which lodged in his heart, spine and legs, during the victorious offensive by the Ukrainian army in their rout of the Russians last week. Mr. Meagher said he fought with the foreign legion supporting the breakthrough offensive on the first day of the push through the eastern front. "We were deployed 10 days before the actual offensive started," he said, noting that their job was to scope out routes to some of the villages. "We weren't going in as part of the first wave. "That was going to be mechanised infantry. "Their job was to smash through the Russian lines and just keep driving. "And our job was to kind of mop up and to protect the 1.5mm self-propelled artillery guns." But the unit made more progress than expected, he said. "We ended up in enemy territory on day one we shouldn't have been there." Ukrainian troops have reclaimed territory from Russia AP Most of the Russian forces had fled, but one unit remained and it ambushed a unit from the foreign legion, including Brian's. "I'm standing in an open-back truck, and, as this tank turned around, there was just explosions," he said. After realising he had been hit, Brian resigned himself to the worst "As soon as it happened, I hit the ground and I jumped up because I thought I was fine. "My mind didnt register with my body. "So, I started to run as I could see smoke coming from the explosion." But, as he stated to run, he looked at his gloves and started to feel warm. For a split second, he said, he thought he had not been hurt. And then he took a few more steps and realised that he had been injured. "I later found out then that I was hit twice in the heart [with shrapnel] and I got one into my spine. "And I had gotten one somewhere over in my lung area," he said. "Fluid was filling up my lungs, because I was struggling to breathe. "It was like I was slowly drowning. And I hadn't realised I had been shot at that time." Mr. Meagher said he had resigned himself to the worst and pulled his protective clothing off. "It just got so bad that I said 'right, if I'm going to die, I'm going to die comfortably. The ambush team were forced to flee the town. They left around 10 casualties behind him, including a man who was an American Green Beret for 20 years. "He's missing. So, they are combing the morgues looking for him," Brian said. Brian, along with a number of his wounded colleagues, was taken to an undisclosed hospital in Ukraine where he was operated on. He was told by his doctors that he was lucky to survive. "I still have two pieces of shrapnel in my heart. Theyre still there. I have two pieces in my spine, but it went into my bone bit so I was lucky," he said. "And, all down my leg, there is shrapnel and then there is the gunshot that hit my forearm. Ill probably lose two fingers." Asked how he had ended up leaving Ratoath to fight in the Ukraine, Mr. Meagher said: "I spent 15 years in the Irish army. "I joined when I was 17 and I left the army around 2018. This is where the roles have led me." He told Prime Time that he was watching the news, and because of his background, he felt compelled to fight. The deaths of civilians in the town of Bucha also had an impact. "They needed soldiers. So I just decided to go. I knew no one here. I just bought all the equipment, and I came over." Asked how his wife and two children felt about his decision, he responded: "I told them I was going to train people, which I ended up doing. But I never said fighting." Brian also said his only regret is that he wishes he could have done more. "I regret that I got hit so quickly in the offensive. I just wanted to do more. I couldn't, so that's probably my only regret," he said. "I'm very glad I came here. I know if Ireland was invaded, I would want Europeans and foreign men to come and help us fight. So that's all, that's all I did." Doctors have warned Brian that his recovery will be slow. His next battle, after his recovery, will be to save his job, if he so chooses, when he gets home. Lifeboats are doing a check on the man every half hour and he is able to acknowledge that they are there A man (40s) trapped in a sea cave in Co Mayo since yesterday has been described as being in good spirits as a major rescue operation remains underway. Gardai and emergency services remain at the scene of the ongoing operation in the Downpatrick Head area. Speaking today to Independent.ie, Michael Hurst, Ballyglass Coastguard said: It has been a long night for him. He is in good spirits. The lifeboats are doing a check on him every half an hour. They call into him, and he is able to acknowledge they are there and is able to move his arms and legs. He is high up. He is about three metres up in the cave so he is dry. He is very lucky. But its a case of he is so close, but yet so far. We have to ensure the safety of everyone. Where we are at the moment, we are waiting for low tide at 5pm. He was with a female partner, and from what we know they were kayaking in the area and decided on low water to walk around the cliffs. On very low water you can walk around the cliffs and people often get photos there. It was just a freak wave. He is an experienced cave rescuer himself he knows the area and the conditions. They just got caught in a freak wave. There were kayakers there who managed to grab her but unfortunately, he was pushing into the cave and was unable to come out. A lot of his colleagues are there now assisting with the rescue. It comes as a number of Coast Guard Units are currently at the scene along with the RNLI Lifeboat from Ballyglass, the Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter from Sligo, Mayo County Fire Service, Civil Defence and Irish Cave Rescue. A spokesperson for Malin Head Coast Guard said it was tasked to the scene and the situation is ongoing. Theres a lot of agencies there this morning from coast guard to lifeboat to cliff rescue and gardai. Theyre hoping to get this man out soon, the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the Irish Coast Guard said the situation has been ongoing since it received an initial alert on Saturday afternoon. The rescue coordination sub centre at Malin Head is currently coordinating in collaboration with the other emergency services a rescue operation for a male trapped within a cave at Downpatrick Head on the North Mayo coast, the spokesperson said. The conditions on scene are described as good and the operation is ongoing at present. Garda Superintendent Gabriel Moran explained at the rescue scene a short while ago that the pair got into difficulties when they were swept off a ledge by a wave surge last evening. The male managed to get onto a ledge where he has remained overnight. We have been able to maintain contact with him overnight and throughout this morning. We are working on a number of options as to how best to rescue him. They will later both be hosted at Buckingham Palace by King Charles III at a reception for world leaders flying in for the solemn State funeral tomorrow The coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II draped in the Royal Standard. PA President Michael D. Higgins, and Taoiseach Micheal Martin will pay their respects at the catafalque of Britains Queen Elizabeth in Westminster Hall in London later this morning. They will later both be hosted at Buckingham Palace by King Charles III at a reception for world leaders flying in for the solemn State funeral tomorrow. The Head of States attendance at Westminster Hall is seen as a personal expression of gratitude, after the Queen hosted President Higgins on a first-ever Irish State visit to the United Kingdom in 2014. The four-day visit, which came three years after the Queens historic visit to Ireland in 2011, saw the Queen host a glittering white-tie banquet at Windsor Castle where the monarch will be laid to rest in St Georges Chapel tomorrow, alongside her late husband, Prince Philip. Meanwhile Mr Martin will also file past the coffin surmounted by the Royal Standard in central London, before a meeting with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss at 10 Downing Street. The pair are scheduled to have talks for a full 45 minutes, which will certainly deal with the Northern Ireland protocol issue once expressions of sympathy and condolence are out of the way. But for reasons of respect in advance of the State Funeral for Queen Elizabeth tomorrow there will be no joint communique or even a press briefing on the topics touched upon. The meeting is being described as private. The President and Taoiseach will both attend tomorrows funeral for the 70-year monarch, whose reign was the longest in British and western history, ten years longer than that of Queen Victoria. Later today they will sign a Book of Condolence at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office headquarters in Lancaster House, where an agreement was famously signed to establish the democratic and independent state of Zimbabwe. The Irish Heads of State and Government have two of the coveted places in Westminster Abbey, as politicians and potentates from around the world descend upon the English capital for Queen Elizabeth IIs final requiem. It is highly unusual for the President and the Taoiseach to both be absent from Ireland at the same time. But the close ties between these islands have demanded a full formal attendance for the first time in the history of this State. The Irish Embassy in London has been facilitating the arrangements, with security provided by the Metropolitan Police. The walk-though at Westminster Hall may been viewed on the live broadcast feed of the lying-in-state. The two men will make separate visits, it is understood with the British public continuing to simultaneously stream past the coffin of Her Majesty. It is understood that this will take place at around 11.40am today. Mr Martin will have no direct engagements with other world leaders at or after the funeral tomorrow, although there may be an opportunity for a quick word with such as US President Joe Biden. Later this week the Taoiseach flies to New York on a two-day visit for the United Nations General Assembly. A Government spokesman told the Irish Independent: The President will attend first, followed by the Taoiseach. He added that their spouses Sabina Higgins and Mary O'Shea would both later also be appending their signatures to the Book of Condolence. Gardai and emergency services remain at the scene of an ongoing operation in the Downpatrick Head area A multi-agency rescue operation is continuing in Co Mayo this morning after a man became trapped in a sea cave. The Taoiseach is currently in London with President Michael D. Higgins to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on Monday. Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin tries to stroke Larry the cat as he leaves 10 Downing Street in London, following a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Liz Truss at . Picture date: Sunday September 18, 2022. PA Micheal Martin failed to impress one of the guests at 10 Downing Street earlier today. The Taoiseach is currently in London with President Michael D. Higgins to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on Monday. Mr Martin met with newly appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss on Sunday morning, where it is understood he offered condolences to the British people on the loss of their monarch during their 45-minute discussion. He also came face to face with Number 10s resident cat Larry and footage of the encounter shows the Taoiseach bending down to greet the feline on the steps. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content However, Larry darts away from him, leaving the politician red-faced. Its not the first time an animal has shown a touch of discomfort around Mr Martin, as some may remember how President Michael D. Higgins dog Brod was uncharacteristically frosty towards him during a visit to Aras an Uachtarain earlier this year. Brod and younger pup Misneach, both Bernese Mountain dogs, met the Taoiseach in Phoenix Park back in February as he arrived to conduct official state business with the President. Mr Martin shared some photos with the pups online as he crouched down to the pet them. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Lovely greeting by Misneach and Brod when I visited @PresidentIRL at the Aras today for some judicial appointments, he wrote at the time. However, some followers pointed out that the dogs looked like they werent enjoying his company in the snaps, with one person writing: First picture looks like the dog is rolling its eyes. Oddly a reflection of a large portion of the population. Another joked: Dogs always know. They look extremely cautious and rightly so, a third chimed in. And another added: Even the dog is cautious of him....can ya blame him? The Irish presenter revealed last month that she would not be returning to the villa next year. Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu has responded to rumours of her replacing Laura Whitmore as host of the hit dating show. Irish presenter Laura revealed last month that she would not be returning to the villa next year. A host of famous faces have been hotly tipped to take over from the Bray native for Love Islands ninth series, including Ekin-Su, who was crowned the champion this year with her partner, Davide Sanclimenti. And while Ekin-Su (28) admitted shed love to try her hand as host, she confessed that she isnt ready for such a big role. Speaking to Metro, she said: I would love to take her place but I dont think Im ready yet. I feel like Ive got so much going on. Ekin-Su Culculoglu PA Other names in the running to replace Whitmore next year include Longford lady Maura Higgins, who was a Love Island finalist in 2019, is one of the bookies favourites to host the show at 5/1, according to MyBettingSites. Love Island 2019 winner Amber Gill has been backed at 10/1 while the Inbetweeners star Emily Atack and radio host Maya Jama are both popular among punters at 5/1 and 7/1 respectively. Former Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore (Photo: Conor McDonnell) Conor McDonnell Whitmores husband and the shows narrator Iain Stirling (12/1) is also a contender, as well as Holly Willoughby (16/1), radio presenter Alice Levine (6/1), as well as ex Islanders Chris Hughes (16/1), Chloe Burrows (20/1), and Dani Dyer (25/1). Whitmore took over as Love Island host from the late Caroline Flack during the first ever Winter Love Island in 2020 and later went on to present series 7 and 8. Last month, she announced that she was leaving the show as she found certain elements of the job to be very difficult. In an Instagram statement, the 37-year-old said: I won't be hosting the next series of Love Island. There are certain elements of the show I've found very difficult that cannot be changed some due to the format including the flying back and forth to South Africa along with my new conflicting projects. I wish it was still possible but know youll be in safe hands. I was only planning to fill in for Caroline for a series and it turned into three series. I hope I did you proud, Caroline. The Eternals actor welcomed his first child with his girlfriend Alyson Sandro last month. Barry Keoghan has shared some sweet photos of his newborn son Brando online. The Eternals actor welcomed his first child with his girlfriend Alyson Sandro last month. On Saturday night, the Dubliner took to Twitter to show his little boy off to his followers, sharing two adorable snaps of the tot. The first photo, a black and white image, showed a close up of Brandos head with a dummy in his mouth as his proud dad looked on in the background. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content In the second picture, Brando looks equally cute in a blue and white striped babygro paired with a blue hat. Barry simply captioned the post BRANDO and added a heart and shamrock emoji. The photos also made their way onto Barrys Instagram account on his stories. The actor announced that he was finally a dad last month with a sweet Instagram tribute. He shared a black and white photo of him and Alyson cuddling their newborn, which he captioned: Welcome to the pack my boy, B R A N D O. The 29-year-old teased that Alyson had given birth over the weekend when he shared a video from the hospital room in London. In the clip, Brando could be heard cooing in the background as Barry showed off a bouquet of flowers in his partner's hospital room which were gifted to the couple by Gucci. The brand also sent the new parents a card, congratulating them on the arrival of their little boy. Love/Hate star Barry zoomed in on the card, which read: Dear Barry and Alyson, Wishing you both a huge congratulations on the birth of your newborn baby! From all your friends at Gucci xx. Barry and Alyson were first linked to each other in February 2021 but didnt go Instagram official until September after enjoying a romantic staycation at the Powerscourt Hotel in Co Wicklow. They officially confirmed that Alyson was pregnant after weeks of speculation with an adorable Father's Day post. At the time, Barry posted a photo of the gifts he received including a breakfast sandwich fit for a king complete with an egg and sausages, a box of Worlds No. 1 Daddy Cadburys Dairy Milk chocolates, and a mug that read The Daddy of all Daddies. He was also given a heart-warming First Fathers Day card which displayed some thoughtful photos of the baby scan, him and Alyson at their baby shower, a snap of Alyson showing off her baby bump, and their dog Koda. Honestly feel like crying, he captioned the post. Sept. 18, 1992 Too many people, too little space. That, according to Grover Street residents, is the reason for tension that exploded into violence Monday night, when a man allegedly fired a bullet into the thigh of an acquaintance. The suspect, Keith Ernest, gave police an address of 3 Grover St. A search of his apartment by law enforcement officials revealed an arsenal of weapons, including handguns, knives and explosives. Neighbors also reported seeing a Nazi flag hanging in a window. Last night, about two dozen neighborhood residents jammed City Hall to complain that crowded conditions like those at Ernest's building are contributing to the increase in crime in the area. But city officials conceded that they couldn't do much to help. In a prepared statement, Barbara Bowen, who lives at 25 Grover St., said "landlords foster reckless, violent behavior when they overcrowd properties and do not require or enforce responsible tenant behavior." She contended that the apartment complex where Ernest lives was one of two buildings originally designed for three families, but that now housed 25 separate apartments. The UFC star took to social media on Saturday after arriving in the Dominican Republic to film his part in a reboot of the 1980s classic Road House. Conor is in the Dominican Republic to film the new Road House remake The UFC star took to social media on Saturday after arriving in the Dominican Republic to film his part in a reboot of the 1980s classic Road House. He shared a photo of him relaxing by the pool in his Caribbean resort followed by a snap of him sitting crossed-legged and focusing on his breathing. He also posted a clip showing off his latest bling, a gold chain with a large, diamond-encrusted number 12 in honour of his whiskey brand, Proper No 12. But McGregors most bizarre post of the day was a shaky clip of him singing Dr Dre and Snoop Doggs hit song, Still D.R.E.as he hung out of a car and rapped along in the Dominican Republic. Off to the gym again, yeah. I cant stop, he says in the short video, where he also flashes his 720 Gucci trainers and a pre-workout shake. The Dubliner captioned the post: The Mac in The Dominican Republic #TheDR #Today #RightMotherfuckinNOW And over on his Instagram Stories, Conor was keen to show off his physique as he shadow boxed to the song She Make It Clap by Tory Lanez. The 34-year-old held the camera up to his fiancee Dee Devlins engagement ring before she took over the reins and filmed him flexing and sparring in a pair of tiny shorts. Conor and Dee brought their three children, Conor Jr, Croia, and Rian, out to the Dominican Republic on Friday as Conor prepares to take on his first acting role. He shared a photo with Dee and their eldest as he told his followers about his latest gig. Conor wrote: Whole crew in tow, the loves of my life! My other two kids are at the beach with Nanny Mandy. God bless Hollywood I cant believe they paying me for this. The Oklahoma superstar and his wife Trisha Yearwood, accompanied by members of their family, took off from Dublin Airport in the early hours of Sunday morning The Oklahoma superstar and his wife Trisha Yearwood, accompanied by members of their family, took off from Dublin Airport in the early hours of Sunday morning after Brooks played his final show in Croke Park. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content It brings to nearly half a million the number of people who have seen him performing live over the past nine days, having met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike. And in what will be music to the ears of his supporters, he promised at a press conference last night that he is coming back. I don't know in what form but I will be back. I don't know when or the venue but I love Ireland so much I would play in a field. I like the way Ed Sheeran played Croke Park and then played a tour around Ireland," he said. "Once you've tasted it, like I have with these five shows, you want to come back here quick enough. What you guys give an artist like me in Ireland you can't get it anywhere else on the planet. Wherever I go from now on, I will be talking about one thing: Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. As someone who does this for a living , any chance to play here I would love." He said that he and wife Trisha had their favourite meal at a restaurant in Glendalough and they visited about 11 counties while they were here. For them, the last two weekends had been amazing. Me and Mrs Yearwood love Ireland so much that we will be back. It was such an emotional time. I couldn't stop myself crying at times during the shows. All I can say is I love this country, he said. He has been filmed by a Netflix documentary crew for the duration of his time here, having embarked on quite the whistle-stop tour of Ireland. He was filmed having a pint in a pub in Dingle before meeting members of the Munster rugby team in Limerick alongside a trip to Glendalough and a stroll down to Portland Place in Dublin 1 to meet with some of the locals. A plethora of well-known faces attended his gigs over the course of the mammoth five-night run. Attendees included the Italian Ambassador Ruggeiro Corrias, the Brazilian ambassador Marcel Fortuna Biato and the American ambassador Claire Cronin, who went twice. Also there was Minister Catherine Martin and junior Minister Thomas Byrne as well as Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, Senator Timmy Dooley, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Ruby Walsh and Robbie and Claudine Keane. Bickering exes Georgia and David Cotton only agree on one thing their love for daughter Lily. George Clooney and Julia Roberts in Ticket to Paradise The Story: A divorced couple teams up and travels to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago. The Verdict: A formulaic but sweet rom com with a stunning backdrop. Bickering exes Georgia (Julia Roberts) and David Cotton (George Clooney) only agree on one thing their love for daughter Lily. While Georgia has found love with dashing but simpering French airline pilot Paul, David remains single. After graduating from college, Lily heads off to Bali with wild child roommate Wren where she falls for sweet local seaweed farmer Gede (Maxime Bouttier) who sweeps her off her feet. Gede (Maxime Bouttier) and Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) in Ticket to Paradise Press Association Images Lily confesses shes only becoming a lawyer due to pressure from her parents and decides to stay in Bali to wed Gede. While some suspension of disbelief is required upon viewing the seaweed farmers plush beachside home and the casts perfect hair and makeup in a humid climate, its still enjoyable and relatable. And it evokes the age-old dilemma, should parents intervene in an adult childs life? The supporting cast includes Billie McLourd as scene stealing Wren, Kaitlyn Dever as Lily and Emily in Paris star Lucas Bravo as Paul, none of whom are outshined by the A-list leads. Theres no raunchy scenes or foul language making it suitable for all the family and the physical comedy scenes are particular highlights including Davids brush with a dolphin, a proposal gone wrong, and Pauls close call with a snake. Ticket to Paradise cert is 12A. Our rating: *** Now Im on my best behaviour because I have to be on my best behaviour. I have to make better decisions because people rely on me, and those people love me, so its a lot easier to make those decisions because they exist. The former wild man, who dabbled with drugs and experienced addiction and mental health issues in his early career, is a happily married dad of four these days. In a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday World on Zoom, where he also chats about the late Joe Dolan, his triumph at Slane Castle and Irish fans, Williams pays tribute to his American-born actress wife Ayda Field. My Ayda, my betrothed, he smiles on screen when I mention her. Its been incredible doing interviews and being asked about her and saying such lovely things about her, and being able to go home to her and let her know and have that feeling that Im with someone really special. Clearly besotted with Ayda, Robbie goes on to say how he now lives for his wife and children, Teddy (nine), Charlie (seven), Coco (three) and Beau (two). I have purpose in my life, he explains. And I have a reason to do everything, whereas before I didnt know what the purpose was. I didnt know what the reason was. I was just getting in a car and turning up and dancing around walls in hotels and going and experiencing these extreme shots of emotion in front of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people. Now Im on my best behaviour because I have to be on my best behaviour. I have to make better decisions because people rely on me, and those people love me, so its a lot easier to make those decisions because they exist. Now celebrating 25 years as a solo artist with the release of XXV, featuring orchestrated versions of his hits and fan favourites, Robbie admits he never imagined that by 2022 hed be married with four kids. I think that if youd have said in 1997 you are about to sell 80-something million albums and be in a monogamous marriage and be together with your partner for 17 years, I wouldnt have known which one sounded the most mental. Robbie at Slane Castle in 1998 In show business its no mean feat staying married that long. Yeah, its dog years, he says. There should be a plaque outside of our bedroom. Robbie acknowledges that he feels fortunate to have had an amazing career and lifestyle. Ive been lucky enough and fortunate enough to make some decisions to create something that far exceeds anything that anybody of my lineage since the dawn of time have managed to do. Its f**king incredible! Its like a movie. Yeah it is, yeah, he says. And, actually, its going to be a movie. Yeah it will be, he says, referring to the upcoming Netflix documentary on his life that covers everything from his Take That days to his struggle with addiction and recovery. Are you far into that? Yeah, theres still a few things left to film, Robbie says. Its quite an interesting thing to happen. People have to die to watch their life back with Saint Peter at the pearly gates. I get to do it while Im still here. You have dealt with all kinds of issues, but youve come through it. Yeah, he acknowledges, adding, there is always a ticket back to that place for people like me. As it happens, so far today I have made some really good choices. Robbie will play three nights at Dublins 3Arena, October 29-30 and November 1, and he says hes proud to be still selling out shows at he gets close to 50 years old. It sounds good, one that I got here when I tried desperately not to, and the other one is to know that I have left no stone unturned. I tried everything and I achieved way more than I could ever have imagined. So I can look back at my half century on the planet with pride. Robbie Williams new album, XXV, featuring his biggest hits all newly orchestrated and recorded with the Metropole Orkest, is out now. ROBBIES BIGGEST WORRY IN SLANE ROBBIE Williams says he feared being pelted with bottles of p*ss when he supported The Verve at Slane Castle back in 1998. Its a different time now, but the energy and the way of feeling and thinking was different back in the day. "It was definitely a them against us. And there was us that was the indie community, and the them which was the pop community and I was expecting resentment [from The Verve fans] or bottles of p*ss being thrown, but there was nothing but love. It was a pivotal moment in my fledgling career. The Manic Street Preachers were also on the bill that day. I remember the Manic Street Preachers coming on after me and people still chanting my name, Robbie recalls. For somebody that was in a lilywhite boyband that wasnt very respected by their peers, to actually come off stage and have somebody like the Manic Street Preachers go on after you and theyd be chanting your name as you can imagine thats a big fucking moment. The Irish fans have a different energy A 48-year-old man has been charged with murder in relation to the death of another man in Hamilton on Saturday. Police were called to a Roy Street address in Nawton about 11am following a report of a man being seriously injured. He was unable to be revived and died at the scene. The man charged is due to appear in the Hamilton District Court on Monday September 19. Police are not seeking anyone further in relation to this incident. "However we are still making enquiries, and we'd like to speak to anyone who witnessed Saturday morning's events who has not yet spoken to us," says a Police spokesperson. "You can get in touch by calling 105 and quoting file number 220917/7019." Two lucky Lotto players from Kawerau and Tauranga will be celebrating after each winning $28,050 with Lotto Second Division in Saturday nights live Lotto draw. The winning tickets were sold on MyLotto. A lucky Lotto player from Napier will be jumping for joy after winning $1 million with Lotto First Division in Saturday nights live Lotto draw. The winning ticket was sold at Greenmeadows New World in Napier. Powerball was not struck on Saturday evening and has rolled over to Wednesday night, where the jackpot will be $23 million. Strike Four also rolled over and will be $1 million on Wednesday, meaning it will be a Must Be Won draw. In a Strike Must Be Won draw, if no single ticket wins First Division, the prize pool is added to the next highest division with a winner. Fourteen lucky Lotto players will be celebrating after each winning $28,050 with Lotto Second Division in Saturday nights live Lotto draw. One lucky player also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $55,266. The winning Powerball Second Division ticket was sold on MyLotto to a player from Wellington. The winning Second Division tickets were sold at the following stores: Store Location Mairangi Bay Dairy & Lotto Auckland Countdown Lynfield Auckland MyLotto Papakura Paper Plus - The Base Hamilton MyLotto Tauranga MyLotto Kawerau Devon Lotto 'N' Treats New Plymouth MyLotto Manawatu Trafalgar Lotto Whanganui MyLotto Porirua Totara Park Grocery Store Upper Hutt MyLotto (+PB) Wellington MyLotto Christchurch MyLotto Dunedin Anyone who bought their ticket from Greenmeadows New World should check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, online at mylotto.co.nz, or through the Lotto NZ App. "As always, we encourage our customers to play a little and dream a lot. It only takes one ticket to win," says a Lotto spokesperson. To learn more about playing smart, visit http://lottonzplaysmart.co.nz "With 100 per cent of Lotto NZs profits supporting thousands of great causes each year, every time you play one of Lotto NZs games, youre a Kiwi helping other Kiwis." The rich history of one of Taurangas oldest schools will come to life on-stage next week in a production starring, written, and directed by its very own students. Ko Wai Matou?: The Story of Bethlehem School will take audiences on a journey through time, starting almost 140 years ago when the original school-house was established on the banks of the Wairoa River within the confines of a disused flour mill. Told through the eyes of current and former students, the production touches on many of historic events Bethlehem School has experienced since its beginnings in 1883 from moving locations twice and transforming from a native school into an integrated school, to construction of Kmart next door. Principal Catherine Neidhardt says the idea to create the production was seen as a fantastic opportunity for staff, students, whanau and the wider community to learn and celebrate what makes the school so special. Learning about our kuras past really helps tamariki to feel a strong sense of belonging and connection to their school and surrounding environment. I think the same can be said for staff, parents and whanau. As a newer member of our community, I know I have felt that way, says Catherine. This production celebrates what makes us unique and also helps ensure the stories of our kura and community stay alive for future generations. Bethlehem School teacher and production director Karrin Heappey says students aged five-11 have been involved in all aspects of the production from gathering stories and script writing, to set design, choreography, acting and publicity. Karrin says audiences can look forward to a spectacle of acting, dance, music, kapa haka, props, video and costumes that, together, bring the schools stories to life. Its been wonderful to see students of all ages come together to support one another and explore their own creativity, as we all work towards a common goal. The production will pay tribute to past principals and teachers, local hapu, early settler families, the legend of Te Pura: The Guardian Taniwha of Wairoa, three marae; it also celebrates connections by looking at how our moana ties us together, pays tribute to Nanny Dene Reweti, and recognises the unique community, school, and special Bethlehem Kid culture, as they look towards the future. Our goal is for everyone in the audience to learn something new, be entertained and leave with smiles on their faces. Lead actor Ella Jones, aged nine, says cant wait to perform on-stage and make her school proud. Its been fun imagining what life was like as a kid 100 years ago and learning things about our school that I never knew like that it hasnt always been where it is now, and it had different names before it became Bethlehem School. Ko Wai Matou?: The Story of Bethlehem School is at Bethlehem Baptist Church on Tuesday, September 20, at 6pm and Thursday, September 22, at 10.30am and 6pm. Tickets can be purchased from Bethlehem School office. More use of sustainable fuel solutions such as biodiesel, bio CNG will help substitute imports of petrol and diesel, said Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. He also stressed on the need for more cultivation of sugarcane and bamboo for the production of cost-effective fuels like ethanol and bio-ethanol, reports PTI. This minister also said that this move would curb pollution. (Also Read: Nitin Gadkari says govt working on developing electric highways) This is not the first time he has emphasised on the need to focus on biofuels as a greener alternative to petrol and diesel. Previously as well, Nitin Gadkari has batted for the requirement of increased use of biodiesel, bio CNG and all other types of biofuel in the transport sector in an attempt to reduce the import of fossil fuels. Incidentally, 80 per cent of India's petrol and diesel requirement is imported from overseas, which results in a huge sum of foreign money expenditure. The minister also talked about the need to reduce the cost of logistics in India, which is currently higher than in China, the US and European countries. Logistics cost in India as a percentage of GDP is 16 per cent, which is very high, he said, adding that it is ten per cent in China and nearly eight per cent in the US and Europe. FOLLOW US:Stay Updated with latest content - Subscribe us on FOLLOW US:Stay Updated with latest content - Subscribe us on Gadkari also emphasised on the need to connect rail and road transport with the waterways, which would enhance the movability of products and goods along with passengers as well. As he said, the idea is to make waterways a popular mode of transport for passengers and goods as this will help in bringing down the import cost of petrol and diesel, which is around 16 lakh crore for the country annually. "Our first priority is waterways, second railways, third road and lastly aviation. Bringing down logistics costs will help in generating employment in the country," he said. The minister further said that the Prime Minister Gati Shakti programme would help in coordination among various departments, and a shared right of way would be developed. First Published Date: Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. LEGARDA REFILES BILL SEEKING TO INSTITUTIONALIZE THE ONE TOWN, ONE PRODUCT PHILIPPINES PROGRAM Four-term Senator Loren Legarda is known for her deep appreciation and respect for locally-produced products. She sees the immense value of these, the creativity of the different localities producing them, and the special role of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). "The MSMEs should be supported financially and in terms of capacity-building. They are the lifeblood of our economy, especially during this health crisis," Legarda said. To support the MSMEs in the industry, Legarda refiles Senate Bill 247 or the OTOP Philippines Act of 2022. She filed a similar measure during her term in the House of Representatives. "This bill seeks to institutionalize the One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines Program, which promotes local products from a sector and a locality. The program shall capacitate the MSMEs on product development, initiatives, and training, among others, to upgrade our MSMEs. It also seeks to create the OTOP Management Committee within the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the OTOP Program Office in each local government unit to help achieve the objectives of the law," Legarda explained. The OTOP Program shall assist in product development, packaging and labeling, technology updating, capacity building, standards and market compliance, and market access and product promotion. DTI shall serve as the lead agency of the measure. Following the controversial departure of previous forest supervisor Laura Jo West, the Coconino National Forest (CNF) has brought in a new acting forest supervisor to serve in the position while the U.S. Forest Service searches for a long-term candidate. Lesley Yen, who served as the CNF deputy supervisor from January 2019 to October 2020, will return to the forest and supervise for the next four months. Before coming to work for the Forest Service in 2010, Yen served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Dominica, a tiny island in the Caribbean. She holds a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College and dual master's degrees from Yale University in environmental management and international relations. Within the Forest Service, Yen has served as district ranger on the Shasta Lake Ranger District and National Recreation Area on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. She has also worked on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Klamath National Forest. When Yen departed CNF in 2020, she became the forest supervisor for the Inyo National Forest, headquartered in Bishop, California, until this latest assignment. Its nice to be able to come back to a familiar place, Yen said of her return. She shared that she and her husband are looking forward to recreating in and around Flagstaff during her time off. I love this area, she said. I love the people here. I think the work that the Coconino National Forest is doing is really important work. Yen said that due to her previous tenure with CNF, she seemed the natural fit to serve as a temporary replacement for West, who exited the role in July. I worked with Laura Jo [West] when I was here, Yen said. I certainly have a lot of a lot of respect and admiration. I learned a ton from her when I was here. And I was sad to see her go. In taking over for West, Yen said her goal over the next four months was to support the forest and set the next supervisor up for success. Supporting the forest will mean keeping up with the day-to-day management: acting as a sounding board for CNF leadership, liaising with external partners and serving as the lead decision-maker for the 1.8 million acres of the Coconino National Forest. It's a lot of kind of like being a chief executive of a small company, Yen said. Too short for long-term goals and too long to ignore, four months can be an awkward chunk of time, Yen said. She expects to lean on existing CNF staff in order to move the forest forward under her supervision. Im lucky that I have fantastic staff and employees on this forest, Yen said. I'll be relying on their expertise to get me up to speed and learn, again, how best I can support them over the next few months. There are some obvious big projects such as the Four Forest Restoration Initiative, fire and flood mitigation, and ongoing environmental impact studies that Yen expects to receive briefings on in the coming weeks. While four months is the expected length of her service, Yen said it is absolutely possible that a permanent hire be made before that. She doesnt anticipate that the Forest Service will have difficulty attracting candidates to the position. Flagstaff in and of itself is a pretty big draw for people, Yen said. And I think that the work that is happening on the Coconino, in particular, has a level of complexity that you don't find on many other forests. I think that those two things are going to be attractive to people that are interested in diving in, getting their hands dirty and getting to work. But as long as shes here, Yen hopes to put her focus on facilitating trust and collaboration between the CNF and surrounding communities. Open communication and collaboration is vital to the way that we get work done these days as the Forest Service, she said. Gone are the days of the Forest Service operating with an insular approach to expertise, Yen said. During her tenure, she hopes to maintain a more open relationship between the agency, its partners and the public. What's going to work collectively, for all of us, is going to be the path forward to success, she said. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. China's effective implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty marks the country's continual efforts to ensure visually impaired people have equal rights to knowledge and education, experts said on Friday. The Marrakesh Treaty allows copyright exceptions to let visually impaired people get access to copyrighted books and other works. Zhang Jianchun, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at a meeting on Friday in Beijing that the treaty implementation demonstrates the Party's philosophy of always putting people first. He said the Party has put focus on letting vulnerable groups get fair access to and share Chinese culture and civilization. Implementing the treaty in China shows the nation's active involvement in the welfare and facilitation of disabled people, and its efforts to strengthen a global community with a shared future. He said the nation will continue to improve the mechanism and supervision of the treaty's implementation, and the systematic establishment of the world's copyrights management for disabled people. These actions aim to facilitate the group's access to knowledge and services and help them to enjoy the benefits of comprehensive development and common prosperity. Zhou Changkui, president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, said at the meeting that the treaty's implementation is good news for the nation's over 17 million visually impaired people. He said the federation will keep enriching the supply of cultural products to disabled people to meet their spiritual needs and improve their sense of happiness and security. The Marrakesh Treaty is applicable to literature and artworks in the form of text, symbols and graphics. The visually impaired people, including people with reading disorders, and those who cannot hold or flip a book due to other disabilities can use the works in Braillea system of printing for blind peopleand bigger word sizes or audio versions under the treaty. The Marrakesh Treaty is the world's only human rights treaty on copyrights. It took effect in China on May 5. The founder of the failed cryptocurrency Terra from South Korea, Do Kwon, who is now most wanted by authorities, denied being on the run when Singaporean investigators said he was not actually in the city-state as previously assumed in a report by The Guardian. Following a statement from Singapore police late on Saturday, Kwon's whereabouts are now unknown, and his tweets did not indicate his location. Under Investigation A $40 billion investment loss was caused by Terraform Labs' crash earlier this year. Kwon is under investigation by a financial crimes unit and the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US after being accused of fraud by five South Korean investors. A South Korean court also issued a warrant for Kwon's arrest on Wednesday, Sept. 14. "I am not 'on the run or anything similar - for any government agency that has shown interest to communicate, we are in full cooperation and we don't have anything to hide," Kwon said in a tweet. "We are in the process of defending ourselves in multiple jurisdictions - we have held ourselves to an extremely high bar of integrity, and look forward to clarifying the truth over the next few months." We are in the process of defending ourselves in multiple jurisdictions - we have held ourselves to an extremely high bar of integrity, and look forward to clarifying the truth over the next few months Do Kwon (@stablekwon) September 17, 2022 The Terra CEO was previously thought to be in Singapore, where he gave his first media interview since the collapse of the cryptocurrency operator in May. However, the Singapore police department told The Guardian on Saturday that Do Kwon is not in the southeast Asian country. Read also: Terra 2.0: Luna Cryptocurrency Is Back After $40 Billion Collapse - Is it Faring Better this Time? Renewal Application in Jeopardy? Kwon's work visa in the city-state was set to expire on Dec. 7, according to the Straits Times newspaper in Singapore, but his renewal application may now be in jeopardy. South Korean prosecutors have also filed arrest warrants for five additional individuals connected to the stablecoin TerraUSD and its sister token Luna. Kwon's Terra/Luna system collapsed in May, sending the value of both currencies tumbling to almost zero and impacting the whole cryptocurrency market. Losses from its collapse exceeded $500 billion. When Luna and Terra had a massive meltdown, numerous investors lost their entire life savings, and South Korean authorities launched several criminal investigations after the crash. Related Article: CryptoWatch: Bitcoin Dominates, DeFi Market Logs Big Losses, and Terra 2.0 is Launched This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. According to HydrogenPro, the largest electrolyzer in the world has arrived at its test location in Herya, Norway. A press release by Chemical Engineering revealed on Wednesday, Sept. 14 that the electrolyzer for HydrogenPro will be put together and deployed in the upcoming weeks. Critical Milestone Clean energy or low-carbon power is used to create green hydrogen. Green hydrogen has far lower carbon emissions than grey hydrogen, which makes up most of the hydrogen industry and is produced by steam reforming natural gas. "This project is a critical milestone for large, green hydrogen projects. It requires substantial planning, rigging, and the right equipment. This project is important to facilitate larger, green hydrogen projects, reducing carbon footprints and costs," the company's chief product officer (CPO) Karoline Aafos said in a statement. The electrolyzer cargo that departed Tianjin, China, will create 1,100 Nm3/hour of hydrogen at a normal current density, according to HydrogenPro. HydrogenPro further noted that this equates to 100 kg of pure hydrogen each hour, establishing a new standard for the sector. At the same time, the diameter of the electrolyzer is two meters. Read also: Rondo Energy Claims Brick Toaster Heat Storage Device is Capable of Cheap, Efficient Decarbonization All About HydrogenPro According to its corporate portfolio, HydrogenPro is a technological firm that produces high-pressure alkaline electrolyzers and provides companies with massive green hydrogen plants. In sum, HydrogenPro specializes in hydrogen and sustainable energy. Chief Commercial Officer Erik Christian Bolstad said that this is a significant milestone for the company because it provides additional evidence that their technique for producing green hydrogen on a big scale is effective. He added that the plant's performance would enhance the company's delivery to one of the world's biggest factories for green hydrogen. Related Article: 'Wave Energy:' This Floating Spine-Like Device Generates Sea Waves Into Electricity! This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Seven people from Michigan were found guilty of running an iPhone fraud scheme for two years and embezzling $28 million worth of loot from a mobile phone upgrade scam. According to an AppleInsider report, the individuals were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in the first week of Sept. Seven Indicted in $28 Million iPhone Fraud Scheme According to a FOX2 report, the criminals went by the name "Clear Gods." Authorities discovered that these individuals target victims' personal information in order to obtain and upgrade iPhones. The same report states that the group purchases sensitive information online to maintain its modus operandi. Read Also: Samsung, Homelabs Great Deals: Here's the Best Garmins, Wireless Chargers, and Smart Alarm Clocks to Buy in September As said by authorities, the scammers use the purchased information to open and manipulate AT&T accounts. After breaking into the accounts, the criminals would register as "authorized users" and then use the account to rush out and buy iPhone upgrades. In order to access AT&T's crucial internal servers, they are also alleged to have committed a number of ID thefts. The police have discovered that these scammers stole employee IDs and RSA tokens in order to pose as real employees of the aforementioned telecommunications company. The plan included stealing the company's computer towers and exchanging broken tablets for new AT&T tablets. Authorities Record String of iPhone Robberies and Theft As reported by The Guardian, the 'Find My iPhone' feature was never intended for use by authorities and can only be made accessible with the device's owner's username and password. Despite this, the feature's tracking capabilities have aided in the resolution of numerous criminal investigations. Last week, on Sept. 13, a California surfer reported to authorities that criminals broke into a car where he kept his wallet while surfing in Topanga. According to ABC 7, Los Angeles authorities stated that the thieves used the stolen wallet to purchase thousands of dollars worth of Apple products in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, a thief on Staten Island is reportedly targeting women carrying high-end bags. Since the muggings began in late July, the thief has taken multiple iPhones, credit cards, cash, and other items, according to NBC New York. The most recent two incidents in the pattern occurred on August 17 and 19 at the Staten Island Mall on Richmond Hill Road and the Stop & Shop supermarket on Hyland Boulevard, respectively. A California artist who keeps artwork on his iPad had it stolen from a car about a week ago. Find My iPhone, on the other hand, enables the iPad to be located in Las Vegas. According to Patch, investigators tracked the device to Las Vegas, where it was eventually discovered and returned to the artist. Apple is now relying on customers to make the next iPhone a success. The new phones were released to the public last Friday, Sept. 16. As a practical matter, staying alert and prepared is the best way to avoid danger while on your way to the nearest Apple store. Related Article: Apple Announces All iPhones Will Run on Renewable Energy by 2030! 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Europes second-highest court on Wednesday rejected Googles appeal against a 2018 antitrust fine that requires it to pay more than 4 billion euros for throttling competition and reducing consumer choice by using its market dominance in Android. The tech giant was originally fined by the European Commission in 2018 for abusing its dominant position and imposing anticompetitive contractual restrictions on manufacturers of mobile devices and on mobile network operators, in some cases since January 1, 2011. Europes competition watchdog also determined that Google broke EU rules by compelling smartphone manufacturers to take a bundle of pre-installed Google apps including YouTube, Maps, and Gmail along with Google Search and Chrome in its Play Store and prevented them from selling devices with altered versions of Android. The General Court largely confirms the Commissions decision that Google imposed unlawful restrictions on manufacturers of Android mobile devices and mobile network operators in order to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine, the court said (PDF). While Alphabet-owned Google was ordered to pay a record 4.34 billion Euros ($4.34 billion) by the European Commission, the General Court, however, has slightly reduced this fine to 4.125 billion Euros ($4.12 billion) due to its reason differing in certain aspects. In order better to reflect the gravity and duration of the infringement, the General Court considers it appropriate however to impose a fine of 4.125 billion euros on Google, its reasoning differing in certain respects from that of the Commission, the judges said. The search giant expressed its disappointment at the EU courts decision. We are disappointed that the court did not annul the decision in full. Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world, a Google spokesperson said in a statement. Previously, the company has argued that by providing free and open-source Android to smartphone makers, it has enabled the proliferation of low-cost phones and driven competition with its main rival, Apple. The 4.125 billion Euros is a record fine for an antitrust violation. This is one of the three antitrust penalties totaling to 8.25 billion euros that the European Commission has slapped on Google between 2017 and 2019. This is the second appeal that the tech giant has lost after a 2.42 billion euro ($2.42 billion) fine last year for favoring its own comparison-shopping service on search page general results. Google can appeal the ruling to the EU Court of Justice, Europes highest court. A Canadian Tesla owner claims he was locked out of his $140,000 CAD vehicle after the battery on his electric car died. The electric automaker told him that he would have to pay $26,000 in order to replace his cars battery. Mario Zelaya, the owner of the 2013 Tesla Model S, who has a 34,000-strong following on the short video app, TikTok, posted a video with a caption that read, $26K for a new battery. Locked out of car. Recalls are needed. In the video, he claimed his piece of trash Model S died and that the car is locked, stopping him from getting inside. The battery died after less than 75,000 miles were put on the Series S odometer. Zelaya said he purchased the brand new vehicle in 2013 for $140,000 and got it serviced regularly. However, he explained that some models from 2013 and 2014 have issues with fluid from the air conditioning system leaking onto the battery causing it to rust and, eventually, damaging the batteries. When Zelaya contacted another Tesla owner who had similar issues with the car battery, he said that the automaker canceled that owners Uber credits while the vehicle was being serviced. Youre probably thinking Im full of crap, Im making this stuff up. Im not. I got Transport Canada involved and they actually did an investigation on the car, he said. Not only did they do an investigation on this car, theyre gonna be doing one that Tesla doesnt realize is coming up, because I got in touch with another owner who has the exact same problem. Teslas trying to sweep it under the rug. They wont give them any explanation of why their battery died. He also claimed that the battery is not inspected when Tesla owners get their vehicles serviced, saying Tesla customers have no incentive to do so which is why its not done. Zelaya admits that his automobiles battery is a year outside his warranty period. If he wants to sell the car, he wont be able to do so due to the fact that he is locked out and his ownership papers are inside the vehicle. He instead spent $30 to get new ownership documents, he claimed. Ill never buy another Tesla again, Zelaya said. Thats the long way of me saying stay the f*** away from Teslas. Theyre brutal cars, brutal manufacturing, and even worse, theyre a 10-year-old company. In another video posted this week, Zelaya said he sold the car to an interested buyer, who will be picking it up from his driveway. The alleged buyer is then seen removing the cars front bumper and then subsequently charging the vehicle. Thats going to be the end of my Tesla journey. Its out of my life. Keep it out of yours, he said. If youre looking for ways to Download TikTok For PC or want to use TikTok App On PC then you have landed on the correct webpage. Continue reading and you will be good to go in a few minutes. Within a time span of a few years, TikTok has taken over the world by storm. The vertical short-form videos concept introduced by TikTok is now being adopted by mainstream platforms like Instagram and YouTube. TikTok is primarily designed for Android and iOS smartphones. However, there are multiple ways to download and use TikTok on Windows and macOS PCs. So without further ado lets Download TikTok For PC. How To Install TikTok On PC? The Official TikTok Website is by far one of the best ways to use the short-form video platform on a PC. You can effortlessly watch For You TikToks and TikTok Live Streams on the official website for TikTok. Additionally, the website allows creators to upload their videos from PC directly to TikTok. Luckily the Google Chrome web browser allows users to install the official TikTok website as a standalone app. Follow these instructions carefully to Install TikTok For PC, Open the official TikTok website Press the share button on the search bar and select save page as choose your destination folder and save the webpage as Webpage, HTML Only Now, whenever you open this saved webpage instantly TikTok Web will launch. For ease of access, you can move this webpage to your desktop. In the next section, we have shared a method to download the actual smartphone TikTok App For PC. How To Download TikTok App For PC? At the time of writing this article, theres only one working method for downloading the actual smartphone version of TikTok on PC and i.e. by using an android emulator. Once you have an android emulator installed on your PC you can either download the TikTok App from the Google PlayStore or sideload the TikTok Apk. In our tests (conducted by team techworm), we derived the conclusion that Bluestacks is possibly the most reliable and well-optimized Android emulator that simply gets the job done. So heres how you can download and install TikTok on a PC using BlueStacks App Player. Download the Bluestacks emulator and install the .exe file on your computer. emulator and install the file on your computer. Once installed sign in with your Google account on Bluestacks Next up open Playstore and search TikTok Download TikTok and the application will automatically install on your desktop. Once the TikTok app is installed on your PC you can sign in to your account and enjoy tiktoks on the larger screen on your PC. An exact similar method can be followed to watch TikTok on a macOS laptop or desktop. Download TikTok For PC Without Bluestacks Undoubtedly, Bluestacks is a feature-packed Android emulator. Sadly, it is not the most optimized emulator out there and it consumes a considerable amount of system resources. Furthermore, on low-powered laptops and aging desktops, Bluestacks offers poor performance coupled with a laggy experience. So if you want to use TikTok For PC Without Bluestacks then you can check out these alternate Android Emulators. 1. Nox App Player First, on the list, we have Nox App Player. Nox can effortlessly run TikTok apk on PC and its a perfect alternative to Blustacks. Nox App Player can be installed on both a Windows and macOS PC. This emulator offers a one-click installation without any bloatware. 2. KO Player KO Player is another reliable emulator for using the TikTok app on PC. With KO Player you will get great performance and its mostly preferred by gamers. As a result, you will have a lag-free experience while watching TikTok on the computer. 3. MEmu Play MEmu Play is an Android 5.1 Lolipop-based Android emulator for Windows PC. The installation is quick and simple with no bloatware or third-party apps. MEmu will also offer a great TikTok watching experience on PC. Download TikTok App On Windows 11 PC With Windows 11, its now easier than ever to download, install, and run android apps on a PC. If you have Windows 11 installed on your PC then theres no need to use an android emulator for Downloading TikTok. You can easily download the official TikTok app from the Amazon Android app store. Furthermore, you can even sideload and manually install the TikTok APK on your Windows 11 PC. To do so, visit the website APKPure to acquire the APK file. Once you have the APK file install it on your PC like a normal windows program. FAQs Is TikTok Available For PC? Yes TikTok is available for PC. To access the social media platform on your PC you can either rely on the TikTok Website or download the TikTok PC App. Furthermore, you can even run the TikTok Android App On a PC using an Android Emulator. Can I Download TikTok On PC? Yes, you can effortlessly Download TikTok App For PC. To do so you can either use an android emulator or install the TikTok website as a browser shortcut using google chrome. Furthermore, you can even Install TikTok On Windows 10 PC from the Microsoft app store. Is TikTok Free On PC? Yes, TikTok On PC is completely free to use. As a matter of fact, the social media platform for creating, editing, and sharing short-form videos is free on all mainstream smartphones and PC platforms out there. CONCLUSION We hope after reading this article you were able to Download TikTok On PC. However, if you still face any trouble, feel free to contact us on our socials. Northwest Farm Credit Services is proud to award Museum of the Beartooths with a $2,500 Rural Community Grant. We are excited at the Museum to receive grant funds from Northwest Farm Credit Services for our door project, said Penny Redli, executive director. This project will allow us to update the doors to make them efficient and secure. Northwest FCS is committed to helping rural communities succeed. Since the programs inception in 2007, it has awarded 1,705 grants totaling more than $3.4 million. The Rural Community Grant Program provides funds to non-profit organizations for projects that improve a community's infrastructure, viability and/or prosperity. If you think your project may be eligible, visit northwestfcs.com/ruralgrants for more details and the online application. Northwest FCS is a $15 billion financial cooperative providing financing and related services to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, commercial fishing operations, timber producers, rural homeowners and crop insurance customers in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. The delirious series of Theo James in which he goes out naked almost all the time and of which (almost) nobody talks Paul Beckfords weeklong rafting trip came up at the last minute. A friend secured a permit for the wild Main Salmon River a rare feat and within days assembled plans, including booking a local company to shuttle the groups vehicles from the put-in point to the takeout. On the Fourth of July, the five families launched their boats at Corn Creek, a popular put-in on the edge of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, with plans to raft about 80 miles. Six days later, the group of 16 reached its destination at Spring Bar, about 10 miles from Riggins. Beckford started up the boat ramp to the edge of the road. When he reached the roadway his car wasnt there. In fact, only one of the five vehicles the group had paid to be delivered to the take-out could be found. For Beckford, it was a nightmare scenario come to life stranded without transportation, cell service or supplies. The idea that youre in the middle of nowhere and your cars arent there has always scared me, said Beckford, an avid rafter. Beckford soon learned that the same company had left scores of other rafters in similar positions. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY, one Google reviewer wrote. WILL NOT RETURN CARS. Fyre festival 2022, another wrote. Others said their cars were returned with additional miles, empty gas tanks and damage. The experiences prompted complaints to the Idaho attorney generals office and local law enforcement. Now the company is the subject of an AG investigation into possible violations of consumer protection law. As for Beckford, he said it took days for him and the rest of his party to locate their vehicles. Damaged Wild River Shuttles, co-owned by spouses Michelle and Tammy Nelson, was founded last year, according to Idaho secretary of state business filings. Like several other Idaho shuttle companies, Wild River offered rafters transportation for their vehicles. Rafters drop off their vehicles at the Salmon business, and the shuttle company drives the vehicles to the rafters planned take-out point, sometimes as far away as 10 hours in remote Central Idaho. For months, reviews posted on Google showed positive experiences with the company. But in early July the tone of the reviews shifted sharply. Reviewers reported vehicles missing from the take-out and spotty communication with the company. The allegations escalated to claims of vehicle damage, missing money and more. We had a vehicle with a tracking device on it and that truck was driven up to 113 mph with a dual axle 18-foot trailer behind it, one reviewer wrote. UNACCEPTABLE. When I emailed the company about this they ignored me. Another reviewer said Wild River put 1,400 miles on their truck during their rafting trip. (The longest shuttle trip the company offers is 427 miles one way.) Another said their bumper was dented from having a trailer jackknifed into the car. A fourth said some of their groups vehicles had garbage in them, and one car had a dog in the backseat. We were told by Tammy that a now-fired, disgruntled employee had used another vehicle in our group for personal use, wrote yet another reviewer. The car was found near Boundary Creek. That car had beer and clothes left in it. Consumer protection complaints filed with the Idaho attorney generals office detail thousands of dollars in unfulfilled services and damage to vehicles. The complaints obtained by the Statesman through a public records request said the company was engaging in likely criminal conduct and should not be allowed to operate. One customers van was totaled in an apparent crash and abandoned on a highway, according to a consumer protection complaint. When the customer recovered the vehicle, the airbag had been deployed and the rear axle had been torn free from its mounts, the complaint said. I DID NOT however receive any calls, texts, no other communication from Wild (River) Shuttles regarding this accident, the customer wrote. Multiple people said the $100 they were required to leave in the vehicles for gas money was gone, despite their gas tanks being left nearly empty. It is clear that the river community and sheriff are aware that this company has gone off the deep end, Stefan Christie wrote. Although it may have once been a functioning business, you will surely lose your money and possibly your vehicle and be stranded at your takeout if you use this company. On July 14, the Salmon-Challis National Forest, which oversees the Salmon River permit lottery, began emailing permit holders to warn them of the situation. We are writing to let you know that there have been significant issues with Wild River Shuttles and vehicles not being shuttled as requested, the email said. We strongly advise confirming your vehicle shuttle reservation with Wild River Shuttles prior to your launch date as well as researching the river shuttle company you are planning on using. Around the same time, the rafting community started to post warnings on online forums. Beckford shared his experience on MountainBuzz, an online whitewater community, and heard from dozens of other users, including some whod had similar issues with Wild River Shuttles. Beckford said he wasnt too surprised by the feedback he knew from his own experience that many other people had been affected. He felt compelled to warn rafters who might have upcoming reservations. I was just like, Look, other people need to know this, Beckford said. Tammy Nelson told the Statesman that Wild River Shuttles is permanently closed and refunding customers $14,000 has been refunded so far, she said by text. Amid problems with drivers, the company overbooked customers, not wanting to turn anyone away, Nelson said. She said that she sought help transporting customers from other shuttle companies, but none offered aid, and that contracts for upcoming shuttles were stolen after a burglary in the companys office. We are very sorry to all affected by our company, Tammy Nelson said. This has destroyed our business. Companies After spending a night camping at the take-out, Beckford started hitchhiking to Riggins to track down his groups vehicles. Beckford recalled that a truck driver heading the other direction stopped and said: Hey, are you the stranded rafters? Im here to rescue you. Dave Young, owner of Rubicon Outfitters in Riggins, was coming to retrieve a different group of rafters who had also been stranded by Wild River. Still, they loaded up Beckfords group and their gear, and offered to store it at the Rubicon boathouse. Beckford said Dave Young even handed him the keys to his personal vehicle so Beckford could drive around and search for his missing Honda Pilot. We finally got ahold of (Wild River) but we could never get a straight story, Beckford said. One owner told us to call the police on the other owner. Sometimes they were in tears, just giving us bad information on where our cars were. A Wild River driver eventually drove into Riggins in Beckfords vehicle, but three others were still missing. Beckford and other members of his group headed to Salmon a 6.5-hour drive where Wild River had said theyd find their cars. One car looked like it had been used to haul rocks, Beckford said, while another had a pack of cigarettes, a strangers towel and was missing a set of keys. The last car they finally tracked down at Corn Creek the spot where theyd started their rafting trip a week earlier. Like Rubicon, other Idaho shuttle companies began trying to help track down missing vehicles and transport people. MiChelle McNamee, who owns All Rivers Shuttle in White Bird, told the Statesman in late July that she delivered water to stranded rafters and offered her companys vans to help people get off the river. McNamee said that in early June, she came across a truck Wild River Shuttles had delivered to a boat ramp. The vehicle was in danger of being swept away as heavy rain caused the river to surge. McNamee said she contacted Tammy Nelson and had to break into the truck to move it away from the water. She assumed it was a one-time mistake until she began seeing Facebook posts from rafters who couldnt find their vehicles or get in touch with the Nelsons company. McNamee started using All Rivers Facebook page to crowdsource information on missing vehicles and warn the community about the issues people were reporting with Wild River. I did it for the river, McNamee said. A lot of these people are people Ive dealt with for the past 16 years. Theyre like my family. McNamee estimated she spent about $700 of her own money helping people affected by Wild River. Strandings Several groups told the Statesman of experiences similar to Beckfords. Jennifer Gleasons group paid Wild River to shuttle four vehicles from Cache Bar to Carey Creek, a nearly nine-hour drive. Only one of their vehicles was at the take-out when they arrived on July 8. The group whose vehicle was there headed home, and the rest of the party including teenagers and two 82-year-olds waited by the river as temperatures rose into the 80s. Everybody cleared out, Gleason told the Statesman in a phone interview. Carey Creek was empty except us. It was eerie. Gleason said her group camped overnight, optimistic that things would work out. After making as many as 80 calls to Wild River, the Lemhi County Sheriffs Office, tow truck operators and more Gleason finally located the other three vehicles. One was in Stanley, about halfway between the put-in and take-out, while the other two were in a parking lot off of Idaho 21 about 20 miles west of Stanley. Gleason said Wild River told her one of the vehicles wouldnt start, but she had no trouble starting it once it was located. I can honestly say our situation was better than what some peoples situations have been, Gleason said. Jeff Grebe, of Colorado, told the Statesman he was stranded more than once by Wild River. Like Beckford, he was invited on a trip by a friend who won a permit. His group put in on June 25 and ended their trip five days later at Cache Creek, where they found two of their four vehicles. Its not unheard of that maybe a vehicle doesnt make it for whatever reason mechanical problems or something, said Grebe, who has rafted the Salmon four times. Typically, companies will leave a note in another vehicle to notify the owners of the problem, he said. Wild River didnt do that. If your vehicles not there and you have no note, you really have no idea whats going to happen, Grebe said. Without his cellphone or wallet, Grebe headed into the small town of North Fork with the rest of his group. They contacted Tammy Nelson, who told them Grebes truck was still at Cache Creek after failing to start. The other missing vehicle was about 20 miles away. Grebe said Nelson told him a shuttle on the way through town would pick him up at 6 a.m. the next day if he waited in Salmon overnight. So Grebe booked a hotel, and the rest of his group began their trips home. The next morning, Grebe waited for his ride. By 7:30, with no shuttle and no response to his texts and phone calls to Wild River, Grebe said he began hitchhiking. He made it 170 miles back to the spot where his group put in. He found his truck, which started up right away. These are very, very remote places theyre shuttling to, Grebe said. If you dont have things to get by with, theres not a whole lot you can do except stick out your thumb. Some rafters went to local police for help. Scott Dent, who rafted from Boundary Creek to Corn Creek in early July, said his group found just one of six vehicles when they left the river. After trying to contact the company for several hours, the group filed missing vehicle reports with the Salmon Police Department, and their vehicles were eventually found. One driver used a GPS app to locate his van, which officials found in Challis with a woman, her child and dog in the vehicle, Dent said in an email. Dents truck was found at a Salmon gas station where a Wild River employee was fueling up. Jenn Ford told the Statesman that her group was stuck at its take-out point without their vehicles for 24 hours before someone took pity and drove them into Riggins. After paying for a two-hour ride to Lewiston, Ford said, she rented a moving truck to get her boats and herself home to Jackson, Wyoming, for a prior obligation. Ford said her group contacted Salmon police, too, and was told their missing vehicles were a civil matter. She later went to the Lemhi County Sheriffs Office and the Forest Service, and said those agencies located her truck. The Lemhi County Sheriffs Office told the Statesman it had forwarded all its information on the shuttle company to the Salmon Police Department. Salmon police did not respond to Statesman inquiries about the number or type of complaints made about the company. The Statesman filed records requests with the sheriffs office and Salmon Police Department but did not receive a response. The Salmon Police Department could not be reached by phone, and the police chief did not respond to emailed requests for comment. Investigation After receiving complaints from four consumers who alleged that Wild River Shuttles accepted payment for unfulfilled services, the Idaho attorney generals office last month opened an investigation. In late July and early August, the Lemhi County Sheriffs Office served Michelle and Tammy Nelson an investigative demand penned by Deputy Attorney General Stephanie Guyon. The document obtained by the Statesman through a public records request demanded that by Aug. 19, the Nelsons hand over a list of their assets along with details about their companys unfulfilled contracts and verbal agreements between June 1 and July 31. The attorney generals office enforces the Idaho Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits businesses from engaging in unfair competition and deceptive acts. On Aug. 12, Tammy Nelson requested a deadline extension to fulfill the AGs request. The attorney generals office granted an extension to Sept. 1. We are doing our best to give you the information youre asking for and we are willing to do whatever is asked of us, Nelson wrote in an email to Guyon. In a now-deleted post on the Wild River Facebook page, Tammy Nelson attributed the chaos to a death in the family and said the company is doing everything we can to right our wrong. Beckford told the Statesman he was able to cancel the shuttle charges on his credit card, but said the refund didnt make up for what he spent on lodging, food, gas and more while tracking down his vehicle. Gleason said she also got a refund for the shuttle service, as well as money for gas used to find her vehicle. Grebe said Wild River tried to keep his $350 shuttle fee despite leaving his vehicle at the put-in. When he said hed file charges with police, Nelson offered to send him a check. He said he didnt expect that check to be delivered, but when it finally arrived, it bounced. The long arm of the government in this case the Montana state government wants to sit in on your doctors appointment and tell you and your doctor what you cannot do. They want to threaten your doctor with up to 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. If you are pregnant in Montana and your pregnancy is in trouble for any reason, the state will mandate that, if a heartbeat or breath or voluntary movement is detected, no matter what the situation and even if the fetus is not viable extraordinary measures must be taken. LR 131 is government overreach at its most extreme. Legislators have decided that they know more about medicine than your doctor. And they want to dictate what women must do with their bodies, their lives, their families. Would those legislators be willing to help pay the unaffordable medical bills incurred to keep a dying fetus temporarily alive even if it had no chance of living on its own? Would they care about the pain and suffering they have caused for both mother and child? Do they know what is right for everyone in all situations? What in the world is LR 131 even about? Scare tactics? Power? Control? Or, more cynically, getting out the vote? Undeniably, its about government overreach. It certainly isn't about Montana values of privacy, dignity, and self-determination. Vote no on LR131. Dont let the legislature sit in on your doctors appointment. Candace Forrette Billings After his own accident, he started Louisiana's first gym for people with life-altering injuries Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg will introduce his own private members bill to regulate Australias burgeoning cryptocurrency sector, including new rules which would see Chinese banks disclose data on the use of Chinas digital e-Yuan currency to Australian regulators. Released on Monday, the draft bill follows the recommendations made by a Senate committee, which Bragg chaired last year before the election, including a licensing regime for local crypto exchanges, custody requirements for digital assets, and new rules for firms looking to issue stablecoins. NSW Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has said he will introduce a draft bill seeking to regulate the cryptocurrency industry. Credit:James Brickwood Australias crypto industry has been calling for increased regulation for some time to improve legislative certainty and consumer trust, and Bragg said he believed it was important the momentum gained from last years consultations was not lost. Wed done this body of work on [crypto regulation], and I wanted to make sure we finished it off, he said. My hope is it will improve the quality of the conversation the debate on digital assets is very unsophisticated in Australia. Republican legislative candidates are thumping their drums promising a tax rebate with the alleged surplus in the state fund balance. Montana is not over taxed it is under invested. The '21 legislature started by lowballing the revenue estimate, used that to clamp down on appropriations and now want to turn that into a bigger majority while locking in their under investment. They hope the voters will give it to them and not notice that most of us will get a little and a few of us will get a lot. Example No. 1: Because they set the reimbursement level for folks residing in assisted living or nursing home situations about $300 per month below what it actually costs, these facilities are restricting access or in some cases shutting down entirely. Part of the reason this is happening is because the facilities are understaffed and that is because while many of their jobs are hard and require skills people are hard to recruit when their pay isnt competitive. Example No. 2: while not unique to Montana, our public school systems are also having a hard time retaining and recruiting people to fill positions across the board. Again, the reason goes to lack of legislative support aggravated by diversion of public funds to private schools. Montana can probably get away with having our pay scales some lower than the national average because we are a nicer place to live than Hoboken, New Jersey, but we cant get by with being dead last. Example No. 3: I hear a lot from legislative candidates claiming to be for law and order. While they seem prepared to insert the law into parts of life that really arent any of the governments business and throw people into jail, often because they are bad people that should be locked up, paying for it has proven elusive. The folks tasked with operating the states prison system are demonstrably understaffed, underpaid, and overworked to the point that some seem to be contemplating mutiny, or just quitting. There is a game I played in my much younger days. In that game 3 strikes meant you were out, 3 outs meant your side was retired. Its time to retire any would-be legislator who goes with this tax cut plan instead of funding our public obligations. Richard Parks Gardiner Joe Kennedy famously said that when the shoeshine boy gives stock tips, its time to get out of the market. The story goes that the investor exited the market just ahead of the great Wall Street crash of 1929, clued in to a bubble created by dilettantes piling in. More recently, an ad popped up in Australian bus shelters, which read this is the sign youve been looking for to get into crypto. Shortly after, cryptocurrency tanked. Beware the spin. Credit:Getty So when a public relations conference told me this week that ESG is the next big thing, I took it as a warning that its about to be over. In the last few years, environmental, social and (corporate) governance, or ESG, has become an increasing concern for companies which realise that securing their long-term profitability depends on the wellbeing of the environment and the societies in which they operate. The governance part is monitoring that the organisation isnt making decisions which deliver profit right now but run counter to actual laws or implicit norms. Banks turning a blind eye to the money trail leading to paedophiles, for instance, or casinos knowingly participating in money laundering. The states most senior public servant has terminated the employment of department boss Amy Brown in response to the bruising trade job saga in which she appointed John Barilaro to a plum post in New York. In a statement on Monday, Michael Coutts-Trotter said he made the decision following a review that examined Browns conduct, and stressed the level of accountability that must come with senior leadership in the public service. Former Investment NSW chief Amy Brown has announced her departure from the state government. Credit:Kate Geraghty Its a privilege to hold a role as a senior leader in the NSW public service. With this, rightly, comes a high degree of accountability, said Coutts-Trotter, the secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet for Premier Dominic Perrottet. Coutts-Trotters statement came after a social media post by Brown early on Monday morning, in which she said she was working her final day. Oozing and maggots: The stories one of Australias most celebrated surgeons doesnt want you to hear Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later. Dismiss I became a republican the day that governor-general John Kerr sacked Australias prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1975. I was certain that Kerr could not have made such a decision without approval from Queen Elizabeth II and I did not agree with our head of government being decided by someone living in another country. In addition, I felt that the hierarchy of monarchy did not suit Australian egalitarian values. Crowds line up to meet King Charles III. Credit:Getty Images My views began to change when the Palace Letters were released in 2020 and it was revealed that the Queen had no prior knowledge of Whitlams sacking. Since then I have become a monarchist. Here are my reasons. Healthcare providers and aged care homes will receive another $1.4 billion to deal with the pandemic in a rapid injection of new federal funding to pay for workers, test kits, protective equipment and medicines. Aged care facilities will receive the bulk of the money after the federal government decided there were insufficient funds for the help promised before the May 21 election, which raised concerns the assistance would stop on September 30. Anthony Albanese in Suva with Fijian workers, who he said were gaining a TAFE qualification to work in nursing homes in regional Queensland. Credit:Twitter With average COVID-19 infections still running at more than 7000 each day, the new health spending comes days after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese extended paid pandemic leave for workers who are forced to isolate, acknowledging the payments would have to continue for as long as mandatory isolation is imposed. Health Minister Mark Butler will confirm the $1.4 billion outlay on Monday with a promise the support will continue until December 31. Australia will continue sending military support to Ukraine to add to the delivery of armoured vehicles and howitzers but is yet to decide the additional ways to help the country fight the Russian invasion. Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia wanted to help empower Ukraine to resolve the conflict on its terms and was looking at ways to add to the delivery of Bushmasters and other armoured equipment over the past six months. Australian Army Bushmasters. Credit: But he fended off calls for an Australian ban on Russian tourists by saying the government wanted to sanction Russian leaders rather than their people. The Bushmasters are making a real difference. The howitzers are making a difference, Marles said on Sunday. Batavia, NY (14020) Today Clear skies. Low 34F. NE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 34F. NE winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph. When I was a young musician I had a lot of good times playing in Montana. Years later I came back for a visit to see if Montana was as good as I remembered it in my younger days. And it was. However, I will not ever return to a state whose government mandates restrictions on the rights of LGBTQ people. Sadly, I am taking Montana off my list of places to revisit in my retirement years. Commentary I highly recommend watching one of the latest series on EpochTV, entitled The American Story. Referencing the original historical documents, the series tells the inspiring and true story of Americas early years, often in contrast to the narratives we hear today. In episode four, Early Colonies and the Great Awakening, host Timothy Barton, President of WallBuilders, and Jonathan Richie, Assistant Director of the American Journey Experience, use historical documents and artifacts to tell the story of Americas earliest colonies, along with their Biblical values that influenced civil society, justice, and liberty. An Example for the World Following the Plymouth Colonies example, large waves of migrants from Europe began coming to the colonies in search of religious freedom. In 1630, about 1,000 men traveled with a man named John Winthrop to America aboard the Arabella. During the voyage, Winthrop writes that if he and the colonizers could follow Gods ways and instill Biblical truths and values into the new world, it could become a beacon of light for others. We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us. Although the phrase city on a hill is derived from a Bible verse, it is often used as a reference to the example of freedom and human rights displayed by America to the rest of the world. For Winthrop and the other colonizers at the time, religious liberty was key to living how they wanted without interference from the government, and also to instilling principles and values that would aid in a prosperous and thriving society. This idea spread to surrounding colonies. The Salem Witch Trials Today, we often hear how intolerant the Puritans were. An example that is often referenced is the Salem Witch Trials. In the EpochTV episode, Barton and Richie note that the Puritans were ahead of their times, as not a single Puritan colony had more than 15 capital crimes, whereas in England, there were over 200 capital crimes that a person could be put to death for. The witch trials arguably went on for about 18 months in the colonies. A total of 27 people died during this period, 19 were executed and eight died in prison. Richie says it is worth noting that there were also witch trials going on in Europe at the same time, however the European trials went on for decades. An estimated 500,000 people were put to death in the European witch trials, among those 30,000 in England, 75,000 in France, and 100,000 in Germany. Why did the trials go on for decades in Europe and not in America? Barton credits this to stronger Biblical principles in America that led to improved human rights. For example, Puritans recognized the right of due process, derived from biblical principles that the accused should be able to confront their accuser, bring forth witnesses, etc. The Puritans confronted the Judge who was spearheading the witch trials in the colonies, saying the trials were not being done biblically. It is documented that the judge confessed and repented in front of his church congregation and the church assembly established a day of prayer and fasting to ask for Gods forgiveness. The Puritans even granted restitution to families whose loved ones had been killed. Although the Puritans werent perfect and they made mistakes, they certainly handled the witch trials differently than the European witch trials. Barton says its easy to look at the witch trials and judge the Pilgrims for being intolerant, but he says its always important to judge people according to the context in which they lived. The American Story | Early Colonies and the Great Awakening Did The Early Colonizers Steal Land from the Natives? Many of the early colonies were led by pastors and founded for religious reasons. William Penn was one of these pastors. He came from a wealthy family in England and was intrigued by the Quakers beliefs. Since the English were required to be Anglican at that time, he eventually led a delegation of Quakers to the new world. When they arrived, Penn discovered Natives were living there already. He recognized that just because the King gave him the land of Pennslyvania on paper, the Native people were the true owners, as they were already living there. Based on his religious principles, Penn met with the natives and purchased the land from them at an agreed-upon price. This practice of buying land from the natives continued and is well documented, with legal deeds of land purchased from the Native Americans during the early period of colonization. Richie notes that this is significant because the Indians did not operate this way toward one another. When a Native tribe wanted more land, they would conquer the nearest tribe and take the land. The colonizers were introducing a new practice of exchanging value instead of fighting for it. Barton says as America enters the Jacksonian era, and as certain American leaders stray away from Biblical understanding, there is a shift in how Native Americans were treated. However, in the early colonization period of American history, the notion that Americans stole the land from the Native Americans is simply not historically accurate. This is why Barton stresses its important to go back to the original documents, saying oftentimes they tell a very different story than the narrative of the day. Christian Acceptance and Unity The colonies eventually became home to several notable chaplains, such as John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield. George Whitefield is known for traveling on horseback throughout the colonies preaching to massive groups of people. His journeys began when he traveled to raise funds for an orphanage. On his initial journey, he found there were divisions among the various denominations. He thought this to be a problem, believing the colonies needed to be united. Whitefield had many thoughts on how the early colonies should operate, such as having their own military and not simply being dependent on England. Several of his suggestions eventually became influential in the American Revolution. Being a missionary and traveling required funds. Whitefield was funded by Selena Countess of Huntington. She was a significant character in England who funded religious figures per her passion to minister and spread Biblical principles and freedom in America. Barton says that throughout history, there are many pieces in the American story where people begin working together and doing their unique parts, laying the foundation of what would come next. Whitfields message of Christian acceptance and unity was in contrast to the English church at the time and resulted in a very different legacy. Are Biblical Values Good for Society? The EpochTV episode reveals how America was built on largely religious principles and the desire for religious liberty. This may sound like a good or bad thing, depending on who you ask, but the historical documents show how these beliefs manifested themselves among the early colonizers, and how Biblical values played out in society. Although there were plenty of leaders and scenarios where bad things happened, the historical documents do show that when the early colonies made mistakes, they often corrected their course at a much faster pace than other places around the world, and this would happen largely due to their adherence to Biblical principles. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Britain's King Charles III speaks with Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, as he receives realm prime ministers in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace in London, England, on Sept. 17, 2022. (Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool/Getty Images) Australian PM Honours Queen, Meets King, British PM Queen Elizabeth II has been lauded for transcending barriers while maintaining a special bond with Australia, in a touching tribute by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The late monarch was a unifying force throughout her 70-year reign, the prime minister said in an address at an Australia House Commemorative Luncheon in London on Saturday (AEST). Even as history continued to shape us, and the bond between our two nations evolved, the affection and respect in which we held Her Majesty remainedunchanged, undiminished, he said. The Queen transcended barriers. You could be a republican, and still feel nothing but regard for her. During a visit to Australia in 2000, months after Australia held a republic referendum, the Queen expressed her deep connection to the nation. The revered monarch said she felt part of this rugged, honest, creative land and has shared in the joys and the sorrows, the challenges and the changes that have shaped this countrys history. Albanese recalled the Queens 16 visits to Australia, including a day at the races with former prime minister Bob Hawke in 1988, which he described as one of the most Australian experiences of all. He also hailed the monarchs loyalty and unwavering commitment to royal life. She celebrated our good times, and stood with us in our times of trial, bringing sympathy and comfort when it was so badly needed, the prime minister said. Soon after touching down, Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon laid a small bouquet of white flowers at Green Park in Westminster. Its a great honour to be representing Australia here, he said. Quite clearly, what we can see all around us is the affection in which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was held by people here in the United Kingdom but also of course in Australia and right around the Commonwealth. Albanese, Ms Haydon and Governor-General David Hurley later signed the official book of condolence at Lancaster House in London. The prime ministeralong with other world leadersmet King Charles III later in the day, cementing Australias importance to the new monarch. Albanese also met with new British prime minister Liz Truss. Downing Street framed the conversation as a chat rather than formal bilateral talks. The two leaders shared condolences, and reflected on continuing close connections at all levels between Australia and UK. The Australian PM said the Queens funeral would be a sombre day. But it will also be a day of celebrating a life well lived, a life of service, he said. The monarchs funeral will be televised at 8pm (AEST) on Monday. U.S. President Joe Biden (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Villa la Grange in Geneva on June 16, 2021. (Getty Images) Biden Warns Russia Against Using Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine President Joe Biden warned Russias leadership that they shouldnt use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying that Moscow would face unspecified consequences. Dont. Dont. Dont, Biden told CBSs 60 Minutes in an excerpt of a rare one-on-one interview that was to be broadcast on Sept. 18. He was responding to a question posed by CBS reporter Scott Pelley about what he would say if Russian President Vladimir Putin was considering using nuclear weapons in the months-long conflict. You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II, Biden said. When asked about what the United States might do in response, the president declined to elaborate. You think I would tell you if I knew exactly what it would be? Of course, Im not gonna tell you. Itll be consequential, Biden said. Theyll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been. And depending on the extent of what they do will determine what response would occur. Putin has said Moscow would respond more forcefully if its troops were put under further pressure, raising concerns among some Western officials that he could at some point use unconventional means like small nuclear or chemical weapons. However, Putin and other top Kremlin officials have repeatedly said Russia isnt considering using nuclear weapons. It comes amid reports of Ukrainian advances to retake territory that was seized by Russian forces earlier this year. Western defense officials have claimed Kyiv is gaining ground and has forced Russian troops back into Russia. Ukrainian soldiers sit atop a tank in Izyum, Ukraine, on Sept. 14, 2022. (Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images) Its brilliant. I think it has really far-reaching implications potentially, but lets be cautious, British Gen. Sir Richard Shirreff told Fox News. Theyve achieved great success. They have to maintain their success. Equally, they have to be ready for the Russians to reorganize and counter-attack. As it has received billions of dollars in military aid from the United States and European nations, Ukraine recently launched a major offensive to recapture territory in the south, where it hopes to trap thousands of Russian troops cut off from supplies on the west bank of the Dnipro River, and retake Kherson. Kherson is the only large Ukrainian city that Russia has captured intact since the start of the war. In an intelligence update on Twitter, Britains Ministry of Defence said that Russia had launched several thousand long-range missiles against Ukraine since the start of the invasion. Those strikes, the ministry has said, have struck targets including an electricity grid and a dam. As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government, the ministry said. Reuters contributed to this report. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at the new Boston Logan Terminal in Boston on Sept. 12, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Biden Makes Emergency Declaration as Hurricane Fiona Strengthens President Joe Biden on Sunday approved Puerto Ricos emergency declaration as Fiona strengthened into a hurricane. The Presidents action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population and to provide appropriate assistance, to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 78 municipalities in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, said the declaration. Hurricane Fiona, a Category 1 storm, strengthened to become a hurricane on Sunday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Heavy rains from Fiona will continue across Puerto Rico through tonight and occur over the Dominican Republic later today into Monday, NWS said in an update. These rainfall amounts will produce life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding across Puerto Rico and portions of the eastern Dominican Republic, along with mudslides and landslides in areas of higher terrain. The agency said a storm surge of 3 feet will be brought by the storm to Puerto Ricos coast. More than 20 inches of rain is also expected to hit parts of the U.S. territory. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours while Fiona moves near Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and over the southwestern Atlantic, the U.S. hurricane center said. Hurricane conditions are expected on Puerto Rico today, and are expected in portions of the eastern Dominican Republic tonight and Monday. The National Hurricane Centers forecast as of Sunday, Sept. 18, for Hurricane Fiona. (NHC) After striking Puerto Rico and hitting the eastern portion of the Dominican Republic this week, Fiona is forecast to further strengthenpossibly into a major, Category 3 hurricaneby Wednesday. The storm is then forecast to track east of the Bahamas and toward Bermuda, the NHC said. Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) went to Puerto Rico to assist local officials. Thank you @POTUS for a swift approval of an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, wrote FEMA spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg on Twitter. This will allow @fema to respond and support the island as they experience the extreme weather impacts of Tropical Storm #Fiona. Fiona, meanwhile, is the third named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which researchers say has been exceptionally placid. It has been surprisingly and freakishly quiet in the Atlantic, University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy told The Associated Press earlier this month. For the first time since 1941, the Atlantic has had no named storm (e.g., tropical storm or hurricane) activity from July 3rd-August 30th, wrote Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach on Twitter. 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. Cause of Car Crash That Killed Rep. Jackie Walorski Revealed The Elkhart County Sheriffs Office in Indiana revealed the cause of the car crash that killed Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) and three other people last month. Zachery Potts, the driver of the Toyota RAV4 SUV, was found to be at fault, according to the sheriffs office in a statement over the past weekend. The vehicle was driving left of the center median at excessive speeds when it hit a Buick. The statement notes that Potts was trying to pass another vehicle on a two-lane roadway when the collision occurred. A witness to the accident was traveling northbound behind both the Toyota RAV4 and the unidentified truck, according to the sheriffs office. The Toyota was observed slowing, as what was described as creating distance between the truck and the Toyota. The Toyota was then observed accelerating to a high rate of speed, closing the distance to the unidentified truck. As the Toyota neared the rear of the truck, it swerved into the southbound lane at which it collided with the southbound Buick driven by Edith Schmucker, according to sheriffs officials. The office also found that there was no evidence of cellphone usage or texting during the time of the accident by either Potts or the other driver, Edith Schmucker. The office also found no evidence of mechanical failure. The airbag control module data also showed that the driver of the Toyota RAV4 steered the vehicle left just prior to the crash. The amount of steering input was consistent with normal operation of the vehicle and was consistent with the eyewitness account, the sheriffs office stated. Walorski, Potts, Schmucker, and Emma Thomsonanother of the congresswomans staffersall died in the crash, officials have said. Other Details Prior to her election in 2012 to the House, Walorski served three terms in the Indiana Legislature, spent four years as a missionary in Romania along with her husband, and worked as a television news reporter in South Bend, Indiana, according to a biography posted on her congressional website. Walorski was a lifelong resident of Indiana, according to her official biography. She served on the House Ways and Means Committee and was the top Republican on the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee. Both Republicans and Democrats issued statements mourning her death, including President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Biden said last month that he and Walorski may have represented different parties and disagreed on many issues, but she was respected by members of both parties for her work on the House Ways and Means Committee on which she served. Reuters contributed to this report. Cruz Confronted on Airplane by Traveler Over School Safety Policies You don't care about the facts, the senator says Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was confronted on board an airplane Thursday by a fellow traveler over gun legislation and school safety policies, which led the senator to end up calling him a partisan. A Sept. 15 Twitter video recorded and posted by the passenger shows the Texas Republican lawmaker was collecting his coat and luggage after the flight landed in Houston, when the man joked about his journey. Were in Houston? I thought we were going to Cancun, a male voice first appears in the video, referencing the Mexico trip Cruz took last February while many Texas residents grappled with power outages under severe weather. The person soon caught the attention of the senator by raising up the mass school shooting in Uvalde during the mid-day on May 24, when an 18-year-old shooter killed 19 students and two teachers. Senator, thank you for everything youve done since Uvalde. All those podcast episodes must have raised a lot of money for you. He then criticized Cruz for pushing against a bill that would tighten gun laws, which passed through the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Joe Biden in June. Cruz responded by pointing out that Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked his proposed Securing Our Schools Act (pdf) that would have doubled the number of police officers in public, charter, and private schools, strengthen physical security measures such as alarm systems and locks, and put thousands of mental health professionals in public schools. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) objected to passing the bill on the Senate floor on Sept. 14, accusing Cruz of pushing theater, along with another bill (pdf) from Cruz that would have allowed schools to use unspent education-related COVID-19 funding to improve school security. The man cast doubts on those efforts claiming the senator was busy working on his episodes, referring to a podcast co-hosted by Cruz where the senator discusses major political issues. The passenger later questioned whether Cruz knew any of the names of the Uvalde victims. I do, Cruz said in response. And ask why Chris Murphy objected and stopped the biggest school safety bill thats ever passed yesterday. Cruz attended a community vigil at the Uvalde on May 25, the following day of the school shooting when he was seen wiping away tears and praying with others. The traveler repeatedly cut in during the exchanges before Cruz could finish responding to his questions. One bystander told him to listen to the man, while another said to let Cruz fly in peace. You dont care about the facts, Cruz said to the man at the end. Youre a partisan, thats OK. The hecklers user information on Twitter shows he is a supporter of Beto ORourke, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Texas governor who will face Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in November. Cruz once called his sponsored school safety policies the most serious, the most significant, the most major investment in school security Congress has ever enacted. What we just saw reveals that the Democrats have one objective when a mass murder happens, and that is to take away the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, he said in a Sept. 14 statement. If another lunatic attacks a school, and theres not a police officer at the front door to stop it, remember right now. Remember this moment when the Democrats said, No, we will not protect our kids. Design Software Giant Canva to Compete With Google, Microsoft Over New Worksuite Tool Canva has released a range of new products that will see the Australian software design powerhouse attempt to rival Google and Microsoft. Co-founders Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams on Wednesday unveiled Canvas new Visual Worksuite, which will elevate Canva from a graphic design tool into an end-to-end visual communication platform. Obercht told audiences in Sydneys Hordern Pavilion that the new products will let Canva users design better websites, videos, presentations, documents, prints, and whiteboards, and help businesses compete for user attention. The technology we use has not evolved with the modern visual world, Obercht said. What if we could bring the magic of Canva to the whole workplace? The launch is expected to bring Canva, which is a prominent player in the graphic design sector, into competition with the worlds technology giants. Google and Microsoft are currently the biggest names in the workspace tool sector, with Google Cloudwhich houses Google Workspacesurpassing $6 billion in revenue in July, while Microsoft 365 generated over $20 billion in revenue in 2020. Meanwhile, Canva Docs and Presentation will be locked into competition with Microsofts Word and PowerPoint, as well Googles Docs and Slides tools. The Australian tech company will also step into Mural and Micros territory with its whiteboard tool, and rival WordPress and Wix with its web design tool. Other new products of the $25.6 billion start-up include an app marketplace, where users can integrate all of their Canva apps and tools, while professional designers can earn money for their products on Canva Creator. Subscribers will have access to the free model while paying the same price, with Canva Pro users paying $119.99 per person per year, and Canva Teams paying $179.88 for five people per year. Canvas valuation has dropped from $40 billion last year to $26 billion this July. Its founders, however, have played down those concerns, pointing to its $700 million in cash reserves and continued hiring. Obrecht told the Australian Financial Review (AFR) that he believed the launch will help the graphic design company exceed the $40 billion valuation mark in the near future. He also noted that Canva Worksuite is the next step in getting inside big businesses of all different types. Meanwhile, co-founder Adam told the AFR that agile businesses are more likely to see the appeal of the applications than big companies. Meagan Wolfe, head of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, speaks during a virtual press conference on Nov. 4, 2020. (Wisconsin Elections Commission via Reuters) Fate of Wisconsins Use of Private Vendor to Maintain Voter Roll on the Line After Citizens File Complaint A citizen group filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) on Sept. 8, alleging that the commission broke federal law by contracting an out-of-state vendor to maintain the states voter rolls. In its complaint (pdf), the Wisconsin Voter Alliance is challenging the legality of a state law which permits the elections commission to contract with third parties to maintain the states centralized voter roll. The complaint seeks a declaration from the WEC finding that the state statute violates the 2002 federal Help America Vote Act. The complaint also asks the commission to declare that database sharing with third parties and the parties uses of the database are legally unauthorized under federal law. Such a declaration by WEC would force the end of the years-long contractual relationship between the commission and the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). According to its website, ERIC is a public charity nonprofit membership organization comprised of 33 states and the District of Columbia. The organizations mission is to assist states in improving the accuracy of Americas voter rolls and increase access to voter registration for all eligible citizens. Under the terms of their contract with ERIC, member states are required to send voter registration information to potentially eligible residents who arent registered to vote every two years. ERIC identifies the individuals by comparing voter data with motor vehicle licensing information, which the member states, by contract, must provide to it. A sign directs voters toward a polling place near the state capitol in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 6, 2018. (Nick Oxford/File Photo/Reuters) The complainants argue that federal law requires that only the elections commission and its officials are authorized to maintain and implement the statewide voter registration system database. They claim that the Help America Vote Act requires the elections commission to maintain its database without outside assistance from a third party and that the task cant be delegated to any other entity. The complaint asserts that under the federal statute, the election officials of each state are mandated to create and maintain a centralized, interactive, and computerized statewide voter registration list. The law states that the voter list is to be defined, maintained, and administered at the State level [and] shall be coordinated with other agency databases within the State. The federal law also states that the appropriate State or local election official shall perform list maintenance with respect to the computerized list on a regular basis. The statute requires states to remove the names of ineligible voters from the computerized list in accordance with State law. The language of the law is plain. It is the responsibility of state elections officials to clean up their own voter rolls, Erick Kaardal, an attorney representing the alliance, told The Epoch Times. The complaint cites the U.S. Code to show that any election official in the state, including local election officials, may obtain immediate electronic access to the information contained in the computerized list. The same federal law clearly mandates that the computerized list shall be coordinated with other agency databases within the State,' Kaardal said. The operative phrase is within the State. ERIC is headquartered in Washington. The Epoch Times contacted ERIC for comment. WEC officials didnt respond to a request for comment by press time. Meagan Wolfe, the commissions administrator, is the most recent past president of ERIC, according to its website. The cleverness of ERICs founder, David Becker, has created a mirage in the minds of state election officials around the country that they cannot handle the complex job of cleaning up the voter rolls themselves, Kaardal told The Epoch Times on Sept. 13. So, they go to their legislatures and convince them to provide the small appropriation needed to contract with ERIC. He said the mirage is easily dispelled by the fact that several citizens groups around the nation have demonstrated that, with computer savvy and some painstaking footwork, they can identify irregularities and errors on the rolls, which is the prerequisite to cleaning them up. These citizens are populists who have resolved to work for reform and improvements outside the government bureaucracy. They know things are wrong there and are demanding action now from their elected representatives, Kaardal said. According to ERICs website, new members pay a one-time membership fee of $25,000. Annual dues are assessed by the size of the voting age population of the state. They can range from $15,000 to $74,000. Kaardal told The Epoch Times on Sept. 12 that it might seem a bit unusual for WEC to sit in judgment on a complaint about itself, but thats the way the system works under federal and Wisconsin law. The alliance is required to take its complaint to the highest election administration authority in the state. In Wisconsin, that is WEC, he said. We are glad to give the members of WEC an opportunity to do the right thing and are hopeful they will. Signage outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in White Oak, Md., on Aug. 29, 2020. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters) FDA Approves Bluebird Bios Gene Therapy for a Rare Neurological Disorder The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Bluebird bios gene therapy for the treatment of a rare neurological disorder, the company said late on Friday. SKYSONA is the first FDA approved therapy shown to slow the progression of neurologic dysfunction in boys with early, active Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD), the company said in a statement, saying CALD is a devastating and fatal neurodegenerative disease. Bluebird said it anticipates commercial product will be available by the end of 2022 through a limited number of qualified treatment centers in the United States. In August, the companys beti-cel therapy secured FDA approval to treat a rare blood disorder that was priced at a record $2.8 million, the most expensive treatment to date. CALD is caused by mutations in a gene called ABCD1 that leads to the buildup of very long-chain fatty acids in the brain and spinal cord. It typically occurs in boys between the ages of 3 and 12. Eli-cel adds functional copies of the ABCD1 gene in a patients stem cells to help produce a protein required to break down the long-chain fatty acids. The approval was largely expected after the drug received unanimous endorsement from a panel of outside advisers to the FDA in June. A person crosses the street beside a big rig parked on Metcalfe Street in downtown Ottawa during the second week of the Freedom Convoy protest against federal COVID-19 restrictions, on Feb. 7, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang) Federal Subsidy for Ottawa Businesses Affected by Freedom Convoy Came 36 Percent Under Budget A federal agency mandated to give out $20 million in subsidies to downtown Ottawa businesses that it said suffered losses due to the truckers Freedom Convoy protest earlier this year struggled to find applicants for the money, Access to Information records show. The records show that the final payment given out by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) was $12.9 million36 percent under budgetaccording to Blacklocks Reporter. The subsidy allowed small businesses in downtown Ottawa to apply for non-repayable contributions of up to $10,000 for non-deferrable operational costs not covered by other federal programs, said a Feb. 19 FedDev Ontario statement. We have heard the growing concerns and frustrations from many of the Business Improvement Associations and small businesses in Downtown Ottawa that were forced to close, or have seen their business drastically impacted due to the illegal blockades in Ottawa. Our governments investment of up to $20-million to Invest Ottawa will help local businesses get the support they need to recover, Helena Jaczek, minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, said in the statement. The number of claimants, however, fell short of the programs expectations, and FedDev Ontario extended the deadline for application from April 30 to May 15. Organizers of the program were also instructed to go door to door to boost awareness and increase applications from business owners, reported Blacklocks Reporter, citing the Access to Information records. The aid targets businesses directly and negatively impacted by the demonstrations for any losses including utilities, insurance, bank charges, loss of inventory (e.g. spoiled food), wages, rent and other extraordinary costs related to the repair or protection of a business due to the demonstrations, according to the terms of compensation. Businesses whose applications were initially rejected reportedly received phone calls with unsolicited help on how to fill out forms. The Team Is Reaching Out The team is reaching out by telephone to these applicants to move their file along as a deficiency in their application was noted, one staff email said. A grant guide, originally published in English and French, was later translated to Arabic, Vietnamese, and simple Chinese to ensure those business owners for whom English or French is not their first language may understand the eligibility. The Freedom Convoy protest in the national capital, which began in late January, called for an end to federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions. A negotiator for the government, Dean French, told CBC last month that the convoy organizers had acknowledged their impacts on the downtown Ottawa citizens and agreed to relocate their vehicles, but that they werent given enough time before the Liberal government invoked the Emergencies Act to quash the demonstrators. The protesters had largely dispersed by Feb. 14, when the act was invoked to give the police special powers to clear the demonstrations in escalated operations over the next few days. The police was then able to compel towing truck companies to tow away the trucks and vehicles from the area. Financial institutions were also given a list of names of convoy supporters and the power to freeze their bank accounts without having to obtain a court order. A similar subsidy program, announced on April 1 for businesses in the Windsor, Ont., area, was also overestimated, according to Blacklocks Reporter. In early February, protesters blockaded the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor and the U.S. city of Detroit. It was one of several border blockades held in solidarity with the convoy protest in Ottawa. The FedDev Ontario aid for Windsor budgeted $2.5 million in compensation for some 240 business owners. However, only 60 successfully applied, for a total payment of $462,469, according to a cabinet briefing note titled Support For Businesses In Ottawa And Windsor Impacted By Demonstrations, which was previously obtained by Blacklocks Reporter. Ronald "Colt" McAbee with his No. 1 neighborhood fan. The former sheriff's deputy was denied bail for the second time in U.S. District Court on Sept. 3, 2022. (Sarah McAbee/Special to The Epoch Times) Judges Latest Refusal to Grant Bail Looms Large for Jan. 6 Defendant Maced Twice by DC Jail Guard U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has referred to Ronald C. McAbee as a 'terrorist' who committed 'insurrection' Despite audio and video evidence showing former Tennessee sheriffs deputy Ronald Colton McAbee did not assault a police officer on the Capitol steps on Jan. 6 as alleged by prosecutors, a federal judge again refused the defendants motion to be released from the District of Columbia jail pending trial. The issue took on added urgency on Sept. 5 when McAbee, 28, was twice assaulted with chemical spray by a guard in the District of Columbia jail for not wearing a COVID mask, his wife Sarah told The Epoch Times This is just inhumane, Sarah McAbee said. It doesnt even matter what your political beliefs are. You should never treat somebody that way. Are we living in the same universe? she asked. This is not the America I once knew. McAbee is charged by federal prosecutors with seven Jan. 6-related crimes: assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer; two counts of civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and committing an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings. McAbee was outside the Lower West Terrace tunnel during some of the worst violence on Jan. 6, 2021. Several times, he tried to render lifesaving aid to a dying Rosanne Boyland, 34, of Kennesaw, Georgia. His interactions with Metropolitan Police Department officers resulted in most of the charges. They also served as justification for a U.S. District Court judge to reverse a Tennessee judges order and keep McAbee in jail for 397 daysand counting. Pepper Spray for Not Masking Ronald McAbee walked out of his cell at the D.C. Central Treatment Facility about 11:30 a.m. EDT on Sept. 5 to retrieve his medication from a cart in the hallway, his wife said. Lieutenant Crystal Lancaster shouted at him to put on a COVID mask, Sarah McAbee said. When he continued to walk toward the cart without a mask, the guard sprayed him point-blank in the face with oleoresin capsicum (OC), a harsh chemical irritant that burns the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes. She sprayed him and he was like, Did you really just spray me? Sarah McAbee said. [The Lieutenant] told another corporal in there to handcuff him. And as they were handcuffing him, she sprayed him again in the face. I mean inches away from his face. And they threw him on the ground. Three other Jan. 6 detaineesRon Sandlin, Bart Shively, and Ryan Nichols began shouting at Lancaster to stop the attack on McAbee, his wife said. Those men were also sprayed and handcuffed. All four were threatened with prosecution. McAbee was threatened with charges of assault and causing a riot, his wife said. January 6 detainee Ronald McAbee with his wife Sarah. McAbee was denied release from jail for a second time since October 2021. (Sarah McAbee/Special to The Epoch Times) But Sarah McAbee said she is considering legal action against the jail, Lt. Lancaster, and the U.S. Marshals Service. One, there was no riot in the pod that day, Sarah McAbee said. And two, he was the one being assaulted. How can you charge him with assault? McAbee said the U.S. Marshals Service, which is responsible for all federal prisoners and pretrial detainees, told her an investigation of the attack is ongoing. It is being handled by an independent third-party investigator, shes been told. After being discharged from medical and thrown in the shower, McAbee later begged to rinse off the remaining oily OC residue when it reactivated. Guards told him to suck it up and made him wait 12 hours to shower again, Sarah McAbee said. Oleoresin capsicum can cause skin blisters, inflamed airways, hypoxia, eyelid spasms, cornea burns, elevated heart rate, and severe nausea, according to Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). It is banned for use in warfare but legal for law-enforcement purposes. It can be fatal if not used properly. Chemical irritants attack temperature and pain receptors, causing a sensation that McAbee described as like jumping into a hot tub with severe sunburn. Irritant sprays allow a stream of potentially higher doses of the chemical agent to directly strike targeted people or groups, PHR said in a report (pdf) on the use of tear gas and pepper spray by law enforcement. The U.S. Marshals also did not realize for about a week that McAbee had been moved across the street from the Central Treatment Facility to the Central Detention Facility after the attack, his wife said. The Marshals Service moved some 400 inmates and detainees out of the Central Detention Facility in November 2021 after a surprise inspection (pdf) found inhumane living conditions. The Central Treatment Facility was found adequate, although there have been persistent complaints about abuse of Jan. 6 defendants by staff since then. Both facilities are run by the D.C. Department of Corrections. Judge Again Denies Bail McAbee said she was disappointed but not surprised that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan rejected her husbands latest motion to be released to home detention until trial. Her attorneys will petition the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for a review of the ruling, she said. You know, this sat in front of him for 117 days before he ruled on it, she said. And I think he only ruled on it because the appellate court came down and said, you either rule on it or you have a hearing. Ronald McAbee renders aid to a pulseless Rosanne Boyland outside the Lower West Terrace tunnel at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Graphic by The Epoch Times) Sullivan took 69 days to issue his written opinion denying McAbee bail in December 2021. In a 31-page ruling (pdf) dated Sept. 3, Sullivan dismissed McAbees new video and audio evidence, calling them ambiguities that the court could not resolve. McAbees filing for reconsideration of bail cited audio evidence from Metropolitan Police Department officer Andrew Wyatts bodycam, which showed that McAbee didnt assault Wyatt while he lay on the concrete steps, but assured him he would help him up. There is no evidenceit did not happen as admitted by the governmentthat Mr. McAbee assaulted Officer AW while Officer AW was in that vulnerable position, attorney William Shipley wrote in the motion filed May 9. Does Not Pose a Danger Jeffery Frensley, a U.S. magistrate judge in the Middle District of Tennessee, ordered McAbee released (pdf) to home detention pending trial after hearings in August and early September 2021. I do not believe that Mr. McAbee poses a future danger to the community if he were to be released between now and the time that he resolves this case, Frensley said. And the government, despite my request that they provide me any evidence that hes presented any sort of a danger to the community, have been able to point to absolutely nothing beyond the events around and during January the 6th. Prosecutors immediately appealed and Judge Sullivan stayed Frensleys order until Oct. 13, 2021, when he made an oral ruling that McAbee would remain jailed. Sullivans memorandum opinion on Dec. 21, 2021, said it would be impossible to guarantee the publics safety without keeping McAbee behind bars. Judge Sullivan disputed McAbees contention that the court made its determination by pronouncing his factual guilt and that the judge sidestepped certain uncontroverted video evidence. The court rejects both arguments, Sullivan wrote. Sarah McAbee said watching the video without the associated audio track could lead anyone to draw the wrong conclusion. The way the videos are portrayed, it looks very damning, she said. Until you get the audio and you look at the video for what its worth, you realize his feet never move from the position that hes in when hes protecting Wyatt. While you listen to him say, Hey, Im helping you. Then they get up together. Ronald McAbee (wearing sheriff patch) stands at the police line on the Lower West Terrace as a Metropolitan Police Department officer (right) attacks protester Rosanne Boyland with a walking stick. (Metropolitan Police Department Bodycam/Screenshot via The Epoch Times) Judge Sullivan said he made no conclusions about McAbees guilt or innocence in the case. However, during a hearing on Sept. 22, 2021, Sullivan suggested that McAbee is a terrorist. It appears clearly to this court that the defendant is pulling the officer back into the crowd of other terrorists, Sullivan said, according to the official court transcript (pdf). You cant call someone a terrorist on record and then say you arent biased, Sarah McAbee said. In his Sept. 3, ruling, Sullivan said there is indisputable evidence that McAbee committed insurrection, a crime neither he nor any other Jan. 6 defendant is charged with. Mr. McAbees text messages corroborate that he planned to and actually participated in the insurrection, Sullivan wrote. In another section of the decision, Sullivan concluded that McAbee engaged in physical and violent behavior. As a law enforcement officer, he should understand the gravity and egregiousness of such conductbut nevertheless, he chose to act in this manner, the judge wrote. It is no Catch-22 that the court takes seriously charges that someone tasked with enforcing the law has shirked that responsibility. By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson From Tribune News Service Dear Helaine and Joe: I am sending photos of a glass, 14-inch diameter, mermaid plate or bowl that has a signature on it. I think it reads Lalique France but I am not sure. Any thoughts or estimate of value would be appreciated. Thank you, C. P. Dear C. P., The pattern name of this lovely piece is Calypso, and it was indeed made by Lalique at their Verrerie dAlsace (Glassworks of Alsace). It is located in Wingen-sur-Moder, Alsace, France, and was founded by Rene Lalique in 1922. Alsace is a region in far eastern France with Strasbourg as its capital. Lalique was born in Ay in 1860, but his family moved to Paris when he was a child. After his father died, Rene became apprenticed to jeweler Louis Aucoc, but he also attended classes at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs ( School of Decorative Arts) in Paris. In 1885, after doing design work for important jewelers such as Cartier and Boucheron, he took over the workshop of jeweler Jules Destape in the Place Gaillon, Paris. By the turn of the 20th century, some called him the inventor of modern jewelry. Along with gold, precious and semiprecious stones, Lalique also used nonprecious materials such as horn, mother-of-pearl, enamel, and after about 1890, glass. In 1905, Lalique opened a shop at 24 Place Vendome and showcased both his jewelry and glass objects, which were made at his workshop in Clairefontaine near Rambouillet. In 1907, perfumer Francois Coty saw Laliques work and persuaded him to start making stylish perfume bottles. This began the transition of Rene Lalique from art nouveau jeweler to art deco glassmaker. The Verrerie dAlsace met Laliques growing need for factory glass production. Pieces made before his death in 1945 are signed R. Lalique, France, but from 1945 to 1977 they are signed Lalique France, either with an acid-etched stencil or an engraved signature made by using a diamond point pencil. There are actually two Lalique patterns, one called Calypso, with five water sprites, and another called Ondine, with six. An Ondine (or Undine) is basically an elemental spirit based on the alchemical elements: earth, air, fire and water. The spirit associated with earth is the gnome; with air, the sylph; with fire, the salamander; and with water, the undine. Undines are usually female and lived near waterfalls, pools of water and the sea. They have morphed into the mermaid, but that is not exactly correct. C.P. reports that the large plate/coupe/bowl was purchased in 1954, which is probably when the piece was made, give or take a year or two. It is opalescent glass (clear with areas of milky opacity), and she also reports it is 14 inches in diameter, which really helps us determine value. If the piece is in perfect condition no cracks, chips or unsightly scratches it should sell at auction for between $2,300 and $3,000 on the market. Retail value would be higher. Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson have written a number of books on antiques. Do you have an item youd like to know more about? Contact them at Joe Rosson, 2504 Seymour Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917, or email them at treasures@knology.net. If youd like your question to be considered for their column, please include a high-resolution photo of the subject, which must be in focus, with your inquiry. 2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC Man Charged With Attempted Murder Over Knife Attack on Two London Police Officers A man has been charged with attempted murder after two police officers were stabbed in central London. Mohammed Rahman, 24, was charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack on a male officer who was knifed in the neck and chest in Leicester Square at 6 a.m. on Friday. He was also charged with causing grievous bodily harm in connection with an attack on a female officer who was stabbed in the arm, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Saturday. Relating to three other officers, Rahman was charged with assault and two counts of threatening a person in a public place with a bladed article. He was also charged with robbery and possession of a bladed article. Rahman will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on Monday. Earlier on Saturday, the Met said the female officer, who was stabbed in the arm, was discharged from hospital following surgery. The male officer, who was stabbed in the neck, remains in hospital in stable condition. Their injuries are not assessed at this time as life-threatening, the Met said. Not Terror-Related The officersboth attached to the Mets Central West Command Unitwere carrying out routine duties when they were stabbed at around 6 a.m. on Friday morning by a 24-year-old man. They were on patrol in the area of Leicester Square and dealing with another incident when they were made aware of a man in possession of a knife, the Met said. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley previously said the female officer challenged the man, who stabbed her in the arm before attempting to flee. The male officer caught the offender, who stabbed him three times in the neck and once in the chest. The man also stabbed two of the additional officers who rushed to the scene. One received a minor hand injury while another sustained damage to his protective vest caused by the knife, the Met said. A Taser was discharged and the man was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency services worker. The Met does not consider the incident to be terror-related at this stage. The force is appealing to those who witnessed the incident or have video evidence to come forward. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called the attack utterly appalling. He wrote on Twitter that he hoped the person responsible would feel the full force of the law. Lily Zhou and PA Media contributed to this report. Marthas Vineyard Newspaper Lists 50 Job Ads Despite Claims of No Work on Island MARTHAS VINEYARD, Mass.While some locals have claimed that the illegal immigrants who arrived on the wealthy island of Marthas Vineyard should go elsewhere since there would be no work available for them, the local newspaper listed 50 help wanted ads in a recent issue, and the local supermarket chain has been known to need help all year long. The classified section of the Vineyard Gazette listed the jobs in the same issue that ran a story about the illegal aliens, referring to them as stranded migrants. The job ads included positions for laborers, custodians, landscapers, bakers, cooks, dishwashers, technicians, library assistants, and several retail positions. The local YMCA also listed several job openings, including housekeepers, ice arena workers, and a front desk administrator. The spacious Y, located near St. Andrews Episcopal Churchwhere the illegal immigrants spent the nightshares a complex with Marthas Vineyard Community Services (MVCS), which also ran a help wanted ad in the paper, including a job for administrative assistant, bilingual preferred. MVCS didnt respond to a request for comment by press time. The outreach center and the islands homeless shelter told the media that they didnt have room for the illegal aliens. In the afternoon of Sept. 17, a Saturday, the large MVCS complex had several doors to its buildings wide open, but no staff could be found. One of the open buildings consisted of two floors with several empty rooms, including rooms with full kitchens and couches. A group of friends enjoying an outdoor lunch at the Marthas Vineyard Airport told The Epoch Times that while the plume of summer jobs is over, there are still enough job opportunities on the island. The women, year-round residents who grew up on the Vineyard, pointed to Stop & Shop, a grocery store chain with three locations on the island. According to the women, the stores are always looking for help and they have worker dormitories, which they said are now empty with most of the summer help gone. Marthas Vineyard is a tale of two cities, said one of the women, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But Charles Rus, music director at St. Andrews, the church in Edgartown where the illegal immigrants were housed, told The Epoch Times there werent any jobs for them on the island. Theres space, but theres no job, he said. Rus had offered to put some of the illegal immigrants up in his two-bedroom apartment. If they had come four months earlier, every one of them would have had a $20-per-hour job, he said. In response to criticism that the illegal aliens were forced off the island, Rus said the Venezuelans had to leave the island for practical reasons, including the need to attend scheduled court hearings. According to a Sept. 16 story in the Vineyard Gazette, the Island Counseling Center provided each of the 50 illegal immigrants with individual legal counseling by an immigration attorney. The Baker Call The seemingly ample availability of jobs on Marthas Vineyard isnt the only point of contradiction to the narrative spun by some locals and picked up by establishment media outlets. Some locals questioned whether local officials were unaware of the two planes of illegal aliens chartered by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and speculated about who had called on Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to remove the uninvited visitors. I dont think Baker woke up in the morning, said, Hey, I think Ill take those 50 immigrants off the hands of Marthas Vineyard,' Richard Rooney, who lives and owns a real estate agency on the island, told The Epoch Times. Less than 24 hours after the immigrants arrival on Marthas Vineyard, a self-proclaimed sanctuary community, Baker approved their transfer off the island to a military base in Bourne, which is located within minutes of the ferry terminal. At the base, the group was given shelter, food, clothing, and other supplies. Baker committed 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard as part of the transfer. Rooney, a Republican who has been active in the local government for about 30 years, also joined others who pointed to the notification requirements by Marthas Vineyard Airport for unscheduled flights. Democrats have attacked DeSantis, a Republican, for sending the illegal aliens to Marthas Vineyard in what they have characterized as an ambush. We were given no notice, Massachusetts state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, a Democrat representing Marthas Vineyard, told a TV news outlet the day the illegal immigrants arrived on the island. The island airports flight notification requirements state that any plane with more than nine passengers is required to give 24 hours notice before takeoff, and suggest that a passenger list must also be provided in advance. Video footage from Fox News shows the illegal aliens disembarking from a plane shortly after arriving on Marthas Vineyard. If the plane was secretly sent, Rooney wonders, why was someone at the airport filming the debarkation? On Sept. 18, a man answering the phone line for airport operations refused to provide general information about the airports notification requirements, initially telling The Epoch Times that there were no notification requirements. When The Epoch Times stated the 24-hour notice policy for flights with nine or more passengers, the man said he wasnt permitted to speak to the press. Marthas Vineyard Airport is funded with tax dollars and receives sizable state and federal subsidies. The airport received $1.2 million in federal COVID-19 aid in 2020. In 2019, Dukes County, the county-level government on Marthas Vineyard, gave the airport $1.2 million for improvements. Airport General Geoffrey Freeman couldnt be reached for comment. In response to the charge made by Democrats that DeSantis used the immigrants as political pawns, Rooney told The Epoch Times that he sees the move by DeSantis as no different than Biden sneaking millions of illegal immigrants all over the country in the dark of night by bus and plane. At least DeSantis did it in the daylight, Rooney said. Within 12 hours after the arrival of the immigrants to the island, social media posts on Facebook and Twitter were riddled with criticism aimed at wealthy Democrats for not offering up their empty summer rentals. Rus told The Epoch Times that there were locals who did derisively call for putting the immigrants up in former President Barack Obamas estate. But they were in the minority, he said. The terms pirate(s) and piracy feature heavily in India Office Records relating to the Persian Gulf during the nineteenth century. Many of these records have now been digitised through the British Library / Qatar Foundation partnership and can be accessed on the Qatar Digital Library accompanied by catalogue descriptions in English and Arabic. In these records, piracy was used to justify British naval presence in the Gulf, forming the basis of the early agreements signed with local tribal leaders. However, the Arabic versions of these agreements indicate that the Arab inhabitants of the region did not have an equivalent concept in their lexicon. So where did todays Standard Arabic word for piracy come from? And why wasnt it used in these agreements? Article 1 of the English (IOR/L/PS/10/606, p. 131r) and Arabic (IOR/L/PS/10/606, p. 146v) versions of the 1820 treaty between Britain and the Arab tribes of the Persian Gulf. The word piracy is translated as gharat [raids]. Tracing the Etymology Modern Arabic dictionaries list the terms qursan (pirate) and qarsanah (piracy) under the trilateral root Q-R-S, giving the impression that this is a true Arabic word derived from this root (which generally means to pinch/sting). In fact, some Arabic sources devoted to the subject of piracy define qarsanah as a derivative of that root (see for example, Hamid 2016: 22). However, this is a common misattribution. The term is actually a relatively recent addition to the Arabic language, and is a cognate of the English term corsair from the Latin cursarius. The earliest Arabic dictionary to include qursan to mean sea thief is al-Bustanis Muhit al-Muhit (1870), where it is listed as a plural noun and marked as foreign (). Further clues can be found in Reinhart Dozys Supplement aux dictionnaires arabes (1877-1881) which includes colloquialisms and foreign borrowings in Arabic. Dozy lists ( qursul), (qursal) and (kursali) in addition to qursan to mean both pirate and warship, and he links them to Spanish (corsario) and Italian (corsale). Also listed are the now common forms qarasinah (pirates) and qarsanah (piracy). The entries for (qarsala) and (qarsana ) in Dozys Supplement aux dictionnaires arabes (1881, p. 329). Public Domain. Image taken by author. As a Semitic language, Arabic has a root-and-pattern morphology. Words are formed by casting (typically 3-letter) roots into a variety of templates to produce different meanings. In the case of the borrowed word for piracy, it was a happy coincidence that it could be filed under the existing root Q-R-S. Early Use All this confirms that the words qursan and qarsanah are of foreign origin, and that their meanings did not stabilise until modern times. One of the earliest attested uses of qursan in Arabic comes from a 1767 maritime treaty between the Sultan of Marrakesh, Muhammad V (1710-1790) and the King of France, Louis XV (1710-1774). Image of the 1767 treaty signed between the Sultan of Marrakesh and the King of France. Public Domain. Article 17 of the Arabic version begins: ... Translation: If a qursan (of the qarasin) of the French enters one of the harbours of the Mawlawi territory, the attending [French] Consul in the town must inform its governor so that he may take precautions over prisoners in the country to prevent them from fleeing to the aforementioned ship There is no doubt that qursan and qarasin (pl.) refer to a type of ship in this context. Other parts of the treaty mention qarasin flying the French flag and carrying French passports. While we can assume that qarasin here means military rather than pirate ships, the line between piracy and naval warfare had been blurred in the Mediterranean for centuries. This is particularly clear in accounts of Ottoman Berber pirates, or the infamous Barbary corsairs. A Sea Fight with Barbary Corsairs (after 1681) by Flemish painter Laureys a Castro. Public Domain. Transmission and Popularisation Given these encounters, it is not surprising that the term qursan entered the Arabic language through North Africa. The Arab tribes of the Persian Gulf lived on the other side of the Arabic-speaking world, so this neologism would have taken time to reach them. When they entered into maritime treaties with Britain in the nineteenth century, there was no distinct word in their vocabulary to denote piracy as something that is exclusively perpetrated at sea. The final step in the accession of the term into Arabic came with the language standardisation efforts of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a period known as the Arabic nahdah. This period saw a flurry of production of dictionaries that standardised the term qursan as a singular form meaning sea thief. Advancements in education, media, and transport networks across the Arabic-speaking world ensured the establishment and transmission of the term. Along with the term itself, a stereotypical Western image of the pirate also spread into modern Arab culture. Ironically, this Western image was influenced by contact with Ottoman and Arab pirates. For instance, the character of Redbeard is based on the Ottoman corsair Baba Oruc (Barbarossa), while the characteristic eye-patch is inspired by the Qasimi pirate Rahmah bin Jabir al-Jalhami. Sketch of Rahmah bin Jabir al-Jalhami from Ellms (1837) The Pirates own Book. Public Domain. The British narrative of piracy has been challenged by writers from the region in recent years. Two notable examples are The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf by scholar and ruler of Sharjah, Sultan Muhammad al-Qasimi, and The Corsair by Qatari journalist and novelist Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud. The latter is a fictionalised account of the exploits of Rahmah bin Jabir al-Jalhami from an anti-imperial point of view. Its original Arabic title is al-Qursan. Even where the narrative is challenged, its language has stuck. Modern Use In the modern world, the term piracy has come to stand for so much more than aggression at sea, and the Arabic term qarsanah has evolved in tandem. An example of this is the now commonly used expression pirated films and its Arabic equivalent alflam muqarsanah . Screenshot of concordance results for the term piracy and its translation in memoQ, the translation management system used by BL/QFP translators. As BL/QFP translators, wherever the English term piracy appears in catalogue descriptions, we translate it using the now established Modern Arabic word qarsanah. However, this does not reflect historical usage and it is unlikely that the nineteenth-century Arab inhabitants of the Gulf would have heard this word, let alone used it. Mariam Aboelezz, Arabic Translator British Library / Qatar Foundation Partnership References: al-Bustani, Butrus (1870) Muhit al-Muhit: qamus mutawwal li-l-lughah al-Arabiyah. Beirut (OIE 492.73) Al-Mahmoud, Abdulaziz (2011) al-Qursan. Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing Al-Mahmoud, Abdulaziz (2013) The Corsair. Noweira, Amira (trans.). Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (H.2015/.9446) al-Qasimi, Sultan Muhammad (2016) The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf. London: Routledge (DRT ELD.DS.562531) Majma al-Lughah al-Arabiyah (1961). al-Mujam al-Wasit (1961). Cairo (14589.c.21) Dozy, Reinhart P. A. (1881). Supplement aux dictionnaires arabes, Vol II. Leiden: Brill (X.985/73) Ellms, Charles (2004[1837]) The Pirates own Book. Project Gutenberg [accessed 23 June 2022] Hamid, Hamid S. M. (2016) al-Qarsanah al-Bahariyyah: bayn al-asbab wa-l-tadaiyat wa-l-rua al-istratijiyyah . Cairo: al-Markaz al-Qawmi li-l-Isdarat al-Qanuniyah London, British Library, 'File 2902/1916 Treaties and Engagements between the British Government and the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast of the Persian Gulf' IOR/L/PS/10/606. Qatar Digital Library [accessed 23 June 2022] Rida, Muhammad R. (1904) Kitab al-Musalahah al-Muntazimah bayn Sultan Marakish wa Luwiz al-Khamis ashr Malik Faransa. Majallat al-Manar, 7, pp. 783-791. Al-Maktabah al-Shamilah [accessed 23 June 2022] Woodbridge, David, Aboelezz, Mariam and Abu Shaban, Tahani (2021) Piracy in the India Office Records: some historical context . Qatar Digital Library [accessed 23 June 2022] Naivety Toward China Is Over: G7 Nations to Take Tougher Stance on China Trade G7 Trade Ministers have said they will take a tougher stance on China over trade, after a two day meeting at Neuhardenberg Palace in East Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 15. Experts believe the change is because the countries have become increasingly alert to the Chinese regimes aggressive behavior towards the international community. German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck told reporters after the meeting that the G7 have agreed to take a tougher and more coordinated stance against Beijing on trade, as that naivety toward China is over. He said that discussions about China were part of an effort to ensure high international trade standards in international trade and to prevent Beijing from using its economic might to steamroll other nations. The time when one said Trade, no matter what, regardless of social or humanitarian standards, is something we shouldnt allow ourselves anymore, Habeck said. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck addresses the media following a G7 Trade Ministers meeting at Neuhardenberg Castle, Germany, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Annegret Hilse/Reuters) Harbeck also said that Germany will persuade the EU to formulate a more robust trade policy toward China and respond as Europeans to the coercive measures that China takes to protect its economy. He believed the other partner countries will do exactly the same. The G7 members include the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, and Japan. Germany currently holds the presidency, which rotates among G7 members. No More Appeasement Dr. Su Tzu-yun, director of the Institute of National Defense and security research divisions of the National Defense Academy of Taiwan, told to The Epoch Times on Sept. 16 that Habecks speech is based on Germanys clear realization of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) military expansion and its wolf warrior diplomacy that attempt to play the victim card. Secondly, no more naivety means that Germany is to abandon the appeasement policy of the Angela Merkels era. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was often accused of taking a friendly trade policy toward China and not being tough enough on Chinas human rights abuses when she was in power. German statistics show that by the end of 2021, China had been Germanys largest trading partner for six consecutive years. Su added that Germany has depended on Russia for energy and depended on China for trade. After Russias invasion of Ukraine in February, the West placed sanctions on Russia while Russia has cut energy supply to Western Europe in retaliation. Germany has learned the lesson [not to trust the regime] the hard way, and has clearly adjusted its strategic direction, Su said. Habeck also urged that Europe should not support the Chinese regimes One Belt, One Road economic initiatives, which would allow Beijing to acquire more of Europes strategic infrastructure and exert influence on European trade policy. He also advocated for stricter scrutiny of investments by China-based companies in Europe, and opposed Chinese state-owned company COSCO Shippings acquisition of Hamburgs container terminal Blessed Land. A container ship is seen at the shipping terminal Eurokai in the Port of Hamburg, Germany, on Nov. 6, 2017. (Fabian Bimmer/Reuters) Urgency to Link Human Rights and Diplomacy with Trade G7 trade ministers went on to issue a joint statement following the Berlin meeting. Without naming China, it expressed concern about unfair practices, such as all forms of forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, lowering of labor and environmental standards to gain competitive advantage, market-distorting actions of state-owned enterprises, and harmful industrial subsidies, including those that lead to excess capacity. The statement also pledged to continue to seek reform of the World Trade Organization, to which China was granted membership in 2001. Lee Cheng-hsiu, a researcher at the National Policy Research Foundation in Taipei, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 16, In the past, they only complained and verbally protested about the illegal practices of Chinese companies, but there was no real countermeasure. However, in recent years, the CCP has become more and more aggressive in international community, using their economic and trade advantages to pressure smaller countries, including some former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The West cant tolerate it anymore. Lee said that although its not easy, the Western countries should hold the CCP accountable by linking human rights and diplomacy with trade. Western countries must hold their stance of defending human rights. Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya contributed to the report. A lab where the state health department tests blood from newborns for more than 50 rare diseases in Lansing, Mich., on July 2022. (Joey Cappelletti/Report for America via AP) Parents Win Key Ruling in Michigan Newborn Blood Dispute DETROITA 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 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 United States. 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 on Sept. 13, 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 didnt 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. Despite the judges ruling, the state health department said Friday that its confident the program complies with state and federal laws. Earlier this year, at a separate stage of the case, the health department agreed to destroy more than 3 million blood spots stored in Lansing, but millions more remain under state control. The 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 codenot someones nameis attached to blood spots that are stored in Detroit, making threats to privacy 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. By Ed White U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds a press conference in the parliament in Yerevan, Armenia, on Sept. 18, 2022. (Karen Minasyan/AFP via Getty Images) Pelosi Visits Armenia, Condemns Illegal and Deadly Attacks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and a delegation of lawmakers visited Armenia in the midst of fresh clashes with neighboring Azerbaijan that have killed more than 200 troops, according to U.S. officials. While speaking in Yerevan, Armenia, Pelosi condemned the illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory that triggered border fighting. We strongly condemn those attacks, she said beside Armenian parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan. While the two countries agreed to a ceasefire last week, the fighting was initiated by the Azeris, and there has to be recognition of that, according to Pelosi. Shes the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Armenia in several decades and the first to do so since the country became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Azerbaijan also was a Soviet republic before the blocs dissolution. The U.S. Embassy, which confirmed Pelosis visit on Sept. 17, stated that her trip included a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. She was joined by Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), according to embassy officials. Other than visiting with Pashinyan, Pelosi also will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Armenian Genocide Memorial, and shell deliver a speech at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, the embassy stated. 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) A ceasefire took effect on Sept. 14, following two days of heavy fighting that marked the largest outbreak of hostilities in nearly two years. The two 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. Azeri officials sharply criticized Pelosi following her Sept. 18 remarks. The unsubstantiated and unfair accusations leveled by Pelosi against Azerbaijan are unacceptable, the Azeri Foreign Ministry said in a statement, as reported by Reuters. This is a serious blow to the efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The ministry also asserted that Pelosis comments are Armenian propaganda. Russia considers Armeniawhich recently requested support from Moscowa regional ally. The Kremlin also has sought friendly relations with Azerbaijan in recent years. On Sept. 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that Russia is able to mediate in the ArmeniaAzerbaijan conflict, saying that Moscow has enough resources to provide assistance despite the conflict raging in Ukraine. Under the influence of Russia, this conflict was localized. I hope this continues to be the case, Putin told reporters, according to Reuters. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 'The ocean is a living, breathing subject and I treat it that way,' says the photographer These jaw-dropping images of ocean waves reveal the true majesty of nature. But behind the glorious shots is a human story of suffering transformed into joy, told by none other than the genius who took them, ocean photographer Ray Collins. The ocean is all Ive ever known. I learned many of lifes lessons from the sealessons of patience, humility, respect, and how to go with the flow, Collins, from Thirroul in New South Wales, Australia, told The Epoch Times. We only get one shot at this beautiful gift of life, so dont keep putting it off. Change is hard, but if it is for self improvement, its always worth it. Talking about what led him to ocean photography, Collins recalled a fateful day, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He was working in an underground coal mine in 2007 when he injured his knee. Over half a mile down, approximately 20 miles in through a series of dark tunnels, he could not have been further from the beauty of the open sea. Lying on the floor, in the mud, miles away from anyone, was one of the lowest points of my life, said Collins, whos published his work in two coffee-table books, Found At Sea and Water & Light. The accident resulted in him being taken out by special ambulance and operated on, leaving him with a lot of time on his hands. I couldnt walk or drive for weeks and needed to stay engaged, so I bought a camera, he said. I had no idea what any of the dials and buttons meant, but it looked professional, so I bought it. And the rest is history. Collins dedicated himself to learning the craft using his faithful dog as a subject. As his rehab progressed, his doctor suggested swimming. Having grown up spending every day at the beach, the budding photographer was thrilled to be able to go back in the water. With his newfound friendan underwater housing cameraCollins began taking photos of his friends surfing. It all felt really familiar, he said, and within the space of a few months, his images were featuring in surfing magazines around the world. The sheer grandeur of Collinss work signifies the way the former miner views the ocean. The ocean is a living, breathing subject, and I treat it that way, like Im taking portraits of it in its many moods, Collins said. Often, those moods are potentially dangerous. Collins frequently ventures out at the golden hour in photography, the brief window of time right after sunrise, or just before sunset. This means hes swimming out in the dark most mornings, waiting for the sun to come up. A lot of the waves I document arent found at your typical user friendly beaches, he said. Often, I have to scale down cliffs or swim way out in the middle of nowhere to find these weird and angry lumps of water breaking. What hes searching for are shallow reefs surrounded by deep water. That way, the wave traveling stands up suddenly in reaction to the shallow reef. Positioning himself there, Collins captures his magical shots. Water and light are the two essential ingredients that make his images so special, alongside texture, composition, and contrast. To find them, Collins walks a fine line between order and chaos. Miscalculations on positioning are often frightening. My studio is crashing down around me, and pulling me backwards and forwards, he said. Collins is colorblind, and its incredible to think he operates as a visual artist this way; his theory is that the deficiency has potentially enhanced other parts of his vision, helping make his photography unique. The way Collins spends his days now is totally at odds with his previous existence. Journeying around the world, up close and personal with one of Mother Natures most awesome expressions, has given him a life he could never have dreamed of. Collins regularly shares his work on Instagram and Facebook, and also distributes fine art prints to a global clientele. If I told young Ray that this would be his life, I wouldnt even have been able to fathom the conceptthere were no job applications for this, he said. I have to pinch myself to remind me that this is real. For this creative artist, being in nature is a vital to living a fulfilled life. He said: Just being there, hearing and feeling the power and majesty of whats taking place all around, I really feel like the luckiest person in the world sometimes. Sometimes, I hoot and scream at the top of my lungs, with not another soul in sight. Its the moments he misses that keep him coming back for more. He said its of course challenging to constantly create, as at times, doubt creeps in and theres that internal monologue, or theres the stories that we keep telling ourselves. Its rewarding, but its hard, he said. Embrace all of who you are, because your unique experiences and circumstances are what set you apart from everyone else. Dont worry about impressing strangers who have no bearing on your life. If youre unhappy with where youre at in some area, you can change it. Check out more of Ray Collinss work below. Enjoy! Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Inspired newsletter at: https://www.theepochtimes.com/newsletter Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, left by the wall, and members of the public file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at the Palace of Westminster, in London, Sept. 17, 2022. (The Canadian Press/AP-POOL, Yui Mok) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Attends Queens Lying-in-State, Meets King Charles III Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped to view Queen Elizabeths casket and met with King Charles III in London on Saturday, as people from around the world gather ahead of the queens funeral. The royal family confirmed King Charles met with Trudeau as well as Anthony Albanese of Australia, Philip Davis of the Bahamas, Andrew Holness of Jamaica and New Zealands Jacinda Ardern. The news release included a photo of Trudeau and King Charles seated in front of a fireplace. The Kings office also confirmed he met with governors general from across the world at a lunch reception. Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, attended the queens lying-in-state earlier in the day and signed a book of condolences for the late monarch. Livestream footage from Westminster Hall briefly showed Trudeau and his wife as they stopped by the queens flag-draped coffin. Trudeau is one of dozens of world leaders who are in London ahead of Mondays royal funeral. Canadas delegation to London also includes Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and her husband, former governors general Michaelle Jean and David Johnston, as well as former prime ministers Kim Campbell, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper. Canadian First Nations, Inuit and Metis leaders will also attend the funeral, as will several Order of Canada recipients including former swimmer Mark Tewksbury and actress Sandra Oh. World leaders and members of the public alike are converging on London ahead of Mondays funeral. On Saturday, people could already be seen setting up camping chairs to stake out prime spots along the flag-lined road leading to Buckingham Palace, where the queens coffin will pass in a military procession after Mondays funeral. Crowds were also heavy around Buckingham Palace and Green Park, where people have been laying floral tributes to the queen. The gate to Green Park was closed on Saturday morning, leading to confusion as hundreds of people found themselves stuck in a narrow pathway outside the barricade. The governments Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport also announced Saturday afternoon that the lineup for members of the public to see the queen lying in state was up to 11 hours long as of 5 p.m., down from 24 hours earlier in the day. The accessible line, for people with limited mobility, was permanently closed after reaching capacity, the department tweeted. By Morgan Lowrie Rapper Mystikal performs during the Legends of Southern Hip Hop Tour at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on March 19, 2016. (Robb D. Cohen/Invision/AP) Rapper Mystikal to Be Arraigned on Rape, Other Charges NEW ORLEANSThe Grammy-nominated hip-hop performer Mystikal is scheduled for arraignment on charges accusing him of raping and choking a woman, and illegally possessing drugs at his Louisiana home. Charges the performer will face during his arraignment Monday will include first-degree rape, which carries an automatic life sentence if Tyler is convicted. My client is innocent of all charges, attorney Joel Pearce said in a text message Thursday. He said the rapper, whose given name is Michael Tyler, had a court order to protect him from the woman, and he is the true victim. Pearce said he hopes he will be allowed to present evidence supporting bond for Tyler, who has been held without bond since the end of July. A judge denied bond on Aug. 4, but Pearce, who did not then represent the performer, said it was not a full bond hearing that would take evidence in Tylers favor. Tyler was arrested July 31 on charges accusing him of choking and raping the woman at his home in Prairieville, an Ascension Parish community of about 33,000 near Baton Rouge. A news release Wednesday from the district attorneys office said Tyler was indicted last week on 10 counts including rape, domestic abuse battery by strangulation, and false imprisonment. Investigators who searched his home found evidence to corroborate the victims account of the rape along with a variety of illegal narcotics, the statement said. An Ascension Parish grand jury brought the charges in two indictments handed up Sept. 6, The Advocate reported. District Attorney Ricky Babin said in an email that because they are part of an ongoing criminal matter, the indictments are not public records under state law. Pearce represented Tyler on rape and kidnapping charges that prosecutors in northwest Louisiana dropped in December 2020. Those charges, brought in 2017, had kept him jailed nearly 18 months before he was released on $3 million bond. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) departs the Senate floor following a vote on the Senate floor on Capitol Hill on Aug. 6, 2022. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images) Sen. Cruz Urges DeSantis to Send Illegal Immigrants to 3 New Democrat-Run Areas Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) urged Republican governors to send illegal immigrants to three other Democrat-run areas after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantiss well-publicized move to send them to Marthas Vineyard last week. On Twitter, the Republican senator urged DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbot to send illegal aliens to Nantucket, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Like Marthas Vineyard, Nantucket is often used as a vacation spot for the wealthy and powerful. Rehoboth Beach is where President Joe Biden has a vacation house, and Palo Alto, a city located in Silicon Valley, is home to several large tech companies. For months now, Abbott has been sending illegal immigrants from the U.S.Mexico border to Democrat-run areas, including New York, Chicago, and Washingtonall of which are sanctuary cities. The leaders in those areas have sounded the alarm and said their municipalities cant handle the influx of illegal immigrants, prompting cries of hypocrisy. On Sept. 15, Abbott sent several buses filled with illegal migrants to Washington before they were dropped off outside the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris. At about the same time, DeSantis sent 50 illegal immigrants to Marthas Vineyard, where former President Barack Obama has a sprawling estate. Within a day, the governor of Massachusetts activated the National Guard and transported the people to a military base on Cape Cod. Top Democrats, including officials in the White House, have condemned the move, alleging that DeSantis and Abbott are engaging in human trafficking. But the two governors have said that their states cant handle the massive surge in illegal immigration, that the federal government has the sole authority to carry out deportations, and that the Biden administrations lax immigration rules are what caused the influx. 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) California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, accused DeSantis of kidnapping the illegal immigrants, writing on Twitter, Clearly, transporting families, including children, across state lines under false pretenses is morally reprehensible, but it may also be illegal. The governor also sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and alleged that some individuals who were transported to Marthas Vineyard have alleged that a recruiter induced them to accept the offer of travel based on false representations, although that assertion was disputed by DeSantis in a press conference on Sept. 16. Cruz suggested to Fox News last week that top Democrats dont have their priorities in order. He made note of an incident that unfolded earlier this year during which more than 50 illegal aliens were found dead inside a truck near San Antonio. You know, the Democrats did not think it was a humanitarian crisis when we pulled over 50 bodies in body bags out of a truck in Texas of illegal immigrants who died because the smugglers let them die of heat exposure, Cruz said. And yet, suddenly 50 illegal immigrants show up in lily-white Marthas Vineyard, where rich liberals and billionaires sip Chardonnay, and it is, it is World War II. A bus carrying illegal immigrants sent from Texas arrives at Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York on Aug. 10, 2022. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images) 6 More Buses of Illegal Immigrants Arrive in New York: Mayor Six more buses filled with illegal immigrants arrived in New York on Sept. 18, a move that was immediately condemned by Mayor Eric Adams. Adams, a Democrat, asserted in a CNN interview that Republican governors are engaging in the erosion of basic human rights by busing illegal immigrants to other parts of the country, including New York, in recent weeks. Well, I think its a message for the entire country, Adams told CNNs Jake Tapper on Sept. 18. You see, this is their way of covering up what many people have been really concerned about the erosion of basic human rights. Were seeing crisis calls for coordination. In the interview, Adams didnt mention the Biden administrations immigration policies. Republicans say that the White Houses shift on immigration has triggered a massive surge in illegal immigration, and they have no choice but to transport the people to other parts of the country. The administration, which oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, is the only U.S. entity that has the ability to deport people. Governors dont have such authority. After President Joe Biden took office last year, he immediately moved to scrap several key Trump-era immigration rules. They included ending construction of the former presidents signature border wall, reissuing provisions established under the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and rolling back interior immigration enforcement priorities that were implemented by former President Donald Trump. Adams confirmed to CNN that six more buses filled with illegal immigrants from Texas arrived in the city. The mayor said that the citys resources are stretched thin and cant deal with the influx. We received a minimum of six buses early this morning. Over 11,000 individuals, asylum-seekers, and migrants have come to the city already, Adams told Tapper. It is time for us to coordinate this humanitarian crisis that our country is facing. For months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said that his administration as well as border towns in his state have been overwhelmed by illegal immigrants, adding that Texas doesnt have the resources to deal with them. A report issued last month from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) found that in the 18 months since Biden took office, more than 4.9 million illegal aliensroughly the equivalent of the entire population of Irelandhave crossed into the United States. In that time, the Biden administration has blamed an unprecedented surge of illegal immigration on all sorts of external factors, except their own sabotage of our nations immigration laws, said Dan Stein, the president of FAIR. The endless flow of illegal aliens and the incursion of lethal narcotics pouring across our border will not end until this administration demonstrates a willingness to enforce our laws. Last week, Abbott and fellow Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis made headlines when they transported illegal immigrants to Vice President Kamala Harriss residence in Washington and also to Marthas Vineyard. DeSantis argued that the move to transport the aliens to the Massachusetts island was necessary because Florida isnt a sanctuary state. Hours later, the governor of Massachusetts activated the National Guard and transported the roughly 50 illegal immigrants to a military base on Cape Cod. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol takes a question during a news conference to mark his first 100 days in office at the presidential office in Seoul, Aug. 17, 2022. (The Canadian Press/AP-POOL, Chung Sung-Jun) South Korean President to Visit Canada, Talk Trade, Energy and Security With Trudeau South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to discuss trade and security issues with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a scheduled visit to Canada next week. Yoon is to visit Toronto and Ottawa on Sept. 22 and 23 in what Trudeaus office says is his first bilateral visit abroad since he was elected in March. A statement says Trudeau is to meet with Yoon while he is in Ottawa. Trudeau plans to discuss ways the two countries can strengthen their trade relationship by working more closely on energy, including electric vehicle batteries and critical minerals, and supply chains. The two are also set to talk about regional security issues on the Korean Peninsula, such as monitoring of North Korean maritime activities. Also on the agenda are discussions that are expected to see the two leaders continue condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and reaffirming their support for the Ukrainian people. State to Audit Orange County Power Authority After Request by Local Officials Californias Joint Legislative Audit Committee has agreed to audit the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), a recently formed energy provider embroiled in complaints about its operation. State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) announced Sept. 15 the upcoming audit as the agency deals with allegations of mismanagement, inaction, and a lack of transparency. Its clear that OCPA has had little oversight, Umberg said in a statement. We owe it to the taxpayers to explain why their energy costs are going upand who or what is responsible. Umberg was joined by State Sens. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) and Assemblymembers Tom Daly (D-Anaheim), Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach), and Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) in requesting the audit of the agencys internal business practices. Powerlines in Fullerton, Calif., on Dec. 22, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The legislators have received multiple complaints since OCPA started operating, according to Umberg. Since 2020, the six legislators have received multiple complaints regarding the governance, operation, and basic competence of the Authority, Umberg said. Additionally, part of the promise of OCPA was that it would provide cheaper energy, however, business consumers have reported that their rates have actually been more expensive than under Southern California Edison and have been steadily increasing over the past 6 months. These concerns were echoed by the California Public Utilities Commission, which levied a $1.96 million fine against OCPA in April for failing to purchase adequate electricity to avoid service interruption this summer and beyond, Umberg said. The nonprofit power authority was set up by the county in late 2020 as a local sustainable energy alternative to Southern California Edison and to give businesses and residential customers a choice about their power sources. It launched its commercial services in April. Now, it provides energy to more than 38,000 businesses in Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, and Irvine. It is set to begin residential service Oct. 1. The Orange County Board of Supervisors meet in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 25, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) In June, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to launch an investigation into any legal or financial risk associated with the OCPA. An Orange County grand jury also investigated the OCPA this year, submitting a report in June, detailing what it said were the agencys problems with transparency and what it called a rocky start. The report said problems began right after the agencys creation with a lack of transparency and rising costs. The grand jury said a shortage of new renewable energy projects has caused prices to rise nearly 10 percent since the beginning of the year and nearly 29 percent since last year. OCPAs CEO Brian Probolsky filed a whistleblower complaint in May against some of the authoritys board members, alleging they sought to fire him. An investigation into that complaint will be conducted by Los Angeles-based Jeffrey Wortman, a partner at the international law firm of Seyfarth Shaw. Whether it's a little doodle for a video game you're designing or a great quote you don't want to forget, having a pen and some paper on hand is always ideal. But when you feel inspired, you aren't always conveniently sitting at a desk or even indoors, for that matter. And unless you want to tap something quickly into your phone, a better writing system could really aid in your creativity. You should be able to write down thoughts, musings, measurements, and whatever you want, whenever you want. Thanks to this waterproof pen by KeySmart, you'll never be hindered by your environment again. Even in the pouring rain, this pen can still write beautifully, especially when paired with Rite-In-The-Rain notepads, so you can focus on whatever you're jotting down and nothing else for just $39.99 or 29% off. This advanced writing utensil is worth adding to your creative arsenal. That's because it's a bolt-action pen with a pressurized cartridge, enabling you to write in just about any direction, even upside down, if you wish. And thanks to its unique ink formula, you can write amid wetness and extreme temperatures as chilly as -30F and as scorching as 250F. Made of sturdy aircraft-grade aluminum and boasting a stainless steel pocket clip, the KeySmart pen is meant to be toted around, ready to write whenever and wherever you feel the need to. And its rugged grip allows you to get a firm grasp on the thing in any condition. Designed by the brilliant minds at KeySmart, the company that took the world by storm by raising over $320,000 on Kickstarter for its compact key organizer, you can bet this waterproof pen is the gadget you'll want on your hands when inspiration calls. Get your creative juices flowing with the KeySmart Tactiv Bolt Action Waterproof Pen, now 29% off at just $56. Prices subject to change. By Bob Niedt From Kiplingers Personal Finance Veteran Costco shoppers are familiar with the limited-run vendor roadshows for high-end (but heavily discounted) items like Vitamix or Traeger grills that liven up Costco warehouses, particularly on weekends. But Costco is employing a similar strategy in an out-of-the-way online portal of its website. Its called Costco Next, and it contains a curated selection of limited goods Costco says are supplied by some of Costcos most trusted suppliers. Theyre mostly in the home goods, tech, fashion, and outdoors realmsa hodgepodge of retailers you might know and some you probably dont. Costco Next isnt new. Its been around since 2017. Lately, however, Costco has been adding more brands to the limited-run site. And other warehouse club chains, BJs Wholesale Club and Sams Club, dont appear to have an equivalent of what Costco is doing online with Costco Next. So, what are the deals? There are currently 41 brands online in the Costco Next universe. Some are familiar: Invicta watches, Mikasa dinnerware, Dearfoams slippers, Philips lighting products, and Thomas Kinkade Studios fine art. Youll also find Artika lighting products, Baggallini accessories, Bench activewear, Cangshan handcrafted cutlery, Briggs & Riley luggage, and Golden Arowana flooring among others How to use Costco Next? Click into the Costco Next page. Youll find the link nested toward the bottom of the Costco home page. On Costco Next, click on one of the brands, like Invicta watches. A page pops up with products available at Invicta. You must enter your first and last name and your Costco membership number. Click visit Invicta. Youll be taken to Costco.Invictawatch.com to buy from the provider at Costco prices. Under collaborations, an Invicta Disney Limited Edition Mens Gold and Black watch sells for $114.99 (regular price $259) and an Invicta Shaq Collection Sea Hunter Mens Two Tone Gold with Diamonds watch sells for $319.99, regularly $414.98. Under mens watches, an Invicta Venom Hybrid Double Open Heart Mens Black and Mother of Pearl watch is $349.99, regularly $449.43. But are these smart buys? We checked out what appeared to be the same Disney watch on Amazon.com. It was selling for $109.99, $5 less than it was selling on Costco Next. Mind you, it isnt always easy to compare apples to applesor Shaqs to Shaqs. We had a hard time finding new Invicta Shaq collection watches available elsewhere that matched up with what Costco Next was offering via Invicta. And be careful about how prices display when in the Costco Next portals. Invicta gives you the Costco price up front. So does outdoors gear company Klymit. Portable charger brand Anker, however, shows a higher list price and tells shoppers the Costco member discount will show up at checkout. The Anker PowerCore 20100mAh Portable Charger Power Bank that was listed for $59.99 was $48 when after putting it in the shopping cart. Shipping was free. On Amazon, that Anker PowerCore 20100mAh Portable Charger Power Bank was selling for $59.99. (Bob Niedt is an online editor at Kiplinger.com. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.) 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. 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. Former President Donald Trump speaks at a Save America Rally to support Republican candidates running for state and federal offices in the state at the Covelli Centre, in Youngstown, Ohio, on Sept. 17, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Trump Says He Is Fighting Political Persecution by Sick, Deranged Establishment Former President Donald Trump told his supporters during a rally on Saturday that he will continue his fight against the politically-motivated persecution aimed at him. The radical left Democrats have been fighting tooth and nail to stop me because they know I will never be loyal to them because I will only be loyal to you and to our country, Trump said during a Save America rally in Youngstown, Ohio. The former president was at the rally to stump for GOP candidates in local races, including J.D. Vance who is facing Democrat nominee Tim Ryan for the states senate election. For six straight years, Ive been harassed, investigated, defamed, slandered, and persecuted like no other presidentand probably like no one in American history, Trump continued. Yet all I have ever wanted and all weve ever fought for is to simply, very simply, Make America Great Again. Make America Great Again, or MAGA, is Trumps slogan in his successful 2016 presidential campaign. Last month, President Joe Biden accused MAGA Republicans as extremists during a speech in Philadelphia. No matter what our sick and deranged political establishment throws at me, no matter what they do to me, I will endure their torment and oppression, and I will do it very willingly, Trump said. They will never get me to stop fighting for you, the American people, Trump continued. And I will never quit because the fate of our country is at stake. The former president reiterated his previous criticism of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), saying that the FBI raid of his Mar-a-Lago residence last month was the result of the unprecedented weaponization of the agency. Former President Donald Trump enters the stage at a Save America Rally to support Republican candidates running for state and federal offices in the state of Ohio at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, on Sept. 17, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) FBI agents at Mar-a-Lago seized 11,179 materials that were not marked classified, according to an inventory released in early September. Additionally, the agents took 103 documents marked classified, including some marked top secret. On Sept. 15, Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon appointed retired Judge Raymond Dearie as special master to independently review the seized materials. One of Dearies tasks is to determine whether any documents are privileged and should be off-limits to federal investigators. Cannon also rejected a DOJ request to allow investigators to continue its criminal investigation into the seized documents. However, a day later, the DOJ filed a motion asking an appeals court to issue a partial stay on Cannons order. Trump said those attacking the MAGA movement, whom he labeled as thugs and tyrants, have awakened a sleeping giant. The American people will never accept the corruption and the ruination of our beloved country, Trump said. On November 8, were going to vote in record numbers and we are going to send these left-wing lunatics a message they cannot cancel, silence, or ignore. We need a landslide so big that the radical left cannot steal it or rig it, Trump continued. As for the upcoming midterm elections, Trump predicted the Republicans will take back both the House and Senate. And in 2024, most importantly, we are going to take back our magnificent White House, he said. Former President Donald Trump enters the stage at a Save America Rally to support Republican candidates running for state and federal offices in the state of Ohio at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, on Sept. 17, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Trump Says the FBI Colluded With Russia Former President Donald Trump on Saturday reversed a long-held Democrat narrative by saying it was the FBI that colluded with Russianot him. For years, Trump has categorically denied the Russian collusion narrative. Several investigations, including one carried out by former special counsel Robert Mueller, found no evidence Trump colluded with Moscow to win the 2016 election, although those notions have persisted in mainstream media outlets. On Saturday during a rally in Ohio to support GOP candidates, Trump made note of special counsel John Durhams investigation into the federal governments Russia investigation. Last week, Durhams team issued a court filing that said Igor Danchenko, the alleged principal source of the Steele dossier that targeted Trump, was later made a paid FBI informant. Danchenko, a Russia analyst, is facing five charges of lying to the FBI. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. I think that sounds like a slightly Russian name, Trump said during the event. The foreign national fabricated some of the most ridiculous smears and lies in the phony Steele dossier. It was all phony. He added: How would you like to be me and go home and explain that one to my wife (Melania Trump)? Darling, it wasnt true. I swear it wasnt it was all phony. The 45th president then asserted that the allegations that were pushed in the dossier, a series of notes pushed by former UK spy Christopher Steele, were made up by Democrats who were working with a paid informant of the FBI. Steele compiled the dossier while being paid by Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Man, what a country we have, Trump also told the rally-goers. Weve got to fix our country. Its so sad. According to a recent court filing, Danchenko was made a paid FBI confidential informant in March 2017 and remained as such until October 2020. The FBI declined to comment, referring The Epoch Times to the Department of Justice. The department did not respond to a query. In 2016, Danchenko was paid by Steele to collect information on Trump, who was then a presidential candidate, and Steele was in turn hired by opposition research firm Fusion GPS. Fusion GPS, meanwhile, was being paid by the Democratic National Committee and Clinton, who was then the opponent of Trump. Prosecutors have said Danchenko lied about key details, including falsely saying he did not get information from Dolan for the dossier. Danchenko, a Russian-born national who lives in the United States, is scheduled to be tried in October. Earlier this month, his lawyers filed a motion to dismiss charges (pdf) and argued Durhams prosecution is a case of extraordinary government overreach. Danchenko sat through numerous voluntary FBI interviews and provided hours of truthful information to the government, Danchenkos attorneys said, adding that he had no role in the drafting of the Steele dossier and had no knowledge of their existence. Indeed, Mr. Danchenko did not even know what specific project [Steele] was working on when he began to solicit Mr. Danchenko for information about Trump and his connections to Russia. Mr. Danchenko was also unaware of how many other sources had contributed to the creation of the Reports, the filing stated. The Epoch Times has contacted the FBI for comment. Trump made the remarks Saturday while campaigning for Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance in Youngstown, Ohio. Zachary Stieber contributed to this report. Matt Lohmeier, former Space Force Lt. Colonel, in an interview with NTD's Steve Lance on "Capitol Report", on Sept. 15, 2022. (Screenshot via NTD video) Unvaccinated Air Force Officers Grounded Despite Court Order: Former Space Force Lt. Colonel Members of the Air Force have been grounded for refusing to take a COVID-19 shot even after a court order ruling against such actions said a former space force commander on Sept. 15, adding that it is not the time to be tampering with our readiness. Roughly two months back, a federal court in Ohio stated that the Air Force is not legally justified in taking punitive action against service members who do not take the COVID-19 vaccine, Matt Lohmeier, former Space Force Lieutenant Colonel, said in an interview with Capitol Report on NTD News. A preliminary injunction was also issued. Lohmeier gave an example of a Squadron Leader in a fighter squadron at the Air Force who had been grounded and removed from his post following his decision not to take a COVID-19 shot. Neither the squadron leader nor other members who he is aware of have been allowed to return back to flying status Lohmeier said. Our senior defense officials seem uninterested in abiding by law, he said. Weve got over 700 pilots potentially on the chopping block right now for their refusal to take the shot. The mandatory vaccination rule itself is illegal since the COVID-19 vaccine available in many instances has only been approved under emergency use authorization (EUA), Lohmeier said. Many service members across all branches of the military have objected to these vaccines, amounting to thousands of personnel. Back in 2019, the Chief Staff of the Air Force had publicly admitted that the United States was facing a pilot crisis due to a shortage of 1,650 pilots, he said. That problem hasnt been fixed or gotten any better since 2019. At a time of great power competition, potentially with China and Russia, Lohmeier said, it is not the time to be tampering with our readiness. GOP Unwillingness, Court Cases Lohmeier also criticized the Republican Party for not standing with unvaccinated military personnel. One pilot who is grounded and has not been returned back to flying status has tried to engage with the Republican congressman in his home state as well as local state legislators where he is stationed. None of the Republicans even are willing to engage issues related to COVID, he said. Because even the Republican Party is divided over that, despite it being an illegal mandate. Danielle Runyan, an attorney with First Liberty Institute whose legal team has been taking up cases to defend unvaccinated military members, said to Capitol Report on NTD News on Sept. 16, that they are handling an Air Force case and a Navy Seals caseboth of which challenge constitutional violations related to the COVID-19 mandate as well as violations of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. According to a recent Fox News report, the Navy quietly rolled back its decision to punish SEAL members who remain unvaccinated due to religious beliefs in May. When questioned about the matter, Runyan replied that the Navy has not changed its stance. Not only is the vaccination mandate still in effect and service members are required to comply with it, but the Navy continues processing denials. Runyan believes that this is going to be a court battle to the end. The attorney said that many service members who filed for religious accommodation requests have been pulled from their duties despite being perfectly capable of carrying them out. In contrast, those who filed for medical exemptions are still performing their tasks. They are ultimately going to lose their careers if they cant perform their duties, she said. These vaccines are not preventing the spread of the virus, Runyan said. Military officials are aware of this fact. And, you know, the military is choosing to ignore these facts. This is just a clear violation of the law. Steve Lance Follow Steve Lance is the host of Capitol Report, a political news show based in Washington aimed at providing a direct channel to the voices and people who shape policy in America. Capitol Report features all of the political news of the day with expert interviews and analysis. A second chance at a happily-ever-after came for a widow and widower from Wisconsin when they met after both having lost their spouses in sudden, tragic circumstances. Steve Ullmer, 42, and his second wife, Erin, 40, have now been married for four years. Together, they parent six children: four from Steves first marriage, and two from Erins. Their blended family is a testament to their faith-filled journey. Steve and Erin Ullmer with their children. (Courtesy of Steve Ullmer) Falling in Love Steve met his first wife, Wendy, at Menasha High School in Wisconsin where he was a senior and she was a junior. He told The Epoch Times: We had a class together We started to date right at the end of my high school career, but just for a few months I went off to school at the University of Wisconsin; she stayed to finish high school. Later, Wendy, went to a school to become a nurse. For the next five years, the couple managed to have a long-distance relationship. During this time, Steve was seduced by the college party lifestyle and was involved with drugs and drinking. That was not something Wendy was into, he said. It damaged relationships, affected my school, and I started to actually get some physical injuries from my drinking. I had to have surgery, and by the grace of God it could have been much worse. Despite all this, Wendy never gave up on her love and was by Steves side. I dont understand to this day why she stayed with me but she did, Steve said. She was just a very loving, honest person. But Steve knew that something had to change in his life and he began to seek out a path. He started reading the Bible and found pure truth between the pages. I was 22 years old, in my last year of college. I was very hungover and was all by myself in my car in the middle of the night, Steve recalled. I felt the presence of God strongly, physically, in a way that I could not explain. It changed me, and from that day forward I surrendered my life to Jesus. I stopped drinking, stopped doing drugs I asked Wendy to marry me two weeks later. Steve and Wendy got married to each other in 2004. (Courtesy of Amy Fiedler Photography via Steve Ullmer) During their 13-year marriage, the couple had four sons: Liam, now 16, Jack, 15, Silas, 12, and Judah, 8. Steve had various jobs in the copper mill where he is now a production manager. Wendy worked as a part-time nurse so that she could stay home with the kids. She used her skills to help her friends stay healthy, and when she and Steve decided their family was complete, they began writing a book together. Thats when tragedy struck. Losing the Love of His Life I remember the last date I went on with her just talking about the future, Steve said. Five days after that last date, she was gone. On March 16, 2017, Wendy began experiencing heart palpitations. She wasnt worried, as shed had them before. But Steve took her to the doctor, where she was fitted with a heart monitor. Steve and Wendys family in 2014. (Courtesy of Defining 78 Photography via Steve Ullmer) It was a normal night and Steve went to sleep an hour earlier than Wendy. However, an hour later, Steve woke up to hear his wife gasping for breath beside him. I tried to wake her up, and she would not respond to me at all, he said. I started to shake her and yell her name, and she was totally unresponsive I called 911, I performed CPR on her, the paramedics came, the sheriff came, they all came to my house and tried to revive her, administered a shock to her heart and they couldnt revive her. At the hospital, doctors managed to restart Wendys heart and placed her on a ventilator, but her blood pressure deteriorated. The cardiac surgeon advised against another resuscitation, but Steve insisted; he believed God could still heal his wife. The entire family prayed for a miracle, but Wendy passed away the very next day. Steve didnt know how to tell his children that their mother, who was only 36, had died. At that time, they werent sure of Wendys cause of death. It wasnt until a few months later that he found out Wendy had died from sarcoidosis, an abnormal collection of inflammatory cells, in multiple organs throughout her body. Nobody had known Wendy was sick. Luckily, their children tested negative for the disease, and Steve leaned on family and the church for support as they tried to cope with the grief. All of a sudden being a single dad, trying to raise four young boys, it was so challenging, he said, but Im thankful that God gave me the kids that I have, especially during that time, because they kept driving me forward. Steve dragged his boys mattresses into one bedroom so that they could all sleep together and ask some tough questions to each other, such as Where is mom now? and How did God let this happen? Jon and Erins family in 2010. (Courtesy of Erin Stoffel Ullmer via Steve Ullmer) During this time, there was an outpouring of support from the community, as people prepared meals for the family, gave the children haircuts, and sent cards and messages stating that they were praying for him and his family. In late June 2017, Steve received a message through Facebook from Erin Stoffel, a woman well-known in his Wisconsin hometown for suffering an immense tragedy of her own. Erin had lost her husband and eldest daughter in a shooting incident in 2015. Erins message to Steve was simple: Hey, Steve, you dont know me, but Im praying for you and your boys. Just keep trusting in Jesus. Just like Steve, Erin had met her husband, Jon, in high school. They attended Bible College in California together and married young. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Olivia, when Erin was only 19. Later, a son and second daughter followed: Ezra, now 15, and Selah, 12. Jon and Erin got married in 2002. (Courtesy of Erin Stoffel Ullmer via Steve Ullmer) On May 3, 2015, Erin and Jon took advantage of a pleasant day and took their three kids on a walk across Menashas 1,600-foot Trestle Trail Bridge. At the halfway point of the bridge, theres a red pavilion with some benches, Steve said. People like to fish, or just sit, because youre out in the middle of the lake on this bridge. They saw there was a man who was slumped over on a bench, and another man standing next to him. Jon wanted to go see what had happened the man still standing pulled out a gun, shot Jon, shot Erin, and shot Olivia. They all fell to the ground. Erin had been shot through the leg but grabbed Selah, who was beside her, and started running, later sustaining two additional gunshots to the hand and stomach. She pleaded to her son, Ezra, to run before she collapsed. The shooter had killed the slumped-over man, named Adam, Jon, and Olivia, and took his own life by shooting himself. May God Forgive You Erin was transported to the hospital and had to undergo immediate surgery to stop the bleeding. When she woke up after the surgery, she had tubes in her mouth. She couldnt talk, and the only way she could communicate with everyone was to write on a piece of paper, Steve said. She asked about Jon and Olivia. The family had to confirm that both of them were gone. One thing that struck me from this story is that Erin had heard her husbands last words to the shooter. He had said, May God forgive you. Erin wrote that on a piece of paper she shared that with everyone. Jon was 33 when he died and Olivia was 11. When Steve received Erins comforting message after losing Wendy, he was moved by her selflessness. He asked a lot of questions about how to cope after such a loss. Erin sent him songs and Bible verses, and eventually, the pair grew close. Steve said: She is one of the most unique people Ive ever met. Shes very, very loving, very outgoing, and had very strong faith; thats one of the things that drew me to her. She reached out to me during a time when I was going through some very difficult things. Im just very thankful for her. The pair met in person for the first time in July 2017, at the Christian music festival, Life Fest. They spent hours walking and talking, sharing their lives. As their friendship developed, Steve felt that Erin was just trying to help him, but Erin confided that Steve had helped her heal, too. They found their kids could support each other in a similar way. They dont have other friends or kids their age who have been through something like this. Suddenly, now they have each other, Steve said. Steve and Erins children. (Courtesy of Rachel Kepshire Photography via Steve Ullmer) When Erin felt ready, Steve accompanied her back to the Trestle Trail Bridge to make peace with her loss. It was very hard, but we felt like we could do things like that with each other, he said. Both of us believe it was God that brought us together. A Happy, Blended Family Before long, the couple felt God was calling them to form a relationship. They turned to friends to seek advice about blending families before getting engaged in April 2018. They got married two months later. Steve and Erin got engaged in April 2018. (Courtesy of Amy Fiedler Photography via Steve Ullmer) Describing their wedding day, Steve said: It was beautiful. I just feel so blessed to have all of these families around us, supporting us, and they were all there. It was a really unique experience. When I got married to Wendy in 2004, that was for life. I viewed that as a Christian, and she was the same way, so I would never have thought Id get married again. But thats not the story God has He works for the good of those who love Him. Steve and Erin got married in June 2018. (Courtesy of Defining 78 Photography via Steve Ullmer) Together, Steve and Erin want to share their stories to bring glory to God, comfort those in grief, and encourage others that hope can be found. My faith, having that peace, it can sustain you through anything that this life throws your way, Steve said. Its hard to understand till it happens, but theres no peace to be found on that level in anything else. 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 i. The Yoruba Referendum Committee holds the position that this is not the time to prevaricate on the 2023 elections, despite the lackadaisical attitude of the Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti State Houses of Assembly towards the Bill for Referendum already placed before them. We hold that this resulted from the lack of sustained pressure by socio-political groups like Afenifere and various self-determination groups to become part of the Yoruba Referendum Committees efforts at enabling Yoruba people to pressurize and drag the Houses of Assembly, kicking and screaming, if necessary, to pass the Bill into Law and conduct the Referendum. ii. We reiterate that the Yoruba Referendum, as a template for Nationality Referendums in Nigeria, is the most peaceful and legitimate pathway towards the necessary Constitutional Re-Formation of Nigeria, the sine qua non of any appreciable economic, social, and cultural development for the Peoples of Nigeria. iii. We assert that Self-Determination and Electoralism are not parallel but interconnected. Electoralism may become the springboard for self-determination just as self-determination can become the fuel for electoralism, as shown by our experience. iv. The Egbe Omo Oduduwa was a self-determination movement, based on its anti-colonial pursuits and advocacy of Federalism for an Independent Nigeria. This was later taken up by the Action Group whose electoral pursuits were also based on self-determination for the Peoples of Nigeria, by which the Party was able to demand the creation of more Regions in recognition of the rights of the minorities. Therefore, the line recently drawn separating the two and admonishing them to keep each other at arms length, is antithetical to the political nature and context of the quest for self-determination and Yoruba political history. v. This Manichean division invalidates the political import of Self-Determination itself, while, electorally, the people are potentially disenfranchised. This may result in making the land politically prostrate in such a manner that non-friendly forces will become powerful enough to dictate Yoruba Political trajectory. vi. Yoruba self-determination does not necessarily need to lead to a Sovereign Yoruba Nation-State. Within the context of Africas most recent history, independence resulted in imposing the Nation-State paradigm of the colonial powers, driven by their own experience in Europe. However, its projection into Africa without the sovereignty of the Nationality as the basis for independence ensured all Nationalities were subsumed under the hegemony of a colonially preferred Nationality which has engendered internal conflicts and fueled continuous instability. vii. Federalism, based on Nationalities, as advocated by the Action Group, was the response and continues to be the response to the colonial Nation-State paradigm, now culminating in a contest between the forces of Unitarism and Federalism, a battle yet to be settled, with 2023 providing another dimension. viii. Therefore, a replication of the Nation-State paradigm cannot be the answer, but its opposite, the multi-National state, which was and still is, the counter to the Nation-State. It is our contention that setting up new sovereign states in Africa will be detrimental to the present and future of Africa in the sense that new Nation-States cannot emerge simultaneously or around the same historical periods, as each will be dependent on extant global necessities with consequences like those experienced by former Yugoslav Republics. ix. This is further reinforced by the experience of various Sovereign States emerging out of the USSR, including the break-up of Czechoslovakia at the instance of Glasnost and Perestroika (Restructuring) introduced in the USSR aimed at re-Federalizing the State Structure of the then Soviet Union but which was mishandled by her military, and which eventually led to its dissolution. This was encouraged by the Western World because its primary enemy, the Soviet Union, had ceased to exist. x. For Africa, the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991 led to the establishment of a National Somali Government which was rejected by a segment which unilaterally declared its Independence from the central regime. Despite all the trappings of a democratic State, Somalilands independence is still unrecognized by either the United Nations or any country in the world. Similarly, South Sudan fought against the North (Sudan) for over 30 years before the intersection of competing National Sovereignties between the US and China eventually enabled the UN to mediate an Independence Referendum. xi. The above examples show the necessity to transit from the Nation-State paradigm to the Multi-National State as the unfinished business of decolonization as it redefines the State anew, where, instead of one Nationality suppressing the other or becoming antagonistic towards each other, all Nationalities, as victims of colonial plunder, have the ability and capacity to come into being, on their own. xii. Switzerland is an example, where it was able to overcome its history of inter-Nationality violence by the formation of the Multi-National State, despite its assimilation into western Liberal economic trajectory. xiii. With the above, it is clear that, within current circumstances, pursuit of Yoruba Sovereignty is inimical to Yoruba self-determination in the sense that the first crucial step towards any form of self-determination is yet to be taken to wit: the reversal of the atomization of Yorubaland and other Nationalities into different contiguous and non-contiguous states, thereby neutralizing the Peoples as Federating Units and replacing them with state administrations. xiv. This has resulted in the dilution of political and economic power in the Nations in favor of political parties whose centers of gravity do not reside within the Nations, with the attendant effect of inter and intra party squabbles with no direct correlation with the development of the Nations. xv. Therefore, rather than equivocate on the 2023 Elections, the Yoruba Referendum Committee says this is the time to make the resolution of the National Question, that is, self-determination, an electoral necessity. xvi. This is because the Presidential category of the 2023 elections has, once again, brought into focus the National Question in Nigeria, and the necessity for Re-Formation of Nigeria, preferably through Constitutional and non-violent means. This is not only because the three major contenders for the presidency are from the three major Nationalities but also because it marks a continuity with elections since 1959 where the electoral landscape was represented by the three major Nationalities. In 1979, this was increased to five, with each political party largely representing a major Nationality, to wit: UPN(Yoruba); NPP(Igbo); GNPP(Kanuri); NPN(Fulani); PRP(Hausa). xvii. Despite the reduction of political parties into two by the time of the June 12, 1993, election, the National Question also became an issue because the major contenders from both parties were Yoruba and Kanuri, that is, M.K.O Abiola, Babagana Kingibe(SDP) and Bashir Tofa(NRC). This may partially explain the motive for the annulment. xviii. Peter Obi of the Labor Party has openly stated that there is nothing wrong with the 1999 Constitution. The Labor Party has thrown its weight behind the amendment to the 1999 Constitution which neutralizes natural indigenship with a 5-year residency as the primary requirement. With the influx of non-Yoruba into Yorubaland and the looming prospects of a 2023 census, it is safe to assume that a demographic change in Yorubaland is in the offing, to be legitimized by the Census. xix. On its part, the PDP has danced around devolution over a period of time. Despite this, the party refused to yield power to its members from the southern part of Nigeria. This made Governor Seyi Makinde (PDP) of Oyo state to lament the impossibility of a party unable to restructure itself being capable of restructuring Nigeria. xx. Besides, devolution is an anti-thesis to Federalism because whoever devolves power also retains the capacity to take it back. It further negates the necessity for the self-expression of the various Nations in Nigeria who had to be pacified with whatever the center wishes to hand out. Federalism is the other way round, to wit: the Nations decide what powers and responsibilities to yield to the center. xxi. This is the reason the Yoruba Referendum Committee defines a new Nigeria as a Federal Nigeria, through a valid Federal Constitution, to be known as The Union of Nigerian Constituent Nationalities, with a Federal Presidential Council, whose members will be selected or elected from each of the Nationalities as Federating Units and from whom a Head of State will be selected or elected as the primus-inter-pares with an agreed term. xxii. As for the APC and its presidential candidate, the resolution of the National Question has taken the back seat, despite the Rufai Committee Report on True Federalism. History may be about to repeat itself vis-a- vis the APC, with a Yoruba/Kanuri Ticket, whose potential victory may be upended either by a real or contrived PDP or Labor Party victory, failing which there is another possibility of an annulment or a contrived crisis leading to a declaration of a Doctrine of Necessity to usher in an Interim Government as being canvassed by some prominent persons. xxiii. To avert any of these, the Yoruba Referendum Committee calls on the entirety of Yoruba People, regardless of any self-determination or electoralist ascription, to support Asiwaju Tinubus candidacy while simultaneously demanding that the Houses of Assembly in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States, as presently constituted, pass the Bill for Referendum into Law. If the Referendum cannot be conducted before the 2023 elections, the Law must be grandfathered into any incoming Assemblies. xxiv. This is the best guarantee to prevent Yorubaland from being dissolved into another round of agitations were history to repeat itself. Editorial Board Yoruba Referendum Committee Twenty-four Nigerians have filed a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to give them and other seven million Nigerians adequate time and opportunity to complete their voter registration after they have carried out their registration online. The Plaintiffs who are suing for themselves and on behalf of seven million other Nigerians want to complete the registration process, so that they can obtain their permanent voter cards (PVCs), and exercise their right to vote. INEC recently disclosed that out of 10,487,972 Nigerians who carried out their pre-registration online, only 3,444,378 completed the process at a physical centre. This represents just 32.8 percent of completed online registration. But in the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1662/2022 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the Plaintiffs are seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to re-activate its continuous voters registration exercise to allow the Plaintiffs to complete their registration and collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs). The Plaintiffs are also seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to provide adequate facilities and deploy personnel to the registration units of the Plaintiffs to enable them complete their registration and collect their PVCs. The Plaintiffs are arguing that, We have completed the online registration exercise. Denying us the time and opportunity to complete the registration for our PVCs would impair our right to vote, and deny us a voice in the 2023 elections. The Plaintiffs are also arguing that, The inability to complete our registration is entirely due to factors outside of our control. We are eligible Nigerians but unless we are given a reasonable time and opportunity to complete the registration process, and obtain our voter cards, we will not be able to vote in the 2023 general elections. The twenty-four Nigerians include: Adeeyo Bayo Wasiu; Kunat Tychius Amos; Tagbo Philips Chidubem; Emeghe Uchanma Grace; Ayoola Opeyemi Ebenezer; Eche Onah Otakpa; Olatoye Clement Damilola; and Ogunejiofor Raphael Emeka. Others include: Adedotun Adegoke Babatunde; Emmanuel Promise Tochukwu; Emmanuel Ternajev; Joy Oluwadamilola Ige; Lawerence Ignatius; Agbede Kunle; Eze Daniel Ndubisi; and Nkemdilim Agbor Bassey. Others are: Omoike Iredia Oseine; Joshua Patrick Ogenekaro; Wisdom Emeka; Ukpe Victor Destiny; Abayomi Opeoluwa; Ndubuisi Anthony Ahanihu; Akande Akintunde O; and Adamma Rhodes. The suit filed on behalf of the Plaintiffs by lawyers to Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Kolawole Oluwadare and Ms Adelanke Aremo, read in part: Closing the gates on eligible Nigerians cannot preserve trust in the electoral process. According to reports, the inability of Nigerians to complete their voters registration exercise or even transfer their permanent voters card, affected wide spectrums of persons, hence this class action by the identified plaintiffs on behalf of other affected Nigerians. There were reports of incidence of bribery, unethical conducts of INEC staff, registration process marred by irregularities, insufficient machines, malfunctioning of machines, insufficient staff and unskilled staff, before the defendant ended the Continuous Voters Registration Exercise on the 31st July, 2022. The right to vote is not merely the right to cast a ballot but also the right to be given the time and opportunity to complete the registration process, so that the right can be meaningfully and effectively exercised. Any proffered justifications of saving time and cost are therefore wholly insufficient. Administrative convenience is simply not a compelling justification in light of the fundamental nature of the right to vote. This severe vote deprivation cannot be justified by any perceived considerations of saving time, especially because Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that the registration of voters, updating and revision of the Register of Voters shall not stop not later than 90 days before any election covered by this Act. Providing fresh opportunity for the Plaintiffs and seven million other Nigerians to complete their registration would promote and preserve the right to vote, and ensure that legal and eligible voters are not inadvertently and unjustifiablyturned away from exercising their fundamental right to vote. The Plaintiffs are Nigerians who commenced the voters registration exercises in their respective states via successful online enrolment at the respective dates but could not complete the registration process, and obtain their voters cards. The plaintiffs also include those who are interested in transferring their permanent voters cards to another location so that they can vote. The Plaintiffs and other eligible Nigerians havethe rights to equal treatment before the law, equal protection, non-discrimination and equal opportunities to participate in the government of Nigeria. By refusing the Plaintiffs and seven million other Nigerians the opportunity to complete the registration for their PVCs, INEC have unfairly, unreasonably, and unjustifiably denied them the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner as to the reasons for not completing their registration. The Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) provides in Section 14(1)(c) that, the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution. Similarly, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance guarantee the right to political participation, including the right to vote. The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), recently disclosed that over seven million Nigerians who carried out their voter pre-registration online could not complete the process at physical centres. According to a report released by INEC, out of 10,487,972 Nigerians who carried out their pre-registration online, only 3,444,378 Nigerians representing 32.8 percent, completed the process at a physical centre. 7,043,594 Nigerians carried out their pre-registration but are yet to complete the process at a physical centre. This represents over 67 percent of those who began their registration process online. According to INEC, a total of 12,298,944 Nigerians completed their voter registration; 8,854,566 of which were persons who did their registration entirely at a physical centre. The Plaintiffs and seven million other Nigerians have already completed their registration online, that is, via INEC online portal by providing their biodata and required documents. According to INEC, the process that is outstanding for the applicants to complete the registration for their PVCs is to visit INEC designated centres for their biometric to be captured. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit. Kolawole Oluwadare SERAP Deputy Director 18/9/2022 Lagos, Nigeria Emails: [email protected] ; [email protected] Twitter: @SERAPNigeria Website: www.serap-nigeria.org For more information or to request an interview, please contact us on: +2348160537202 Following the gruesome murder of Ummakulsum Sani Buhari, a 23-year-old Kano-based lady by his Chinese lover, Mr Geng Quanrong, in Kano, Nigerians have taken online to demand justice for the slain victim. Mr Geng Quanrong who was said to be a boyfriend to the late Ummita, reportedly stabbed her to death on Friday. It was learnt that Mr Geng was Ummitas boyfriend for about three years before she got married to someone else in February 2022. Ummitas mother had told newsmen that after her daughters divorce, Geng came back to her life, pressing that he must see her, even though her family chased him away and disapproved of their relationship. But on Friday night, the defiant ex-lover stormed the house by pushing Ummitas mother away who had opened the door for him after persistent knocking and went straight to Ummitas room and stabbed her. Soaked in blood, Ummita was rushed to the hospital but she died on the way. Meanwhile, Mr Geng has been arrested by the police for further investigation and possible prosecution. This development has, however, sparked anger with reaction from Nigerian Twitter users. The countrymen were calling for the quick prosecution of Mr Geng and demanding justice for Ummita with the hashtag #JusticeForUmmita. According to Twitter user, @A__yabo said, A Chinese man butchered a girl yesterday in Kano. Reports says the girl didnt accept his love and he followed her to her fathers house and stabbed her to death. We demand #JusticeForUmmita. I see people asking questions like were they dating?, what did she do? It doesnt matter what she did, she didnt deserve to be murdered in cold blood, if she had hurt him in anyway he shouldve taken the right course of action. This is a crime against Nigerians #JusticeForUmmita. I promise if i was Governor i would do everything within my power to make sure that man doesnt get extradited and serves whatever sentence metted out on him by the Judiciary. If you commit a crime abroad, they make an example & make sure you dont go scot free #JusticeForUmmita, said @khalifarabiu. Bashir Ahmad, the Special Assistant on Digital Communications to the President Muhammadu Buhari, expressed pleasure that the accused had been arrested by the police and also demanded justice for Ummita. This is a very sad and devastating story of a Chinese man slaughtering a young lady in Kano. Good to find out that the the perpetrator has since been arrested by the authorities. #JusticeForUmmita, he wrote on his Twitter handle. Another Twitter user, @Mr_Virus101 wrote, I think its right time we Acknowledged the lifes of every Citizen in Nigeria. You cant commit a Crime in Chinese and go Scot-free. This man should be prosecuted immediately. Let the Law take its course. God Bless Nigeria #SHUTDOWN #Chinese #England #JusticeForUmmita. Ummita was hacked to death by a Chinese in her own home in her own fatherland. If a Nigerian did that in China, there would have been VISA restriction for months. But we cant dare because weve borrowed our entire livelihood from China. What a sad country! #JusticeForUmmita, said @drpenking. @SkinnyBoi001_ wrote, The people asking about the relationship status btw the Chinese man and Ummita and other irrelevant questions are the most stupid people I have seen today. Whatever they had between them does not and would never justify what he did to her. He should be k!lled #JusticeForUmmita. The gruesome murder of Ummita by a Chinese man in Kano State is highly condemnable. I commiserate with the family and appeal to relevant Nigerian security operatives to fish out the perpetrator and make him face the full wrath of the law. Human life is SACRED! #JusticeForUmmita, wrote @iam_ohajuobed. The Ace cinematographer and film-maker, Mr Tunde Kelani has delivered another masterclass on film, theatre and cinematography to diploma students of the Department of Mass Communication, Crescent University, Abeokuta. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC Yoruba) team was on ground to cover the lecture which spanned three hours. Recall that the first masterclass was delivered by the vice chancellor of the institution, Professor Ibraheem Gbajabiamila a few weeks ago. In his lecture, TK admonished the Theatre Arts and Motion Picture Producers Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) members that talent alone was not enough for modern actors and film producers, adding that film and theatre practitioners should add entrepreneurial skills to their talent to succeed. He lauded theatre and film practitioners for their choice to go back to the university to upgrade their knowledge and skills, stressing that part of his success story was his relentless consultation with university scholars and academics. He identified that "although there is a difference between films and theatre, there is a meeting point". This meeting point, he stressed, should unite practitioners rather than disunite them. In a related development, Mr Kelani has declared himself a member of TAMPAN, Ogun State Chapter. He made this declaration during a brainstorming session of his masterclass where the President of the association, Mr Bolaji Amusan, popularly known as Mr Latin, Mr Ebun Olaiya, popularly known as Igwe and Mr Adebayo Olugbenga Oladunni popularly known as Imalian Boy made their contributions. Appreciating the meeting point between films and theatre practitioners while stressing the need to work together, TK pointed out that "the guild of theatre has united the practitioners. I therefore declare myself as a member of TAMPAN". Amid a standing ovation of TAMPAN members, , Mr Bolaji Amusan confirmed TK would not just be a member but a nominated executive member of the association. In his reaction, Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Dr Kola Adesina, describing the Diploma programme as a win-win project, said it was the right step in the right direction. "The programme was designed to test the waters of unbundling of communication courses into different specializations. "The theatre and movie industry will be better it. The association will also benefit from TK's wealth of experience. "The department of mass communication is happy with the collaboration. We Shall continue to cooperate and collaborate with stakeholders to make the programme a success", Dr Adesina explained. A Federal Leather Development Institute has said it is proposing a law seeking a total ban on the consumption of animal skin, locally known as 'ponmo', in Nigeria. The Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), Professor Muhammad Yakubu, made this known on Sunday in Abuja. He said that the legislation was necessary to revive the comatose leather industry in the country. To him, the habit of eating animal skin, which has no nutritional value, should be stopped in order to save the industry and boost the nations economy. In his words, To the best of my knowledge, Nigerians are the only people in the world that overvalue skin as food, after all ponmo has no nutritional value. Professor Yakubu noted that the institute, in collaboration with stakeholders in the industry, would approach the National Assembly and state governments to bring out legislation banning 'Pomo' consumption. At one point, there was a motion before the two chambers of the National Assembly, it was debated, but I dont know how the matter was thrown away, he said. He added that the consumption of animal skin is partly responsible for the present comatose state of tanneries in Nigeria. If we get our tanneries, our footwear and leather production working well in Nigeria, people will hardly get ponmo to buy and eat, Mr Yakubu said. The Director General also said that the current National Leather Policy had addressed some fundamental problems of the sector. When implemented fully, it would turn around most of the comatose tanneries and ginger greater output in production, he said. He appealed to stakeholders to support the legislation and the national leather policy to revive the sector. NILEST, which was set up to promote leather production as provided in the Agricultural Research Institute Act of 1975, conducts research into all aspects of production and products of leather and utilization of local tanning materials in the country.. Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 5:12PM With 43 entries thus far, we're just a few titles short of the halfway mark on submissions for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Oscars. There's usually a little over 90 films. You can see the full submission charts here but if that's too much all at once for you, here are the most recent three countries to announce.... CLOSE (Lukas Dhont) BELGIUM (7 nominations and 2 additional finalists from 47 submissions) From the director of the controversial trans drama Girl, which was Belgium's submission in 2018, comes this drama about an intense friendship between two teenage boys that suddenly goes sour. It shared the Grand Prize at Cannes. A24 will distribute in the US though they haven't announced a date yet. Reviewed at Cannes by Elisa who calls it "spare but powerful". CINEMA SABAYA (Orit Fouks Rotem) ISRAEL (10 nominations and 1 additional finalist from 55 submissions) Israel is the most nominated among countries that have yet to win this Oscar. We recently had a guest contributor talk to us about who should win the Ophir Awards -- you can read his take on their films here -- and Johnathan will be delighted that his favourite Cinema Sabaya defied expectations, defeating the more high profile contenders Karaoke (which took both lead acting prizes) and Valeria is Getting Married (which took screenplay). This one is a small story of a video workshop that Arabs and Jewish municipal workers attend together. It won five awards in total. THE BOX (Lorenzo Vigas) VENEZUELA (1 finalist from 31 submissions) Venezuela sent Vigas excellent debut From Afar in 2016. The Academy didn't bite for much the same reasons they probably won't bite here; it was emotionally brutal but not grand about it. The Box begins with a young boy sent to retrieve his father's ashes but he doesn't get on the bus back as expected. Still, this category has often had a soft spot for intimate stories about an interesting dynamic between a young person and an old person and this film has that! Coincidentally, The Box is also on Mexico's shortlist of five finalists for their submission this year so now that list will be down to four. Reviewed at Venice by Nathaniel last year though apparently it didn't open in Venezuela until 2022. Previous Submission Posts Armenia, Bolivia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Montenegro, Slovakia Austria, Finland, Croatia, Netherlands, Indonesia, Guatemala, Paraguay Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Turkey, Uganda Albania, Hungary, Slovenia, Tunisia, Ukraine Algeria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Greece Canada, Germany Ecuador, Poland Uruguay Taiwan South Korea, Ireland, Switzerland they've narrowed it down France's finalists Denmark's finalists Israel's finalists Sweden's finalists Spain's finalists - they chose Alcarras Mexico's finalists Current Predictions Yeshiva University didn't want to officially recognize the students' LGBTQ+ club, claiming this would infringe its religious rights. But the U.S. Supreme Court, with Justices Kavanaugh and Roberts siding with the liberals, ordered it to do so while lower courts figure out what works in New York state. After the ruling, Yeshiva University abruptly suspended all club activities at the school to avoid having the comply with the order, reports the Associated Press. The college describes itself as faith-based and therefore exempt from New York's anti-discrimination laws, but it is registered as a non-religious university instead of a religious institution, and offers secular degrees, to accrue the benefits thereof. a lawyer for the students said the university's action Friday was divisive and "shameful." "The Pride Alliance seeks a safe space on campus, nothing more. By shutting down all club activities, the YU administration attempts to divide the student body, and pit students against their LGBT peers," said the lawyer, Katie Rosenfeld. *taps nose* If you close all the swimming pools, you don't have to let them into the swimming pools. It's funny how none of the mainstream media items I read explain exactly what club recognition entails. I'm pretty sure they don't know, couldn't immediately figure it out, so just skipped over it. The result is conservatives thinking that club recognition is some kind of forced speech ritual in which religious people are forced to bend the knee and say that they approve of anal sex and myriad genders. Here's what's actually at stake: On Saturday, September 10, 2022, BudgIT, a foremost civic-tech organisation leading the advocacy for accountability, transparency and effective service delivery in Nigeria and four other African countries, officially announced and celebrated the winners of the maiden edition of the Active Citizens Award. The award celebrated phenomenal individuals and organisations that are creating sustainable impacts that have benefited citizens and instituted civic and social change to improve the nation's democratic development. It was a pleasure to host dignitaries celebrating the new heroes of Nigerias democracy. The award had in attendance Adenike Adeyemi, Executive Director, Fate Foundation; Oreoluwa Somolu Lesi, Executive Director, Women's Technology Empowerment Centre, Hamzat Lawal, Executive Director, Connected Development, among others. Announcing the winners, Tunde Onakoya, founder of Chess in Slums, emerged winner of the star award, which was the Active Citizens Award, for his tremendous contribution to empowering Nigerian children in impoverished communities. In the same vein, the Debt Management Office and Debo Macaroni emerged as winners of the Awards for Institutional Transparency (Government Agencies), which recognise a government agency that provides quality service delivery that contributes significantly to the development of the Nigerian populace, and the Art for Activism Award, which celebrates a work of art that has pushed for political consciousness, reform, and national change, respectively. Recipients for other non-nomination categories include TIERS Nigeria, which won the Award for Inclusion and Diversity for promoting equality through inclusion and diversity among marginalised groups; Femi Falana, SAN, who won the Hall of Fame Award for Civic Activism for his contribution to national development via civic activism; and Union Bank of Nigeria, which won the Corporate Award for Civic Investments for positively impacting society through its support or engagement in civic activism. For the nomination category, the recipients are Solomon O. Ayodele, Founder, Boys Quarters Africa, who won the Award for Community Service; Taiwo Adebulu, The Cable, who won the Solutions Journalism Award; Adepeju Jaiyeoba, BrownButton Foundation, who won the Oby Ezekwesili Award for Women Advocacy; Muazu Alhaji Modu, Spotlight for Transparency and Accountability, who won the Civic Activism Award, and Sola Owoniko, Project Enable, who bagged the award for Disability Empowerment. Commenting, BudgITs Global Director, Oluseun Onigbinde, noted that the Active Citizens Awards will be an annual signature event to foster dialogue and value the contributions of development leaders to good governance and effective service delivery in Nigeria, adding that BudgIT is open to leveraging public-private partnerships for future editions in order to expand the scope of the awards beyond its immediate threshold. The Active Citizens Award will be a yearly event to commemorate BudgITs anniversary. While we promote personalities who are doing incredible work in Nigerias democracy and across different spectrums, we would also measure our impact within Nigerias civic ecosystem. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. Oluseun added. Signed Nancy Odimegwu Communications Officer State governments in Nigeria have been charged to create citizens' participation framework in Basic Education budgeting and policy implementation to enhance service delivery in the sector. The charge was the outcome of a one-day Demand side-Supply side stakeholders dialogue on Universal Basic Education, held Friday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital. The event was in advancement of the Accountability for Good Governance in Education project, AGGE, under the USAID - sponsored Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement, SCALE project in the State. It was hosted by Development and Integrity Intervention Goals Foundation (DIG), a civil society organization, in collaboration with YouthHub Africa. Leading discusions at the event, the Executive Director of DIG Foundation, Chief Oliver Aja Chima, exposed participants to certain gaps in government - citizens' relationship concerning basic education to include alienation of demand side (citizens) in decision making. He observed that stakeholders: parents, CSOs, teachers, lack adequate knowledge of those in custody of basic education monies, while information from the Basic Education Board were often unreliable. He further observed that setting up of UBEB projects were often based on State government's prerogative rather than from Community needs assessment, a situation participants agreed, often results in projects misplacement. The Participants unanimously urged the government to provide a robust framework and template for citizens and other non-state actors to input in governance, insisting that budgeting process for basic education should be participatory. Speaking on the objectives of the meeting, the Program Manager, YouthHubAfrica, Olusegun Medupin, said it was to create an opportunity for government and Community stakeholders to identify challenges in the education sector and collectively proffer solutions through dialogue. He stated that the meeting was to create increased knowledge and strengthen participant's skills on education related policy, advocacy tools and approaches, adding that it would increase their understanding of the process of UBEB work plan and budget development. Medupin encouraged Nongovernmental and Civil Society Organisation in the State never to relent in pushing for positive reforms in governance. "We can't leave the government to work alone because we are part of government. "The government needs us as citizens, and we need them; they need our ideas to function. "So, as stakeholders, we should not relent in making inputs to the government in spite of rebuffs" Medupin admonished. Participants at the event were drawn from CSOs and representatives of State Universal Basic Education Board, Ministry of Education, Secondary Education Board, ANCOPS, Education Secretaries, Association of Private School proprietors, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Parents-Teachers Association as well as Traditional and Religious leaders. SCALE is a 5 year USAID funded project implemented by Palladium, in collaboration with indigenous partners: YouthHubAfrica, Bridge Connect Africa Initiative, DIG Foundation, Women Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) and Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative (KLCI). Fanatics swarm to stores for iPhone 14 BUSINESS: Hype was intense on Friday (Sept 16) for the launch of the iPhone 14 lineup in Thailand, with fans flocking to stores, buoyed by Apples promotion of the country to its first tier for new products. technology By Bangkok Post Sunday 18 September 2022, 09:30AM Consumers are greeted by staff at the CentralWorld Apple store in Bangkok on the launch day for the iPhone 14 lineup in Thailand. Photo: Bangkok Post Local pre-bookings for Apples iconic smartphones indicated an overwhelming response, reports the Bangkok Post. Apple fans mobbed the brands official stores at CentralWorld and Iconsiam in Bangkok to receive their pre-booked handsets as well as buy new devices. Other IT retail shops also received a boost from iPhone users. Our pre-booking quotas for the iPhone 14 lineup ran out faster than those for the iPhone 13 series, said Paramate Rienjaroensuk, chief executive of SET-listed digital product distributor Copperwired. Hundreds of users were waiting in a queue in front of CentralWorld at 8am. Early iPhone adopters who previously flew to Singapore now can buy the handsets in Bangkok. He said some Apple fans from Vietnam and other Asean nations also bought iPhones here on the first day of its release in Thailand. Although the prices of the new lineup are relatively higher because of the weaker baht, sales received a boost from discounts offered by mobile operators, point redemption and longer instalment payment periods, said Mr Paramate. Customers now tend to choose an instalment payment plan of 24-36 months for an iPhone, rather than 10 months, he said. Mr Paramate said consumers may want to upgrade their phones after two years of pandemic restrictions, keeping many people in their neighbourhoods. Consumers want handsets with a higher memory storage capacity of 512 gigabytes or 1 terabyte, larger displays and advanced features, including video stabilisation, a high-resolution camera and emergency SOS messages via satellite, he said. The iPhone 14 received good feedback, with the full pre-booking quota reached within a few hours, compared with two days for the iPhone 13, said Sura Khanittaweekul, chief executive of IT retailer Com7. The most popular new item in the lineup is the iPhone 14 Pro Max in a deep purple colour, said Mr Sura. He said Com7 expects consumers who have used their phones 2.5 years or longer may be willing to replace their devices. Mr Sura acknowledged there is a supply shortage of iPhone 14s. With the quicker product rollout, taking place in September rather than October as happened in previous years, Com7 expects its revenue in the third quarter to be higher than last year. Narathip Wirunechatapant, chief executive of Jaymart Mobile, the IT retail arm of Jay Mart Plc, said Thailand has a lot of iPhone fans who have been waiting for the new model. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will sell well among early adopters, he said. Users of iPhone versions 10-12 may now be willing to upgrade as well, said Mr Narathip. The prices for the iPhone 14 lineup have increased by B3,000 on average from last year. The longer instalment payment plan of up to five years will be useful in speeding up customers decisions to upgrade their handsets, he said. The supply of iPhone 14 phones is limited as many other countries are in the first tier for new products. Global market research firm IDC said Thailand had the highest number of iPhone sales in Asean over the past few years, which was a factor in the country being upgraded to a first-tier rollout market. Teerit Paowan, a market analyst for IDC, said iPhone had an 11.4% share of Thailands smartphone market last year and is expected to increase its share this year, as it dominates among smartphones costing more than US$1,000 (B37,000), with more than 80% of the market share. Strong quake strikes Taiwan, Japan issues tsunami alert and typhoon warning TAIPEI: A strong earthquake struck Taiwans southeastern coast today (Sept 18), the US Geological Survey said, bringing at least one building down in a small town and prompting Japan to issue a tsunami warning. weatherSafety By AFP Sunday 18 September 2022, 03:04PM Japans weather agency has warned Typhoon Nanmadol will be a dangerous storm. Photo: AFP The quake hit at 2:44pm (12:44pm Phuket time) about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the city of Taitung at a depth of 10 kilometres, the USGS said. Its initial strength was given as 7.2-magnitude but USGS later downgraded it to a 6.9-magnitude quake. At least one building collapsed in the town of Yuli according to Taiwans semi-official Central News Agency. Video posted by CNA showed panicked residents running towards the building which had caved in on itself and sent up a thick cloud of dust. Shaking was also felt in the capital Taipei, an AFP reporter said. A 6.6 magnitude quake hit the same region yesterday and there have been multiple tremors since with minimal damage in what is a mountainous, sparsely populated rural region. But todays quake was much stronger. Japans Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a tsunami advisory to remote islands near Taiwan. Waves as high as one metre were expected to arrive around 4pm, it added. Live TV footage from the affected islands did not immediately show clear signs of high waves. The China Earthquake Network Centre said tremors were clearly felt in coastal areas including Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shanghai. Taiwan is regularly hit by earthquakes as the island lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. The island sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. Taiwans deadliest ever quake was a 7.6-magnitude jolt in September 1999 that killed over 2,400 people. Meanwhile, thousands of people were in shelters in southwestern Japan today as powerful Typhoon Nanmadol churned towards the region, prompting authorities to urge nearly three million residents to evacuate. The JMA has issued a rare special warning for the Kagoshima region in southern Kyushu prefecture - an alert that is issued only when it forecasts conditions seen once in several decades. By this morning, 25,680 households in Kagoshima and neighbouring Miyazaki were already without power, while regional train services, flights and ferry runs were cancelled until the passage of the storm, local utilities and transport services said. The JMA has warned the region could face unprecedented danger from high winds, storm surges and torrential rain. Maximum caution is required, Ryuta Kurora, head of the JMAs forecast unit said yesterday. Its a very dangerous typhoon. The wind will be so fierce that some houses might collapse, Kurora told reporters, also warning of flooding and landslides. So far, 2.9mn residents in Kyushu have been issued with evacuation warnings, according to the governments Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and Kagoshima officials said over 8,500 people were already in local shelters by this morning. Wat Ban Don celebrates tenth lunar month PHUKET: A colourful cultural parade was held earlier today (Sept 18) at Thepkrasattri Temple, often referred to as Wat Ban Don, to mark the tenth lunar month. culture By Eakkapop Thongtub Sunday 18 September 2022, 04:00PM The parade saw a procession of over 20 floats showcasing dolls, cartoons, puppets and ancient characters and animals from well known novels led by groups of local revellers dressed in traditional costume. Most of the participants were from the local villages of Khok Kham, Ban Pa Sak, Ban Khian although community leaders, local businesses and members of the public also joined in the parade, an annual event which concludes with a merit making service at Wat Ban Don. The date is considered an auspicious one where people take leave from their daily routines to pay respect and make merit to mark the occasion with participants at todays parade a mix of young children, adults and the elderly. The celebration is furthermore considered important as it allows the younger generation to understand and respect traditions passed on by their ancestors that it is hoped will maintain Thai traditions and culture in future. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. As world leaders gather in New York next week for the annual U.N. General Assembly, China is also focusing on another U.N.-related meeting in Geneva 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. Vote View Results It remains, Corey Flatau said last week, one of the worst nights of his life. Flatau, then a Town of Tonawanda police lieutenant, was off duty when he veered off the road and crashed into a mailbox on Nash Road in Wheatfield just after midnight on Dec. 27, 2018. Body-camera video obtained by The Buffalo News, and previously unreported, shows Flatau in good spirits as he struggled to keep his balance and answer basic questions from a Niagara County sheriffs deputy. Flatau couldnt say where he was coming from, nor where he was headed, and incorrectly gave his first name as Steve. When the deputy said he wanted to test Flatau's sobriety, he laughed and stumbled slightly. Later in their conversation, Flatau erroneously said, Im not driving. The deputy asked, Who was driving the automobile then? Flatau: Not me. Deputy: Not you? Flatau: No, 100%. Deputy: Who was with you? Flatau: My buddy, uh, whatever. Deputy: What was his name? Flatau rubbed his hands and said, Lets go. Lets go. Flatau fell backward attempting to walk heel to toe in a straight line. He begged out of a second sobriety test and was put into handcuffs. "I will tell you I was not myself that night. I was not of 100% sound mind. It's obvious by those tapes of my comments," Flatau said last week in his first public comments on his arrest. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and issued a pair of traffic infractions. He pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired and was ordered to pay a $560 fine and surcharge. He also was placed on probation and had his license suspended, among other consequences. Flatau said his first call hours after the crash was to disclose his arrest to then-Police Chief Jerome C. Uschold III. "I was extremely embarrassed," said Flatau, who saw combat as a Marine serving in Iraq. He handed in his badge and department firearm and was placed on administrative leave. Flatau ultimately was suspended for 30 days without pay for violating department policies. One of those charges was based on the fact Flatau hadn't had his police ID on him. He never identified himself as an officer nor sought special treatment from the deputy. Flatau said he knew his arrest would receive media notice given his position with the department. "I'm held to a higher standard. I mean, I know that," he said. He said he has taken full responsibility for what he did and and it motivated him to make changes in his personal life. But, he said, it's frustrating to have the incident receive renewed attention years later. Whenever he looks up his name online, Flatau said, stories referring to his arrest some including his mug shot - appear at the top of the search results. "I'm never gonna get away from it," he said. More than a year after his arrest, Flatau was promoted from lieutenant to captain. Police Chief James P. Stauffiger backed that promotion and, more recently, assigned him to oversee the patrol division. Stauffiger said Flatau has proven his reliability and good judgment. "I do have that level of trust and confidence in Captain Flatau," the police chief said. Candour: Terry Smith said Fundsmith Emerging Equities Trust had 'fallen below our expectations' A strange thing happened on Wednesday. Star money manager Terry Smith announced plans to shut down one of his investment trusts, following a spell of weak performance. Smith said Fundsmith Emerging Equities Trust had 'fallen below our expectations' and as a result it would be wound up and cash returned to investors. Commentators were stunned. It is quite commonplace for investment funds to do badly it happens all the time. But what is almost unheard of is for a fund manager to be so honest and then do something about it. Jason Hollands, managing director of Bestinvest, called it 'surprising news'. 'It is hard to think of a previous example, certainly in recent history, of a fund manager deciding to fire themselves from managing a portfolio earning them fees,' he said. I talk to a lot of fund managers, and they all have different ideas about how to invest. Some invest in just a handful of companies, others prefer to spread their risk and invest in scores of them. Some like to hunt for bargains, others prefer to pay for quality. Some insist on meeting the management team of companies they invest in, while others think doing so clouds their judgment and prefer to evaluate companies from their balance sheets instead. But while the approach of fund managers varies wildly, they all have one thing in common. All appear to have utter conviction in their own approach. And many will maintain this confidence even when there is clear evidence that their strategy isn't working. All investment funds have to publish an Assessment of Value report each year, which sets out whether their investors are getting a good deal. Some read like they are living in cloud-cuckoo land. They will unabashedly claim that their fund is providing good value even though it has underperformed over both the short and the long term. They will blame market conditions, or say that their style has fallen out of favour anything but admit that perhaps it is their approach that is not working. It is, of course, understandable that fund managers come across as so self-confident. They need to inspire the confidence of investors to entrust them with their hard-earned money. If you don't have investors' money, you don't have a job. But I think a bit of humility can sometimes inspire more confidence than a display of unwavering conviction. In the case of Terry Smith, I doubt many investors will withdraw money from his other funds because he has admitted that this particular one was underperforming. On the contrary, investors may be even more willing to entrust him with their savings because he has demonstrated that he will not charge on defiantly if a strategy is not working. Of course, Smith can admit to failure more easily than most. He oversees another fund Fundsmith Equity which is many times as large and incredibly successful. If you had invested 1,000 in the fund when it launched in 2010, you would be sitting on close to 6,000 today. Impressive. It would take a lot more than the closure of Fundsmith Emerging Equities Trust to blemish Smith's reputation. But nonetheless I hope more fund managers in the future have the confidence to display his candour from time to time. Woodford investors finally getting answers Last week, we had another reminder of the value of humility to the industry. Three years since Neil Woodford's flagship fund collapsed, the thousands of savers who lost money are now finally getting some answers. The City watchdog said it was likely to force Link, the firm responsible for supervising Woodford's management of his funds, to pay a penalty of up to 306million. But I wonder if things would have gone so disastrously wrong for Woodford if he'd possessed just a little more humility. Perhaps because he had enjoyed so many years as a star fund manager, when things started to go awry, he unwaveringly ploughed on. Woodford's downfall has shaken investors' confidence in the industry. When savers lose their money in this way, it takes a long time to rebuild it. My advice to regain the confidence of us investors? Tell it to us how it really is. Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. K.M. writes: I received a promotional email from the respected London financial newspaper CityA.M., for a sophisticated investment from Orange River Wealth. The advert makes some extraordinary claims: 15 per cent in annual dividends and 300 per cent capital returns. I telephoned CityA.M. with my concerns, and was told by its sales department that 'pretty much all adverts are full of lies'. Claims: London financial newspaper CityA.M. sent out emails with details of the offer, above Tony Hetherington replies: It is impossible for any newspaper to carry out detailed vetting of every advertisement. There would be no way local papers could test drive every second-hand car that was up for sale, or conduct a structural survey of every house that was advertised. That said, I know from experience that The Mail on Sunday's advertising staff do try to avoid dubious financial advertisements, because they have asked me to look into them, and on occasion we have simply refused to publish them. And since City A.M. is a specialist financial publication, I think it is reasonable to expect staff there at least to cast an eye over anything they email to thousands of subscribers, even if they do nothing more than spot the hugely obvious red flags that flutter over Orange River Wealth's offering. The first red flag is that although the advertisement is headed 'Orange River Wealth', the offering is actually for preference shares in a separate but connected company called Orange River Capital, which is raising money to take a stake in a medicinal cannabis business in South Africa. After this, the red flags come thick and fast. The offer document is dated March, but CityA.M. advertised it just a few weeks ago. It lists Alexander David Securities as its Financial Conduct Authority-regulated broker. Yet on April 29, the regulator imposed serious restrictions on this firm, and on July 1 a month and a half before the CityA.M. promotion Alexander David Securities went into liquidation. Investors are entitled to know who they are dealing with, and the Orange River offer lists Sarah Stubbs as a director, and gives details of her business experience. Yet Sarah Stubbs quit as a director on June 14. The company's chief executive is Lee Farbrace, who says he is currently a director of five companies he lists. Wrong. He has forgotten one. This is EMI Wealth Limited, where he is the sole director. The company was involved in a long-running legal tussle in which an investor gave evidence that he met Farbrace in 2010 and parted with 130,000. The company claimed to have made 'significant profits' from a scheme it was marketing along with a separate but connected company called Emerging Markets Investment Limited. The scheme was said to offer 'unparalleled low risk returns', but just a year later, the investor was told the scheme had run into trouble. He lost 100,000. Perhaps this is why Farbrace would sooner forget about it. The questions hanging over the two Orange River companies go on and on. The advert claims a full dividend was paid by Orange River Capital in January, but as this company is actually owned by Orange River Wealth, was this just a bookkeeping exercise? It would be nice to know the answer, but both companies have failed to file accounts that were legally due early in August. In fact, the offer document says that Orange River Capital has not traded yet, so how did it manage to pay last January's dividend, which the City A.M. advertisement boasts is evidence of a 'proven track record'? The company cannot even get its own address right. The statutory information in the offer document says its registered office is at ' Tower Bridge House, 8-10 Hill Street, St Katharine's Way, Mayfair, London E1W 1DD.' This is absolute nonsense. Tower Bridge House is not in Hill Street. St Katharine's Way is not in Mayfair. And Mayfair is not in London E1. The offering is said to be aimed at wealthy individuals or sophisticated investors who know what they are doing. But what the advertisement actually says is that it is for 'self-sophisticated investors'. What does this even mean? I put all of the above to CityA.M. Its sales director Jeremy Slattery denied that CityA.M. 'promoted' the share offer. He told me: 'It published a paid-for advertisement, as it publishes many, many others on a daily basis. CityA.M. does not carry out due diligence on any of its advertisers. I doubt any newspaper does.' And I put the same points to Orange River boss Lee Farbrace. He replied immediately, telling me: 'I shall of course respond in full tomorrow.' That was almost a fortnight ago, on September 6. As Cliff Richard once sang, tomorrow sometimes never comes. I'm owed 10,000 in VAT... but can't log in to HMRC! Ms C.T. writes: I registered for VAT and on July 28, HM Revenue & Customs gave me a VAT number, telling me I would have online access to the VAT account within three working days. However, I still have no online access, and they say this is due to 'technical issues' within Revenue & Customs. Frustration: HM Revenue & Customs provided a VAT number, saying online access to the account would be available within three working days Tony Hetherington replies: Without access to Revenue & Customs's online service, you could not even print off your VAT registration certificate. Worse still, being shut out of the system means that your new business cannot file VAT returns and you reckon that you will be entitled to a refund of around 10,000, which you have no way of claiming. I asked officials to look into this. They quickly told me: 'We apologise for the issue experienced by the customer accessing their VAT online account. HMRC is aware of an issue which has affected a low number of businesses, and following investigations a fix is due to be implemented very shortly.' You have now told me that the online system is working, so you can claim your refund without any problem. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned. Big call: Comedian Dom Joly helps launch a retro Nokia 3310 A quarter of households in the UK have at least one old, unused mobile phone gathering dust, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry. But millions could be missing out on a tidy profit, as handsets can still be worth something even if they are old or broken. A few, rare models can fetch thousands of pounds as collectors' items. But even more common versions can still have value. Apple's hotly-anticipated iPhone 14 went on sale on Friday, stirring up excitement among fans of new technology. This is the first model that can automatically call the emergency services if you're in a crash and that enables you to text using a satellite connection when you can't get a signal or wi-fi. But there are plenty of reasons to get excited about old handsets too some could even dial you up a return of thousands of pounds. The old phones worth thousands Mobile phones are so ubiquitous that it may seem hard to imagine that any could be seen as collectors' items. However, some of the earliest and most iconic can now command large sums. Lynsey Chilcott, from Love Antiques, explains: 'The oldest phones were not made on the scale that they are today and so several are rare and continue to hold value as collectables.' She adds that if you have one of these older phones, you should seek specialist advice and consider selling at auction to command the best prices. The Golden oldies... as big as bricks The first mobile phones were brick-sized, heavy and had short battery lives. Today they are defunct, but iconic and collectable. Motorola 8000x 800 3,500 The original granddaddy of mobile phones. It was released in 1983 and was heavy, enormous and with a 30-minute battery life. Mobira Senator NMT 800 2,000 Technically a car phone, this handset was arguably the first portable mobile and was on sale in 1981. Technophone PC105T 600 1,500 The 1986 Technophone was the first phone designed to slip neatly into a shirt pocket. It had a price tag of 1,990 the equivalent of 6,481 in today's money. It won the Prince of Wales Award in 1988. Dial up a fortune with a Luxe phone Over the years, phone companies have issued limited edition, luxury versions of handsets designed for posing with as much as texting or making calls. Some are valuable today. Vertu Signature M 50 20,000 + Nokia launched its Vertu Signature range in 2003. Ordinary Vertu phones now sell for around 50, but some of the luxury versions are worth thousands. An 18-carat white gold diamond encrusted model is worth more than 20,000, so long as you have the original packaging and papers to prove authenticity. Nokia Sapphire 8800 500 2,000 Issued in 2005, there are versions sporting leather covers, titanium and carbon fibre and even a real sapphire in place of the navigation button. Also available in 18-carat gold plate. Not for sale... but still sought-after Models that never made it to market are often the most valuable and sought-after due to their rarity. There are a lot of counterfeits knocking about so only buy from a reputable seller or auction house. Pre-production Prototype iPhone 1 10,000 + The Apple iPhone released in 2007 marked a watershed in mobile technology. If you've got one of the first 2G phones, it's likely worth around 2,000 if it's still in the box. But, the prototype models can fetch tens of thousands of pounds. Prices vary considerably, but have reached 30,000 in online auctions, according to Love Antiques. Nokia 7700 1,000 2,000 Another prototype, this model was never actually sold so handsets are rare. It dates back to 2003 and would have beaten the iPhone as the world's first smartphone...had it ever hit the shelves. Ringing up a fortune: From left, the Motorola 8000x; the 20,000 diamond-encrusted Vertu; the Technophone; Nokia Sapphire; the iPhone 1 prototype; and the Nokia 7700, which was never sold Cash from common models There are a number of tech resale companies that will buy phones even if they are old or damaged. These include musicMagpie, We Buy Any Phone, Compare and Recycle, Mazuma and Envirofone. You may only get a few pounds, but that's better than leaving it gathering dust. Antonia Hristov, an expert at tech resale service Compare and Recycle, says a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in good condition would net you 20. The Apple iPhone 6, also in good condition, could earn you up to 14; the Motorola Moto G4 is worth between 14 and 16 depending on internal storage; and the first generation Google Pixel still goes for up to 20. 'The most sold phone is an iPhone 11 and is worth up to 317,' says Hristov. 'The oldest mobile phones in the top 20 are the original iPhone SE and iPhone 6s, both of which are more than five years old.' Online marketplace eBay, Gumtree and other local Facebook or community groups online allow you to list your old phone and decide your asking price. You might get more for it than from a tech resale firm, but it involves more hassle. Before selling or passing on any old handsets, make sure you delete all your information from it, remove the SIM card and restore it to factory settings. Remember... all old phones have value Even if you can't sell your old phone, it may still have value to someone else. They can be refurbished and donated to people who cannot afford to buy their own, or stripped and their parts reused. You can donate old phones to Vodafone's Great British Tech Appeal or O2's Community Calling. Compare and Recycle, Sell My Mobile and Compare My Mobile aggregate offers from dozens of services that will either buy, redistribute or recycle your old phones for you. Short-sellers' bets against Boohoo hit a record high last week as the winter cost-of-living crisis looms even for budget fashion retailers. The positions built by hedge funds, which make money if share prices fall, rose to 8.7 per cent, equal to about 45million, before falling back down to 8.1 per cent on Friday. It's perhaps a bold bet as the shares have already tumbled two-thirds this year, with an investigation into greenwashing by the Competition and Markets Authority. Out of fashion: Boohoo shares have already tumbled two-thirds this year But Marshall Wace, Citadel, Capeview and Ennismore are among well-known hedgies that think Mahmud Kamani's fast-fashion firm has further to fall. Appointing Kourtney Kardashian Barker who will help Boohoo discover 'more about sustainability and style' as an ambassador seems to have done little to allay these fears. Aston Martin also grappled with record-high shorts, with 7.4 per cent of its stock on loan earlier this week, though this has fallen back to 6.5 per cent. In The Style faces unrest at annual meeting Another retailer, In The Style, may get a bloody nose at its annual meeting this week after proxy adviser ISS urged investors to oppose its pay arrangements. ISS says a long-term share award for boss Sam Perkins is not conditional on performance goals and vests relatively quickly. The only condition to receiving the shares worth 425,000 at current prices is Perkins' continued employment. He joined the firm from Very in January. Crispin Odey still in IGas When Crispin Odey's hedge fund made a move into shale minnow IGas in August, it was something of a gamble. By the time Odey Asset Management's 3.7 per cent holding was disclosed, shares in the group had already trebled since the start of the year. The stake now stands at 7 per cent. Rumours of Liz Truss lifting the moratorium on fracking sent IGas shares soaring. But since then the AIM-listed stock has gone into reverse and Odey's latest increase in its stake came the day before another sharp drop triggered by a change of management that saw boss Stephen Bowler leave with 'mutual consent'. Longer-term backers have heftier returns. Its stock is still up by 466 per cent this year. Darktrace fate still with private equity Takeover talks between Darktrace and US buyout group Thoma Bravo may have fallen apart this month, but the fate of the cyber security firm still remains with private equity ownership, according to one source close to the deal. Thoma Bravo, whose investors are thought to have baulked at the price, cannot table a new offer for another six months even if it wanted to. But the source said a private equity player would be likely to make a swoop for the 2.5billion group in the coming 12 months. Whether the City would welcome another buyout of a British tech firm is another matter. Contributor: Amy-Jo Crowley British satellite giant OneWeb plans to raise billions of pounds to fund a vast communications network in low orbit, The Mail on Sunday has learnt. The technology business, which was bailed out by the taxpayer in 2020, is in talks with a group of banks about the ambitious plan that would help pay for a new generation of launches known as Gen II. One source said the amount raised would be around 3billion of debt. It is understood the Government's export credit agency is involved in the discussions, according to City sources. Ambitious: OneWeb is in talks with a group of banks about the ambitious plan that would help pay for a new generation of launches known as Gen II UK Export Finance (UKEF) provides funds and guarantees to lenders for firms in strategic industries exporting from the UK. The process could also involve France's state-backed investment bank BPI and the US's credit export agency. A source said plans are at an early stage and could take nine months or more to finalise. The proceeds would be used to build more of its existing satellites and fund Gen II, more details of which are expected to be unveiled next month. OneWeb already has 648 low earth orbit satellites whose aim is to provide high-speed internet to the remotest parts of the planet via stronger signals than traditional fixed-satellite systems. Applications include broadband on planes. The investment plan follows a proposal by French satellite operator Eutelsat to merge with OneWeb to create a European champion to take on the likes of Elon Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos's Kuiper. The proposed merger was poorly received by Eutelstat's shareholders, with shares tumbling a third on the news back in July. The share price has since regained some of its losses. Eutelsat has said it would set aside up to $5.3billion to complete OneWeb's network and update its technology over the next seven years. Sources said the latest plan to raise funds would happen independently of its ongoing merger with Eutelsat. One added that a merger could enhance its chances of securing the debt given Eutelsat's stable finances. One adviser to Eutelsat said the market reaction to the merger plan was 'very bad' and questioned whether shareholders would approve it. It is understood Eutelsat has since stepped up efforts to convince investors of the plan. OneWeb's shareholders include its largest stakeholder Bharti Global, the UK Government and Eutelsat, which all support the deal. The combined entity, while having its primary listing in Paris, would also be expected to launch a secondary listing in London. The deal could be completed by the middle of next year following regulatory approval. UKEF declined to comment and OneWeb did not respond. US private equity predator Advent International is considering a swoop on yet another British tech firm, according to The Mail on Sunday's sources. The buyout giant is understood to be among a group of companies circling fraud prevention software specialist GB Group, prompting speculation there could be a bidding war. Others said to be interested are Hg, KKR, Cinven and Permira. One source said Advent and KKR had been eyeing GB Group on and off over the past year. Fears: Private equity firm Advent snapped up Cobham and Ultra Electronics Advent would be a controversial bidder, following its contentious takeovers of pioneering aerospace and defence groups Cobham and Ultra Electronics, which many MPs, experts and military figures called to be blocked. Cheshire-based GB Group worth 1.5billion was founded in 1989 and is one of the biggest firms listed on the AIM market. It provides fraud protection technology for corporations, including Revolut, which delivers online banking services, and skincare group Charlotte Tilbury. This month it confirmed it is mulling a cash offer from private equity firm GTCR. The Chicago-based suitor has until 5pm on October 4 to make a firm offer or walk away. GTCR is in pole position because of its experience in the sector, having owned UK rival Callcredit, one source said, adding that GTCR had a longstanding relationship with GB Group and is confident about financing a deal. But another source said it could end in a bidding war with private equity firms actively considering bids. Interest in GB Group follows a wave of possible offers for UK technology firms over the summer. They have included cybersecurity firm Darktrace, MicroFocus International, and Aveva, the FTSE100 industrial software provider. US bidders are trawling Britain for deals as the falling pound makes it cheaper for them to buy companies. Advent has developed a reputation for hoovering up British firms following its 4billion deal to take trailblazing air-to-air refuelling developer Cobham private in 2020. It promised to be a long-term investor after uproar from critics, such as the former head of the Royal Navy Admiral Lord West, led to restrictions being put on the deal. But it carved up and sold off much of the firm within 18 months. It recently completed a 2.6billion takeover of Ultra Electronics, which makes submarine-hunting sonobuoys. Fresh fears have been raised about the future of Ultra after Advent recently told staff some of its divisions were 'not best located under the UK flag', according to The Sun. The Mail on Sunday can reveal profit at Advent International's UK arm have soared by 150 per cent. It made 14.7million in 2021, according to its most recent accounts, against 5.9million in 2020. All parties were contacted for comment. Future is set to kick off a search to replace chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne by the end of next year. The publishing empire behind Country Life and FourFourTwo has been told she is planning to step down after almost nine years at the company. Byng-Thorne has been one of Britain's most successful bosses since taking the helm at Future in April 2014. The 47-year-old transformed Future from a 30m business on the brink of collapse to a 2billion empire of 250 titles. The publisher's other major brands include TechRadar and Marie Claire. Sky News reported that Byng-Thorne has told Future chairman Richard Huntingford she will retire in the next 18 months. Last week she was appointed Trustpilot's deputy chairman, with reports suggesting she will eventually take over as chairman. She also left the board of struggling online retailer The Hut Group (THG), sending its shares plummeting. Byng-Thorne has been rewarded handsomely for her turnaround of Future, taking home 35.6m in the past eight years. But the firm has faced rebellions from shareholders over a bonus package that could net her up to 40m. Future declined to comment. Choose carefully: High street banks are offering perks from large overdrafts to free cash to entice freshers New undergraduates who are heading to university for the first time are being urged to make sure they have a good student bank account and to watch out for a new spate of scams. High street banks are offering perks from large overdrafts to free cash to entice freshers into opening a student account. But picking the right one can make a significant difference to a student's finances throughout their university years. For most students, a generous, multi-year, interest-free overdraft will be the most useful perk. This will enable them to avoid hefty overdraft fees if they run out of cash towards the end of term. Among the most generous is the 123 Student Current Account from Santander, which includes an overdraft facility where you do not have to pay any interest for the first year unless you dip into the red beyond 1,500. The limit rises over the years to 2,000 for a five-year course. But break the limit and you pay 39.94 per cent interest a year. The account also comes with a free four-year 16-25 Railcard worth 120. HSBC's offering includes 100 cashback. It provides a free overdraft of 1,000 for the first year, which rises to a generous 3,000 in the third year. Break the limit by 25 and you can expect to pay a hefty rate of interest of 39.9 per cent a year. Nationwide Building Society is also among the most generous, and could be a good option for those who prefer the idea of supporting a mutual owned by its members. It offers a 100 cashback incentive to open its FlexStudent account with a 500 minimum deposit. There are no overdraft charges for up to 1,000 for the first year, rising to 3,000 in year three. Above these limits it charges 39.9 per cent a year. Students are being warned not to let their guard down over online scams and fraud, which are likely to spike over the coming weeks as they begin their courses. 'Scammers are all too aware that the three student finance payment periods in September, January and April each year are a prime time for them to try to trick students,' says Bernice McNaught, an executive director at the Student Loans Company. She stressed her low-income childhood and her trailer park roots. She said she lives just 10 minutes from the Tops supermarket where a white supremacist gunned down 10 people on Buffalo's East Side. She even introduced her husband as "Barack Obama's United States attorney." At a predominantly African American church in Amherst, Gov. Kathy Hochul campaigning for what would be her first full term as governor on Sunday stressed her response to the Tops massacre as proof that she has delivered for the Black community and for all of Western New York. "I was there within hours," Hochul said of the May 14 shooting that left 10 Black people dead. "The pain is still in my heart. Its like I left a part of me in that community. Because they needed me, I had some people cry on my shoulders." As governor, though, Hochul said grieving with the Black community wasn't enough. "I said, I will take that pain, I will harness that pain, I will take it back to Albany and do more to help protect our streets and help protect our children and our families," she said. Hochul touted new gun restrictions passed in the wake of the shooting and said she believes teenagers like alleged gunman Payton Gendron "need to have a background check so we can find out if youre on these hate sites before you do harm again." The governor said she returned to Buffalo two weeks after the shooting with $50 million in state funds earmarked for Buffalo's East Side, something she said gave people hope, "because that's something they've lost for too long." Hochul declined to take reporters' questions after her five-minute speech. But church leaders and congregants said they believed Hochul was not coming to Zion Dominion Global Ministries just to campaign. Thats why I like our governor," said Bishop Roderick L. Hennings. "Because she came when she wasnt trying to be governor. Dee Billups and Sharon Shelton of the East Side agreed. "Shes come whether shes running or not," Billups said of Hochul. "And every time she comes, she speaks the truth and she backs up her word with what she does." Not all were happy with a politician showing up to a religious service less than two months before Election Day. "Campaigning in Churches used to be frowned upon," Twitter user @TheLizMack wrote online. "If @RepLeeZeldin [Lee Zeldin, Hochul's Republican opponent) showed up at a Catholic Church to deliver the Homily it would take 2 seconds for every media outlet to scream about removing tax-exempt status." "Isn't this the point at which we start [talking] about the separation of church and state?" another Twitter user added. But congregants who spoke about Hochul's visit afterward had no problems with her presence, noting that it has long been a tradition for elected leaders to speak at African American churches. "Absolutely, because where are the vast number of people gathered together in great numbers? The church. So I dont see anything wrong with it," said Elizabeth Caffee of Amherst. "In fact, I encourage it." A man has been described as in good spirits after being rescued from a sea cave in Co Mayo. It was reported that the man and a second person got into difficulty on Saturday evening. The Ballyglass RNLI Lifeboat was launched to the scene at around 5.50pm. On Sunday evening, almost 24 hours after the incident began, the trapped man was brought to safety after a multi-agency rescue effort. The man was airlifted to Sligo University Hospital by the Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118, and is said to be well and in good spirits. The man was rescued by the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation, supported by four Coast Guard units from Killala, Ballyglass, Killybegs, and Achill, as well as the Ballyglass RNLI Lifeboat. Agatha Hurst, of Ballyglass RNLI Lifeboat, told local radio station Mid West Radio that its volunteer crew had been at the scene since Saturday evening. She said the crew had remained in constant contact with the man during the incident, shining a light in towards him and communicating with him. She said that it had been a huge, big operation with many different entities coming together between the Coast Guard, the Gardai, civil rescue, and of course Ballyglass RNLI, in order to rescue the man. The National Ambulance Service, the Civil Defence, the County Fire Service and Gardai, including the Gardai Water Unit, were also at the scene. The Coast Guard would like to take this opportunity to recognise the professionalism and dedication of those involved in the successful operation and in particular the team from Irish Cave Rescue Organisation, the Department of Transport said as the rescue effort concluded. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Vicksburg Post. WASHINGTON The prosecutor who sent Rep. Chris Collins to prison is not happy that the lawmaker-turned-inside-trader got pardoned. Geoffrey S. Berman, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, notes in a new book that Collins was the first Republican House member to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2016. And Berman suggests that those political ties to the then-president explain why Trump pardoned Collins in late 2020, just as political ties explain why Trump pardoned former political aide Steve Bannon. "It is an outrage that someone's political beliefs or their value as a political operative would figure into a pardon decision," Berman writes in "Holding the Line Inside the Nation's Preeminent U.S. Attorney's Office and Its Battle with the Trump Justice Department," which was released this week by Penguin Press. "But as I said, the Constitution grants extreme powers to a president on pardons. Trump used them." To hear Berman tell it, Trump's pardons were just among the latest but by no means the least of his administration's attempts to remove the lug nuts from the wheels of justice. About a month after Collins' 2018 arrest, an aide to Berman got a call from Edward OCallaghan, the Trump political appointee who served as principal associate deputy attorney general. Citing the case against Collins and the one against former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, O'Callaghan told Berman's aide that the prosecutor should pursue a criminal case against Gregory Craig, a prominent Democratic attorney whose ties to Ukraine were under investigation at the time. "Its time for you guys to even things out, O'Callaghan told the Berman aide, according to the prosecutor's book. O'Callaghan, in a brief interview with the New York Times, called that allegation "categorically false." But Berman, in his book, indicated it was true, deeply disturbing and part of a pattern. Throughout my tenure as U.S. attorney, Trumps Justice Department kept demanding that I use my office to aid them politically, and I kept declining in ways just tactful enough to keep me from being fired, Berman wrote. Berman's office charged Collins, his son Cameron Collins and Cameron's prospective father-in-law with fraud and perjury about seven months after Berman became U.S. attorney. Trump's Justice Department saw the case against Collins as "an early demerit" against Berman's office, the former prosecutor wrote. But Berman said the case against Collins, who lived in Clarence at the time, was a strong one. "His crime insider trading was brazen," he wrote. Collins served at the time on the board of Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotech firm whose one product was an experimental drug aimed at treating multiple sclerosis. In late June 2017, though, clinical trials for that drug failed utterly. And Collins, Innate's largest shareholder, heard about the bad news from the company's CEO in an email he received while at a White House congressional picnic. "He owned millions of dollars of Innate stock," Berman wrote regarding Collins. "But he couldn't sell it. He was already under investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics in connection with his holdings and his promotion of the company." But apparently Collins thought his son could safely dump his Innate stock based on his father's information so he called his son on his cellphone from the White House picnic. "We had a video of him talking on his cellphone at that moment committing his felony right on the White House lawn," Berman wrote. And it was no victimless crime, Berman added. " 'Insider trading' is one of those bloodless terms that may not fully convey the seriousness of the crime," Berman wrote. "It amounts to gaming the system and cheating regular investors, who are at a disadvantage because they do not have the same information. They're like dupes in a rigged card game." Besides, "the fact that Collins was a congressman made it worse," Berman added. Still, as federal prosecutors built their case against Collins in the summer of 2018, the calendar posed an issue. "One of the tough calls I had to make early in my tenure concerned the timing of the Collins indictments," Berman wrote. "Do we indict Collins before the election which would have a significant negative impact on his chances for re-election or wait until right after the election?" In deciding to bring charges against Collins on Aug. 8, 2018, Berman relied on an informal "60-day rule" at the Justice Department, which suggests that prosecutors not file federal charges against candidates for 60 days prior to an election in order to avoid affecting the outcome. Berman's office decided to charge Collins 89 days before the 2018 election for a reason: "I thought that Collins' constituents deserved to know about our charges, and he had over 60 days to present his side of the story," Berman wrote. Collins pleaded not guilty and managed to eke out a narrow win in that November 2018 contest in New York's heavily Republican 27th District. But 10 months later, in an about-face, he resigned and pleaded guilty. Berman attributed that change of heart to a tactical decision on the part of his prosecutors. With Collins claiming congressional privilege in a way that could delay the case for months, the prosecutors told the judge that they would like to move to trial against the other defendants. "At the end of the day, the congressman could not stand to see his son face trial for something that was largely his fault and for his son to be convicted while he was still avoiding his day in court," Berman wrote. So Collins, his son and his prospective father-in-law, Stephen Zarsky, all pleaded guilty in October 2019. Sentenced to 26 months in prison, "Collins had spent all of 10 weeks at a minimum-security federal prison in Pensacola, Florida," before his pardon, Berman noted. The pardon was nothing unusual for Trump. Berman noted that Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard University law school professor, studied Trump's pardons and found that 88% went to people he knew personally or who had helped him politically. And there is nothing anyone can do about that. "A president can pardon whomever he wants," Berman wrote. "It is an unlimited, essentially unreviewable power." That includes episodes like the 1998 Arms to Africa Affair when a British mercenary outfit, Tim Spicer's Sandline International, sent arms to Sierra Leone in defiance of a UN arms embargo. The National Archives move towards a 20-year-rule mean that many records from the early New Labour years are now available. I've had a quick scan of one such file, which includes the lines to take prepared by the Foreign Office for Alastair Campbell. One key theme was that all's well that ends well, the affair was 'an untidy episode with a happy ending', because Sandline's arms had helped restore a legitimate government. Another was 'to stress the point about overworked staff'. The Foreign Office man on the spot, High Commissioner Peter Penfold, spent much of the time working from a hotel room in neighbouring Guinea, while the relevant Foreign Office department responsible consisted of a desk officer and an assistant who were responsible for a number of other West African countries. Ironically, one concern was whether the Legg inquiry would believe the evidence of Spicer or of Foreign Office official Craig Murray, later himself an outspoken critic of the Blair government. The Foreign Office brief also covered the intelligence angle: Penfold's Feb 2 minute also reveals that he 'had several meetings with Rupert Bowen', a mercenary associate of Spicer, who was identified by the Sunday Times (5 July) as a former member of MI6. The media will love the spy angle, however piffling Bowen's actual role. Our defence - we can't comment of whether Bowen worked for MI6, of course, but Legg should have made clear that there was no sinister link between Bowen and the intelligence world. It seems odd on the face of it, that an ex-MI6 officer would not have consulted with his old service. According to the Legg inquiry, one intelligence report did reach the Foreign Office stating that 'President Kabbah had engaged Executive Outcomes/Sandline to prepare and lead a military force from bases in Liberia to oust the junta.' This report was apparently discounted by Craig Murray because 'it referred to arms and Kamajor camps in the unlikely location of Liberia.' It's possible that MI6 was suffering from it's own staffing issues at the time. Rupert Bowen left government service in 1993, the same year as the so-called 'Christmas massacre', a post-Cold War downsizing which saw MI6 lose 5 per cent of it's intelligence branch, including a high proportion of older and more senior officers. There was nevertheless some significant intelligence reporting on the relationship between Sandline and Executive Outcomes, the South African mercenary firm which had been operating in Sierra Leone for several years by this time. On this the Legg report stated: Sandline International is a private military company. We understand that it was created in 1996 and is registered in the Bahamas. It has working and personal links with other companies operating in the fields of military and security services, and mineral extraction. In the former category, these include Executive Outcomes and Lifeguard and in the latter, DiamondWorks and Branch Energy. All these companies have been active or had interests in Sierra Leone for some time. We have found that Sandline is often referred to by outsiders as Executive Outcomes. Strictly this is incorrect, but the confusion is widespread. This is one issue on which the new files provide a bit more detail, in the form of a summary of intelligence material reviewed by the inquiry at the Foreign Office. This included the following significant extracts. We have seen five assessments of the position in Sierra Leone issued by the Joint Intelligence Committee between June 1997 and February 1998. One of them, issued on 28 January 1998, referred to diplomatic reports that Sandline had been engaged by President Kabbah to 'help' the Kamajors. It also mentioned that Executive Outcomes, which had close links with Sandline, was reported to be giving logistic support to the Kamajors, and that unconfirmed reports suggested that the company was preparing a force of up to 2,500 in South Africa. The draft of this assessment was circulated as a telegram on 21 January 1998. This draft stated, like the final version, that EO and Sandline also had close links, but also added that they might in practice be indivisible.... ...We have also seen a separate JIC assessment of 19 November 1997. This was issued in the wake of Sandline's involvement in Papua New Guinea, and considered the phenomenon of British mercenaries and private military firms. Sandline was described as a UK-based front for Executive Outcomes, and thereafter as 'Sandline/EO'. This assessment is general in character and contained no mention of Sierra Leone... ...We have seen three SIS reports which bear on events in Sierra Leone. The first, made in June 1997, was about the impact of the May 1997 coup on the interests of Executive Outcomes and its associated companies, including Sandline. The second made in July 1997, described EO's operations in Sierra Leone during 1995 and 1996. The last, dated 12 February 1998, passed on a specific report that President Kabbah had engaged EO/Sandline to prepare and lead a military task force to oust the junta. This report indicated that Sandline was heavily involved in the plan, which was said to include the supply of troops, weapons, training, etc. Another British mercenary firm was also said to have been approached, but to be unwilling to take part without at least tacit support from the UK Ministry of Defence. (by the time this report was circulated, the counter-coup had already begun). The JIC reporting at least seems timely enough to leave some suspicion of collusion about the failure to warn off Sandline, even if events at the Foreign Office provide plenty of scope for the cock-up theory. Concern about Executive Outcomes overthrowing a Sierra Leonean junta might not have been great, until the press pointed out that a British company was breaking a UN arms embargo in the process. It is striking, given the later career of its chief executive, that the JIC labelled Sandline a front for Executive Outcomes, a mercenary organisation made up of veterans of Apartheid South Africa's wars in Angola and Mozambique. In the immediate aftermath of Arms to Africa Affair, Tim Spicer was a discredited figure. By 2002, investigative journalist Duncan Campbell could report that Spicer's companies were moribund and the role of mercenaries in Africa widely denounced. Yet Spicer, like the concept of the 'Private Military Company' he pioneered, was on the cusp of a new boom. His next firm, Aegis Defence Services, would become one of many PMCs to profit from the occupation of Iraq. The label, and the associated War on Terror rhetoric, would be imitated by the Russians in Syria and Libya. One such PMC, Wagner Group, is now a central player in the invasion of Ukraine. We noticed a few murmurings via social media but thanks to BAD-ASS TKC TIPSTERS we feel much more comfortable sharing local e-mail blast communications. To wit . . . KANSAS DEMOCRATS & PROGRESSIVES ORGANIZE RESISTANCE IN OLATHE AHEAD OF SUNDAY'S GUV DeSANTIS VISIT!!! Here's the word and, in fairness, the campaign spin . . . SUNDAY: FL Gov DeSantis will be in Olathe campaigning for Derek Schmidt This Sunday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will be in Olathe campaigning for Republican candidate for governor Derek Schmidt for a unity rally as Schmidt continues to hemorrhage Republican support on the heels of Kansas Republican former Governor Bill Graves Schmidts former boss announcing his endorsement of Governor Kelly for re-election. Ahead of the DeSantis rally, join us for a rally to send a strong message about the support Governor Kelly has from actual Kansans outside of the Embassy Suites in Olathe (10401 S. Ridgeview Rd, Olathe, KS 66061) at 12:00 PM. This is not the first time Schmidt has had to rely on out-of-state help for his campaign, and surely wont be the last as he struggles to secure support from members of his own party and is forced to fend off lifelong Republican and current State Senator Dennis Pyle. Meanwhile, Governor Kellys campaign for re-election has support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents right here in Kansas because they trust her track record of working across the aisle to deliver for them. Thanks, Shelbi D, Campaign Manager ########### Developing . . . A gunman's shooting spree that tore through multiple jurisdictions Monday has taken another life. - Graham Paine/Metroland Just before dawn on May 21, Town of Tonawanda police received a call that a car had smashed through 60 feet of fencing and knocked over a tree at a local cemetery. When they arrived, officers found the abandoned vehicle but no driver. A few minutes later, an officer spotted a man whose hand was bleeding walking in the dark on a nearby side street. Over an hour, the man repeatedly denied he was involved in the crash before finally admitting he had been behind the wheel, according to officers' body-camera footage released to The Buffalo News. Throughout the encounter, police never subjected the man to a field sobriety test. And they didnt ticket him for a traffic infraction not for driving off the road and not for leaving the crash scene. Those decisions came after Tonawanda officers learned something else: The driver was an off-duty Buffalo police officer. And, it turns out, the commanding officer at the scene had himself been arrested for drunken driving following a crash in Niagara County three years earlier. Tonawanda Police Chief James P. Stauffiger defended the officers and supervisors who responded to the incident. "It is well within the judgment and discretion of the officers at the scene whether or not they issue a traffic ticket," Stauffiger said, "and it happens every day." Sedan was abandoned No one reported witnessing the May 21 crash but a passing motorist who saw its aftermath called it in around 5 a.m. A woman who lives near the cemetery told Officer Michael Belluz she had heard a loud boom and feared it was a gunshot. Belluz found a long hole gashed out of a fence at Elmlawn Memorial Park, on Delaware Avenue just south of the I-290 interchange. Fence pieces were scattered on the street, sidewalk and grass and a tree had been ripped from the ground. A tan 1995 Mercury Marquis sedan was stuck after ramming head-on into a second tree. The front end was heavily damaged, the drivers side mirror was wrenched off and the windshield was shattered. Inside, Belluz found droplets of blood on the drivers air bag and more smeared on the arm rest. Michael Austin, president of the Elmlawn cemetery association, was called to the crash site. This is the worst one weve had in a long time, Austin told Belluz, before wondering, How hammered is he? Belluz said he didnt know but another officer, by this point, had tracked down the suspected driver. 'Just a late-night walk' At 5:11 a.m., Officer Mark Shell pulled up to Gloucester and Bonnett avenues, in a subdivision north of the cemetery, and approached someone on the sidewalk. Shell asked the man, Christopher Bridgett, if it was his car in the cemetery. Bridgett said no. He then asked Shell, referring to the body camera, Are you on? Shell said he was. When Bridgett asked, Can we talk off? Shell said he couldnt shut off the camera. Youre cut up. You crashed this car, Shell said. Bridgett then said, I work with you, you know what I mean? Oh, I got you, Shell told Bridgett. Where? City, Bridgett said. Next, Officer Eric Trautwein asked Bridgett what he was doing. Just a late-night walk, thats all it is, Bridgett said. His story changes At 5:19, Officer Joseph Klyczek questioned Bridgett. You realize your car is sitting in a cemetery right now, Klyczek said. Oh, it is? Bridgett said. Listen, Chris, this is not my first day on the job, Klyczek said. Were both men here. Lets just cut right to the chase: Were you driving the car? No, Im just chilling, man, Bridgett said. Were you in the car? Klyczek said. No, Bridgett said. It was a serious accident and, Klyczek said, We need to know if we need to be looking for someone that could be hurt. For the first time, Bridgett admitted he had been in the car but insisted he had been asleep in the passenger seat. Bridgett said a cousin had been driving but he didnt know where Michael had gone. He also declined treatment from town paramedics for cuts on his right hand. 'Nobody else involved' Lt. Timothy Partyka emphasized if Bridgett wasn't truthful, it would damage his credibility when his future cases go to trial. The defense attorney will tear you apart and youll never be able to testify in court again, Partyka said. I understand, Bridgett said. Prodded by Partyka, Bridgett gave a full name and date of birth for his cousin, but Shell couldnt find any trace in a database search. Partyka walked back to Bridgett. This aint my first rodeo. Ive been doing this a long time, longer than you have, he said. I dont appreciate the runaround and being lied to and stuff. Bridgett called someone but it went to voicemail. Honestly, if you just want to plug in my insurance, Im fine with that, Bridgett said. Klyczek advised Partyka that, without a confession or eyewitness, police didnt have enough to cite Bridgett. Shell came over and said Bridgett wanted to speak one on one. Thats not the way it works anymore, Partyka said. I know what he means. Klyczek added, Weve got everything covered on our end. If the department wants to pursue it, and their department wants to pursue it, thats on them. Partyka put his body camera in what he called covert mode and returned to Bridgett. Bridgett asked, Are you on? Partyka said, No, but recording continued. This was now 6:04 a.m. Partyka asked Bridgett what he wanted to say. I (messed) up, Bridgett said softly, using a profanity, repeating his words again. OK, thats all Im asking for, Partyka said. Partyka said police would have the Marquis towed and file an accident report. He asked whether anyone else had been in the car. Bridgett said, There was nobody else involved. Nobody. Another off-duty crash Stauffiger, after reviewing the recordings from that morning, praised his officers' investigative work. "Their line of questioning led to this individual being truthful about the fact that he was the only person in the car when that accident took place," the police chief said. Officers didn't directly ask Bridgett whether he had been drinking. Bridgett also wasnt asked to perform a field-sobriety or Breathalyzer test. Video showed Bridgett steady on his feet and coherent in speaking with officers. Stauffiger said Bridgett didnt appear intoxicated to them. In the accident report, Bridgett is listed as the Marquis' driver and registered owner and the crash is attributed to driver inattention/distraction. As ranking officer at the scene, Captain (Corey) Flatau was responsible for whether or not a ticket was issued, Stauffiger emailed. Issuance of a traffic ticket is discretionary and within Captain Flataus judgment to not issue a ticket. Flatau had been off duty that morning when he was asked to come to the scene, he said in an interview last week, so he wasn't wearing his uniform with his body camera. I went to make sure all of our protocols, policies and procedures were followed, Flatau said. "And because it involved another police officer, I wanted to ensure that that department was notified." In 2018, Flatau had been charged with driving while intoxicated and issued a pair of traffic infractions for a crash in Niagara County. Coincidentally, he told a deputy investigating that incident that he had not been driving the vehicle. He later pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired. On the morning of the incident at the cemetery, Flatau did speak to a Buffalo police supervisor. Both Flatau and Stauffiger acknowledged Bridgett could have received a ticket but defended the decision not to cite him. "I'm never going to second guess my officers. I don't micromanage them," Flatau said. Bridgett wasn't disciplined Bridgett was the subject of six disciplinary complaints between 2017 and 2021, Buffalo Police records show. For one, he was suspended four days without pay for not following proper procedure. Two complaints were for using excessive force. Bridgett was reprimanded in one and awaiting a hearing in the other. One investigation, into off-duty conduct, was launched July 26, 2018, four days after Bridgett was shot twice while in a vehicle outside Buffalo's Groove Lounge. Bridgett was exonerated following that investigation and another probe. The final complaint was not sustained. Bridgett didn't respond to a request for comment made through the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association. John Evans, the unions president, declined to comment. Buffalo's Internal Affairs Division reviewed the Tonawanda crash. Because no criminal conduct was alleged, no internal action was taken, Buffalo Police spokesman Michael DeGeorge said. The Erie County District Attorneys Office said it wasnt aware of the incident. Spokeswoman Kait Munro said its not a crime to tell a lie to a police officer, though someone could, depending on the circumstances, be charged with lying in a sworn statement. Leaving the scene of a property-damage accident is considered a traffic infraction, she said. John V. Elmore, a veteran attorney and former longtime prosecutor, said police need reasonable suspicion to request sobriety or breath tests. And he agreed police have discretion in issuing tickets. By notifying their supervisors, he said, "I would feel confident the officers did the right thing." Bridgett's conduct, however, was lacking, Elmore said. "He should have stayed with the vehicle," Elmore said, and reported the crash. At the cemetery, a wide gap remains in the fence along Delaware. Elmlawn's Austin said supply chain issues have delayed repairs but the replacement aluminum fencing could be installed this month. The cost is about $8,000. "The driver's insurance paid for it," Austin said. More graves with bodies of civilians tortured to death are being discovered in de-occupied Izium, Kharkiv region, while the work has started to search for victims of airstrikes under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Thats according to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who spoke in an interview with Reuters, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "To date, 450 dead and buried have been found in Izyum. But there are still separate graves where many tortured people are buried whole families... All this is in Izium, in those pits... Just bodies thrown in there," the head of the Ukrainian state said, noting that the inquiry is currently underway. In addition, he said that many had died as a result of Russian airstrikes. According to Zelensky, the search under the rubble of the destroyed buildings. "We will witness mass torture of our people by Russia. And I don't know how many thousands died there," said the president of Ukraine. Read also: Graves of six family members found at mass burial site in Izium The leader referred to the actions of the Russian military as terrorism, and appealed to the international community to recognize Russia as a terrorist state or sponsor of terrorism. "I would very much like the United States to react strongly now as a leader of democracy in the world and as a leader in supporting Ukraine. I would like U.S. Congress to support our proposal to recognize Russia as terrorists. We are not asking to recognize people as terrorists. We are asking to recognize terrorists as terrorists. That's what they are. They have done this," Zelensky emphasized. The head of the Ukrainian state stated that specific war crimes committed by the Russian Federation were recorded in the de-occupied territory of Kharkiv region. In this context, he informed that Ukraine is pursuing investigative action jointly with international experts and prosecutors. According to Zelensky, no one doubts that Russia is to blame for the crimes committed. As reported by Ukrinform, on September 6, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 400 bodies, including those with signs of torture, were exhumed at the site of a mass burial in liberated Izium. Among the identified bodies are children and military servicemen. As of September 16, law enforcers discovered 10 torture chambers in the territories liberated from the Russians in Kharkiv region, six of them in the town of Izium. Photo: Ukrainian Presidents Office The Armed Forces of Ukraine sank an enemy barge with military equipment and occupants on board at the southern front. As the Operational Command "South" reports, the Russians tried to transport their weapons with the help of that vessel. According to the Command, the Armed Forces of Ukraine exercised fire control of transport routes, logistics centers, maneuvers and redeployment, basing points, and control posts of enemy units. In general, the situation at the southern front is steadily tense, but controlled by the Defense Forces. "The invaders retreat from positions, losing a tactically advantageous location. However, they do not stop trying to test the strength of our units," the military said. Thus, the enemy once again carried out assault operations with forces up to a platoon, supported by two T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles, but were unsuccessful. They lost two airborne vehicles and a third of their manpower and retreated. The Operational Command "South" also noted that the Ukrainian artillery gunners disrupted the plans of the occupiers to restore the Antonivka railway bridge. Over the past day, the enemy actively conducted aerial reconnaissance, opened rocket and artillery fire, and launched 12 airstrikes on Ukrainian positions and territorial communities along the front line. At the same time, the Ukrainian aviation launched three strikes on the enemy and destroyed two Russian reconnaissance drones of the operational-tactical level, while the missile and artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine performed more than 320 fire missions over the past day. In total, the Ukrainian military eliminated 62 occupiers and five armored vehicles in the south over the past day. ol Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis called for the transfer of more weapons to Ukraine, commenting on the mass crimes of the occupiers in Izium. Words failed to prevent mass graves. Condemnation alone won't bring this genocide to an end. Tanks speak louder than words. #ArmUkraineNow means now, Landsbergis posted on Twitter. As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 400 bodies, including those with signs of torture, had been found in a mass grave in liberated Izium. Children and military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are among those identified. As of September 16, law enforcement officers discovered 10 torture chambers in the territories liberated from the Russians in Kharkiv region. Six of them were found in Izium. Photo credit: J.Staceviciaus/LRT nuotr ol After several weeks of hesitation, the German government granted Ukraine's request for additional artillery weapons. As Ukrinform reports with reference to Die Welt, Kyiv asked for the delivery of howitzers in mid-July. In particular, 18 RCH-155 weapon systems worth 216 million euros, which Ukraine wants to order from the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) defense company, were requested. As Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Andriy Melnyk said on Friday, the German government had agreed to export and finance the weapons. "This will be a significant contribution to the strengthening of the Ukrainian army. I hope that the German government will continue to consistently move along this path," Melnyk said. In particular, Ukraine expects that Berlin will "also provide further commitments" as part of KMW's offer to supply 100 self-propelled howitzers, the ambassador added. Only last week, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz justified his negative position on the supply of tanks to Ukraine with the "division of labor" between Germany and the United States regarding military support for Ukraine. Germany could "focus on air defense and artillery," the Chancellor noted. The request for RCH-155 howitzers was repeatedly discussed in the German government, but no decision was made until the last moment. According to the manufacturer's proposal, which also includes training and the provision of spare parts, the first RCH-155 howitzers will be ready for shipment in no earlier than 30 months. According to Ukrainian sources, KMW did not want to start production until there was a clear signal from the German government that the weapons could be exported to Ukraine. RCH-155 has a 2000 self-propelled howitzer mounted on an eight-wheeled Boxer armoured fighting vehicle. Germany has already delivered ten such self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. On Thursday, Germany announced that it would send two more Mars multiple-launch rocket systems and ammunition to Ukraine. The Government of Germany regularly states that Germany can no longer supply Ukraine with weapons from its army reserves as they are needed for the defense of NATO territory. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, however, made it clear that he did not differentiate between Ukraine and the Alliance's territory. He called on the member states to replenish their reserves in order to provide Kyiv with the necessary weapons. ol Iranian Shahed-136 drones supplied to Russia carried out several devastating strikes on Ukrainian troops. Over the past week, Shahed drones, repainted in Russian colors and rebranded as Geranium 2, started appearing over Ukrainian armor and artillery positions in the northeastern Kharkiv region, said Col. Rodion Kulagin, commander of artillery of Ukraines 92nd Mechanized Brigade, The Wall Street Journal reports. In his brigades operational area alone, the Iranian drones have destroyed two 152-mm self-propelled howitzers, two 122-mm self-propelled howitzers, as well as two BTR armored infantry vehicles, he said. Earlier, Russia struck a U.S.-supplied M777 155-mm towed howitzer with the drone. So far, the Iranian drones seem to have been mostly deployed in the Kharkiv region, where the 92nd Brigade and other Ukrainian forces carried out a major offensive this month. The Iranian drones are relatively small and fly at a very low altitude, making it hard for Ukrainian air-defense systems to detect them, Col. Kulagin said. He said he hoped the U.S. and allies could provide Ukraine with more advanced antidrone technologies, or would step in to disrupt Iranian drone shipments to Russia. ol The Spanish army will train Ukrainian soldiers in the use of tanks, artillery ammunition and anti-aircraft batteries. That's according to the Spanish defense news site Infodefensa, Ukrinform reports. "The first group of 20 soldiers will arrive early next week. Training will focus on the use of tanks, artillery ammunition and anti-aircraft batteries," the report said. It added that the training of Ukrainian soldiers would take place at the San Gregorio training camp, Europe's largest, near Zaragoza. "The [Spanish] Ministry of Defense confirmed this Thursday the launch of a training mission on Spanish soil for soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Infodefensa said. The Ukrainian military will arrive in Spain in a Spanish Air and Space Force plane that will fly to Poland to pick them up. The training course will last approximately one month. "In this way, Spain is taking another step in its support for Ukraine against Putin's Russia. Defense Minister Margarita Robles has already announced last week at a meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group that the ministry had offered training modules to instruct the Ukrainian military in the use of an anti-aircraft battery, which has also been placed at the disposal of the Kyiv authorities," the statement said. The training will also allow the Ukrainian military to better understand the procedures for use and the storage and transport conditions of artillery ammunition supplied by Spain. In the past two weeks, Spain's Ministry of Defense has sent in five flights a batch of 1,000 full rounds of heavy-caliber artillery ammunition and has begun to deliver cold weather uniforms and equipment. "Finally, training in the handling of battle tanks will prepare the Ukrainian military for the use of vehicles that could arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks. It should be remembered that Kyiv has insistently requested tanks from countries such as Germany and Spain, both of which have fleets of Leopards in service," the report said. The Ukrainian military have launched a precision strike on a bus terminal in the Luhansk regions Svatove, where Russian occupiers were based. The relevant statement was made by Luhansk Regional Military Administration Head Serhii Haidai on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Bavovna [an ironical euphemism for explosions Ed.] in Svatove. A bus terminal, in which rashists were accommodated. Now, cargo 200, 300 Haidai wrote. Earlier, Haidai mentioned Svatove as another restless place for Russian invaders in Ukraine but did not disclose any details. A reminder that, over the past day, Ukraines Air Force has struck 13 enemy personnel and military equipment clusters and three air defense missile system positions. In addition, the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense units shot down five Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and one Ka-52 helicopter. Ukraines missile and artillery units inflicted fire damage on more than 200 enemy objects, including 12 command posts, ammunition and fuel depots, artillery positions, personnel and military equipment clusters. Photo: Serhii Haidai, Telegram mk Estonia is assisting Ukraine with the training of the Ukrainian military. The relevant statement was made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Estonia helps with the training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Thank you for your support! the General Staff wrote, posting the photographs. A reminder that, on September 17, 2022, Estonian Defense Forces Commander, Lieutenant General Martin Herem noted NATO should continue providing urgent military aid to Ukraine. Photo: Eesti Kaitsevae Peastaap mk The number of conflict situations between representatives of the Russian army and those "mobilized from the territory of the LPR and DPR is increasing. "Volunteers" are being refused medical treatment in hospitals and even left behind in their positions by the retreating units. Thats according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraines Defense Ministry, Ukrinform reports One of the battalions of the so-called "Union of Donbas Volunteers" suffered heavy losses in firefights near Avdiivka. As the wounded servicemen were brought to a hospital in Russias Rostov-on-Don, its staff refused to provide medical aid to them citing the fact that the unit is not formally part of Russias regular army. The "Union of Donbas Volunteers" was formed under the program of voluntary mobilization of Russias combat army reserve. In all such cases where the wounded are refused hospital treatment, medics cite direct instructions by their command. Also, tension is brewing between Russian army servicemen and those mobilized into the invasion force from among the residents of Russian puppet pseudo-republics LPR and DPR. The conflict is caused by Russian units leaving the latter behind during the retreat, with no support. Due to this, some of the units composed of the DPR-LPR draftees have been totally destroyed. The occupation forces are actively discussing the latest losses suffered during a massive withdrawal of Russian troops from Kharkiv region. More than 200 units of heavy military equipment were abandoned in the area, including T-72B3M, T-80BVM, and T-80UE main battle tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled guns, and trucks. At the same time, it is noted that the largest amount of equipment was left behind in the Balaklia district at a repair base earlier set up in the area. On a recent Friday night, Dr. Tom Russo and his wife, Johanna, were heading to the home of another physician, John Sellick, and his wife, Colleen. They were gathering for dinner with a third couple: Dr. Alan Lesse, who, like Russo and Sellick, is an infectious disease doctor, and his wife, Debbi. But breaking bread this evening was preceded by breaking open something else: Boxes of test kits. Before the Sellicks, Russos and Lesses dined together, they agreed: Everyone first had to test negative for Covid-19. Being careful due to our upcoming vacation, explained Russo, who after 30 pandemic months as a highly visible Covid-19 expert both regionally and nationally, is finally taking a long-awaited cruise with Johanna. Russo, a practicing physician who is the chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalos Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, isnt amping up caution simply to avoid missing a trip. This has been his way of life throughout the pandemic, and its paid off tangibly: If Russo happens to get a positive Covid-19 test before embarking on their cruise, itll be his first ever. The man most frequently associated with the virus in Western New York has never had Covid-19. Pandemic Lessons: What are the new rules of Covid-19 isolation? Right now, the latest versions of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 are spreading fast. Theyre good at evading our immunity. As increasing numbers of people get infected, lets revisit the rules of isolation and the most effective ways to do it. Thats also true for Sellick, who like Russo has both treated and been frequently interviewed about a virus he has personally managed to evade for nearly three years. Or, as both doctors are quick to clarify, theyve never tested positive for it. I have clinically not had it, said Sellick, who is an epidemiologist with UB, Kaleida Health and Veterans Affairs. That doesnt definitively mean Sellick or Russo havent been infected by the virus. They just havent been affected by it any apparent, test-verified way. Not that I know of, said Russo. Infectious disease doctors like Russo and Sellick, who possess a detailed knowledge of germs that lay people would find harrowing, are cautious by nature. That in part explains their seeming avoidance of the virus Im not a super high-risk sort of guy, Russo said and its also evident in the way they characterize it. For a lot of people like myself, who are vaxxed the max, you never know if you had an asymptomatic infection, said Russo, who is 67 and received all his primary shots and boosters as they became available to him. Or one of those days that you felt slightly off for a few hours, and then were fine. Medical workers and particularly those who intimately understand how diseases spread do have some built-in advantages. Were always masked and following all the precautions when were seeing Covid patients, and were also up to date with boosters, Sellick said. We may not be the best bellwethers of what is really happening. People like Russo and Sellick and their spouses, who have also not tested positive are part of an ever-rarefied group. The United States has had more than 95 million recorded Covid-19 cases and surpassed 1 million deaths last spring. Most Americans have already been infected by the virus at least once, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and many have combated it multiple times. Since many cases go unreported or undetected, theres no way to accurately count the actual number. The only way to determine whether youve had an asymptomatic infection is to persuade a doctor (and your insurance company) to have your blood tested for antibodies something neither Russo nor Sellick have even bothered to do. It doesnt change anything its more the curiosity, Sellick said, noting that since having Covid-19 antibodies isnt a guarantee against reinfection, it wouldnt lessen any of the precautions he already takes. I think there are probably some people who really have avoided infection, either because of their behaviors, or specific things about their immune system that we don't completely understand that's a possibility, Sellick said. But I encourage people: Just because you think that you haven't had it, dont throw all caution to the wind. Sellick, like Russo, is over 65 and lives only with his wife, Colleen. Their youngest daughter, a physician who is a neurology resident and has also evaded what her dad calls clinically obvious Covid, frequently stops by. Maintaining those tight and safe circles is a clear Covid avoidance strategy. Dodging infection is also dependent on the behavior of household members, says Russo, whose wife, Johanna, is a retired childrens librarian. She serves as a Read to Succeed mentor in the Buffalo Public Schools but has volunteered remotely through the pandemic. Doctors like Russo and Sellick can apply their epidemiological expertise in the outside world, too, by looking at data about virus spread, juxtaposing it against their own immunological risk based on how recently they received a vaccine, and assessing the air quality of a particular place they might be visiting. It will be difficult to impossible to avoid exposure, Russo said. "But the goal is to have max protection via immunization, and minimize the amount of virus seen via mask use and/or venue, so that the short- and long-term consequences of the encounter will be none to minimal. That thinking plays out daily. The Russos have visited some indoor restaurants, but not that many, he said, in the last couple of years. Their indoor dining experiences have generally happened when case counts were relatively low and the Russos were recently boosted. But as I get farther away from a booster and there are more and more cases, he said, dining would be outdoors. If spread is high, Russo added, and he is invited to meetings that involve dining, Ill pass on many of them. Russo has relented to attend some work-related functions Weve rolled the dice, he said and counted on the evidence that being vaccinated and boosted significantly lowers the likelihood of severe disease. Ive picked and chosen my venues and activities in part dictated by where were at in the community, he said, and the relative importance to me in terms of doing it. Medical professionals who are regularly exposed to Covid-19 in the tiniest of doses the miniscule amounts that may evade fitted masks might find themselves unknowingly aided. Your immune system is getting constantly boosted, said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, in an interview with The News last year. You don't get infected, per se, but you get exposed and your immune system kicks up a notch every time. Told of that notion, Russo agreed it could be true. We call this a little bit of a boost, just a little whiff of virus, he said. It jacks up our immune system, but not enough to make us sick or asymptomatic. The problem is, though, to control that is almost mission impossible. You just dont know. Russo maintains control by carrying a South Korean-made KF-94 high-filtration mask and donning it in any place he considers a high-risk venue. It doesnt bother me at all, he said. I can wear it for long periods of time because Im used to wearing masks from the hospital. Sellick is a proponent of masking, too, although hes less stringent than Russo. Tom is even more cautious than I am when hes out in public with masks, Sellick said. I tend not to wear masks when we go out for most things, unless its going to be a big crowd. Which isnt to say Sellick is loose with the precautions. The dinner party he hosted was prefaced by those tests, of course, which are aimed at preventing the wave of Omicron subvariant infections from hitting his friends. Wed like to avoid that for this vacation, Russo said, adding that several days ago, he and Johanna received the just-approved, updated booster shots that address the Omicron subvariants. That way were sort of timing maximal antibody protection with the beginning of our cruise vacation, he said, because we might need it on that ship. Its not just the vessel that Russo wants to feel cutting forward. Nearly three years into the pandemic, it would be nice to keep his streak of dodging Covid-19 cruising along, too. Satellite images indicate that Russia has been moving a large number of anti-aircraft missiles from St. Petersburg toward Ukraine. Satellite images reveal that both mobile firing platforms and missiles disappeared during the summer from a base in the Zelenogorsk area on the Karelian Isthmus, northwest of St Petersburg, among others, Yle Finnish media outlet reports. As noted, St PetersburgRussia's second-most important cityhas long been surrounded by a protective ring of 14 anti-aircraft missile bases. Now several of them stand empty. Yle has acquired most of the satellite images from commercial operators, complementing them with images from the Google Earth Pro app. The latest images are from August and September. The most obvious change can be seen to the southwest of St Petersburg. There, two entire batteries have been emptied. Pictures obtained by Yle show that about 25 missile containers, possibly containing 100 missiles, have been removed from one of the two remaining batteries. Moreover, not only the missile containers, but also a row of vehicles that have been standing in the open for years, have disappeared. There has also been a significant transfer of equipment from a base southeast of St Petersburgabout 10 firing platforms as well as other vehicles. Most of the remaining anti-aircraft missiles in the St Petersburg region are from the S-400 missile system. The experts say that the equipment that has been removed is primarily from the old S-300 system. ol Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, has reacted to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's promise to fight for the lifting of sanctions against Russia, noting that Hungary is a "Trojan horse" that seeks the collapse of the European Union at the expense of European taxpayers. According to Ukrinform, Podolyak said this on Twitter. "Orban says that he will fight for the lifting of sanctions against Russia. Let's call a spade a spade. Hungary Trojan horse seeking the collapse of the EU at the expense of European taxpayers," he said. Podolyak added that Orban hates Ukraine and dreams of "Russian peace" in Europe. "Should the EU finance these subversive acts?" he added. In his speech at a closed-door meeting with members of the Hungarian government and representatives of local authorities in the village of Kotcse on September 10, Orban said the war in Ukraine could last until 2030, and by that time, in his opinion, the European Union will allegedly collapse. He also said he would try to prevent the EU from extending sanctions against Russia for a further six months. Swiss lawmaker, member of the Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee Nicolas Walder, commenting on the issue of selective disconnection of Russian banks from the SWIFT system (as of today, only seven banks have been sanctioned), said that all Russian banks should be subjected to such disconnection, while Russia sanctions in general should be further strengthened. The Swiss politician made the corresponding statement in an interview with Guildhall, as seen by Ukrinform. Answering a question of whether all Russian banks should be barred from access to SWIFT, the lawmaker said absolutely. I believe that we should resort to tougher measures, tougher sanctions, said Nicolas Walder. Read also: EU removes three more Russian banks from SWIFT The problem with the Swiss law is that Switzerland can only support sanctions that have been adopted by the UN, the OSCE, or our main partner, which is the EU. We can only join EU sanctions but cant add our own. If a bank is not on the EU list, Switzerland cannot impose sanctions, although we have tried to change the law, but it is yet to be introduced. But yes, I believe that we should extend the measures, the parliamentarian said. I stand of expanding sanctions, I think we should include all the banks, all oligarchs, and I also support the ban on issuing visas to all Russians in principle, unless they are opponents of the regime, summed up the Swiss politician. It should be noted that, according to a study by the Center for Defense Reforms, today only seven Russian banks have been disconnected from the SWIFT system. All other banks continue to operate as usual. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania issued a special statement regarding the recent statements voiced by the former minister, Andrei Marga, who called on Ukraine to "cede territories." Thats according to G4Media.ro and other Romanian media platforms, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers Andrii Marga's public statements regarding Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences to be unacceptable. These statements blatantly contradict Romania's official position regarding Russia's illegal, unjustified, and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, as well as the fundamental principles of international law that regulate international relations today," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania stated. According to the statement, the former top diplomat is currently promoting and spreading malicious narratives produced in Russia. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania emphasizes firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. As reported already, Andrei Marga, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Education of Romania and former rector of one of the Romanian universities publicly stated last Friday that Ukraines borders are "unnatural" and that the country should cede its territories to Russia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. The Embassy of Ukraine in Romania reacted by expressing regret over Margas statement, which calls into question the basic principles of international law. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is in London at the invitation of the British side, has thanked the UK Government and added that King Charles III will build on the progress achieved by his mother. He reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform "Grateful to the UK Government. I have no doubt that King Charles III will build on the progress achieved by his mother," he wrote. Shmyhal said that at the invitation of the British side, the Ukrainian delegation arrived in London today to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and express their condolences on behalf of the President, the Government and the people of Ukraine. He said the Queen enjoyed great public respect and affection in the United Kingdom. "She was also admired far beyond the borders of the Kingdom, in including Ukraine," Shmyhal wrote. "Most Ukrainians will remember Her Majesty because of a simple but important fact. She was a head of state who was one of the first to extend a helping hand when Ukraine faced the barbaric Russian invasion. The state that is still doing its utmost to bring our victory closer," Shmyhal said. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly have discussed bilateral cooperation and the development of strategic partnership. According to Ukrinform, Shmyhal reported this on Twitter. "Ukraine and the United Kingdom continue to develop strategic partnership. Today in London discussed with James Cleverly current issues of cooperation," he said. Shmyhal thanked the United Kingdom for providing assistance. "With such support, we are sure that Ukraine will win," he added. As of August, the United Kingdom has allocated more than GBP 2.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The Group of Seven ambassadors have discussed with experts and civil society representatives the reform of Ukraines judicial system and the anti-corruption program implementation amid the ongoing war. Thats according to a tweet posted by diplomats on Sunday, September 18. G7 Ambassadors were glad to meet with experts and representatives of civil society to discuss current challenges in Ukraines justice reform and anti-corruption agenda under martial law. Ambassadors welcomed Ukraines resolve to continue reforms amidst the war, the tweet reads. G7 Ambassadors also agreed on the importance of independent institutions, in particular of the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutors Office. Furthermore, they reiterated that the reform of the Constitutional Court and the unhindered work of Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions remained crucial also in times of war. As Ukrinform reported earlier, speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said the Verkhovna Rada was working on a draft law on reforming the Constitutional Court. The Rada chairman said the effort is aimed at meeting one of the seven requirements put forward by the European Commission on Ukraines path toward EU membership. After I retired, I began to offer programs to community groups locally. Since 2008, I have presented 20-25 programs each year. I offer programs on a wide range of topics, some of which deal with our nations history. They include programs on the writing of the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and presidents James Garfield, William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. I am always amazed at how little we really know about our nations brief history. I think a lot of that is due to the fact that, as a country, we admire progress and pursue changes that make life better. It is the basis of the American dream. We are not so good at looking back and learning from our history. Not to understand history is to repeat the same mistakes. We know that we are in a very divisive period and people at both ends of the political spectrum worry about the future of democracy in our nation. What might we learn from other periods of divisiveness and how we moved beyond them? The Vietnam War evoked very strong feelings, manifested in angry demonstrations, the lockdown of colleges and universities, maligning returning soldiers and even the deaths of American college students at Kent State. Yet we moved beyond that divisiveness. How did we do that? A challenge for us is that we need to depend on facts that we can agree on, when those very facts are called into question. Its hard to do this with events as they are unfolding, but we can at least try to look back to well-documented historical events. Yes, we can interpret events differently, but if we cant agree on basic facts, we cannot see the trends of history and learn from them. For example, there has long been a documented gender gap in pay for women compared to men. If we can accept that as a fact, then we can explore why it is so. Is it due to educational level, to motherhood, to gender discrimination or to other factors? That might lead to considering what could be done about it. We might learn that we can change our view of events. During the Second World War, Germany and Japan were implacable enemies, yet after the war, helping to rebuild their countries resulted in them becoming enduring partners and allies. What might we learn about how enemies approached in the right way can become friends? My advice? Pay less attention to the controversies of the day that are mostly confusing and unsettling. Pay more attention to historical events and trends that have shaped us. That can help bring clarity and perspective and help point the way forward. As the Danish philosopher and poet Soren Kierkegaard wrote, Life can only be understood backwards but must be lived forwards. A recent letter writer stated Gun ownership is a right, not a privilege, given to us by God He went on to describe how gun owners and hunters save Bambi and birds through the Pittman-Robertson Act. I attended Catholic schools for several years. If a priest, or nun, taught us we had the God given right to pack heat then I must have been absent that day. The Second Amendment states that A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. When people like President Biden talk about outlawing guns, they are referring to military-style assault weapons, not weapons people would typically utilize for hunting or self defense. The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 is set by law at 11% of the wholesale price for long guns and ammunition and 10% for handguns paid by manufacturers, producers, and importers. The funds are given to state wildlife agencies for conservation, hunter education programs and operation of archery and shooting ranges. The Wolf Conservation Center found that 94% of all wildlife conservation funding comes from non-hunters, and 6% from hunters. Bambi and the birds would no doubt feel safer if they had the God given capability to shoot back. Paul Bojanowski Cheektowaga By constitutional mandate Donald Trump may never hold office again under the United States. For 187 minutes, former President Trump sat at his dining room table in the White House watching the Jan. 6 attack unfold on live television. He didnt call for help to stop the violence and he ignored pleas from his closest advisers to urge his supporters to stop the violence. By refusing to do his sworn constitutional duty faithfully execute the laws and defend the Constitution of the United States he aided the insurrectionists in their quest to obstruct the electoral vote count. Just 24 days later, after leaving office on Jan. 30, 2021 Trump comforted the insurrectionists at a rally in Conroe, Texas. In referring to the 2024 presidential election, he said, If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from January 6 fairly. We will treat them fairly. And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly. Recently, on Sept. 1, 2022, Trump comforted the insurrectionists again when he said he would very, very seriously consider full pardons for the January 6th rioters, if he runs for reelection and wins. No person shall hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, who, having previously taken an oath, as an officer of the United States, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies. The Constitution is unmistakably clear. By giving aid and comfort to the insurrectionists Trump may never ever hold any office under the United States again. Maurice F. Baggiano, J.D. Jamestown (@FahadShabbir) Stansted, United Kingdom, Sept 18 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2022 ) :US President Joe Biden arrived in Britain late Saturday ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, an AFP photographer on board Air Force One said. Biden's plane arrived at London Stansted Airport outside the capital just before 10:00 pm (2100 GMT). He is expected to pay his respects at Queen Elizabeth's coffin and meet the new King Charles III on Sunday ahead of Monday's state funeral. However, a planned meeting with Britain's new Prime Minister Liz Truss has been cancelled. Instead, they will hold a "full bilateral meeting" at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, her Downing Street office said. It did not provide further details on why the original meeting with Biden had been cancelled. Frankfurt, Sept 18 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2022 ) :Choked by soaring energy and wood pulp costs, German toilet paper maker Hakle is turning to waste from coffee production to stay afloat and help the environment. Just two years ago, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the firm profited from a stampede of consumers rushing to stock up on essentials. But with the health crisis abating, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked skyrocketing energy costs, forcing Hakle to file for insolvency recently. Innovation could now be the key to survival. Huge quantities of coffee grounds are produced every year by the European food industry, and Hakle has found a way to transform the waste into material to make loo roll. The first rolls using the new process were produced at the Duesseldorf-based company's factory last week, Hakle's chief marketing officer Karen Jung told AFP. "The goal is 20 to 25 percent" of coffee grounds constituting the material for making the paper, replacing wood pulp, said Jung, adding the company was working towards reaching those levels. "That does not sound like a lot -- but it means that a quarter fewer trees have to be used," added Jung, whose company entered insolvency proceedings in September due to surging energy costs. Hakle sees a strong economic case. The price of wood pulp -- which is in high demand in China, the world's biggest consumer -- has risen rapidly since 2020. It is not the first time that the firm has taken an unusual approach to producing loo paper. Two years ago, it used grass grown in the Rhineland to make toilet paper, said Jung, who runs the business with her husband. - Roller-coaster ride - The company has been on a roller-coaster ride in recent times. After 2020, when it raked in close to 80 million Euros ($80.2 million) in sales and made a profit of about 700,000 euros, it is now seeing its fortunes reverse as costs explode. "The cost of a roll of toilet paper depends 80 percent on pulp, energy and logistics -- and all three of these factors are driven by world markets," said Jung. The price of gas rose up to 400 euros per megawatt hour, and up to 1,000 euros for electricity, a heavy blow for the firm's Duesseldorf factory, which consumes about 100 gigawatt hours a year. With costs that "increase tenfold in the short term", that "really becomes a problem", said Jung. The survival of Hakle, which is nearly a century old, is now at stake. - 'Formula 1 race' - It has had several different owners over the past 40 years, including US consumer goods giant Kimberly-Clark and a Luxembourg private equity firm, before Volker Jung acquired 50 percent of the shares in 2019 with a new entrepreneurial approach that favours innovation. The preliminary insolvency proceedings of three months have given some breathing space to the company as it seeks to fulfil a flood of orders, said Jung. "After a short, total halt of activities (at the start of September), now we really have to put our foot on the accelerator, like in a Formula 1 race," said Jung. The company wants to continue investing at its site in Duesseldorf, where more than 220 workers are employed. Hakle has already stopped using gas, replacing it with petrol, in its paper production processes. For the electricity used to transform it into rolls, the eventual aim is to cover half of its needs with solar power. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2022 ) :Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned the arbitrary arrests and illegal detention of prominent Islamic scholars, including Maulana Abdul Rasheed Dawoodi, Maulana Mushtaq Ahmed Veeri and five members of Jamaat-e-Islami, in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). "These deplorable actions only days ahead of the UN General Assembly session, manifest India's growing intransigence and utter disregard of human rights and fundamental freedoms," the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release. Pakistan also called for the immediate release of these religious scholars and all other Kashmiri prisoners illegally detained by India. "We also urge the international community to take notice of the dangerously growing trajectory of Islamophobia in India, instigated at the behest of the BJP-RSS nexus, that is aimed at suppressing the Muslims of India, denying them space to freely practice their faith and attacking their places of worship," it was added. The spokesperson said that these arrests had marked a new wave in the Indian occupation forces' blatant and continued onslaught on the human rights of the innocent Kashmiris. The illegal detention of the Kashmiri Islamic scholars when the true representatives of the Kashmiri people were already under the Indian custody under fictitious cases and on fallacious grounds, was yet another Indian attempt to rob the Kashmiri people of their distinct religious and cultural identity. "The reprehensible arrests of the Kashmiri Islamic scholars under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) that defies all international humanitarian laws and permits preventive detention for as many as two years without the need of any trial, is a deplorable preemptive step by the Indian authorities planning to illegally occupy the religiously significant 'Waqf board' properties," the spokesperson said. Apprehensive of widespread protests and unrest in the face of such a malicious move, these scholars had not only been unjustifiably arrested but shifted from Kashmir to a prison in the Hindu majority Jammu. These politically motivated arrests were clearly meant to stifle the voice of the Muslims of IIOJK and further marginalize them. Pakistan Muslim League-N Senator Dr Afnan Ullah Khan on Saturday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan was trying to create unrest in the country ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2022 ) :Pakistan Muslim League-N Senator Dr Afnan Ullah Khan on Saturday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan was trying to create unrest in the country. The PTI leaders and workers had brought a mob in the federal capital and tried to sabotage peaceful environment of the sensitive areas, he said while talking to a private television channel. The coalition government, he said would not allow anyone to disturb peace of the Federal Capital. Commenting on early elections as demanded by the PTI leaders, he said the country was passing through a crucial phase due to heavy rains and floods. "We are taking all possible measures to complete the task of relief and rehabilitation to restore normalcy in the flood-hit areas," he said. Imran Khan and his party members were organizing public meetings in different cities to convince the supporters for early election, he said, adding that the PTI had lost its popularity. The next election would be held as per schedule. He made it clear that government would fulfill the responsibility of relief and rehabilitation work on priority basis, adding that early election was not possible in the flood-affected parts of the country. The next election would be held in 2023, he stated. BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2022) The visit of a Czech delegation to Taiwan seriously violates China's state sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese embassy in the Czech Republic said on Saturday. On Saturday, the Taiwanese foreign ministry said that a 14-member Czech delegation led by Senator and former president of the Czech academy of Sciences Jiri Drahos will arrive in Taiwan on Sunday with a six-day visit. "This move is blatant support for the separatist forces advocating 'Taiwan independence,' a serious violation of China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a serious violation of basic norms of international relations and bilateral political commitments," the embassy said in a statement. The embassy added that the visit of the Czech delegation to Taiwan undermines the political basis of bilateral relations between China and the Czech Republic. On Thursday, Drahos told Taiwan's Central news Agency that European countries intend to deepen ties with Taiwan in culture, science, and other areas of soft power. On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged the Czech side to respect the One China principle. The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Despite this fact, several countries, including France, Lithuania, the United States, and Japan, have sent their delegations to the island since then, further increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan a territory with its own elected government maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable. I was out with friends, enjoying listening to music outdoors when my Miss Manners friend in the group, leaned in and said, You know, I received a handwritten thank-you note from so and so. I duly responded, Oh, wow! The man whose retirement party she and her spouse had attended and for which she received the handwritten thank-you for is a high-ranking retired military officer. I thought to myself, that man just rose and earned a higher level of rank in my friends eyes faster than when he made colonel. My friend is of a time when sending out thank-you notes was the standard protocol when receiving any type of gift monetary or otherwise for big life events, like weddings, baby showers, birthdays and funerals. She is also of a time when the expected response back after saying thank you to someone was, You are welcome, not todays common response mainly from younger people of No problem. I never saw two simple words rile someone up so quickly. Ive made a mental note never to travel with my friend to Jamaica where those simple words are words to live by. Speaking of traveling. There is also proper protocol to follow when traveling. Back in my friends day, it was expected that you get dressed up when you flew, which means no track suits, lounge wear or comfortable, practical shoes allowed. And she makes no concession for long international flights. Every time we travel together, I get a text on the morning of our departure, Kel, dont forget to throw your bootie socks in your purse, so when we take our shoes off at security we arent walking through in bare feet. I reply, NP. Im already wearing socks with my sandals. Needless to say, I dont get a text back. Dressing up for funerals is right up there with traveling. Speaking of funerals, my friend constantly reminds me of her instructions for her own, as she has appointed me as her planner. I am the writer of our group and have therefore also assumed the role of eulogist. Every so often (more like every couple of weeks), I have to reassure her, Dont worry. You have my solemn promise that you will rest assured knowing your family and friends will be in their best attire to pay their sincere tribute and utmost respect. Those who show up without proper attire, will be turned away at the door. At least I dont have the added pressure of choosing her outfit, because she omits no detail in her strict instructions, Remember I dont want to be laid out in a box. An airbrushed photograph will be displayed next to a tasteful urn. Heres what Ill say to the guests: Thank you all for coming to bid our dear friend a final farewell. I know If she were alive today, she would certainly be impressed looking out at all you beautiful, well-dressed people and wants to send you all a personal handwritten thank you note for your attendance here today. So before we pay our respect and go in peace, if you all wouldnt mind, write your address on these return envelopes. This is especially important to those who have moved within the past day or so and for whom we dont have current addresses. And if it isnt too much to ask, please use this calligraphy pen that is being passed along with the envelopes. The audiences response to this special request shall be, No problem. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2022) The Russian state-owned space corporation Roscosmos said on Sunday that a NASA delegation has arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome ahead of the first cross-flight in 18 months of a US astronaut on a Russian-made spacecraft. "A US delegation arrived at Baikonur to participate in the events for the first cross-flight on the Soyuz spacecraft these are representatives of NASA and relatives of US astronaut Frank Rubio," the statement said. The delegation was present during the transportation of the Souyz-2.1a launch vehicle to the launch pad. Rubio, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 21 on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. He will be a flight engineer and a member of the ISS Expedition 68 station crew. On July 14, Roscosmos and NASA came to an agreement on so-called cross flights, which made it possible for the only woman in the Russian cosmonaut crew, Anna Kikina, to go to space on board a US spacecraft and for US astronaut Francisco Rubio to go on board Russia's Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft. (@FahadShabbir) BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2022) The number of Kyrgyz citizens killed in clashes on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has risen to 36, the Kyrgyz health ministry told Sputnik on Sunday. On Saturday, the ministry reported 24 dead and more than 120 injured due to clashes. "The total number of deaths as a result of the armed conflict in the Batken region is 36 people," the ministry said, adding that 129 people were injured. Large-scale clashes on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan began on Friday morning. The sides accused each other of shelling. Serious fighting between the military of the two countries lasted all day almost along the entire common border. The ceasefire was achieved only by nightfall. However, on Saturday morning, the parties reported shelling from both sides. The Kyrgyz-Tajik state border often becomes a conflict zone between local residents and border guards due to the non-delimited areas. YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2022) US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid a visit to the Tstitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan on Sunday, the Armenian parliament said. "The Delegation led by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi is in Armenia. On September 18, the high-ranking officials accompanied by Alen Simonyan (National Assembly Speaker) visited Tstitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. The members of the Delegation laid a wreath and flowers at the Eternal Fire perpetuating the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims," the statement read. The US delegation also acquainted with the documents on the Armenian genocide. "Let us remind that Nancy Pelosi had a considerable contribution to the adoption of the Resolution on Recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The Resolution was adopted in the second term of the tenure of Nancy Pelosi as a Speaker," the parliament's press office said. On Saturday, the US embassy in Yerevan said that on September 17-19 Pelosi will meet with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan and other senior officials to discuss bilateral relations and the current security situation in the region, which saw a spat of violence this week. Speaking at the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis prayed for the victims of recent fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, appealing for dialogue and peace. He also asked everyone to continue praying for Ukraine and all parts of the world bloodied by war. By Vatican News staff writer Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his spiritual closeness to the families of victims in recent fighting that erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia, urging both parties to respect the ceasefire in view of a peace agreement. He was speaking to pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's following the recitation of the Angelus prayer. Let us not forget that peace is possible when weapons are silenced and dialogue begins! And let us continue to pray for the suffering people of Ukraine and for peace in every land bloodied by war. Severe Flooding in Italy Read also 15/09/2022 Kazakhstan Congress: Interfaith leaders encourage initiatives for a better world Concluding the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Nur-Sultan, interreligious leaders from around the world adopt a declaration expressing a common desire ... The Pope then mentioned the Marches region of Italy hit in recent days by torrential rains and catastrophic flooding, assuring the people of his prayers for those who died, the injured and their families, noting the suffering also caused by the damage to homes, roads, and structures. He prayed that the Lord may give strength to the communities there. Journey to Kazakhstan The Pope also recalled his recent journey to Kazakhstan for the VII Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, mentioning that he will speak about it this Wednesday at the General Audience. For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in Russias war on Ukraine. All times EDT. 11:07 p.m.: The top U.S. general cautioned on Sunday it remained unclear how Russia might react to the latest battlefield setbacks in Ukraine and called for increased vigilance among U.S. troops as he visited a base in Poland aiding Ukraine's war effort, Reuters reported. The remarks by U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were a reminder of the risks of the conflict intensifying as the United States and its NATO allies aid Ukraine from a distance and Kyiv wages a so-far successful counter-offensive against Russian forces. "The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So it's incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert," Milley said in Warsaw after the base visit. Milley reviewed the base's air defenses, which include Patriot missile batteries that would be a last line of defense should Russia decide to attack the base - risking war with the U.S.-led NATO military alliance. 9:12 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised his country there would be no letup in the counteroffensive that has reclaimed towns and cities from Russian troops, as shelling continued Sunday across a wide stretch of Ukraine, The Associated Press reported. Zelenskyy ran through a list of towns that Ukraine has taken back in its lightning push across the northeast. Maybe now it seems to some of you that after a series of victories we have a certain lull," he said in his nightly video address. "But this is not a lull. This is preparation for the next series... Because Ukraine must be free all of it. 8:45 p.m.: In the northeastern corner of Ukraine, where the Russian army was pushed all the way back across the border into Russia after holding the area for months, there are still bodies on the battlefield, lying where they fell on farm fields or inside burned-out tanks. The Associated Press followed along with a small group of Ukrainian soldiers who braved artillery shells to collect the bodies both Ukrainian and Russian and to search for evidence of war crimes. 7:27 p.m.: 6:43 p.m.: The contingent of Ukrainian troops participating in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has returned home to help in the fighting against invading Russian troops, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Jacques Ndjoli, who serves on Congo's parliamentary defense committee, told the BBC that the Ukrainian withdrawal of some 250 troops represented a relatively serious loss to the mission. When the withdrawal of Ukraine's aviation unit was announced in March, some diplomats warned it could leave the U.N. mission seriously short of helicopters. Ukraine had eight helicopters in the mission, about one-third of the total U.N. fleet there. The Congo is battling various rebel groups based in the thick forests in the eastern regions of the African nation. Ukraine has pulled troops out of other U.N. peacekeeping missions since Russias full-scale invasion was launched in February. 5:17 p.m.: 4:33 p.m.: A funeral ceremony was held for a Ukrainian soldier who was an active participant in the 2014 Maidan revolution and was killed a few days ago during fighting with Russian troops in the northeastern city of Izium, The Associated Press reported. Roman Khosenko's relatives and friends, Ukrainian soldiers and others attended the ceremony, which was held at Independence Square in Kyiv. "He was a very purposeful young man who was a volunteer at heart and a very skilled military man on the outside," said Mykola, 40, a Ukrainian soldier who knew Khosenko, nicknamed Yashka. They both were fighting as volunteers in 2014. Mykola said that they were not together when Khosenko was killed, but he knew he was in Izium when an aerial bomb hit a shelter he was in. 3:45 p.m.: Britain's Princess of Wales met Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, a day before the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth, Reuters reported. Zelenska will represent Ukraine in the absence of her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Monday at Westminster Abbey, where scores of world leaders will join King Charles and the rest of Britain's royal family for the service. Catherine and her husband, William, were given the titles Princess and Prince of Wales, respectively, after William's father, Charles, ascended the throne 10 days ago. 3:15 p.m.: The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, is in tears as she visits Westminster Hall where The Queen is Lying-in-State. 3:10 p.m.: Britains Defense Ministry said Russia has intensified and widened attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure after Moscow suffered battlefield setbacks as part of Kyivs counteroffensive in the east and south of the country. As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government," the ministry said in its September 18 intelligence update. RFE/RL reports, the comments come after the Ukrainian military has made dramatic gains in its effort to recapture territory occupied by Russian forces since early in the war. Kyiv has retaken control of hundreds of towns and villages in the Kharkiv region in the northeast of the country, while managing minor advances in the south near Kherson. 1:25 p.m.: After a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in the northeast of the country, the war that Russian President Vladimir Putin started is now being fought on his doorstep, just nine miles north of the Russia Ukraine border with artillery strikes hitting military targets in Russia and Russian officials in cities and towns along the border ordering hasty evacuations, The Washington Post reports. Russian citizens are starting to seriously feel the impact of the war directly is another new source of pressure on Putin, who returned home this weekend from a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan where he faced a remarkable public rebuke by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questions about the war from Chinese President Xi Jinping. 1:15 p.m.: Saint Javelin doesnt grace the stained-glass windows of any church. Her halo is a shade of yellow closer to that of sunflowers and wheat than the golden orb on a traditionally canonized saint. Instead of an infant, she tenderly cradles a Javelin an American-made, handheld antitank missile, The Washington Post reports. Saint Javelin is not a church-sanctioned saint, but in just a few months, shes developed a robust following and she has raised over 1 million dollars for the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion. 1:10 p.m.: According to Reuters, following a visit at a military base in Warsaw, US General Mark Milley cautioned that it was still unclear how Russia might react to the latest battlefield setbacks in Ukraine and called for vigilance among U.S. troops as he visited a base in Poland aiding Ukraine's war effort. He called for increased vigilance. "The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So, it's incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert," he said. 12:30 p.m.: Uklraines Kharkiv counteroffensive surprised the Russian military. Ukraine deliberately deceived Russian forces about its military maneuvers. Watch RFE/RL for the whole story. 11:25 a.m: As new evidence emerges of war crimes by the Russian military Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, said to ABC News Sunday that "It's so important for everyone to see the true face of this aggression and the terrorist attack Russia is waging. In an interview with ABC "This Week" Markarova said, "It's tortures, rapes, killings. War crimes of massive proportions." 11 a.m.: Russian singer Alla Pugacheva, hugely popular since Soviet times, says she wants to be placed on Russias foreign agents list in solidarity with her husband who has been designated as one. The statement by Pugacheva on Instagram on Sunday is a notable slap from a prominent figure at Russian authorities, who have stifled dissent in recent years. Pugachevas husband, singer and TV presenter Maxim Galkin, has criticized Russias sending troops into Ukraine. He was added to the foreign agents register on Saturday by the justice ministry for allegedly conducting political activities on behalf of Ukraine and receiving Ukrainian funding. The term carries a strong pejorative sense and implies additional government scrutiny, The Associated Press reports. 10:05 a.m.: According to the Vatican News Service, Almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, a top Vatican envoy and his entourage came under fire while distributing supplies near the city of Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. There were no injuries. For the first time in my life, I didnt know where to run. Because it is not enough to run, you have to know where to go, said the Polish-born cardinal, whose position makes charitable contributions in the name of the Pope, The Associated Press reports. 9:25 a.m.: Joy and trepidation, a Ukrainian couple said about returning to their hometown of Balakliia that Ukraine recaptured last week after six months of Russian occupation. Natalia Yelistratova and her husband were among the towns residents who returned by a special train that was launched on September 14. As the train cut through misty woodland and passed destroyed buildings, most of the passengers sat in somber silence. Once in Balakliia, Yelistratova and her family walked through their war-torn town, home to 27,000, before the war. Their apartment block had minor damage from shelling. A neighboring block's windows and balconies were smashed, and the facade pockmarked by shrapnel, Reuters reports. "Its as if were in Chernobyl. Nature has taken over," said her daughter, Olena Miroshnichenko. "No-one did anything, for half a year, nobody trimmed the grass and bushes. Everything is overgrown." 8:45 a.m.: Izium Mayor Valerii Marchenko said on Sunday that the exhumation works will continue for nearly two more weeks because there are many burials in the recently liberated city in Kharkiv Oblast. 8:35 a.m.: Prosecutors in an area of Ukraine where Russian forces recently retreated in after a Ukrainian counteroffensive are accusing Russia of torturing civilians in the Kharkiv region that was recently freed, The Associated Press reports. In an online statement, prosecutors in the region said they found a basement where Russian forces allegedly tortured prisoners in the village of Kozacha Lopan, near the border with Russia. In images they released, they showed a Russian military TA-57 telephone with additional wires and alligator clips attached to it. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of using the Soviet-era radio telephones as a power source to electrocute prisoners during interrogation. Russian shelling hit cities and towns across a wide stretch of Ukraine during the night, officials said Sunday, while the British defense ministry warned that Russia is likely to increase its attacks on civilian targets as it suffers battlefield defeats. In the last seven days, Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate military effect, the ministry said in an online briefing. As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government." Overnight shelling also hit a hospital in the city of Mykolaiv, a significant Black Sea port, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said. He said there was also shelling in other parts of the region, and two people were wounded, The Associated Press reports. 6:30 a.m.: 6 a.m.: Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk has urged people to allow authorities to restore security measures to newly liberated settlements in the Kharkiv region as shelling continues in the area, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. 5:20 a.m.: 4:30 a.m.: Vlada and Kostyantin Liberov were among the first civilians to enter the territory of Ukraines northeastern Kharkiv region behind the successful lightning counteroffensive that sent the occupying Russian forces reeling in retreat. In our conversations with locals, it seemed the occupation was bearable, Vlada said in a dual video interview with RFE/RLs Russian Service. They were all very happy to see their homes returned to their native country, to hear Ukrainian again. They really are -- and we saw this with our own eyes -- greeting Ukrainian soldiers with tears of joy. Before Russia launched its massive, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the Liberovs worked as wedding photographers and photography instructors in the Black Sea port city of Odesa. Since then, however, they have traveled the country to document the war. Their photographs have appeared on the social media pages of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and elsewhere. Read their story by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 3:26 a.m.: 1:26 a.m.: By all accounts except the Kremlins, Russia is struggling with military manpower shortages as its invasion of Ukraine continues in its seventh month. Western estimates say Russia may have suffered 25,000 combat fatalities and as many as 80,000 total casualties so far in fighting that has achieved none of the Kremlins stated objectives. Moscow, though, has shied away from declaring war and mobilizing its full military reserves, most likely out of fear of the domestic political consequences that could arise from sending men from urban areas or the professional classes into combat. Instead, Russia has relied largely on contract soldiers recruited from remote and impoverished regions. Read the full story by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 12:20 a.m.: The Joint Coordination Center (JCC) reports Saturday that 11 vessels carrying a total of 280,161 metric tons of grain and other food products left Ukrainian ports over the last two days under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The five vessels that began their outbound voyage on Friday, are: Breeze from Odesa to Hamburg, Germany, carrying 47,200 metric tons of rapeseed. Annabella from Chornomorsk to Constanta, Romania, carrying 8,500 metric tons of rapeseed. CS Cihan from Odesa to Egypt, carrying 6,400 metric tons of soya beans. Navin Vulture from Yuzhny/Pivdennyi, to Piraeus, Greece, carrying 7,500 metric tons of corn and barley. Octopus from Yuzhny/Pivdennyi to Constanta, Romania, carrying 6,500 metric tons of corn. The six vessels that began their outbound voyage on Saturday, are: Horus from Chornomorsk to China carrying 53,012 metric tons of sunflower meal and 9,694 metric tons of barley. Baroness from Chornomorsk to Ravenna, Italy, carrying 30,900 metric tons of wheat. Ikaria Angel from Chornomorsk to Djibouti, carrying 30,000 metric tons of wheat. Velvet Rose from Chornomorsk to Nantong, China, carrying 29,350 metric tons of sunflower meal. Gozo from Odesa to Spain, carrying 26,000 metric tons of wheat. Pacific Rose from Yuzhny/Pivdennyi to Porto Marghera, Italy, carrying 20,000 metric tons of soya beans and 5,105 metric tons of corn. Destinations indicated are based on information received at the JCC and may change based on commercial activity. Grains that reach a destination may go through processing and be trans-shipped to other countries. As of Saturday, the total tonnage of grain and other foodstuffs exported from the three Ukrainian ports is 3,539,257 metric tons. A total of 339 voyages (184 inbound and 155 outbound) have been enabled so far. Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters. Serbian police arrested more than 30 people as thousands of LGBTQ activists turned out for Belgrade's EuroPride march Saturday, despite a government ban. The event had been intended as the cornerstone event of the EuroPride gathering. But the interior ministry banned the march earlier this week, citing security concerns after right wing groups threatened to hold protests. And although the march took place without major incident, local media said clashes broke out between counterdemonstrators and police. The interior ministry had also barred any counter protests, but some far-right groups vowed to rally and gather in front of churches. Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin had warned in a statement that "we will not tolerate any violence in Belgrade streets, any more than illegal marches. Model and activist Yasmin Benoit said she had been to many gay pride parades "but this one is slightly more stressful than the others." "I'm from the U.K. where everyone is more supportive and it's more commercial," she told AFP. "But here, this is really what pride should be," she added, referring to the societal struggle at the origins of the movement. "We are fighting for the future of this country," said Luka, a Serbian taking part in Saturday's event. Gay marriage not recognized Despite the official ban, demonstrators were able to march in the rain a few hundred meters between the Constitutional Court to a nearby park, a much shorter route than organizers had originally planned. Gay marriage is not legally recognized in Serbia, where homophobia remains deep-seated despite some progress over the years in reducing discrimination. The Balkan country, a candidate for EU membership, had been under intense international pressure to allow the march. More than 20 embassies, including the U.S., France and Britain, had issued a joint statement urging the authorities to lift the ban. There was a heavy police presence around the pride rally, with officers pushing back the small groups of counterdemonstrators waving crosses and religious insignia. The interior ministry said 31 people were arrested. The authorities gave no details on those detained, but AFP journalists saw several counterdemonstrators being taken away. According to N1 television, there were scuffles between police and the counterdemonstrators, some of whom threw smoke bombs at the officers and damaged several vehicles. The U.S. embassy had urged its citizens to avoid the event "because of the potential for unruly crowds, violence, as well as possible fines." 'Implicit sanctioning of bigotry' Human rights groups and the European Union called on the Serbian government to rescind the ban. "The Serbian government's decision to cancel EuroPride is a shameful surrender to, and implicit sanctioning of, bigotry and threats of unlawful violence," said Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch. At least 15 members of the European Parliament announced that they would join the pride march in a show of solidarity. Belgrade pride marches in 2001 and again in 2010 were marred by violence and rioting after far-right groups targeted the event. Since 2014, the parade has been organized regularly without any notable unrest but was protected with a large law enforcement presence. This year's ban came just days after thousands took part in an anti-pride demonstration in Belgrade, with biker gangs, Orthodox priests and far-right nationalists demanding the EuroPride rally be scrapped. "I am here to preserve Serbian traditions, faith and culture, which are being destroyed by sodomites," Andrej Bakic, 36, a counter-protester in a group surrounded by riot police told AFP Saturday. U.S. President Joe Biden described Queen Elizabeth II as decent, honorable and all about service as he and first lady Jill Biden signed a condolence book Sunday, ahead of her Monday funeral at Londons Westminster Abbey. To all the people of England, all the people of the United Kingdom our hearts go out to you, the president said after he spent three minutes writing a message in a condolence book at Lancaster House, a royal property near Buckingham Palace in London. And you were fortunate to have had her for over 70 years. We all were. The world's better for her. He added that the queen reminded him of his late mother, and that, when they met, she kept offering me more, I kept eating everything she put in front of me. Biden, who arrived late Saturday, is among hundreds of world leaders who are gathering in Britain to attend the queens funeral Monday. On Sunday, as people milled around central London, world leaders made their way to Lancaster House to deliver condolences over the queens death on Sept. 8 at the age of 96. "This is a time of grief, but also a time of deep gratitude, said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who leads one of the 56 countries in the Commonwealth of Nations, an organization of many former British colonies now led by Elizabeths eldest son, King Charles III. Australians give thanks for the life of service of Queen Elizabeth II, a life defined by commitment to family, to country, to [the] Commonwealth." Biden and his wife are also expected to pay their respects to Elizabeth Sunday in Westminster Hall, where her body has been lying in state since Wednesday. Members of Europes royal families are also expected to attend the services. The king will also host a formal state reception for dignitaries Sunday. The British crown has extended a controversial funeral invitation to Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to be responsible for ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. But they did not invite the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Syria, Afghanistan and Venezuela. On Sunday, as the skies over London remained clear, thousands of people milled around Westminster, the center of the city. London police cheerfully marshalled the heaving crowds of families, veterans carrying bouquets and children holding lollipops, as the Queens image beamed at them from shop windows. Eight African cheetahs that were airlifted from Namibia, were released in Kuno National Park (KNP) in central India, marking the beginning of an ambitious project to reintroduce the big cats after they became extinct in the country some seven decades ago. On Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first three cats into a quarantine enclosure of the park and said the long wait is over, the cheetahs have a home in India at the KNP. Project Cheetah is our endeavor towards environment and wildlife conservation, he added. The eight radio-collared cheetahs five males and three females will undergo a monthlong quarantine before being taken to a larger "soft release enclosure. Right now, the cheetahs are in quarantine enclosures after they were released Saturday. There are quite a few quarantine enclosures. After they spend about a month in the quarantine enclosures, they will be transferred to the one soft release enclosure which measures about 6 square kilometers. The cheetahs will be kept in the soft release enclosure for two or three months to become acclimated to their new environmental conditions before finally being released in the 748 square kilometer unfenced national park. Next month, 12 more cheetahs are expected to arrive at KNP from South Africa. Indian authorities have a plan to eventually raise the cat population at the park to around 40, by bringing in more cheetahs from Africa. The authorities have already released around 250 chitals or Indian spotted deer in the soft release enclosure of KNP where the cheetahs will get used to hunting them. There are no chitals in Africa, so this will be a new prey for the cheetahs. The cheetah, the fastest land animal, has been rapidly heading toward extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified the animal as a vulnerable species in a red list of threatened species. In Africa and Asia, the cheetah is critically endangered. An estimated 7,000 cheetahs remain in the wild and almost all of them are in Africa. More than 10,000 Asiatic cheetahs roamed in India during the 16th century, as Islamic Mughal Emperor Akbar chronicled. Hunting, loss of habitat and food scarcity led to the cats dwindling population in the country. The cheetah population dropped further during the 19th century, largely because of bounty hunting by local Indian kings and ruling British officials, for the animals distinctive spotted coats. The last three Asiatic cheetahs were hunted down in 1948 by an Indian king in central India. In 1952, India officially declared the cheetah extinct in the country. In 2009, the government under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh established Project Cheetah and initiated an effort to revive the cheetah population at KNP by bringing in African cheetahs. Extinction of the cheetah in India was a massive loss of biodiversity, and the country is undertaking its best effort to right a historic wrong, SP Yadav, the chief of Indias National Tiger Conservation Authority, said. It is our moral and ethical responsibility to bring back the cheetah to India, Yadav said. We have succeeded in managing the worlds largest wild tiger population in the country. We have the credentials to revive the cheetah population in India. Although Indian officials said the Cheetah Project will help restore ecosystems that support the big cats, apart from giving a boost to tourism and the local economy, some conservationists said the project is fraught with challenges. Many experts said that the KNP space is too small for the big cats. In Namibia, the cheetah males either have territories of approximately 400 square kilometers or home ranges of approximately 1,600 square kilometers. And the females have home ranges of approximately 650 square kilometers. Thus, the Kuno National Park in India, with a 748 square-kilometers area, seems too small to maintain a viable cheetah population, Bettina Wachter, head of the Namibia-based Cheetah Research Project, told VOA. The park in India being unfenced, there is a possibility of the cheetahs straying into villages just outside the park and prey on the livestock. Indian wildlife biologist Ravi Chellam echoed Wachter noting that the KNP at best can accommodate 10 cheetahs. How will a self-sustaining, wild and free-ranging population of cheetahs of at least 50-plus adults, be able to establish themselves in India when there is a severe shortage of quality habitat for them? Currently, India just does not have the required extent of suitable habitat for a wild population of cheetahs, Chellam, the CEO of Metastring Foundation an organization working in the field of environment and public health, told VOA. Logically, the relatively unglamorous and time-consuming work of restoring, securing and connecting the required extent of habitat should have been done first before bringing the cats from Namibia. The cheetahs will face challenges from other carnivores in KNP, Chellam added. Carnivores like leopards, striped hyenas, wolves, sloth bear and the occasional tigers, present in the landscape, will pose challenges for the cheetahs. In Africa, lions, hyenas and leopards are known to kill cheetahs. The introduced cheetahs in Kuno will also face similar challenges from leopards and striped hyenas, Chellam said. In the larger landscape, the park being unfenced, domestic and feral dogs will pose a major threat to the cheetahs, too. Colombia's peace commissioner has met with leaders of a major dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in a possible step towards peace talks, both sides said in a published statement. Latin America's most fearsome guerrilla group, FARC signed a peace deal with the state in 2016 to end more than half a century of armed conflict. But some guerrillas, unable to find a niche in civilian life, joined dissidents linked to the illegal trade in drugs and mining resources. Peace commissioner Danilo Rueda met with four high-ranking members of a holdout FARC group in the southern region of Caqueta, according to an undated joint statement published on Saturday in a local newspaper. "We have held an exploratory and rapprochement meeting to assess the possibility of initiating talks in the framework of total peace," the statement said. The FARC members were identified in the statement as "Calarca Cordoba, Alonso 45, Ermes Tovar and Erika Castro." A photo of Rueda and four uniformed men was published alongside the statement, which added that the two sides also agreed on "a confidential protocol to guarantee a meeting" of the guerrilla commanders. United Nations representative Raul Rosende and Norwegian diplomat Dag Nagoda also appeared in the photo. Colombia's first-ever leftist President Gustavo Petro is pursuing a policy of "total peace" with all armed groups. Rueda said on Thursday that former FARC senior commander Ivan Marquez, who is now the head of another dissident faction, had expressed interest in taking part in fresh talks. "It is possible to imagine that we could be on the brink" of a multilateral ceasefire, Rueda said. After the 2016 deal, the former Marxist FARC guerrillas formed a communist political party that is guaranteed 10 seats in congress. By Trend Azerbaijan is recognized as an important transport and logistics center of the region. The international transport corridors East-West, North-South and South-West, passing through the territory of the country, are beneficial for the transportation of goods both in terms of distance and time savings. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Baku International Sea Trade Port further expand the possibilities of these transport corridors. Ilgar Velizade, Doctor of Philosophy in Economics, told Trend that Azerbaijan is a very important partner for a number of states. "It is enough to note that the transport projects implemented in Azerbaijan affect the interests of such states as Russia, Iran, Turkiye, the countries participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In addition, the transport infrastructure of our country creates opportunities for expanding cooperation within the framework of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and the Chinese initiative "One Belt, One Road," he said. Also, according to Velizade, other participants are also interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan, in particular in the transport sector, in the field of transit transportation. "In Uzbekistan, where the Samarkand summit was recently held, the presidents of the SCO countries discussed the dynamics of the development of bilateral relations, in particular the issue of transit traffic. I think that this summit will become an additional impetus for the implementation of transport projects. Not only the countries that are traditional participants in such summits, but also new, other countries.They are interested in taking part in the work on the implementation of Azerbaijan's transport projects. For example, Iran, which received the status of a candidate for joining the SCO, is an active participant in the North-South project, which is in the active phase of implementation. Relations with the SCO countries are of great importance for us in the economic sphere," he said. According to expert economist Emin Garibli, transport corridors pass through the territory of Azerbaijan, which are an important part of the country's economic development. "Today, the role of Asian and Western countries in the transport sector has increased significantly and we are seeing that the vector of logistics development is moving towards Asia. The West, of course, does not lose its activity, because this region is one of the important suppliers of innovations and technologies. We see great prospects to strengthen the role of Azerbaijan in the transportation of goods between Asia and the West. In addition, relevant measures are being taken in Azerbaijan, which will allow our country to be more competitive in this global supply chain," the expert said. Noting that such corridors as East-West, North-South pass through the territory of Azerbaijan, Garibli added that due to the current geopolitical situation, some competitive routes lose their significance. Great importance is attached to cargo transportation through the territory of Azerbaijan. Over the past few years, there has been a large increase in cargo transportation, including transit. I believe that attracting international cargo to Azerbaijani routes will ensure even greater sustainability of the countrys economic development. Integration of the Azerbaijani economy into the world economy will open up opportunities for us to create additional value in the supply chain," the expert stressed. The realization of the transit potential of Azerbaijan, which has a favorable geographical position, is of great importance in the policy of diversifying the economy. At the same time, the development of international and regional transport corridors has a positive effect on improving the efficiency of the economy. Joint projects in the areas of transport, infrastructure and logistics expand Azerbaijan's economic opportunities and increase its importance. Azerbaijan provides efficient organization of transit transportation of goods to various destinations. This allows to carry out safe and timely delivery in a short time on more favorable terms. Transit routes continue to expand, trade is increasing, which ultimately leads to the prosperity of Azerbaijan and the region as a whole A plaque commemorating the national historic significance of the German U-boat attacks on Bell Island in 1942 was unveiled in a ceremony last week. (Submitted by Teresita McCarthy - image credit) Submitted by Teresita McCarthy Bell Island has finally received national historic recognition some 80 years after the events of World War II. Last week, to commemorate the anniversary of the oft-forgotten 1942 German U-boat attacks on iron-ore carriers on the island, a plaque was unveiled at the Bell Island Community Museum. Bell Island was of strategic significance to the Allied war effort. Iron ore produced in Bell Island mines supplied steel mills, making it a high-value target. The attacks, in September and November of 1942, were two of the few on North American soil during the war, and led to the sinking of four carriers: The SS Saganaga, the SS Lord Strathcona, the SS Rose Castle, and PLM 27. Nearly 70 sailors lost their lives in the attacks. Teresita McCarthy, executive director of the Bell Island Number 2 Mine and Community Museum, says efforts to be recognized got underway thanks to a tour guide, who was surprised how many in neighbouring communities were unaware of the battle. "He was astounded by the fact that every time he'd mentioned that we were the only community in North America that saw enemy action, [visitors] were kind of gobsmacked," said McCarthy. "They couldn't believe it. He was gobsmacked at the fact that this is our own history here in our own province, and our own local people did not know about it. So, he took it upon himself, and he applied to the historic sites and Monuments Board of Canada." Community Stories - Digital Museums Canada/Submitted by Teresita McCarthy McCarthy says the tour guide submitted the proposal "four or five years ago," noting that the board was impressed with his submission, ultimately leading to the unveiling of the monument on the historic anniversary. McCarthy's own family was on Bell Island during the attacks. Her mother, who was 17 at the time, would tell her stories as she grew up, including how both Teresita's father and grandfather helped in the rescue and recovery of those in the water. "[They] were both among probably over 100 people who came down to bring the bodies and survivors into shore," said McCarthy. "My father couldn't swim, but my mother tells the story of him being up to his armpits bringing people in. It wasn't just the men. It was the men and women [helping the effort.] They were bringing them in as fast as they could." Story continues Some 80 years later, McCarthy feels the recognition is bittersweet in many respects. "It's incredible," said McCarthy. "It gives us national significance now, [which] will help us with our tourism industry. But, all of that means nothing to the fact that the people of Lance Cove, the souls who lost their lives, this is where the importance comes. "I spoke [at the ceremony] and my closing comment was that I was confident that the people who lived this horrific experience in 1942 are smiling down on us because recognition has been given where it is most certainly due." LISTEN | Teresita McCarthy discusses German U-boat attacks of 1942 Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador Eritrean authorities have called on their armed forces to mobilize in response to the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, the British and Canadian governments said. The return to combat last month shattered a March truce and dashed hopes of peacefully resolving the nearly two-year war between Ethiopian authorities and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Tigrayan authorities have since expressed readiness to hold talks led by the African Union, but the Ethiopian government has not responded publicly to the overtures, other than saying it remains "committed" to the AU-led peace process. Both sides have accused the other of firing first, and fighting has spread from around southern Tigray to other fronts farther north and west, while also drawing in Eritrean troops who backed Ethiopian forces during the early phase of the war. In travel advisories published late Friday, the Canadian and British governments warned their nationals in Eritrea to limit their movements following the mobilization call. "Local authorities have issued a general call for mobilization of armed forces in response to the conflict in northern Ethiopia," the Canadian government said. "Additional security measures could be imposed on short notice across the country," it said. The British advisory said the Eritrean announcement was made on Wednesday. "You should be extra vigilant at this time," the advisory said. Eritrea, which is one of the world's most closed states, has not commented on the reports. Since the latest clashes broke out, Tigray has been bombed several times, with an official at Ayder Referral Hospital, the region's biggest, saying that 16 people had died in air strikes. AFP was not able to independently verify the claims. Access to northern Ethiopia is severely restricted and Tigray has been under a communications blackout for more than a year. The TPLF ruled Ethiopia for decades before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018. Abiy's government has declared the TPLF a terrorist group and considers its claim to authority in Tigray illegitimate. Abiy -- a Nobel Peace Prize laureate -- sent troops into Tigray in November 2020 to topple the TPLF, in response to what he said were attacks on federal army camps. But the TPLF recaptured most of Tigray in a surprise comeback in June 2021. It then expanded into the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara before the fighting reached a stalemate. The former executive director of Human Rights Watch is calling on the new U.N. high commissioner for human rights to make accountability for crimes committed by China in Xinjiang and Russia in Ukraine his top priority. Former Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth Friday called China the biggest task facing new U.N. rights chief Volker Turk. He said Turk will have to deal with the fallout from the Xinjiang report issued by Michelle Bachelet minutes before leaving her post as high commissioner. He told a press conference the report sets forth a devastating picture of the persecutions facing more than a million Uyghurs and other minority Muslims incarcerated in so-called vocational centers. He said this situation cries out for action by the U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.N. Human Rights Council has never criticized China. This is a huge gap in the universality of the principles that it claims to uphold. And it should not close its eyes to what now is a matter of an official U.N. report, is this horrible situation of possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, he said. Roth said council members should press for a resolution condemning Chinas action in Xinjiang and ensuring accountability for the crimes committed. He acknowledged this would not be easy but said it is a winnable battle. He said the council should also press for a special rapporteur on Russias domestic repression of its people, which he said is making possible the war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. I think the two activities on both sides of the border have to be understood in tandem. That Putin is doing everything he can to suppress anti-war sentiment within Russia by mounting the most intense repression since Soviet days, he said. He said appointing a special rapporteur to investigate repression within Russia will enable the council to address war crimes committed by Russian President Vladimir Putins forces in Ukraine. Roth recognized it will be difficult for Turk to take on the two powerful nations, but said it is doable. He said there is broad European Union support for action against Russia and that support among council members also is growing to confront Chinas human rights record. He said it is hard to think of a more important task before the council than finally showing that China is no longer an exception to the application of basic human rights rules. The president of Kazakhstan on Saturday signed constitutional amendments that extended the presidential term to seven years and brought back the old name of the country's capital. The changes are among political and economic reforms that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for after violent protests rocked the country in January, killing more than 200 people. The unrest was sparked by a sharp rise in fuel prices, but also reflected widespread dismay with the country's politics, which for more than 30 years had been dominated by former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his party. The Kazakh parliament unanimously supported the amendments in two readings on Friday, and Tokayev signed them into law the next day. They extend the presidential term to seven years from the current five, but also bar any president from running for a second term in office. The changes also rename the country's capital, now called Nur-Sultan, back to Astana. Astana became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997 when Nazarbayev, who led the country for three decades under the Soviet Union and after it gained independence in 1991, moved it there from Almaty. After he stepped down in 2019, his successor, Tokayev, moved to name it Nur-Sultan in honor of Nazarbayev, who retained enormous influence as head of the county's ruling party and security council. But Tokayev removed him from those posts after the deadly unrest in January that hinged partly on dissatisfaction with the power that Nazarbayev still wielded and announced sweeping reforms. Earlier this month, he called for an early presidential election and announced the move to bring back the old name of the country's capital. Tokayev has previously said that he would run in the election. It wasn't immediately clear whether the new amendments would allow him to, but similar constitutional changes in Russia and Belarus allowed incumbent leaders to run again under the amended constitution. After strapping on knee-high snake guards and bowing his head to invoke God's protection, Oscar Andrade marched off into a remote desert at dawn on a recent Sunday to look for a Honduran migrant missing since late July. The Tucson-based Pentecostal pastor bushwhacked for three hours in heat that rose above 38 Celsius, detouring around a mountain lion, two rattlesnakes and at least one scorpion, before taking a break to call the aunt of another missing man. Andrade believed he had found the young man's skull the previous day. "Much strength, my dear sister," Andrade told her. "Sometimes we don't understand, but there is a reason that God allowed this." On the fourth search for that 25-year-old man from the Mexican state of Guerrero, the pastor and his Capellanes del Desierto (Desert Chaplains) rescue and recovery group had found his ID card in a wallet 12 meters from a skull and other bones, picked clean by animals and the relentless sun. Since March, Andrade has received more than 400 calls from families in Mexico and Central America whose relatives sick, injured or exhausted were left behind by smugglers in the borderlands. Forensic experts estimate 80% of bodies in the desert are never found, identified or recovered. But those that are, added to casualties like 53 migrants trapped in an abandoned trailer in San Antonio, Texas, in June and nine migrants swept away in the Rio Grande this month, point to one of the deadliest seasons on record on the always dangerous Southwest border. Fragile economies pummeled by the pandemic in Latin America, ruthless trafficking networks that control virtually all illegal crossings, and shifting U.S. asylum policies that affect migrants of different nationality and family status in drastically different ways all contribute to the toll as does the Southwest's extreme heat. Andrade, his group, and an Associated Press journalist accompanying them on the six-hour search quickly came across evidence of distress on this popular smuggling route abandoned backpacks and half-full water jugs, several days' walk from the closest towns. "To be out in the desert is more difficult than to be in a church," said the 44-year-old pastor and father of three teens. "Our commitment is firstly with God, and with the families." The group didn't find the missing 45-year-old Honduran but planned to look again; it usually takes several trips to locate remains in this desert. It's one of the deadliest corridors, according to aid groups and the U.S. Border Patrol, for migrants who, fearing being rejected under a pandemic provision called Title 42, try to evade authorities instead of turning themselves in right after crossing or applying for protection legally. From staging camps guarded by cartel scouts in areas where the border has no fencing or bollard barriers, the migrants walk north for more than a week. They have to cross dozens of miles of desert mountains and dry washes before reaching major highways where smugglers' vehicles will take them to destinations across the United States. Faith often motivates volunteer organizations providing aid along the border. The Capellanes, who search for the missing at least once a week, pray with the grieving families and don't charge them for the searches. They work closely with law enforcement, notifying the Border Patrol of every search and then local authorities if they find human remains, as they have nearly 50 times. Even then, the migrant's body still has a long journey home. It takes time for authorities to retrieve the remains, which are then subject to forensic analysis to determine the cause of death and identification. The medical examiner office for Pima County, covering migrant deaths also in two adjacent border counties in southern Arizona, received 30 migrant bodies found in July alone, about half of them dead less than three weeks, said Mike Kreyche of Humane Borders, an aid group that maps border deaths. That puts 2022 on track to match the last two years, when cases were almost double those of years in the last decade recorded by the office. Along the entire U.S.-Mexican border, since last fall Customs and Border Protection agents stopped migrants for crossing the border illegally more than 1.8 million times, historically an extraordinarily high number. The agency recorded 557 Southwest border deaths the previous year, the highest since it began tracking them in 1998. Given how quickly a body decomposes in the desert, unless it's found within a day, identification might require expensive DNA analysis, said Dr. Greg Hess, chief medical examiner for Pima County. "The desert does a good job covering up crimes," said Mirza Monterroso, director of the missing migrant program for the Colibri Center, a Tucson-based group that has recorded 4,000 missing migrants 1,300 in Pima County alone from reports from 14 countries and 43 U.S. states. Unless there's a lucky break, like dental records, it might take up to a year to confirm if the remains Andrade found are indeed the young Mexican man's, Monterroso said. His aunt, who asked the AP not to use their names because his parents haven't been told yet of Andrade's discovery, said she still hopes for a miracle. But otherwise, "we fought to the end to recover what little is left." "My nephew's dream died at the border, but a person shouldn't end up like this," she said. "They left him in the desert because he had injured his feet." A 38-year-old father of two from Mexico City nearly died the same way last week after he developed debilitating foot blisters near the Baboquivari Peak, just 14 miles (23 kilometers) north of the border in Pima County. Without food or water, he called 911 and was helped down the mountain by Daniel Bolin, an agent with the Border Patrol's search, trauma and rescue team who said this was his fifth rescue this year in the same spot. Facing almost certain expulsion to Mexico, the man, who gave his name as Leonardo, said he came to the United States after losing his business during the pandemic. "But now I don't think I'll come back here. I'm too old to walk," he said. Asked about his future, he murmured "I don't know" and burst into sobs. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, visiting Armenia Sunday, has condemned Azerbaijans recent attacks on Armenia, calling them illegal and deadly. More than 200 people have been killed in the border clashes. Speaking in Yerevan, Pelosi said the U.S. supports Armenian sovereignty and wants to know what it needs to defend itself. The U.S. lawmaker said the attacks were initiated by the Azeris and there has to be recognition of that. Pelosi said the attacks on Armenia by Azerbaijan are part of a worldwide struggle between democracy and autocracy. Kurdish forces in northeast Syria on Saturday announced the end of a three-week operation against Islamic State group supporters inside the overcrowded and increasingly lawless camp of Al-Hol. They arrested more than 200 people, including dozens of women, discovered tunnels used by jihadis and seized an arsenal of weapons. The internal security forces of the area's semi-autonomous Kurdish administration carried out the massive sweep of the camp, which houses tens of thousands of relatives of suspected IS members. The number of killings inside the camp had risen recently, as had fears that Al-Hol was becoming the hub from which the jihadi organization was planning its resurgence. "The operation was launched following the increasing crimes of killing and torture committed by ISIS," a Kurdish statement said, using another acronym for IS. The U.N. says more than 100 people have been killed since the start of 2021 in Al-Hol, which lies in a remote area near the border with Iraq and is home to Syrian and Iraqi families, as well as around 10,000 others, mostly women and children, from elsewhere. The Kurdish security forces said IS had relied heavily on women and children in Al-Hol, most of whom had been there for more than three years, to spread the group's extremist ideology. The rump of the organization's once-sprawling "caliphate" was retaken in March 2019, causing an exodus among its last denizens. The families of suspected IS fighters were herded into Al-Hol, a de facto detention camp that Kurdish forces are tasked with guarding and running. Many countries, such as France, which was among the biggest purveyors of foreign fighters to IS, have been reluctant to repatriate their citizens. Kurdish forces said they made a total of 226 arrests, uncovered 25 "tunnels and trenches," confiscated assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade and 25 hand grenades. The internal security forces also said they freed two women from Iraq's Yazidi minority who were being held by female IS sympathizers inside the camp, as well as four other women who were found chained. Among the other discoveries were many communication devices used to coordinate with IS cells outside Al-Hol, organize money transfers and plan attacks, the statement said. The Kurdish authorities reiterated their call on foreign countries to repatriate their nationals, arguing the world had "underestimated the seriousness of the threats in the camp." The annual gathering of leaders at the U.N. General Assembly is taking place this year in the shadow of Queen Elizabeths funeral and as the war in Ukraine heads into a possibly decisive period. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is skipping the Queens funeral to remain in New York to oversee an Education Summit on Monday. He will then participate in the opening of the annual debate Tuesday morning, telling reporters it would be inconceivable that he would miss it. U.S. President Joe Biden as host country leader would traditionally be the second head of state to address the assembly Tuesday, but as he will be attending Elizabeths funeral Monday, U.S. officials say his speech will now shift to Wednesday. Spotlight Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be coming to New York, but despite this, their conflict will dominate the agenda. I think that Joe Biden and other Western leaders will use this as an opportunity to simply hammer home their anger with Russia over this war, Richard Gowan, U.N. director for the International Crisis Group, told VOA. He said Western leaders will also be seeking to shore up support from some non-Western countries they feel are trying to avoid taking sides or criticizing Russia. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters Friday that Russias invasion of Ukraine tests the fundamental principles that the U.N. was founded on. She urged the international community not to abandon those values. We must double down on our commitment to a peaceful world and hold even closer our deeply held principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace and security, she said. And thats why next week is so critical. We believe this is a moment to defend the United Nations and to demonstrate to the world that it can still take the worlds most pressing global challenges on. On Thursday, the U.N. Security Council will hold a ministerial level meeting on the situation; it could see some heated exchanges between Russian and Western officials. There will also be a separate side event that day on accountability for war crimes committed in Ukraine. But despite what will be many meetings and events about the conflict, even the secretary-general is not optimistic that there will be the opportunity for any ground-breaking diplomacy on the sidelines of the annual debate. My good offices are ready, but I have no illusions ... at the present moment, the chances of a peace deal are minimal, he told reporters Wednesday. Food crisis Russias invasion of Ukraine has driven up global food, fertilizer and fuel prices, pushing fragile countries closer to the brink. World Food Program Chief David Beasley warns that in 82 countries, as many as 345 million people are acutely food insecure, or marching toward starvation. Somalia is one of the worst off. Four failed rainy seasons have led to unprecedented drought. Eight million people could soon face famine if Octobers rains fail as forecast. In total, 300,000 people are expected to be in IPC 5 conditions between October and December, the Food and Agriculture Organizations chief economist, Maximo Torero, told U.N. Security Council members Thursday. IPC 5 is the humanitarian classification for famine. In 2011-12 more than 250,000 Somalis died from famine. In 2016, there were fears that would be repeated, but international donors rallied to prevent the worst outcome. Today, leaders know they need to act and do so quickly. Somalia has sent its special envoy for drought response to New York to muster international support. Food is available inside the country what we need is cash, Abdirahman Abdishakur told VOA. He warns that if a scaled-up humanitarian response does not happen in the next few weeks, people will die. The famine is real it is happening, he said. On Wednesday, there will be a high-level meeting on responding to urgent needs in the Horn of Africa. As for rising global food prices, the United States, the African Union, European Union and Spain will co-chair a food security summit Tuesday. It is bringing both the South as well as countries developing countries and donor countries together in the room to address these issues and how we move forward, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said. So that we can avoid the crisis that we are actually experiencing right now and see if we can make the situation better in the coming months. Improving market supply The United Nations is counting on a package deal it has brokered with the help of Turkey and agreed by Ukraine and Russia, to put more grain on the global market and lower food prices. The deal, signed July 22 in Istanbul, allows Ukrainian grain exports out of its Black Sea ports that Russia had blockaded. A separate agreement seeks to remove obstacles to get Russian fertilizer and food exports to world markets. Although not under Western sanctions, some shippers and insurers have been reluctant to do business with Russian companies for fear of running afoul of other sanctions targeting Moscow. So far, more than 3 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain has gotten to markets in more than 30 countries via the deal, leading to a drop in food prices. Prices at the international level have gone down, but it is true that prices at the domestic level have not yet seen the decrease that we have seen in the international market, said U.N. Conference on Trade and Development chief Rebeca Grynspan, who helped negotiate the deal. She is also working to get more Russian fertilizer to markets, to ease prices, which she says are currently three times more than they were before the pandemic. If farmers cannot afford fertilizer, their crop yields could shrink, leading to food shortages next year. Fertilizer is a very important part of this deal, Grynspan said. Multitude of crises While Ukraine may monopolize the spotlight during the high-level week, there is no shortage of other pressing issues, crises and conflicts for leaders to discuss. Many will come up in bilateral meetings among top leaders. Others will get a broader setting. Ahead of the general debate, Secretary-General Guterres is convening an education summit to address the massive disruption caused to schooling by the pandemic. The U.N. says 244 million young people worldwide are still out of school. A new report from the U.N. childrens agency, UNICEF, estimates that only a third of 10-year-olds worldwide can read and understand a simple written story. That is half what it was pre-pandemic. This is the first year leaders will meet again in New York in person in large numbers since the pandemic began in 2020, and while COVID-19 will not be in the spotlight, pandemic recovery will be part of economic and health discussions. As will the climate crisis. The U.N. chief just returned from Pakistan, where deadly floods have submerged one-third of the country. What is happening in Pakistan demonstrates the sheer inadequacy of the global response to the climate crisis, and the betrayal and injustice at the heart of it, he told reporters. He will use his platform to press for more investments for climate adaptation and mitigation for the poorest countries, which have contributed the least to climate change. Ukraine on Sunday searched for its war dead in Izium and other towns in the northeastern part of the country it reclaimed from Russia in a lightning advance earlier this month. Izium Mayor Valery Marchenko told state television that "the exhumation is under way, the graves are being dug up and all the remains are being transported to Kharkiv. The work will continue for another two weeks, there are many burials, Marchenko said. No new ones have been found yet, but the services are looking for possible burials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that investigators had discovered new evidence of torture inflicted against some of the soldiers buried in Izium, one of more than 20 towns that Ukraine recaptured in the northeastern Kharkiv region that Russia had held for months. He said that 17 bodies were found at one site, some of which bore signs of torture. Ukrainian officials said last week 440 bodies were discovered in woodlands near Izium, with most of the dead identified as civilians, Ukraine said the discovery proved war crimes had been committed by Russian forces. Emergency workers have been exhuming the remains. Oleksandr Ilienkov, the chief of the prosecutors office for the Kharkiv region, told the Reuters news agency at the site on Friday: "One of the bodies [found] has evidence of a ligature pattern and a rope around the neck, tied hands." Forensic examination of the bodies is continuing. Moscow has repeatedly denied it has targeted civilians during its nearly seven-month invasion. The Kremlin has not commented publicly on the discovery of the graves. The head of the pro-Russian administration that abandoned the Kharkiv region earlier this month accused Ukrainians of staging the atrocities at Izium. "I have not heard anything about burials," Vitaly Ganchev told Rossiya-24 state television. Meanwhile, as the fighting rages on, a British intelligence report said Sunday that Russia has widened its attacks on civilian infrastructure in the past week. Five civilians were killed in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region in the last day. Ukrainian officials said that several dozen high-rise and private buildings, gas pipelines and power lines were damaged by Russian strikes in Nikopol. The British report said, "As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government." U.S. President Joe Biden is again warning Russian President Vladimir Putin against using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine. Dont. Dont. Dont. You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II, he said in an interview with CBS News scheduled to air Sunday night. Biden would not comment specifically on a U.S. response if Russia were to use chemical or nuclear weapons in Ukraine. "They'll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been, he added. And depending on the extent of what they do will determine what response would occur." It was not Bidens first warning to his Russian counterpart. Biden said in March that the NATO military alliance would respond in kind to any use of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine. We will respond if he uses it, Biden said, referring to Putin. The nature of the response depends on the nature of the use. He spoke after meeting with partners from NATO along with the Group of Seven leading industrialized economies and the European Union. Just days into the invasion of Ukraine, Putin ordered Russias nuclear forces on high alert for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, prompting the White House to assemble a team of national security officials the so-called Tiger Team to study potential responses in the event Russia deployed chemical, biological or nuclear weapons against Ukraine, neighboring nations or NATO convoys of weapons and aid headed for Ukraine. In 2000, Russia updated its military doctrine to allow the first use of nuclear weapons "in response to large-scale aggression utilizing conventional weapons in situations critical to the national security of the Russian Federation, according to the U.S.-based Arms Control Association. The 1997 version of the doctrine had allowed the first use of nuclear arms only "in case of a threat to the existence of the Russian Federation. The newest version also states for the first time that Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons to respond to all "weapons of mass destruction" attacks. In another development, The New York Times reports that Ukrainian military personnel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut say they believe they are fighting Russian prisoners instead of Russian soldiers. The publication said it has analyzed a video posted online that apparently shows representatives of The Wagner Group, a private military company, promising inmates they could win their freedom if they completed a sixmonth, combat tour in Ukraine. The Times said, however, that the video could not be verified. President Putin has said seizing Bakhmut is one of the main goals of its invasion of Ukraine. Some material in this report came from Reuters. Ukrainian military personnel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut say they believe they are fighting Russian prisoners instead of Russian soldiers, according to a report in The New York Times. The publication said it has analyzed a video posted online that apparently shows representatives of The Wagner Group, a private military company, promising inmates they could win their freedom if they completed a sixmonth, combat tour in Ukraine. The Times said, however, that the video could not be verified. Russian President Vladimir Puttin has said seizing Bakhmut is one of the main goals of its invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden is again warning Putin against using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine. Dont. Dont. Dont. You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II, he said in an interview with CBS News scheduled to air Sunday night. Biden would not comment specifically on a U.S. response if Russia were to use chemical or nuclear weapons in Ukraine. "They'll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been, he added. And depending on the extent of what they do will determine what response would occur." It was not Bidens first warning to Putin: Following a meeting with European Union and G-7 partners and NATO allies in March, Biden said NATO would respond in kind to any use of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine. We will respond if he uses it, Biden said, referring to Putin. The nature of the response depends on the nature of the use. A month later, Biden chastised Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as irresponsible after Lavrov told Russian state television that the risks of nuclear war were considerable. No one should be making idle comments about the use of nuclear weapons or the possibility of the need to use them, Biden said. Just days into his invasion of Ukraine, Putin ordered Russias nuclear forces on high alert for the first time since the fall of the former Soviet Union, prompting the White House to assemble a team of national security officialsthe so-called Tiger Teamto study potential responses in the event Russia deployed chemical, biological or nuclear weapons against Ukraine, neighboring nations or NATO convoys of weapons and aid headed for Ukraine. In 2000, Russia updated its military doctrine to allow the first use of nuclear weapons in "in response to large-scale aggression utilizing conventional weapons in situations critical to the national security of the Russian Federation, according to the U.S.-based Arms Control Association. The 1997 version of the doctrine had allowed the first use of nuclear arms only "in case of a threat to the existence of the Russian Federation. The newest version also states for the first time that Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons to respond to all "weapons of mass destruction" attacks. Meanwhile, Russias targeting of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has renewed nuclear anxiety across Europe. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi reported Saturday that the plant, Europes largest, is once again receiving electricity from the national grid. Grossi cautioned that the general situation for the plant, however, remains precarious, as long as Russian forces are shelling in the wider region around Zaporizhzhia. The nuclear plant remains under Russian control, the IAEA said, but Ukrainians are handling its operations. The United Nations Sunday renewed its call for Afghanistans Taliban to urgently reopen schools to teenage girls, denouncing the anniversary of their exclusion from education as tragic, shameful, and entirely avoidable. Since taking control of the conflict-torn country in August of last year, the Islamist group has instructed girls in grades 7 to 12 to remain home, which has mainly affected girls aged between 12 and 18. The ongoing exclusion of girls from high school has no credible justification and has no parallel anywhere in the world, Markus Potzel, the acting chief of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a statement. It is profoundly damaging to a generation of girls and to the future of Afghanistan itself, he said. The Taliban reopened high schools to boys last year on September 18 but have ignored international calls for allowing female students to return to classroom. In recent days girls have also taken to the streets in some Afghan cities to protest the ban on their education. "A year of lost knowledge and opportunity that they will never get back. Girls belong in school. The Taliban must let them back in, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter. The hardline Taliban rulers have also ordered women to cover their faces in public and told female staff in many public sector departments to stay home, saying the rules are in line with Afghan culture and Islamic law. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told VOA his government is determined to resolve the problem of girls education within the framework of Sharia, or Islamic law. Whether its a problem with the world or not, our own people also demand the same from us. We are trying to find a positive way out, he said. Mujahid insisted that reopening schools to girls is an internal Afghan matter and other countries should not link the issue to establishing ties with the Taliban government. This is also an internal problem of Afghanistan, it is the issue of our people, it is the issue of my children and my daughter. There is no room for outside intervention, Mujahid told VOA. The U.N. mission has estimated that the closure of female schools has barred more than 1 million girls across Afghanistan from receiving an education over the past year. It pressed the Taliban to reverse the slew of rules curbing basic rights of Afghan women and girls, saying the restrictions increase the risk of marginalization, violence exploitation and abuse against them. If the ban on girls attending high school remains, the U.N. is increasingly concerned that such measures, taken together with other restrictions being placed upon Afghans basic freedoms, will contribute to a deepening of the crises facing Afghanistan, including greater insecurity, poverty and isolation, the statement said. Other countries have not yet recognized the Taliban government because of its curbs on womens and girls access to work and education, and for suppressing other civil liberties. The return of the Taliban to power has deepened an already bad humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and pushed its war-hit economy to the brink of collapse. The economic crisis, international economic sanctions and suspension of foreign financial assistance have made it difficult for the Islamist group to govern the poverty-stricken South Asian nation of about 40 million people. More than half of the Afghan population suffers from acute hunger, according to U.N. assessments. The Queen Consort and the Princess of Wales during a lunch held for governors-general of the Commonwealth realms at Buckingham Palace (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire) The Princess of Wales joined the King, the Queen Consort and the Prince of Wales for a Buckingham Palace lunch with governors-general from the Commonwealth realms. Kate was seen deep in conversation with Camilla during the key diplomatic engagement on Saturday. The princess, who wore her hair down, was pictured smiling at the Queen Consort, who was holding a drink with a slice of lemon in it, as the pair chatted. At one stage, Kate, who was wearing a long three-strand pearl necklace, placed her hand on the arm of Saint Lucia governor-general Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles as they spoke. The princess also stood next to the King as he conversed with the dignitaries, with William also mingling in the busy room. In addition to the UK, the King is head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms. (PA) These are 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, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. But the monarchys future role in some of the countries appears less certain with the start of a new reign. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said after the Queens death that he would call for a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years. (PA) New Zealands prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said her government will not pursue becoming a republic following the death of the Queen. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said now is not a time to discuss the country becoming a republic, but he has not ruled out a future referendum on the issue. Jamaica is expected to follow Barbados, which became a republic in November 2021, although it remains within the Commonwealth. Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness told William and Kate during their tour in March his country was moving on and intended to fulfil our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country. President Joe Biden again is warning Russian President Vladimir Putin against using weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Ukraine. Dont. Dont. Dont. You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II, he said in an interview with CBS News scheduled to air Sunday night. Biden would not comment specifically on a U.S. response if Russia were to use chemical or nuclear weapons in Ukraine. "They'll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been, he added. And depending on the extent of what they do will determine what response would occur." It was not Bidens first warning to Putin: Following a meeting with European Union and G-7 partners and NATO allies in March, Biden said NATO would respond in kind to any use of WMDs in Ukraine. We will respond if he uses it, Biden said, referring to Putin. The nature of the response depends on the nature of the use. A month later, Biden chastised Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as irresponsible after Lavrov told Russian state television that the risks of nuclear war were considerable. No one should be making idle comments about the use of nuclear weapons or the possibility of the need to use them, Biden said. Just days into his invasion of Ukraine, Putin ordered Russias nuclear forces on high alert for the first time since the fall of the former Soviet Union, prompting the White House to assemble a team of national security officials the so-called Tiger Team to study potential responses in the event Russia deployed chemical, biological or nuclear weapons against Ukraine, neighboring nations or NATO convoys of weapons and aid headed for Ukraine. In 2000, Russia updated its military doctrine to allow the first use of nuclear weapons in "in response to large-scale aggression utilizing conventional weapons in situations critical to the national security of the Russian Federation, according to the U.S.-based Arms Control Association. The 1997 version of the doctrine had allowed the first use of nuclear arms only "in case of a threat to the existence of the Russian Federation. The newest version also states for the first time that Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons to respond to all "weapons of mass destruction" attacks. Meanwhile, Russias targeting of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has renewed nuclear anxiety across Europe. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi reported Saturday that the plant, Europes largest, is once again receiving electricity from the national grid. Grossi cautioned that the general situation for the plant, however, remains precarious, as long as Russian forces are shelling in the wider region around Zaporizhzhia. The nuclear plant remains under Russian control, the IAEA said, but Ukrainians are handling its operations. HARARE (REUTERS) - Just a handful of mourners attended a memorial service for Queen Elizabeth in Zimbabwe's capital on Thursday. The death of the British monarch has stirred mixed feelings across Africa about the legacy of colonialism on the continent. At the Anglican Church in Harare some congregants expressed fond memories for Zimbabwe's former colonial ruler. Elizabeth visited Zimbabwe in 1947 with her parents and again as queen in 1991, when she was hosted by former president Robert Mugabe. At the time of her first visit Zimbabwe was a British-ruled colony with some autonomy - known as Southern Rhodesia and with a white minority government. Outside the church some Zimbabweans, like Rownward Manzungu, said colonialism is inextricably linked with Elizabeth's 70-year reign. I do not think its necessary to celebrate her life. In the past, she led the colonial era. It is painful that they took our land while we were left to suffer. We will never forget. When she died, I was indifferent. She was old so I guess it was now time." Langton Muza said he didn't see the need for a memorial, and that it has no benefit for common Zimbabweans. The southern African country left the Commonwealth network of mostly former territories of the British Empire in 2003. That was after Mugabe came under criticism over disputed elections and the seizures of land from white farmers. In 2008 Elizabeth stripped Mugabe of the honorary knighthood she had awarded him in 1994 - citing the abuse of human rights and disregard for the democratic process. Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens. Following the meeting of the Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, held on 15 and 16 September in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists that his country aims to join the SCO. Turkey is still a member of NATO. The SCO was founded by Russia and China, hence Washington demands that its allies cut ties with Russia. However, Turkey noted that NATO statutes do not provide for this kind of scenario. President Erdogan has left for the United States where he is to meet President Biden. Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share Since March, more than 19 Israelis have been killed and more than 50 wounded in armed attacks by Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank. The wave of violence is unlike anything seen in years. But it was all too predictable, as political paralysis afflicting both Israel and the Palestinian Authority and a hands-off attitude in Washington have diminished prospects for a long-sought diplomatic solution. In response to the attacks, the Israeli army has been conducting almost daily incursions into Palestinian hotspots in the West Bank. Upward of 80 Palestinians have been killed in the resulting firefights. Some of them, Israels domestic security chief Ronen Bar conceded, have been innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. The new wave of militants, inspired largely by Palestinian social media, are too young to recall the bitter fruits of the Palestinian uprising against Israel in the early 2000s. Bar calls them a generation of sheep without shepherds. Advertisement This isnt a bad description of the Israeli government or the Palestinian Authority. On Nov. 1, a bitterly divided Israel will vote for the fifth time in three and a half years. According to the latest polling, this election, like the previous ones, will end in a tie and the creation of a weak coalition, unable to do more than muddle through and kick the West Bank can down the road. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authoritys 87-year-old leader, Mahmoud Abbas, was elected to what was supposed to be a four-year term in 2005 and is still in the job. On his watch, Palestinians have split into rival factions in Gaza and West Bank. Abbass eventual departure will almost certainly precipitate a bloody succession battle. Some Israeli experts believe that the Palestinian Authority wont survive such a struggle. The situation in the West Bank hasnt reached intifada-like proportions, but it could. Advertisement It is important for us not to lose sight of what could happen if the Palestinian situation gets worse, especially in the West Bank, US Ambassador Tom Nides said recently. I fundamentally believe that to keep Israel a democratic state, we need a two-state solution. I want to change the situation on the ground to make that possible, to keep that vision alive. The two-state solution is less a vision than a mantra. After more than 40 years, it is a perennially unfulfilled New Years resolution. The Arab world has lost patience with the ideal of a Palestinian state. Europe is too caught up in its own existential problems to offer more than an occasional two-state sound bite. And the US, the only country with real clout out in the region, has so far stayed at arms length. It is hard to blame President Joe Biden for his caution. He watched as the administration of President Donald Trump wasted four years of active diplomacy trying to strike a West Bank deal. That offer included 70% of the West Bank for a disarmed Palestinian mini-state and massive foreign investment. Abbas turned it down flat. Biden cant offer more. Israel no matter what weak government is in office would almost certainly refuse to go along. Advertisement And yet, the US needs to get involved. A retooled version of the Trump plan, under a different name, could at least get people talking again. An infusion of American aid might assuage Palestinians and buck up the Palestinian Authoritys efforts to keep order in the West Bank. That, in turn, could relieve Israel of the need for aggressive military operations. These are palliative measures, to be sure. But they are better than the alternative. Left to their own devices, the feckless political leaders of Israel, the headstrong president of the Palestinian Authority and the young warriors of the West Bank could drift, sheeplike, into a conflict that might light up the Middle East. And, for better or worse, the US is the only shepherd available. More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion: Texas and Florida Are Going Full Belarus on Migrants: Andreas Kluth Advertisement Punishing Russians Wont End the Ukraine War: Ian Buruma Former Colonies Should Do More Than Just Abolish the Monarchy: David Fickling This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Zev Chafets is a journalist and author of 14 books. He was a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and the founding managing editor of the Jerusalem Report Magazine. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article As climate change makes agricultural regions like California drier and less predictable, fruitsellers are looking to parts of Canada where blackberries and raspberries are getting easier to grow. (Karl Boulanger/CBC - image credit) U.S. fruit sellers are looking north to Canada as severe drought and water shortages continue to wreak havoc on crops in California, the biggest state for agriculture. American berry giant Driscoll's has partnered with Sebastien Dugre, co-owner of Masse Nursery in Saint-Paul-d'Abbotsford, Que., to test whether commercial production of blackberries and raspberries is viable in the province. Quebec's colder climate can limit berry crops, so growing them on a larger scale is unusual for that part of Canada. Dugre started the trials last year, and was able to harvest almost 80 tonnes of fruit this year. "There's definitely a learning curve. Last year was rough, this year is way better, we've got better fruit," he said. Dugre is using dome-like tunnels to protect the plants from rain, while creating a microclimate that is warmer for the plants. It all helps him to start earlier in the spring and end later in the fall, extending the growing season. "There's big companies interested in doing business in Canada to me that's a good opportunity," said Dugre. While there may be unexpected benefits for some growing regions, the shift in agriculture reinforces the vast challenges ahead as the world adapts to climate change and extreme weather that is increasing in frequency and intensity. Karl Boulanger/CBC Changing conditions Driscoll's is also working with a few other growers in Ontario, while another U.S. fruit seller, Naturipe Farms, is experimenting with blueberries and raspberries in Ontario and Quebec. While there is a lot of trial and error, partnering with larger players may be worth it for the Canadian growers, says Mary Doidge, assistant professor of agricultural economics at McGill University in Montreal. "Companies like Driscoll's that have a little bit more capital might be able to take those risks," she said. Changing climate conditions are not the only incentive for the trials; high transportation costs make it comparatively cheaper to grow and ship within Canada. Story continues "The fact that Canada is becoming more attractive has to do with the conditions here and how they're changing, but also the conditions in the places that these companies are already producing," said Doidge. In California, labour shortages are a growing concern. And with prolonged drought and water scarcity becoming more common, there are rising costs to protect crops and pump water to farms, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Soren Bjorn, president of Driscoll's, says that using technology and the latest genetics, his company can actually have a viable season in Canada. "We're definitely going to increase and with more growers and and more hectares we think over time that this is going to be a good risk mitigator." Karl Boulanger/CBC Redrawing the map Farmers across the globe are redrawing the agricultural map as the world warms. In Italy, the Morettino family runs a coffee-roasting business and successfully grew coffee for the first time in the past year. They planted 60 Arabica coffee plants, which were able to adapt to the Sicilian climate much further north than where coffee is traditionally grown near the equator. "We are witnessing strong climate changes that have to make us think about the present and future of our land," wrote Andrea Morettino in a blog post about the experience. Morettino Other regions are forecast to get less suitable for growing. For example, a study published in the journal Plos One earlier this year estimated that by 2050, Peru could lose more than half of its suitable areas for growing avocado due to climate change. "As we get this volatility in the weather, not just that the temperature is higher every day, but it's really the volatility, we're seeing our production get disrupted pretty significantly," Bjorn said. "When you have disruptions in one place, you need to have another place that can hopefully mitigate some of the consequences in the marketplace." But while there are opportunities for Canada as climate conditions shift, this country is not immune to extreme weather events. Drought has decimated prairie grain crops in recent years, while extreme flooding in B.C. last November impacted many berry farms. Still, growers like Dugre know that they must adapt to survive. "It's a never-ending process, adjusting every year and in 30 years from now we'll still be adjusting." Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share A few months ago, the Democratic Partys legislative agenda appeared stagnant and its political fortunes dire. Then Congress enacted several major new laws most notably a budget reconciliation bill that combined climate change mitigation and health-care affordability measures and President Joe Biden announced an unprecedented partial forgiveness of federal student debt. Now both Biden and his party are enjoying such a surge in popularity that some pundits are openly questioning the long-assumed Republican landslide in November. Its tempting to draw a simple connection between Democrats recent burst of policymaking and their concurrent rise in the polls. But voters dont necessarily think that way and theres no guarantee this bounce will endure until Election Day. Voters often claim to be frustrated by a do-nothing Washington, so they should presumably be pleased when their leaders do something. And a Democrat-aligned super PAC recently unveiled a battleground-state ad campaign touting the partys recent accomplishments, suggesting that some party strategists hope legislative credit-claiming will be a persuasive electoral message. Finally, theres a strong inherent appeal in the belief that incumbents will be rewarded by a satisfied electorate for delivering on the commitments they made during their campaigns. Advertisement In other words: Its natural to treat the enactment of new policy as, by definition, a governing success. History shows otherwise. Some of the most historically productive sessions of Congress have been followed by significant electoral losses for the presidents party: In 2010, after enacting the Affordable Care Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill, Democrats lost 63 House seats and seven Senate seats. Republicans lost 27 House seats in 1982 after the first round of Ronald Reagans tax cuts and military buildup. Even after the popular creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, in the next years midterms the ruling Democrats lost 47 seats in the House and three in the Senate. In some cases, such as the ACA, the legislation was controversial enough to provoke a national backlash. In others, Americans simply had other things on their minds by the time of the next election, such as the economic recession of 1982 and urban riots in 1966. Advertisement Even when voters applaud policy change, their memories often fade and attention quickly turns to other concerns. Polls showed that the bipartisan infrastructure bill enjoyed broad approval when Biden signed it last November. But one survey conducted this past June found that only about one-quarter of respondents even recalled that the bill had become law. So even if the recent rebound in the Democratic Partys popularity reflects an appreciative response to its policymaking flurry rather than the steady decline in gasoline prices since midsummer or the fading of Covid-related disruptions its an open question whether it will last. Disaffection tends to be a much more energizing and durable sentiment in politics than gratitude. Ruling parties are vulnerable to significant seat losses in congressional midterm elections because members of the opposition are usually motivated to register their disapproval at the polls, while swing voters know they can trim the presidents power without handing full control of government to the other party. Advertisement To have a chance of avoiding this fate, Democrats may need to harness some anger on their own behalf. This strategy is normally doomed to failure in a midterm election; backlash politics rarely benefit the people in charge. But the Supreme Courts June decision overturning Roe v. Wade is a rare case of federal policy on a major issue moving sharply in the opposite direction of the presidents party, and it already appears to be producing a rise in electoral engagement among Democratic voters. The continued public prominence of Donald Trump and the success of Trump-aligned candidates in Republican primaries, especially for the Senate, also raises the possibility that the 2022 midterms will be less of a referendum on the sitting president than usual. Trump is no more popular than Biden is, and an election framed as a choice between the two might turn out to be more of a split decision than a Republican landslide. Some Democrats might find cold comfort from the fact that the price of a brightening electoral forecast is the Dobbs ruling and the continued presence of Trumpism. The US political system does provide incentives for leaders to achieve their substantive goals, but those incentives are seldom enforced by midterm electorates. Because it is the members of the party itself who work the hardest to pressure politicians to fulfill their promises, any payoff usually comes when its time for renomination. Advertisement Bidens policies on health care, climate change and student debt may not help his party win seats this year. But dont be surprised if he uses them to make the case to his fellow Democrats that he deserves the chance for a second term in 2024. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Why Are Bidens Poll Numbers Improving?: Jonathan Bernstein Biden Is Unpopular, But Democrats Arent: Julianna Goldman Bidens Debt Relief Plan Will Make American Politics Worse: Clive Crook This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. David A. Hopkins is an associate professor of political science at Boston College and the author of Red Fighting Blue: How Geography and Electoral Rules Polarize American Politics. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share You may have missed it for all the noise around the noise around the culture wars, but Americans are drinking more and more like Mexicans. Agave-based spirits from our southern neighbor are on the verge of a major breakthrough: This year, Americans will spend more money on tequila and mezcal than on domestic whiskeys. And its not a one-off, either. IWSR, which tracks and analyzes drinks market data, predicts that sales of agave-based spirits will top $13.3 billion next year, overtaking vodka as Americas most-purchased spirit, and pushing whiskey to third place. This is marvelous news for Mexican distillers, who have a lock on the production of most agave spirits because of international denomination of origin agreements. Just as bubbly wine can only be called Champagne if it is produced in the French region of that name, a distilled agave cant be labeled mezcal unless its from one of nine specific states in Mexico. And only the distilled blue agave from one of five Mexican states can be called tequila. Advertisement The D.O. status for both spirits was enshrined in the North American Free Trade Agreement, so there can be no American tequila or mezcal. But US companies are allowed to import the spirits from Mexico and bottle them here, so long as the labels clearly mark them as imported. Thanks to D.O. protection, Mexican exports of agave spirits have soared: According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the US, Americans bought 26.7 million nine-liter cases of tequila and mezcal in 2021, up from 11.9 million cases in 2011. While smooth tequila has long been a staple of margarita-fueled spring breaks, the smokier, funkier mezcal is a relative newcomer but has quickly gone mainstream. Americans now drink more of it than Mexicans. Full disclosure time: As a longtime mezcal enthusiast, I have mixed feelings about my fellow Americans newfound passion. On the one hand, my preferred tipple is now easier to find: When I first moved to New York 15 years ago, none of the bars or restaurants in my corner of the Upper East Side had any mezcal; now some of them list dozens of brands on their drinks menus. But popularity has come at a price: The occasional bottle of mezcal that turned up in my neighborhood liquor store used to retail well south of $30; today, most are closer to three figures. Advertisement The popularity of the agave spirits is opening up a market for other Mexican drinks, like raicilla and bacanora and not all of them enjoy D.O. protection. This opens up new possibilities for American distillers as as well as American drinkers. Take the case of sotol, which is produced from an agave-like plant from the genus Dasylirion, more commonly known as desert spoon, that grows wild in parts of Mexico and southern US. A clear spirit like tequila and mezcal, it tastes more botanical, with flowery notes youd expect in a quality gin. Sotol was regarded as a kind of moonshine in Mexico until it was legalized in 1994; a decade later, the government moved to secure D.O. status, limiting legal sotol to the states of Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila. But that status is not recognized in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, President Donald Trumps renegotiated version of NAFTA. Advertisement To the chagrin of Mexican producers, American distillers like Desert Door, based in Driftwood, TX, can thus use the term sotol. Perhaps inevitably, the company has been accused of cultural appropriation; more charitable critics label their product inauthentic. In some ways their arguments remind me of the outrage in India, the land of my birth, in the late 1990s when another Texan company, RiceTec, sought to label one of its lab-developed products basmati, after the aromatic long-grain varietals that is native to the foothills of the Himalayas. But Judson Kauffman, one of three military vets who founded Desert Door in 2017, is having none of it. The desert spoon bush is native to Texas, he points out, and theres plenty of evidence Native Americans were distilling there long before Mexico or the US existed. Advertisement Whats more, Kauffman tells me, American moonshiners were making sotol many decades before the spirit was legalized in Mexico, and long before the concept of D.O. existed. Were respectful of Mexicos sotol tradition, but weve got our own, he says. On a recent tour of Desert Doors distillery in Driftwood, near Austin, Kauffman and fellow founder Ryan Campbell made the case that, like wine, sotol is greatly influenced by terroir. And because the desert spoon bush that grows wild in the state is different from the varieties that grow in Mexico, the spirit from it tastes different, too, Campbell says. In the interest of journalism and as a service to you, dear reader, I put this claim to a rigorous test. And for what its worth, the Texan version is more flowery than the dozen or so Mexican sotols Ive tried. Just as important, they were all quite delicious especially when sipped neat, which is how Ive come to like my mezcal. Advertisement The process of taste-testing also uncorked an epiphany. I suspect that, like me, many people who try Texan sotol will be intrigued to measure it against varietals from Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila. That means sotol from south of the border has more to gain than lose from the rise of the American version, just as it benefits from our growing thirst for Mexican sprits. And I say salud to that! More from Bobby Ghosh on Food and Drink: An Indian Restaurants Rise Mirrors Ashevilles Momos Are Taking Over the Dumpling World for a Reason New Instant Coffee Fans Should Try This Hack From India This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering foreign affairs. Previously, he was editor in chief at Hindustan Times, managing editor at Quartz and international editor at Time. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Comment on this story Comment Gift Article Share All week, a river of mourners has queued for hours alongside the banks of the Thames in London to pay their respects to their longest-reigning monarch as she lies in state in Westminster Hall. Tens of thousands also lined the narrow streets of Edinburgh to gaze on the hearse bearing the queens body last week. Pilgrimage to bid farewell to a loved monarch is not limited to Britons: World leaders, including Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, are gathering to attend her funeral service at Westminster Abbey on Monday. These are not the modest obsequies of a Scandinavian monarchy. Nor is this the hysteria of an oppressed people who take to the streets when a long-lived dictator a Stalin or a Mao finally dies. Of course, there is media hype, but the heightened emotions are not all manufactured. Walking in Westminster last week as the royal coffin arrived, the stillness of the crowds and reflective silence among usually noisy Londoners was striking. Advertisement For many secular Britons, the pomp and pageantry of royal ceremonies are a substitute for religion, but even agnostics and non-believers in monarchy are slightly awed by the scale and solemnity of the occasion. Few of those who watched were not moved when the queens coffin was drawn in a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace to Westminster, while her eldest son, King Charles III, and his sons followed her to the accompaniment of somber strains from military bands. Courtesy of the television cameras, millions outside the UK get to be spectators and even participants too. The countrys gift to the world represents a theatrical display of soft power. Royalty is the biggest British brand, bigger than James Bond, bigger than the Bard, bigger even than the Beatles. How did it happen? Among all modern nations, the British have been more successful at inventing traditions that appear linked to an immemorial past, but are in fact late-19th- and early-20th-century innovations. The Scottish kilt was the invention of an Englishman, and the idea of a tartan for every Scottish clan was dreamt up as a marketing ploy by canny textile manufacturers. (The Welsh managed to invent their own national dress without English help.) Advertisement The modern monarchy, however, has been the most successful British invention or reinvention of them all. For the royals didnt always put on such a good show. After watching Queen Victoria open Parliament in 1860, Lord Robert Cecil observed: Some nations have a gift for ceremonial. This aptitude is generally confined to the people of a southern climate and of a non-Teutonic parentage. In England the case is exactly the reverse. We can afford to be more splendid than most nations; but some malignant spell broods over all our most solemn ceremonials, and inserts into them some feature which makes them all ridiculous. William IVs drab coronation was derided as the Half Crown-nation (a skit on the half crown coin, worth only a fourth of a pound sterling), while at Victorias unrehearsed coronation, the clergy lost their place in the order of service and the choir was pronounced inadequate. Those who carried her long train gossiped throughout. Advertisement But as the Crowns power waned in the dawn of the democratic era, the ceremonial grew more elaborate and its execution became flawless the beginning of what historian David Cannadine calls a cavalcade of impotence. By the time Victoria died, the once reclusive and unpopular Queen Empress had celebrated two highly successful jubilees and become the unofficial grandmother of Europe. Hundreds of thousands also lined the streets on the death of her son Edward VII in 1910 and for Queen Elizabeth IIs father, George VI, in 1952. The same inventiveness was shown in the final hours of the British empire. There was no great ceremony after the redcoats lost the Battle of Yorktown and with it the original 13 American colonies. When London was forced to abandon Ireland its oldest overseas colony soon after World War I, its last chief official quietly drove away from Dublin Castle. And it was a member of the royal family, Lord Mountbatten, the last imperial viceroy of India, who in 1947 decided it was better to foster feelings of goodwill to the former imperial power and to go with dignity. Speeches were given by the elites on both sides, the Union Jack was lowered at midnight and the flags of India and Pakistan were raised. The process was designed to give the appearance of an orderly transition, although afterward partition led to appalling violence. Advertisement Soon the British had got decolonization down to a tee. Independence ceremonies held in purpose-built stadiums sometimes occurred at the rate of four a year in the 1960s, with a royal usually in attendance. The folks back home could see from TV that the British had left the place in reasonable order while the new rulers enjoyed being treated as equals and gladly signed up to the new democratic Commonwealth of Nations. Dissenting opinion has always held that both the vanished empire and todays ceremonial monarchy are a Tory racket, opium for the masses. Cynicism, however, needs to be tempered. Labour leaders have often been more royalist than Conservatives. Constitutional monarchies preside over some of the most stable and successful democratic countries on the planet. The queen and her family grasped the implications of decolonization more quickly than much of the political class. Flinty-hearted Tories would have let the Commonwealth wither but for the queen. Some English Conservatives even harbor the wish that Scotland should go its own way to save the expense, but the Crown keeps the Union alive. After the queens funeral, the Firm, as the royal family is known, will continue to modernize, doubtless becoming less formal in manner. Yet the pageantry that still moves millions the golden carriages, military salutes and strange ceremonials has turned out to be one of Britains most durable creations. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Martin Ivens is the editor of the Times Literary Supplement. Previously, he was editor of the Sunday Times of London and its chief political commentator. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article The surge in atom activism comes as countries again reassess their attitudes toward the power source, in the face of climate change and war. Ukrainian director Antonio Lukich travelled to Toronto for the first time to screen his sophomore film Luxembourg, Luxembourg at the Toronto International Film Festival. (Lisa Xing/CBC - image credit) On Feb. 25, a day after Russia launched a full-scale attack on their home country, Ukrainian filmmaker Antonio Lukich and his crew were rushing around Kyiv. The team had wrapped filming Luckich's second feature, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, and the content was scattered on hard drives in different locations across the capital of Ukraine. "We were literally saving the material," said Lukich, in an interview with CBC News in Toronto. It was the beginning of a months-long journey for the filmmaker, who vowed to keep his family safe but was equally determined to finish his project in time for its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in early September, and its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film festival this past week. WATCH | Director calls it a 'miracle' he finished his film as war raged: TIFF made the decision earlier this year to ban all state-sponsored films from Russia. As a result, there are no Russian films in the festival but it does have programming dedicated to showcasing Ukrainian filmmakers. Luxembourg, Luxembourg follows the story of twin brothers, played by rappers Ramil and Amil Nasirov, who grow up in the shadow of their absent father. When they receive word that their father is dying in a Luxembourg hospital, they embark on a road trip from Ukraine to see him. Film 'literally gave us hope' "It is amazing miracle for us that we finished the film and now have opportunity to show it to an international audience," said Lukich. In the days following the start of the war, post-production of Luxembourg, Luxembourg halted indefinitely as the team separated. Some joined the fight, while others fled the country. Submitted by Antonio Lukich Like millions of other Ukrainians displaced by the war, Lukich also left, taking his wife and three-year-old son west to his hometown of Uzhhorod, near the Ukraine-Slovakia border. Eventually, they made it to Slovenia. Story continues About a month later, he returned to Kyiv without his family, determined to finish the film. "That film literally gave us hope for life," said Lukich. "We felt it's our mission since we've been making it for three years and know the potential of the film." A film about absent parents Luxembourg, Luxembourg was inspired by Lukich's relationship with his own late father, from whom he was estranged. "When he passed away he left me with a huge emptiness inside," the director said. "That was the main fuel [for the film] to find out who is this guy who created me." LISTEN | Ukrainian director on making art in the midst of war: Lukich's vision for his feature further crystallized after the invasion of Ukraine began and he saw thousands of men join the army. "It's a film about absent parents. War ruins not only buildings; war ruins families as well," he said, pointing to the generation of men who died in the Second World War. "Now, we will be faced [again] with a huge generation of absent parents, which is really sad." This is why Lukich says he hopes his son won't remember the day the air raid sirens went off and he hid under the table. It's also why he tried to bring attention to the impact of war as he and the cast appeared on the red carpet in Venice earlier this month. Submitted by Antonio Lukich While there are several Ukrainian-focused films at TIFF this year, Lukich is the only Ukrainian director to screen his film while attending the festival in Toronto. "I'm a privileged one," he said. "Friends and people I know don't have such ability to appear in such beautiful places." Now that the world has seen his film, Lukich hopes to eventually bring Luxembourg, Luxembourg to audiences back home. In this weeks episode of our new podcast,It All Adds Up (look it up now!) I let slip the potentially embarrassing fact I once executed a sharemarket buy order with my smartphone while sitting on the toilet. I say potentially embarrassing because there was method in my bathroom-based investing strategy, which Ill get to. Im convinced buying shares directly is not for everyone. Its crucial every investor first consider the myriad alternative uses for their money. Credit:Dionne Gain First, let me be clear I am not recommending that you, too, buy shares on the toilet or, even that you buy any shares directly at all. Most Australians already own shares indirectly via the significantly more sanitised route of having their superannuation fund invest some of their retirement savings in shares (at least, I assume they dont sit on the loo while they do it). Scientology leader David Miscavige has avoided being served with a summons on at least 14 occasions, a US court has been told, as part of a human-trafficking case brought by three Australian residents. The allegations emerged in a Florida civil case brought by Australian Gawain Baxter and residents Laura Baxter and Valeska Paris who have claimed they endured horrendous emotional, physical and psychological abuse while in Scientology. Scientology leader David Miscavige. Miscavige, who has been the leader of Scientology since 1986, was named in the lawsuit along with five Scientology-related organisations. He is the only defendant to not have been served despite a summons being issued against him in late April. The court heard allegations from plaintiff lawyers that Miscavige had deliberately evaded service for months including by ordering security at his house to prevent the summons from being delivered to him. On September 9, the court ordered the allegations were credible enough for Miscavige to instead be served through the office of Floridas secretary of state. Paul Keatings assistant treasurer has called on the Albanese government to scrap tax cuts scheduled to come into effect in 2024, saying Labor was forced into backing them by a Coalition scare campaign. George Gear, who was a Labor MP throughout both the Hawke and Keating governments, and served for three years as assistant treasurer, said Labor only saw it necessary to back the stage three tax cuts after being targeted in a scare campaign during the 2019 election. George Gear, who served as assistant treasurer under Paul Keating, says voters would forgive the Albanese government if it scrapped the stage three tax cuts. Credit:Tony McDonough Not out of conviction, Gear told The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age. It was forced on them by an opponent who had no vision for the future just a lot of pork-barrelling and a scare campaign. The Coalition mounted a successful campaign at the 2019 election against Labors agenda to oppose the stage three tax cuts and reform negative gearing, capital gains tax and franking credits. Labor last year reversed its position under Anthony Albanese and vowed to keep the tax cuts in place. Crossbench MPs have declared there are still major sticking points with the federal governments proposal for a national corruption watchdog as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tries to avoid breaking a key election promise to legislate the body by the end of the year. The crossbench MPs are worried Labors integrity commission will not be broad enough to go after corrupt union officials and businesspeople who seek to influence the government, as well as a lack of protection for whistleblowers, and independent funding. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says passing the legislation by the end of this year will allow the body to be operational by mid-2023. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen After the government introduces the legislation next week, it will be sent to a joint select committee of parliament to review, with the crossbench to use that time to try to convince Labor to address their outstanding concerns. The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age can reveal the government will look to set a date for the parliamentary committee to report back before the final sitting fortnight begins on November 21, giving it enough time to pass the legislation by the end of the year. According to both government and crossbench sources, it is likely they will settle on a reporting date in mid-November. The West Australian Nationals will remain the major opposition party in the lower house after claiming victory in the North West Central by-election. With 42 per cent of the vote counted by Saturday evening, Nationals candidate and Carnarvon pub owner Merome Beard has taken an unbeatable lead with 60 per cent of votes on a two-party basis. Nationals leader Mia Davies with North West Central candidate Merome Beard. Credit:Facebook/Mia Davies The seat was up for grabs after former member Vince Catania announced his retirement in June. On the current count, the Nationals primary vote has only edged upwards 0.8 per cent compared to the 2021 election where Catania narrowly defeated Labors Cherie Sibosado by 259 votes. Silverchair bass player Chris Joannou and his wife Karissa have bought luxury acreage north of Coffs Harbour for $3.2 million, making them neighbours to singer-songwriter Wendy Matthews. The couples newly acquired four-hectare property now ranks among the most expensive sales in Sapphire Beach and includes a four-bedroom house, heated swimming pool, a guest house, garaging for 10 cars and what the marketing described as the ultimate man cave. The Sapphire Beach acreage bought by Chris Joannou neighbours a property owned by Wendy Matthews. Credit:Domain Joannou and his fellow Silverchair bandmates, Ben Gillies and Daniel Johns, were barely teenagers in 1992 when they formed grunge band first known as Innocent Criminals and shot to rock stardom two years later on the back of their song, Tomorrow. London: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described meeting King Charles III as a great honour but says now is not the right time to raise the issue of Australia cutting ties with the monarchy. Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon filed past the Queens coffin at Westminster Hall on Saturday and signed a condolence book at Lancaster House, where the hit Netflix series The Crown is filmed, before the Prime Minister sat down for his first audience with the new monarch. King Charles III and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Buckingham Palace. Credit:Getty Hundreds of thousands of Britons have queued for the lying-in-state and some were granted a surprise visit on Saturday by Charles and Prince William, the Prince of Wales, who thanked them for waiting up to 16 hours. Albanese said he could feel the raw emotion of those mourning the Queen inside the historic hall. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Prigozhins catering company, Concord, coyly said in a Thursday statement that it can confirm that the person in the video bears an enormous resemblance to Yevgeny Viktorovich [Prigozhin]. Judging by his rhetoric, he somehow deals with implementing the tasks of the special operation, and does so successfully . . . in addition, the person speaking in the video has a great delivery, just like Evgeny Viktorovich [Prigozhin] does, the company said in its statement. Russian troops, seen here before the invasion of Ukraine, appear to be badly in need of reinforcements. Credit:Russian Defence Ministry Press Service Another equivocate statement posted by Concords press service came from Prigozhin himself: If I were a prisoner, I would dream of joining this friendly team in order to not only redeem my debt to the Motherland, but also to repay it with interest. Those who do not want mercenaries or prisoners to fight . . . who do not like this topic, send your children to the front, Prigozhin said. Its either them or your children, decide for yourself. Wagner has been leading a double effort to recruit men all over Russia in what the experts called a shadow mobilisation as Putin has rebuffed calls for national mobilisation from several hawkish Russian officials. Such a draft would almost certainly cause an uproar from the public that has been told for months that Moscow is running only a limited special military operation in Ukraine. In addition to online ads and banners in dozens of cities inviting ordinary Russians to sign up, Wagner recruiters have been touring prisons seeking men between the ages of 22 and 50, but its recruiters say an exception is possible for older men if they are in a good physical form. Wagner Group fighters in Syria. In the video, Prigozhin says the first batch of convicts fought in Ukraine on June 1 as Wagner was helping Russia take the Vuhlehirska power station in the Donetsk region. The mercenaries success in capturing the site was paraded on Russian state TV in the first public embrace of the orchestra, as the private army is often called, in reference to its namesake, right-wing German classical composer Richard Wagner. There were 40 people from St. Petersburg, [from a] high-security facility, recidivists, Prigozhin said. They entered the enemy trenches, cut them up with knives; there were three dead and seven wounded. Out of the three dead, one was 52 years old and had already served a 30-year-long sentence. He died a hero. Gulagu Net, a Russian human rights organization that helps convicts, first received calls and letters from inmates about Wagners recruitment efforts back in March. The head of Gulagu Net, Vladimir Osechkin, said last month that the effort was very limited at the time. Loading Those were colonies for former law enforcement officers. . . . They were looking for those with combat experience, who took part in counterterrorism operations and various hostilities, Osechkin said. We are talking special forces here, people who know what a weapon is, he added. They were told they would be commanders, that the motherland needs them, but as far as we understand, this campaign failed as they havent been able to recruit many of them. But as Russias campaign in Ukraine stalled since the initial gains in the spring, the effort to find fresh reinforcements took on new urgency. Starting in July, the number of calls we received grew exponentially, saying that Wagner has launched a mass recruitment campaign in regular colonies, Osechkin said. The enlistment approach was two-pronged: Some convicts were offered support roles, such as digging trenches and doing various construction work near separatist-controlled areas in the eastern Donbas region. Others were recruited for units of 12 people tasked with special combat missions, even though they often had little military training. It all points to the fact that the Russian army has a personnel shortage, and they are trying to replenish it using prisoners whom they dont care about, Osechkin said. Another civil rights organisation, Russia Behind Bars, which has long investigated horrific conditions in Russian prisons, estimated that approximately 7,000 to 10,000 convicts have already been sent to fight in Ukraine. Both organisations have voiced concern that prisoners are being tricked into joining a potential suicide mission with no legal guarantees, as well as concern about releasing potentially violent convicted criminals serving decades-long sentences for murder or aggravated assault. In addition to it being immoral and very dangerous, it also means that the concept of crime no longer exists in Russia; they wiped their feet on the judicial system, the head of Russia Behind Bars, Olga Romanova, wrote in a Facebook post. According to Gulagu Net, Putin awarded at least one Russian convict who fought in Ukraine with a medal of bravery: Ivan Neparatov, a member of an organised crime group who served 12 years out of his 25-year sentence for murder, robbery and kidnapping. Loading On the video, Prigozhin told the inmates of the penal colony, which has been identified to be in the small Mari El republic in central Russia, that he was looking for the most brazen stormtroopers, willing to be thrown into hot spots as infantry. You have five minutes to make a decision, he said. Regarding trust and guarantees, do you have anyone who can get you out of prison alive? Allah and God can get you out [dead]. I am taking you out of here alive. But its not always that I bring you back alive. WATERLOO It takes a single step into St. Wenceslaus to understand why the Wisconsin Historical Society wanted the church for Old World Wisconsin, its outdoor interpretive museum that opened in 1976. Built with tamarack logs harvested just east of the Crawfish River in Jefferson County, the church's interior has been largely unchanged since the 1890s and to this day has a museum-quality vibe. It almost looks as if a Roman Catholic service was held last Sunday. There are wooden pews built with hand-sawed pine and put together with pegs and dovetail joints. There's a small choir loft in one corner and a confessional in another. A wood stove sits at the center of the sanctuary, there are wooden doors that cover the windows and Stations of the Cross printed in French, Latin and English. The wooden altar is simple, lined with candle sconces and with pictures of Christ and the Virgin Mary above. And when Cliff Haberman pulled the rope last week near the only door in the place, the bell still rung, just like it did in 1864, when the church opened. "I'm about the oldest one surviving in the neighborhood," said Haberman, 73. "When I was a kid, my uncle would open the window with a hammer and we would look in when we were cutting hay, or something. It seems to be the same." Only this historical treasure is not among the log barns, stables and cabins, outhouses, one-room schoolhouses or small churches that pepper the grounds of Old World Wisconsin near Eagle. Commonly referred to as the "Island Church," it remains on a mound east of Waterloo, south of Hubbleton and north of Lake Mills. That's because when the locals learned nearly 50 years ago that the Historical Society had its eyes on the 32-by-34-foot church building, they rallied to form a foundation and raise the $3,000 needed to buy the church from the Diocese of Madison, which had stopped using it for regular services in the 1890s. The history of the church, built during the Civil War by German and Bohemian immigrants, will be celebrated next weekend as the Island Church Foundation hosts Sudeten German Weekend. The two-day event begins Saturday with seminars at the Karl Junginger Memorial Library in Waterloo. On Sunday, the main event moves to the church, located at the corner of Island Church and Blue Joint roads in the town of Waterloo. That's where, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be guided tours of the church, and homemade kolaches (a pastry filled with fruit), brats and hot beef sandwiches will be served. Historians Edward Langer, James Kleinschmidt and Diana Bigelow will be on hand to answer questions. At 2:30 p.m., an ecumenical service will be held in the church, officiated by the Rev. Eric Wood of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Okawville, Illinois. Wood, who visited the church for the first time a year ago, is a descendant of Joseph and Englebert Zimprich, early settlers in the Waterloo area. In addition, the weekend will also feature tours of the Waterloo and Marshall historical societies and of the Vincent Falteisek cabin from noon to 4 p.m. at the Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society along Highway Q near Aztalan State Park. But the primary focus will be on the church. Anything related to the Consecration, including the altar relics and chalices, was removed more than 100 years ago. "The rest of the stuff was left and they just locked the doors," said Langer, who grew up in Watertown and has been studying the church and its people for nearly 50 years. "History is important. And this is great history." The first white settlers began farming the area, known for its marsh of blue joint grass, in 1844. But in 1852, immigrants, some from Germany but many from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire province of Bohemia, part of the Czech Republic, began to lay down roots here. The immigrants came mostly from four tiny villages, all within walking distance of each other in a region called Landskron, about 90 miles due east of Prague, an area once known as the Sudetenland, where German-speaking villages were sprinkled among Czech-speaking villages. But with no Catholic church in the Waterloo area and the nearest Catholic churches located 12 miles to the east in Watertown, the congregation of St. Wenceslaus was formed in 1863 and the church constructed throughout that year before opening in 1864. The church closed in 1891 after St. Joseph's Church opened in what is now the city of Waterloo, but services were held sporadically at St. Wenceslaus in the early 1900s, according to historical records. But for more than 60 years, the church was largely shuttered. "This was, in effect, a grandma's attic," Langer said of the well-preserved church and its contents. "I've never seen anything else like this. Only a few items were taken out. Everything was left. This is not the way it was normally done. Churches were de-consecrated, emptied and normally the building sold." The church was opened for tours in 1959 and hosted the occasional wedding, but became overrun with tall grass, while its adjacent cemetery had fallen into disrepair. When the Wisconsin Historical Society began making inquiries about the property in 1970, area residents began mowing the grass, fixed up the cemetery and started fundraising. In 1975, even other local churches got involved as Thanksgiving collections at St. Paul's Lutheran Church and the United Methodist Church in Waterloo were earmarked for the country Catholic church. The foundation was formed in 1976 and purchased the property a year later. Immediately after the purchase, sections of the church's foundation were replaced, the floor reinforced, the bell tower rehabilitated, the interior and exterior painted and the roof covered in new wooden shingles. "It's just such a tie to their past, both their roots in the Old Country, their roots in Catholicism and roots in the simple life of agriculture," Langer said. "This was farms. And way back when ... where would you get together, where would you see anybody? The place you would go was here." SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. - A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the discovery of a Lehigh County man who went missing 41 years ago. State police say foul play is suspected in the disappearance of Ryan Jan Kemp, a Slatington native. He was renting a home in the Germansville section of Heidelberg Township, and was last seen at the Kings IGA Supermarket on Rt. 873 in the Schnecksville area on September 17, 1981. Kemp was described as a 30-year-old, white male, approximately 59 to 510, 135 to 140 lbs. He had full wavy brown hair, mustache, hazel eyes, and prescription glasses or contacts. He had worked at the New Jersey Zinc Company in Palmerton for a short time. Additional information relative this case is available on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System website at www.findthemissing.org (NamUs Missing Person Case #9151). Any persons with information regarding this incident are asked to anonymously contact the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers Toll Free at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online. 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. RICHLAND TWP., Pa. -- The movie posters are down and a sign thanking movie goers that said "It has been our pleasure to serve you at this theatre" is posted on the front door of Regal Cinemas off Route 309 in Richland Township. The theatre a place Denise Dearden said she went to quite a few times. "I would bring my kids there. Yeah, we saw a lot of movies there," said Dearden. The closure of the Quakertown-area theater comes shortly after Regal's parent company, Cineworld filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Cineworld recently said its admissions levels have been below expectations. A statement from Cineworld's CEO said the pandemic was an "incredibly difficult time for the business" and "a huge disruption to film schedules" led the company to the point of bankruptcy. Colton Mitchell tells us he used go to the theatre when he was in elementary and middle school. "It's kind of interesting to see an era closed," said Mitchell. People could be seen loading items into the back of a truck parked in front of Regal Cinemas on Saturday. In a post on its website, the theatre said it hopes people check out its Regal Barn Plaza location. As for Dearden, she said she is hoping to see another theater take its place. "They have a beautiful building back there that would allow them to do that," said Dearden. Workers at the theater on Saturday said they could not comment. 69 News has reached out to Regal and Cineworld, but has not heard back. HILLTOWN TWP., Pa. - Police are looking for information about a robbery that took place on September 16, 2022, 2:59 am, at the Sunoco A-Plus located at the corner of Rt. 309 and Hilltown Pike. A Sunoco A-Plus employee reported that two males, wearing dark clothing and masks, threatened to shoot him. An undisclosed amount of cash was taken from multiple machines which were forcibly opened. Officers from New Britain Township along with a K-9 unit from Central Bucks Regional Police Department responded to the scene. Suspects fled the scene prior to police arrival. They were seen leaving in a maroon SUV. Anyone with information about the robbery can contact Hilltown Township Police at (215) 453-6000 or submit a tip. The Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp. is in the closing stages of drafting a strategic plan to identify agency goals for the next one to two years. Once complete, the plan will serve as a blueprint to guide the search for a new chief executive officer, interim Executive Administrator Gary Scicchitano said during a recent interview. I was asked to stay on until the process is complete, he said. The crux of the strategic planning effort was the four pillars economic development, workforce development, innovation/small business and tourism. A committee of experts was formed around each pillar to convene meetings to compile information on economic trends and to gather input from local businesses and development corporation staff members, Scicchitano said. Each pillar had a different emphasis. Economic development focused on ways to attract, retain and expand business. Workforce development tackled methods of identifying employer needs and strategies to develop a skilled workforce. Innovation/small business studied ways to support entrepreneurs and small businesses by increasing access to capital while reducing barriers to growth. Tourism focused on attracting visitors, developing products and promoting the livability of Cumberland County. Now that the meetings are completed, Monica Gould from Strategic Consulting Partners will distill the input received during the meetings into a strategic plan that could go before CAEDC employees for a follow-up review, Scicchitano said. The plan could then be modified and presented to the board of directors by late September, he said. We want to have the one- to two-year goals rock solid, he said. Were looking at how COVID affected businesses, the economy [and] the workforce. At some point in the future, we will go into extended goals. Once the plan is approved, the focus will turn to hiring a new chief executive officer for CAEDC. In the meantime, the search has already started for a workforce development manager. CAEDC has developed a job description and has advertised the job opening, Scicchitano said. Were getting ready to start interviews. Were looking to hire a person by the end of the year. Once hired, the workforce development manager will meet on a regular basis with employers, educational institutions, economic development agencies and the workforce development board, said Janet Anderson, CAEDC director of economic development. Its about outreach and getting out there. Its about understanding the needs of employers here in Cumberland County, finding solutions to meet those needs and partnering to bring solutions to them. Even pre-COVID, we were not able to fill many openings, she said. The exacerbation of COVID has been significant. You have the great resignation where individuals, 50 and over, are considering early retirement. You have a younger population that has different expectations for the work they do. A lot of them are interested in gig work. Were working to ensure that our employers have the workforce that they need right here in Cumberland County, so we thought it was important to bring someone on to focus on those needs. County Commissioner Vince DiFilippo sits on the CAEDC board of directors which meets monthly. There are a lot of talented people involved in CAEDC, he said. Once the strategic plan is finalized and agreed-upon, I think they will really take off. We had some management changes at the top that have impacted the organization, but its heading in the right direction now. The interim CEO is going a great job for us. A number of stage veterans have had the privilege of portraying Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on stage over the years. Most famously perhaps, Helen Mirren's multi-generational-spanning performance in Peter Morgan's acclaimed drama The Audience secured her a WhatsOnStage Award, an Olivier and a Tony Award astonishingly, her first wins on both sides of the Atlantic. Following the 2013 world premiere at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End, under the direction of Stephen Daldry, the production would cross the pond and open on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre just two years later. An audience with Mirren became quite the hot ticket with the show playing to sold-out houses in both London and New York City. Of course, her Olivier and Tony Awards may well be sitting pretty on the mantelpiece next to her 2007 Oscar, which she took home for another portrayal of the UK's longest-reigning monarch in The Queen. Morgan also wrote the screenplay for the biopic and has gone on to conquer the world of television thanks to his efforts on Netflix's The Crown (featuring Claire Foy and Olivia Coleman's regal incarnations, with Imelda Staunton waiting in the wings for season five, currently scheduled for release this November). The Audience also made a welcomed return to the West End in 2015, this time at the Apollo Theatre and with none other than Kristin Scott Thomas taking the reigns. Another play seeing the screen on stage was Handbagged, currently back for a timely run at the Kiln Theatre where it was first seen. The show also transferred to the West End and later to New York. Lucy Robinson (Liz), Stella Gonet (T), Marion Bailey (Q) and Fenella Woolgar (Mags) during the curtain call on press night of Handbagged at the Vaudeville Theatre All images are copyright Dan Wooller, 2014 The Audience also ran on Broadway Kristin Scott Thomas (The Queen) during the curtain call on press night for The Audience when the show returned to the West End All images are copyright Dan Wooller, 2015 Being able to say you completed a summer internship at the Gundersen Health System Kabara Cancer Research Institute is great for a resume, but it was only a side benefit. More importantly, for Saint Marys University senior Kaydi Breeser, a pre-physician assistant studies major from Caledonia, it solidified her medical career aspirations and it was an opportunity to play a small role in the fight against cancer. Breeser was a Saint Marys University Fellow at Gundersen, an academic collaboration brought about through 1958 alumnus Dr. Jon Kabara (now deceased) and his wife Betty, founders of the Kabara Cancer Research Institute in La Crosse, Wis. Breeser spent her summer learning how to use the flow cytometer, making samples, and assisting in an experiment aimed at fighting ovarian cancer. This experience was amazing, because research is extremely needed, Breeser said. Its really rewarding to play even a small role and hope that someday it helps research go further. Karen Cowden Dahl, Ph.D., a senior research scientist, has headed the institutes ovarian cancer research for three years. As her mother died of cancer when she was a child, her work takes on added meaning. She said not much progress has been made in ovarian cancer, a devastating disease with only a 46 percent survival rate. Because theres no screening, she said the vast percentage of women dont know they have the disease until it has progressed beyond hope for a cure. One of our biggest challenges is how to understand the cells that start tumors, she said. Cancer starts from one cell that goes crazy, the initiator cell. We know they exist but need to know more. If we know more about them, we can help get rid of them. One of the problems with ovarian cancer is that these cancer cells survive chemotherapy and can start new tumors. If we understand them, we can target drugs at the cells not killed by chemotherapy. We are doing a number of tests to define them better. Breeser hopes to become a physician assistant, and although she doesnt plan to further a career in research, the lessons she learned in a real-life lab setting were invaluable. It verifies how much I enjoy the sciences and biology, and I know Im heading in the right direction, she said. It also taught her valuable skills about communication. Everyone has heard from someone who has had bad experiences at doctor appointments, and its usually because they feel like the physicians arent paying enough attention, she said. I want to be a PA who is there for my patients and makes them feel heard, and I look forward to connecting with every patient. Cowden Dahl agrees that undergraduate research is one of the best things a student can do. It solidifies their career path, and most importantly develops those critical thinking skills. She said working with students is rewarding and energizing. Students are fantastic. They come in with enthusiasm, wanting to learn, wanting to make a difference, she said. Ive been very pleased with Saint Marys students. Theyve been fantastic, especially Kaydi, who has worked hard from day one, reading things that helped her understand her project. All of her classwork and experience paid off and she understood and took her project and ran with it. Breeser credits her classes and professors for helping to prepare her. Saint Marys has some of the best professors I could imagine, she said. Ive never had a professor I didnt like. Theyre excited and passionate about what theyre teaching and always available to help you. Breeser is also grateful she had the opportunity to meet with Betty Kabara, who has herself battled cancer and whose philanthropic work and connections made her internship possible. This position is very important to her, and she wants to make sure we are getting the most out of it as possible, so being chosen to do this was exciting, and I know that what Im doing is going to a bigger purpose and will further Bettys work. Oliver panted. It was hot outside at Wisconsin Dells annual Wo-Zha-Wa Days Fall Festival. Oliver laid down inside the Wisconsin Dells American Legion tent at the festival. It was hotter in there, as Post 187 slung food to hungry festival attendees. Oliver did his best to smile at the camera as Mark Cobb, commander of the local American Legion post, presented a $1,000 check to Oliver, a service dog, and the organization Dogs2DogTags. The organization provides service and support dogs to deserving veterans. Dogs2DogTags is based in Sheboygan Falls, and creates an opportunity to save at-risk, rescued, or donated dogs, train them, and place them with service members who have been diagnosed with PTSD and other ailments. The purpose of the organization is to provide veterans, at no cost, trained dogs that can be their companions to help them cope with their unique challenges. The organization, founded in 2016, is the brainchild of Torre Willadsen. Willadsen was deployed as a civilian contractor working with military dogs in 2012. He spent time in war-torn Afghanistan, where he saw the positive effects that dogs brought the troops. After he returned, he saw the negative impacts the war caused veterans at home. He knew he needed to do something for them. With a lifelong love of dogs, Dogs2DogTags came to fruition. The organization, with Pam Wittkopp as its executive director, has provided, thus far, 33 dogs to 33 Wisconsin veterans. There are thoughts for growth, having recently secured a dedicated space for the dogs and their training. That growth is being helped by the $1,000 the organization received from the Wisconsin Dells American Legion. Oliver nudges his muzzle into an American Legion members hand. Oliver is thankful. Columbus Area Historical Society 1972 George Hasey completed 55 years selling popcorn from his wagon on the corner of James and Ludington streets. He started the business in 1918, buying his first wagon from Fred Brokopp who sold it to go off to World War I. In 1922, Hasey got into the taxi business and six years later started a school business for the local school district. Constable Charles Yelk was pictured regulating busy Labor Day traffic at the intersection of James and Ludington streets. 1982 A lack of participation in the program resulted in the Columbus School Board voting to discontinue the sport of Cross Country for the 1982 season. Both Olivet Congregational Church and St. Josephs Parish in East Bristol held their churchs Fall Festivals. 1992 The Columbus City Council agreed to have Sue Hewitt submit an application to the Wisconsin Development program for a loan of $320,000 to build a 20-room building named Larson House for housing for the elderly. Hewitt would pay back the money that the city could use for further economic development. Jeanne Johnson, vice-president of the Columbus Library Board, was selected as Columbia County trustee for the South Central Library System. 2002 The Columbus Womens Civic Club disbanded on Sunday. The club was organized in 1909. Among the projects the ladies raised matching funds to qualify for the Carnegie contribution to build the current library. The club has planted flowers, given scholarships and supported the Columbus Aquatic Center, Columbus Community Hospital and the United Fund. Karl Ibisch, builder of many homes in Columbus, also built a boat, a launcher in 1910, that still has its original motor and has been used several times each summer for the last 82 years. Follow us on Facebook at Columbus, WI Area Historical Society, or email museumcahs@gmail.com. The Columbus WI Area Historical Society is looking for a new home for its museum. If anyone has ideas on where to locate, contact Peter Kaland, society president. Click the photo and watch the video. * The successful experience of SCO is adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. * Xi's visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries. * China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration. BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping just concluded his two-nation trip on late Friday 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. In a packed three-day schedule, Xi intensively attended nearly 30 events, featuring multilateral and bilateral agendas, and covering security and development issues. There are many highlights and fruitful results, which have strongly pushed the SCO expansion a new step forward and brought China's relations with relevant countries to a new level. Global experts, scholars and officials have spoken highly of Xi's appeal for a closer SCO community with a shared future, as well as China's initiatives and its role in the SCO community and beyond, expecting the organization to boost stability and development across the Eurasian continent. Open New Stage of SCO Development Under Shanghai Spirit Since its founding in 2001, the SCO, now with eight full members, four observer countries and multiple dialogue partners, has become not only a strong pillar of global peace and development, but also a major force for international equity and justice. 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. [Xinhua/Bai Xueqi] In his speech at the SCO summit on Friday, Xi summarized the successful experience of the organization, namely, adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. These five points fully embody the Shanghai Spirit mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, he said. "We owe SCO's remarkable success to the Shanghai Spirit. And we will continue to follow its guidance as we forge ahead," Xi said. Gulru Gezer, a Turkish foreign policy advisor and former diplomat, views the Shanghai Spirit as "an example for a newer way of cooperation," which is especially important when "the world needs new patterns of relationships" in a multilateral era. As the globe is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and a new phase of uncertainty and transformation, the Shanghai Spirit could be "instrumental in building bridges between the nations and continents, fostering economic integration of the regions, and mitigating many regional and global challenges," said B. R. Deepak, chairperson of the Center for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. Under the joint efforts of Xi and the other leaders, the summit adopted more than 40 documents covering such areas as economy, finance, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges, institution building and external interactions. It 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. Of special note is that an increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family. At the summit, Iran officially became a full SCO member. China and other SCO members also started the procedure for Belarus' accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, and reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, director of the Islamabad-based Centre of South Asia and International Studies, believes that the SCO's principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party has won the hearts of many countries; and that its modern visions on politics, security, economy, and human society are pretty attractive to countries in the region and beyond. Write New Chapter of China-Kazakhstan, China-Uzbekistan Friendship Back in 2013, during his Central Asia tour, Xi first put forward the Silk Road Economic Belt, a component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Kazakhstan, and made a special visit to Uzbekistan's Samarkand. The Silk Road Economic Belt has since closely connected China with the two Central Asian countries. The wind farm, with 40 wind turbines and a combined capacity of 100 megawatts, is jointly-held by China Power International Holding and Visor Kazakhstan. [Photo by Dmitry Vasilenko/Xinhua] This time, Xi paid visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which clearly reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries, as well as the close friendship and deep trust between the heads of state. During formal talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi said that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan in firmly supporting each other's development and rejuvenation, and that 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. When talking with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Xi pointed out that China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits. China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, and deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit, he said. Xi received the Order of the Golden Eagle awarded by Tokayev, and the first Order of Friendship conferred by Mirziyoyev, and signed and issued joint statements respectively with the two colleagues, comprehensively summarizing the achievements and experience accumulated during the past 30 years of diplomatic relations and drawing a blueprint for future development. Xi's visit demonstrates "the important role that Kazakhstan plays in China's foreign policy," said Gulnar Shaimergenova, director of Kazakhstan's China Studies Center, who expects the "very significant diplomatic event" to add strong impetus to the further deepening of bilateral relations. "I believe that the visit of the leader of China will be productive for the further development of bilateral relations in all areas," said former SCO Secretary-General Bolat Nurgaliyev. Azamat Seitov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan, observed that cooperation between Uzbekistan and China in investment and technology is booming, which will accelerate technological modernization and diversification of the Uzbek economy, and enhance the country's export potential. Inject Positivity into Eurasia's Peace, Development In Samarkand, Xi attended bilateral meetings with 10 leaders participating in the SCO summit, and the meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia. The events play an important role in guiding the development of bilateral relations and boosting regional peace and stability. These diplomatic efforts have shown "China is willing to work with the SCO community to deepen cooperation in law enforcement, security and defense, and combatting drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and terrorism," among other fields, said Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh. Guests visit the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) International Investment and Trade Expo in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 26, 2021. [Xinhua/Li Ziheng] As a positive force in the SCO, China-proposed initiatives "such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative are essential to reinforce multilateralism, international cooperation and solidarity to address global challenges and concerns for common interests," he added. In the past years, the SCO has unleashed enormous development opportunities for the region and the wider world by building up connectivity under the Belt and Road framework, advancing synergy between the initiative and development plans of regional countries. Since 2001, the combined economic size of the SCO countries has risen around 13-fold. These years, China and other member states have been using the SCO as a platform to promote the synergy between the China-proposed BRI and development strategies of other countries, said Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Turkish Center of Asia Pacific Studies. "Today, thanks to the efforts of the SCO, member countries' borders are safer and more secure, and their economies are more integrated." Calling the SCO "a role model for other regional organizations," Colakoglu said: "as one of the founding members of the SCO, China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration." In a highly interconnected world where non-traditional threats are more challenging, countries can promote peace and preserve the gains of development only through common development and cooperation, said Pramod Jaiswal, research director of Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement. Therefore, China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind is peculiarly worth appreciation, Jaiswal observed, adding that he believes China has been playing a crucial role and will encourage more participation in the cause. Video reporters: Meng Jing, Cai Guodong, Huang He, Jiang Chao, Wang Huan; video editors: Li Ziwei, Liu Yutian, Caoying (Source: Xinhua) The school asked that the violations be processed as Level III in its report submitted on Sept. 3 to NCAA reinstatement director Jerry Vaughn. Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr has condemned what he has described as the racist criticism he received for his dancing goal celebrations. While appearing on Spanish TV on Friday, Pedro Bravo a leading agent and president of the Association of Spanish Agents compared Vinicius Jrs dancing celebrations after scoring to the behavior of a monkey, arguing the forward was not respecting his opponents and should stop playing the monkey. When you score against a rival, if you want to dance samba, you go to the sambadrome in Brazil, here what you have to do is to respect your colleagues and stop playing the monkey, he said. Bravo was accused of using racist language by many on social media and has since apologized on Twitter, explaining he had misused a metaphor. But in a video posted on Vinicius Jrs social media on September 16, the Brazil international addressed the criticism and said he would not stop dancing. As long as skin color is more important than the brightness of the eyes, there will be war. I have this sentence tattooed on my body, Vinicius Jr said in his Instagram post. This thought is permanent in my head. This is the attitude and philosophy I try to practice in my life. They say happiness upsets. The happiness of a Black Brazilian successful in Europe upsets much more! But my desire to win, my smile and the sparkle in my eyes are bigger than all of this. You cant even imagine. I was a victim of xenophobia and racism in a single statement. But none of this started yesterday. Vinicius Jr. celebrates scoring against Deportivo Alaves earlier this year. - Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua/Getty Images The 22-year-old named other players who also danced in celebration after scoring. He added: Weeks ago, they started criminalizing my dances. Dances that are not mine. They belong to Ronaldinho, Neymar, (Lucas) Paqueta, (Antoine) Griezmann, Joao Felix, Matheus Cunha they belong to Brazilian Funk and Samba artists, to reggaeton singers and to Black Americans. Story continues They are dances to celebrate the cultural diversity of the world. Accept it, respect it. Im not going to stop. The script always ends with an apology and an Ive been misunderstood, but Ill repeat it for you, racist: I will not stop dancing. Whether its in the Sambadrome, in the Bernabeu or wherever. In his apology on Twitter, Bravo said: I want to clarify that the expression playing the monkey which I misused to describe Vinicius goal celebration dance was employed metaphorically (to play the fool) Since my intention was not to offend anyone, I sincerely apologize, Im sorry. Neither the Association of Spanish Agents or Atresmeidia, the broadcaster of the program where Bravo made his comments, immediately responded to CNNs request for comment. The agents comments came after Atletico Madrid player Koke Resurreccion warned Vinicius not to dance if he scored in Sundays Madrid derby. Speaking ahead of that match, Atletico boss Diego Simeone said: We live in a society in which we are all involved. We are people and this is the society we have. Vinicius celebrates after scoring Real Madrid's second goal against Mallorca. - Angel Martinez/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images The Brazil national team offered its support for Vinicius Jr. There will be dancing, dribbling, but above all (there will be) respect, it wrote on Twitter, accompanied with a video of Vinicius Jr and his international teammates, Neymar and Lucas Paqueta, dancing after a goal. Our athlete (Vinicius Jr) was a target of racist statements on this Thursday night (15th). CBF reinforces and is in solidarity with #BailaViniJr. Real Madrid, for whom Vinicius Jr has enjoyed an excellent start to the season with five goals in eight games, said in a statement that the club would take legal action against anyone who makes racist remarks toward our players. Vinicius Jr explained that he has been working to ensure future generations would be better educated about such matters. I come from a country where poverty is very great, where people dont have access to education, and in many cases, no food on the table, he said. On and off the field, I have developed an application to help with the education of children in public schools without financial help from anyone. I am building a school in my name. I will do much more for education. I want the following generations to be prepared, like I am, to fight against racists and xenophobes. I always try to be a professional and an exemplary citizen. But this doesnt get clicks, its not trending on the internet, nor does it motivate the cowards to speak aggressively about people they dont even know. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Wrexham students raise vital funds for Hope House Hospice Students at a Wrexham secondary school have helped to raise vital funds for Hope House Hospice. In collaboration with the students Skill Challenge qualification, Year 10 students at Ysgol Rhiwabon, designed and created products to sell during the Christmas Fair and other events over the past year. Their work raised 1600 for the charity. A cheque was presented to Catrin Dowdeswell from Hope House at the school who also sent her thanks to all the students involved in raising such a large amount for the charity. Mrs Helen Sava, Assistant Headteacher said: This was a tremendous achievement by the students to raise such a significant amount of money for Hope House. As a school we are very proud of their work for charity. Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral is anticipated to be the most watched event in history, with an estimated global audience in the billions. In the UK, millions will be in London to line the route of the funeral procession. It will not be so very long before many of those who do, will look back and wonder, What was I thinking? People in front of Tower Bridge in a queue stretching miles to pay their respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II during the Lying-in State at Westminster Hall in London, early Saturday morning, September 17, 2022. The Queen will lie in state in Westminster Hall for four full days before her funeral on September 19, 2022 [AP Photo/Martin Meissner] Many people have been convinced that they should grieve over the death of a 96-year-old monarch who embodies class oppression and hereditary privilege. Such a mass phenomenon requires explanation. In Britain above all, the ruling class has attributed extraordinary historical significance to the late queen, designating her as the representative and even grandmother of the nation, the embodiment of duty and personal sacrifice who supposedly shared the painful experiences of generations, beginning with World War II. The queen was a fixed point of grace and civility in the consciousness of nation and Commonwealth, the Observer editorialises. The publics remarkable reaction to the death of Elizabeth II is a corrective to the myth of British decline, to the fantasy that we are irreconcilably divided, declares the Telegraph. This is an appeal to confused emotions designed to rally workers behind a myth of national unity and an equally mythical version of the queen, to buttress their own fractured rule in the face of the unprecedented class divisions tearing society apart. Likewise, the worlds media and politicians have combined to portray this event as one of major import. Elizabeth Windsor served as monarch and head of state in Britain for 70 years. But anyone watching TV or reading a newspaper could be forgiven for thinking she was honorary queen of the world. Almost 100 presidents and heads of government will be in Westminster Abbey for the one-hour funeral ceremony, including US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The list of attendees betrays the imperialist character of the entire affair. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, far right, view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, London, September 18, 2022. [AP Photo/Joe Giddens/Pool Photo via AP] Right-wing political filth including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be honoured guests, while no invite was extended to Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan and other regimes targeted for hostile action by British, US and European imperialism. Chinese Vice President Wang Qishans attendance provoked howls of outrage at appeasement from within the Tory government and from Labour peers. It is in pursuit of the shared interests of the imperialist powers that world leaders have lined up behind the British bourgeoisie in its efforts to assign world historic significance to the death of the queen. She has come to symbolise for them what the monarchy has always symbolised in the UKthe representative not of feudalism but of the existing capitalist social order, of inherited wealth and privilege amid vast social inequality, of stability, order, patriotism and every form of political backwardness. The assembling of members of mostly long deposed royal families from across Europe and around the world is not merely a survival from the past, but proof that monarchs still play a political role for the bourgeoisie even in the 21st century. Millions in the UK have been made a captive audience, with hagiographic media reports, delivered in the necessary solemn tones, forcing the entire country to show their respects whether they like it or not. State-orchestrated intimidation has therefore played an essential role in reinforcing the apparent national consensus that the queens passing must be mourned by allexemplified by the arrest of several people protesting peacefully against the institution of monarchy. There is, in addition, the assiduous manipulation of confused popular sentiment. Among most workers, nostalgia, misplaced empathy, and respect for the queen as an individual are more significant elements than patriotism, nationalism, and support for the monarchy as an institution in shaping identification with the rigamarole surrounding her death. There is also a definite element of genuine but misdirected grief in a country that has lost over 200,000 loved ones to the pandemic, without any of the official national mourning afforded to Elizabeth Windsor, who died peacefully in her bed from old age. The hundreds of thousands queueing to see her lying in state have passed by the UKs National COVID Memorial Wall, covered in hand-painted hearts representing lives lost needlessly to COVID-19. A section of the 500-metre-long National Covid Memorial Wall in May 2021, which had 150,000 hearts on representing the number of people who have lost their lives to COVID. The wall is opposite the Houses of Parliament in London. In the months since the UK death toll has risen to above 200,000. [Photo: WSWS] Even so, many workers remain indifferent, or hostile to the spectacle proffered. And many have bridled at the excesses imposed on themincluding the cancellation of flights to and from Heathrow, along with thousands of medical procedures including for cancer and heart disease, and the postponement of private funerals, all as a supposed mark of respect. The most politically significant expression of opposition is the anger aroused among more class conscious workers at the suspension of national strikes by the rail and postal unions for the whole of September. This action, taken without consultation within an hour of the queens death, comes after a summer of the most explosive class struggles in almost four decades. Led by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, the bureaucracy has done all it can to suppress and contain social anger by limiting workers to sporadic and isolated strikes while preventing millions more from acting through an endless round of balloting. Above all, it must be understood that if sections of workers have proved susceptible to the propaganda of the bourgeoisie, this is the product of the decades-long offensive against the socialist traditions of the workers movement by the Labour and trade union bureaucracy and the worldwide impact of Stalinism in discrediting socialism and then carrying through the restoration of capitalism. Not a single Labour politician, from Sir Keir Starmer to Jeremy Corbyn, has not grovelled before the royal family since the queens death. The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard march ahead of the arrival of King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, at Westminster Hall, where both Houses of Parliament met to express their condolences, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, in London. Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is circled in the bottom left of the photo. September 12, 2022 [AP Photo/Ben Stansall/Pool Photo via AP] Ultimately, however, the 9 million spent on the funeral and the countless millions lavished on the promotion of national unity around the monarch will come to nothing. It should be recalled that the last such great occasion of manufactured national grief, following the death of Princess Diana in 1997, is now looked on with a sense of bafflement even by those who lost their critical faculties at the time. The project will crash on the rocks of social reality, including the greatest cost-of-living crisis since the Great Depression and malignant growth of social inequality. The UK now has a record number of billionaires, 177, with a combined wealth of 653 billion, a rise of 10 percent over the past year. Workers have suffered the longest sustained fall in wages since the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. No wonder support for the monarchy is at an all-time low and declining. The National Centre for Social Research (NCSR) has been charting attitudes towards the monarchy since 1994. Its most recent survey found that the core group who believed the monarchy was very or quite important was down to 55 percent. Fewer than half of people in Scotland said they supported retaining it, while most importantly only 40 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds and 37 percent of people from an ethnic minority, many of whose families will have suffered the realities of brutal rule by British imperialism, did so. In a 2021 YouGov poll, 41 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds thought there should now be an elected head of state. During the weeks of official mourning, the hashtags #AbolishTheMonarchy and #NotMyKing have been viewed millions of times on TikTok and have consistently trended on Twitter. Surveys of popular opinion never factor in the most crucial social distinction in determining attitudes to the monarchy, social class. Nevertheless, the young are the most accurate representatives of contemporary social relations and a pointer to the future. Their growing hostility to the monarchy reflects a society characterised by hardship for millions, of long hours of work for little reward, and only the prospect of things getting worse. To ask young workers to identify with an ossified caste of spongers who live lives of fabulous unearned wealth and privilege is regarded as both insulting and a bizarre anachronism. Not only to them. In the period ahead, the realities of life under capitalism will assert themselves after their temporary burial beneath a deluge of royal propaganda. A particular warning must be sounded at the incessant promotion and glorification of the military. Members of the Royal Family have appeared in full military dress, their chests emblazoned with medals, emphasising the monarchs role as Head of the Armed forces. Fully 6,000 members of the armed forces will take part in Mondays state funeral in full dress uniform. King Charles III, Prince William, Princess Anne, salute alongside Prince Andrew, as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, adorned with a Royal Standard and the Imperial State Crown, is carried into the Palace of Westminster, following a procession from Buckingham Palace, in London, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. [AP Photo/Ben Stansall] This coincides with Britains escalating participation in NATOs proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. The British working class is being dragged ever deeper into a conflict that is leading to world war, under a government they despise, led by a psychopath who boasts she is ready to initiate nuclear Armageddon. Politicians and generals calmly discuss the likelihood of a nuclear exchange in Ukraine, while a deranged media eggs them on. Scientists and health officials are warning of a winter resurgence of the pandemic coinciding with an early and doubly large flu seasona twindemic that will devastate an already overloaded National Health Service. The position of the working class is ever-more intolerable, as the economic crisis deepens and millions are forced to pay for bailouts to the pandemic profiteers, the cost of war in Ukraine, and sanctions on Russia. The latest report from the Living Wage Foundation found that of the 4.8 million people earning less than the supposed real living wage of 9.90 an hour, or 11.05 in London, 42 percent had skipped meals for financial reasons, and more than half had used a food bank in the last year. The trade union bureaucracy and its parliamentary allies in the Labour Party will be unable to suppress the coming eruption of class struggle. Such is the strength of feeling in the working class that strikes by 2,500 dockworkers in Liverpool and Felixstowe begin on September 19 and 27. On October 1, they will be joined by tens of thousands of rail and postal workers who begin a new round of one-day strikes that will see 170,000 workers act. The picket line on the first day of strike action at Felixstowe port, August 21, 2022 [Photo: Unite/WSWS] This emerging movement will pit workers directly against the Labour and trade union bureaucracy in the fight for social equality, against capitalism, war and class privilege, and will be international in scope. After the mawkish and socially obscene celebration of royalty comes the inevitable hangover. Britains rulers must face their nemesisthe working class. With the sun shining, drinks on the table and music in the air, it looks like the young men in the video, which has gone viral on Chinese social media, have picked a great day for a picnic. Dressed casually in jeans and T-shirts, shorts and sandals, and chatting jovially in Mandarin as they hunch over a controller and screen, its hard to believe they could be up to anything shady until one of them shouts excitedly, I got a tank! But these men arent playing a computer game. They are flying drones over a military site on a nearby Taiwan-controlled island. The 15-second video clip is among a number of videos that have popped up recently on the Chinese social media site Weibo and show what appear to be civilian-grade drones trolling Taiwans military. The islands military later confirmed these mysterious menaces are indeed civilian drones from mainland China. The videos show detailed, drones-eye footage of military installations and personnel on Taiwans outlying Kinmen islands. Accompanied by soundtracks ranging from ballads to dance music and plenty of emojis, the clips seem designed to highlight the unpreparedness of Taiwans troops. One video captures the moment four soldiers from Taiwan realize they are being watched by a drone thats hovering in the sky above their guard post. Caught off guard, they respond by throwing stones at the intruding drone, which zooms in so close you can make out the faces of individual soldiers. Video footage of these bizarre encounters has gone viral on Chinese social media and is attracting hundreds of comments mocking Taiwans military. The clips seems to expose a stunning vulnerability: the ability of Chinese drones to photograph restricted military sites in Taiwan at any time. Taiwanese soldiers can be seen clearly in the drone footage. - Taiwan Ministry of Defense Gray zone warfare Analysts say the footage being beamed across the internet showing military sites and personnel in fine detail for all the world to see is at best embarrassing for Taiwan and at worst, outright dangerous. Story continues The drone incursions come amid increased tensions following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, a self-governing democracy of nearly 24 million people, in August. That trip angered Chinas ruling Communist Party which views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having governed it and it responded by launching unprecedented military drills around the island, sending warplanes across the Taiwan Strait and firing missiles over the main island. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has claimed the drone incursions are the latest ratcheting up of this pressure; a new front in Chinas gray-zone warfare tactics to intimidate the island. On September 1, after warning it would exercise its rights to self-defense, Taiwan shot down a drone for the first time. But, provocative though the footage is, it is difficult to be sure exactly who is behind the drone incursions. Beijing has brushed off the drone incursions as no big deal. Questioned about civilian-grade drones flying in the Kinmen area, a spokesperson for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently responded: Chinese drones flying over Chinas territory whats there to be surprised at? Fueling suspicions, China hasnt removed the videos from its otherwise highly censored internet or prevented the drones from traveling through its own highly controlled airspace. Beijing also doesnt appear to be interested in trying to punish those behind the footage; flying drones over domestic military sites is punishable by prison time. Drone footage shows a Taiwanese military site in the Kinmen islands. - Taiwan Ministry of Defense Deniable harassment Isabel Hilton, an international journalist and longtime China watcher, said it was impossible to know who was piloting the drones and that was exactly what made them so well-suited to deniable harassment. The machines appear to be civilian models, but could be operated by anybody, including the military, said Hilton, the founder of China Dialogue, suggesting that government agencies in the guise of a popular movement could be behind the controls. Hilton drew a parallel to events in the South China Sea, where China has been accused of using a maritime militia to enforce its territorial claims by swarming disputed areas with hundreds of what are ostensibly civilian fishing boats. Western experts say the militia sometimes dubbed Chinas Little Blue Men is funded and controlled by the Peoples Liberation Army. China doesnt acknowledge their existence and when questioned, refers to them as a so-called maritime militia. In both arenas, the ideal result for China is to gain an advantage without the military appearing to be involved, Hilton said. Whether youre using fishing boats or civilian drones, it doesnt look as though this is official policy. It doesnt look like direct military harassment in the way that the incursion of a warplane does. And so its a deniable provocation. Hilton said not only did the drones serve reconnaissance purposes theyre flying very low over military installations or taking very clear photographs of individually identifiable soldiers they could also have a psychological impact on the soldiers, who find their faces very clearly put up on Chinese social media, where they are liable to be insulted and where people are liable to call for them to be killed. Taiwans media have reported that such exposure could hurt the morale of the islands soldiers. This is all very demoralizing for Taiwanese, and its kept at a level which is designed not to let Taiwan relax, not to let Taiwan forget the threat, Hilton said. (Its) designed to remind Taiwan that theres no escape from Chinese pressure, and that in the end, China will take over. Thats the purpose. A Taiwanese major points at a map showing recent drone incursions. - Taiwan Military News Agency/Handout/Reuters Trolls with drones But not everybody suspects the invisible hand of Chinas military. Paul Huang, a research fellow at the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental think tank, thinks that the drones are operated by private civilians who maybe out of curiosity, maybe out of nationalism want to provoke Taiwan. Flying that close to a Taiwanese military guard post and catching their attention Thats not really the way any military would deploy or utilize their drones. And frankly I dont see any good reason that the (Peoples Liberation Army) would even attempt something like that, Huang said. Still, where he and Hilton agree is that Beijing could stop the drone incursions if it wanted to but it doesnt, because it sees an advantage in letting them continue. Beijing (sees the incursions) as an attempt by their own population to troll Taiwan, to provoke Taiwan, to make fun of Taiwans incompetence. They treat it as a propaganda victory, Huang said. China Dialogues Hilton said Beijing is definitely playing a double game here. Beijing, as we know, controls its own domestic internet, it controls domestic airspace. If this is happening, its because the government wishes it to happen. Taiwanese soldiers fire flares to warn off drones flying near Taiwan's outlying islands. - Taiwan Ministry of Defense Changing threat Taiwan has faced the threat of invasion ever since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when Chiang Kai-sheks defeated Nationalists fled there to set up a new government, having been chased out of the mainland by Mao Zedongs Communist Party. More than 70 years later, the Communist Party continues to view Taiwan as something akin to a breakaway province that must be reunified with the mainland at all costs and it has made clear it is prepared to use force, if necessary, to fulfill that objective. If China were to invade, the Kinmen islands most of which have been controlled by Taiwan since the end of the war would make a tempting first target. Lying just a few miles from the mainland Chinese city of Xiamen and hundreds of miles from Taiwans capital Taipei they are acutely vulnerable. Anti-landing spikes placed along the coast of Taiwan's Kinmen islands, which lie just from China's coast. - Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images Its for this reason that for the past seven decades beaches in Kinmen have been lined with countless iron spikes designed to make any amphibious assault as costly as possible to an invading force. For Taiwan, the problem is that the nature of that invading force is changing. The Kinmen islands proximity to the mainland puts them well within the range of commercially available drones, which are cheap and plentiful in China, home to the worlds second largest market for the machines and no shortage of potential operators among its population of 1.4 billion. And while iron spikes might be useful in a beach invasion, they will not do much against a drone operator trolling Taiwans military from the safety of a Xiamen park. Fighting back Still, Huang said Beijing may come to regret failing to rein in the trolls, whoever they are. He said Taiwan could ask DJI, the China-based manufacturer whose logo appeared in a few of the trolling videos, to make the Kinmen islands a restricted area in its database a move that would prevent operators from being able to fly the drones there. If DJI refused to comply, Taiwan could exclude it from its market dealing a further blow to a company that has already been added to a US investment blacklist due to its alleged links to the Chinese state. DJI, the worlds top drone maker, declined to comment to CNN for this article. And Beijings propaganda victory may come with other unintended and unwanted consequences. Shortly after the series of drone incursions, Taiwans Ministry of National Defense announced that the island would deploy a new anti-drone system at military bases beginning next year. It also announced plans to boost its overall defense budget to a record $19.4 billion, a 13.9% increase over 2022. (China) doesnt really see a problem as of yet, which I think they should, because this could lead to escalation that they didnt want. If they want to be in control, they better control these civilian drone operators first, Huang said. Taiwan shows off an anti-drone weapon in this photo released by its Ministry of Defense. - Taiwan Ministry of Defense Taiwan, meanwhile, appears to have realized that ignoring the drones and their mystery operators is not an option. Within days of shooting down its first drone, it released a series of pictures to the media showcasing its shiny new anti-drone weapons. It appeared to be sending its own propaganda message: next time the drones come calling, it will be ready. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com People buy wood pellets thinking theyre the sustainable choice, but in reality, theyre driving the destruction ofwild forests, David Behl, Environmental Investigation Agency Talk about unintended consequences. Over a decade ago, the European Union (EU) began to subsidize burning wood pellets and chips for heat and electrical production. This was supposed to wean homeowners and power plants away from coal and gas so as to replace them with a renewable, low-emission fuel. It worked. Today, wood is Europes largest renewable energy source, easily outstripping wind and solar. But note that I said wood, not waste wood such as sawdust or useless slash, small branches and brush recovered from culling forests. Thats because there isnt enough sawdust and slash to meet Europes energy demands, so now trees are being harvested to supplement the timber byproducts. So, whats wrong with that? Grow trees and harvest and process them while growing more trees on gradually expanding wood farms. Sounds like a sustainable plan. The problem is, its too slow. Trees cant be grown fast enough to meet the demand. But there are plenty of trees, out there you know in the forest at least until theyre all gone. And with all those EU subsidies available, well its always good to make a buck. Now theres a crisis of deforestation in Europe and, to some extent, North America. (As well as the Amazon basin, Indonesia and elsewhere.) Extensive clear-cutting and illegal logging have been documented in Romania, where large areas of national parks have been surreptitiously razed. Ecologically significant forests in Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria have also been harvested. Canadian and American forests, including state forests in the Carolinas, are being extensively exploited, and wood or pellets are arriving in EU ports from as far away as Vietnam and Malaysia. This harvesting of natural forest is a destructive twofer. One, it is destroying ecologically sensitive areas, reducing biodiversity, increasing erosion and waterway pollution and so on. Two, its eliminating some of the worlds most important carbon sinks, old-growth and natural (second-growth, unfarmed) forests, even as we struggle to sequester carbon while reducing emissions. Its simultaneously worsening the planets biodiversity and climate crises. Additionally, it turns out that biofuels, including wood pellets, do not necessarily produce fewer emissions on an energy-equivalent basis than fossil fuels, including natural gas and even coal. The unit-to-unit calculations are complicated, and many factors must be evaluated. Farming trees, for example, requires inputs of fertilizers and other chemicals that produce their own emissions, as well as taxing land and water resources that could be used for food production. Harvesting old-growth hardwood trees, which tend to yield the most energy per pound of wood, also releases greater emissions as the remaining stumps and roots rot. The bottom line is, wood pellets, overall, are only marginally cleaner than fossil fuels and that small difference certainly does not outweigh the cost to the planet of extensive deforestation. Unfortunately, for now at least, the misconception that burning wood is at least one silver bullet in the climate change fight has become entrenched. Well-meaning but misdirected climate policy dating back to the Kyoto Protocols (1977) and updated during the Cop 26 proceedings (2021) without even the allowance of a debate on the topic despite extensive commentary from the scientific community has helped the notion survive. Also, Europe and England have made large investments in wood-burning power plants, as has the U.S. in pellet-producing facilities. While the EU might vote to cease subsidizing the pellet industry this year, several member countries are objecting because of economic reasons and Putins imminent cutoff of gas shipments to Europe. It seems, for now, the best policy would be to gradually reduce EUs subsidies while more strictly enforcing the sustainable wood product extraction at our ecological house. By Azernews Azerbaijan has handed over the bodies of 32 Armenian soldiers to Armenia, Azernews reports, citing the State Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the affairs of prisoners and missing persons, hostages. "As is known, on September 12-14 this year, the armed forces of Armenia carried out a large-scale provocation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. As a result of the retaliatory measures carried out by our army, the opposite side suffered significant losses. We also report that the bodies of 32 Armenian servicemen found in the territories were examined jointly with the relevant employees of the Military Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan, and no signs of violence were found on them. On September 17, these bodies were handed over to the opposite side. Currently, other bodies of Armenian servicemen are being examined and they will also be handed over in the near future," the commission said. The wild blueberries were smaller this summer in the barrens of Maine, where the sweet crop dominates treeless plains of sandy soil. Some of the lowbush berries started shriveling or ripened too quickly, hitting the dry ground before harvest season began. The drought-stressed plants were speeding up their production process. Lobster and blueberries go hand-in-hand when people think of Maine. The state's wild blueberries are one of only three fruits native to North America, and they're loaded with twice the antioxidants than the ordinary crop equivalent. There are 36,000 acres of commercial wild blueberry land in the state, and the crop's total value reaches tens of millions of dollars each year. It's blueberry picking season at Tree Berry Farm in Scituate. But climate-change-induced drought is threatening the superfood fruit, particularly the native lowbush species in Maine where irrigation systems are few and far between. In other parts of New England where farmers grow highbush blueberries, the crop proved more adaptable this summer with help from irrigation. With climate change creating a world of extremes in New England longer and more frequent dry spells punctuated by deluges of rain within shorter periods of time the region's blueberry farmers face the task of adapting. What we've learned: How a summer of extreme weather reveals a stunning shift in the way rain falls in America Calling all leaf peepers: Drought to impact this year's fall foliage in New England. "In every season, there are all of these different weather events that can happen that can increase or decrease the crop," said Lily Calderwood, University of Maine Cooperative Extension wild blueberry specialist and assistant professor of horticulture. "Every year is a new adventure. And because of climate change, we have seasonal droughts that occur more frequently now." It was a "hard year" for blueberries in Maine, said Calderwood, but the drought impacts were not felt equally among all of New England's growers this summer. Story continues In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where drought conditions raged and reached "severe" designations in some parts, growers reported a good harvest. Calderwood explained the difference is lowbush versus highbush blueberries. Growers in southeastern New England harvest highbush blueberries, the species typically found in grocery stories. Highbush blueberries have always been irrigated because they are grown in rows, said Calderwood, while wild blueberries, or lowbush, are grown across large fields. Brothers Hunter, 6, and Rowen Bocash, 4, of Weymouth, taste blueberries they picked with their mom and grandma at Tree Berry Farm in Scituate on Monday, July 18, 2022. Until recently, the wild blueberries had received the water they needed from rain. Ideal growing conditions for lowbush berries includes 1 inch of rain per week, Calderwood said. During drought, that's when irrigation systems can come into play, but she noted most small- to mid-sized farms in Maine don't have irrigation because they can't afford it. The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine has said it is working to increase farmers' access to sustainable irrigation solutions. Despite drought, good blueberry season in Massachusetts and Rhode Island Highbush blueberry growers said they were able to combat the drought with irrigation and still see a rewarding season. In East Dennis, Massachusetts, Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm owner Stephen Spear said there weren't any berries left when they closed for picking a hallmark of a busy season. Their harvest this year was "generally pretty good because I irrigate." "The volume of the crop was as good as I could expect given a whole lot of factors," he said. "There aren't many blueberry farms on the Cape, but the ones I know of are all irrigated." Twenty-month-old Maverick Dereje, of Scituate, picks blueberries at Tree Berry Farm. Spear noted the berry size was smaller this summer compared to last season, which he attributed to the extreme heat that swept the region for much of July. The dry summer brought some unexpected positives. Spear said there was less pressure from invasive pests and less fruit disease that typically come with more rain. Can you feed your dog blueberries?: The fruit can make a healthy treat for your dog. Heather Faubert, agricultural extension agent at the University of Rhode Island and a member of the Rhode Island Fruit Growers Association, said Ocean State growers reported "a terrific blueberry crop" this summer. "If they had dry soil, they were irrigating," she said. Faubert noted the timing of drought influences how blueberry bushes are affected. In 2020, she said, when drought conditions extended through August and further into September, plants were affected because September is a month when they produce buds for the following year. "Hopefully we'll have good weather this fall," she said. Rhode Island Food Fix: 7 best pick-your-own blueberry farms Bon Appetit: Best ways to use local blueberries for savory dishes Maine blueberry farmers working on solutions to combat drought A study published last year in the journal Climate looking at 71 years of wild blueberry land in Maine concluded that while drought had not significantly increased during that time, "the temperature has been increasing significantly in the major wild blueberry production region of Maine." Between accelerated warming and a projected decrease in soil water content, there may be an increase in drought impact on agricultural systems in the future, the study said. The USDA recently awarded nearly $560,000 in specialty crop funding to Maine, and at least two of the projects receiving money are focused on wild blueberry drought management and climate resilience. Blueberries ready to be picked at Tree Berry Farm in Scituate in July. It's far from the first time varying weather conditions have affected the blueberry harvest. In 2018, state agriculture officials said farmers collected about 57 million pounds of the wild blueberries, down nearly 11 million pounds from the previous year, because of late frost. The state reported summer drought each year from 2013 to 2018. During drought seasons, the plants quicken their ripening process due to stress. Farmers are trying to adapt by starting their harvest early to "catch as many high-quality blueberries as possible," Calderwood said. Leading the way: Thanks to this pioneering woman, the blueberry farming industry began Mulching is becoming a more common practice too, where farmers apply softwood or pine woodchip mulch to their fields to increase the soil moisture. Using the USDA funding, Calderwood will look at irrigation timing in partnership with Wyman's of Maine, as well as mulching and biochar practices compared to irrigation. "There is lot of research at UMaine in partnership with the industry occurring around climate change," she said. "It's all hands on deck. A lot of us are working on this." Mom Kristen White and son Cole, 3, pick blueberries at Tree-Berry Farm in Scituate on Monday, July 18, 2022. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: How did the summer drought affect New England's blueberry growers? Getty A bus en route to a COVID quarantine center in Guizhou, China, overturned on Sunday, killing 27 people and generating anger on social media. The Chinese government has employed aggressive measures to combat the spread of coronavirus, which has sparked frustration in many pockets of the country. According to initial media reports, 20 people were also injured in Sunday's crash. Reuters reported that news of the accident sparked a flurry of activity on the Chinese social media app WeChat. When will all of this stop? questioned one user, while another person metaphorically stated that all of us are on this bus. 14 Million Locked Down Again in Shanghai After Just 11 People Get COVID The outlet also noted that discussion about the crash soon became the most popular topic on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform similar to Twitter, though it later vanished from a trending listperhaps at the intervention of government officials. The province has recently experienced an uptick in COVID cases, and the government is working to prevent a more serious surge. The 47 passengers on Sunday's bus were reportedly being transported from Guizhou's capital, Guiyang, to Lido county, some 125 miles away. This story is developing and will be updated. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. In the late summer of 2021, the story of 22-year-old Gabby Petito's disappearance spread quickly across social media and throughout the media. Headlines put a spotlight on the missing 22-year-old "van life'" video blogger, and on her fiance, Brian Laundrie, who had returned home to Florida without her. Gabby's body was eventually found near a Wyoming campground, and a month later, Brian's remains were discovered in a Florida nature reserve. In a notebook found near Brian, he claimed responsibility for Gabby's death. Gabby Petito / Credit: Instagram Now "48 Hours" investigates if Gabby's death could have been prevented in: "Gabby Petito: The Untold Story." CBS News national correspondent Jericka Duncan, takes a deeper look into the life and death of Gabby Petito, and the steps that her parents have taken to seek justice on behalf of their daughter. When Gabby was missing, police bodycam video was released of an interaction that the couple had with officers from the Moab City Police Department in Utah, just a few weeks earlier. The video shows Gabby crying and visibly upset after an altercation with Laundrie. The officers were responding to a 911 call about a potential domestic violence incident, where the caller reported seeing Brian slap Gabby, then hit her. Gabby Petito is seen talking to a Moab, Utah, police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, near the entrance to Arches National Park on August 12, 2021. / Credit: Moab Police Department But when the Moab officers pulled over Gabby and Brian in their van minutes later, they separate them and both Gabby and Brian say that she had slapped him. When pressed if Brian hit her, Gabby said "I guess yeah but I hit him first." An officer asks where Brian hit her, and she says that he grabbed her face. Without directly asking Brian if he hit Gabby, the officers determined that Gabby was the primary aggressor, but let her off without a citation or an arrest. The couple were left to continue their trip. Gabby's mother, Nichole Schmidt, says she last spoke with Gabby in late August on FaceTime, with Gabby telling her the couple was headed to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. After she stopped hearing from Gabby, and Gabby's phone stopped working, Nichole says she became worried and she, Gabby's stepfather Jim, father Joseph, and stepmother Tara reported her missing to authorities. On September 11, 2021, Gabby Petito officially became a missing person, and the search for her kicked off across the country. Seeing posts on social media, another "van life'" couple realized they had seen Gabby's van back on August 27 and reported its location to authorities. Later that day, September 19, 2021, investigators located Gabby's remains in a national forest near the Tetons. Brian had returned alone to Florida, but by the time Gabby's remains were discovered, his parents said that he was missing too that he had gone in a hike in a nature reserve near their Florida home days earlier and not returned. Weeks later, Brian's body was uncovered in that reserve. He had died from a gunshot to the head. Story continues Petito's parents are in the process of filing a lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department, and the Moab officers involved in the stop that day, for negligence and wrongful death. In addition to claiming that the officers failed to enforce Utah State law that day by not issuing a citation or making an arrest, they also claim that the officers were not properly trained "to investigate domestic violence situations, and to properly assess the circumstances, including to identify Brian as the true primary aggressor." On August 25, 2021, Gabby posted a series of photos on Instagram in front of a butterfly mural in Ogden, Utah. It would be her final post on Instagram. / Credit: Gabby Petito/Instagram Petito's parents' Utah attorney, Brian Stewart, tells "48 Hours," "The family believes that Gabby would still be alive today if the police officers had had the proper training and had followed the law in how they responded to Gabby's situation." In late 2021, the Moab City Police Department commissioned another Utah police department to conduct an independent review of their officers' actions. The report noted that the Moab officers made several "unintentional mistakes" that day, including misinterpreting the law and not making an arrest. In a statement, the City of Moab wrote that it intends to implement the recommendations of the independent review, including more domestic violence investigation related training, and legal training to ensure officers understand Utah state laws. In the statement, the City of Moab said it believed the officers showed kindness, respect and empathy in their handling of this incident. Gabby Petito's parents are also suing Brian's estate for wrongful death, and his parents for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Petito's parent's attorney, Patrick Reilly tells "48 Hours" that the family believes the Laundries were aware that "Brian had murdered Gabby," and were "aware where her body was located" while her parents and investigators were searching for her. The Laundries' attorney issued a statement denying the allegations made in the lawsuit against them. Reilly also discloses details about a letter he says was shown to him by the FBI, allegedly addressed to Brian from his mother, which Reilly says contains the following: "If you go to prison, I'll bake a cake with a shiv in it." Reilly also says the envelope containing the letter had the words "burn after reading" written on the front. Gabby's parents have formed the Gabby Petito Foundation, which has partnered with the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The mission of the Gabby Petito Foundation is to "address the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons and to provide aid to organizations that assist victims of domestic violence situations, through education, awareness, and prevention strategies." If you or a loved one are a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Napa County wineries research new technology to fight climate change New documentary sheds light on group which helped thousands get abortion access in 1960s At least 3 killed in Colorado mid-air plane collision We all have those thoughts, the ones that come to us in the small hours of the night. Who am I? Why are we here? What if my cellphone ran on vacuum tubes instead? Randall Munroe has the answer to, well, only one of those questions, but also the answers to a whole bunch of others collected together into What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Yes, that is a T-Rex eating an airplane. In the excerpt below Munroe examines what it would take to haul an average sized human in a chair over Australia's tallest skyscraper, using only the power of pigeons. Lots and lots of pigeons. What If 2 by Randall Munroe Excerpted from What If? 2 by Randall Munroe. Copyright 2022 by Randall Munroe. Excerpted by permission of Riverhead, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. How many pigeons would it require in order to lift the average person and a launch chair to the height of Australias Q1 skyscraper? In a 2013 study, researchers at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics led by Ting Ting Liu trained pigeons to fly up to a perch while wearing a weighted harness. They found that the average pigeon in their study could take off and fly upward while carrying 124 grams, about 25 percent of its body weight. The researchers determined that the pigeons could fly better if the weights were slung below their bodies, rather than on their backs, so you would probably want pigeons to lift your chair from above rather than support it from below. Lets suppose your chair and harnesses weigh 5 kilograms and you weigh 65 kilograms. If you used the pigeons from the 2013 study, it would take a flock of about 600 of them to lift your chair and fly upward with it. Unfortunately, flying with a load is a lot of work. The pigeons in the 2013 study were able to carry a load 1.4 meters upward to a perch, but they probably wouldnt have been able to fly too much higher than that. Even unencumbered pigeons can only maintain strenuous vertical flight for a few seconds. One 1965 study measured a climb rate of 2.5 m/s for unencumbered pigeons,* so even if were being optimistic, it seems unlikely that pigeons could lift your chair more than 5 meters. Story continues No problem, you might think. If 600 pigeons can lift you the first 5 meters, then you just need to bring another 600 along with you, like the second stage of a rocket, to carry you the next 5 meters when the first flock gets tired. You can bring another 600 for the 5 meters after that and so on. The Q1 is 322 meters high, so about 40,000 pigeons should be able to get you to the top, right? No. Theres a problem with this idea. Since a pigeon can carry only a quarter of its body weight, it takes four flying pigeons to carry one resting pigeon. That means each stage will need at least four times as many pigeons as the one above it. Lifting one person may only take 600 pigeons, but lifting one person and 600 resting pigeons would take another 3,000 pigeons. This exponential growth means that a 9-stage vehicle, able to lift you 45 meters, would need almost 300 million pigeons, roughly equal to the entire global population. Reaching the halfway point would require 1.6 1025 pigeons, which would weigh about 8 1024 kilogramsmore than the Earth itself. At that point, the pigeons wouldnt be pulled down by the Earths gravitythe Earth would be pulled up by the pigeons gravity. The full 65-stage craft to reach the top of the Q1 would weigh 3.5 1046 kilograms. Thats not just more pigeons than there are on Earth, its more mass than there is in the galaxy. You could make things more efficient by reusing pigeons. In the 2013 study, the researchers gave the pigeons 30 seconds to rest on the perch before bringing them down for another trial. If each stage is two seconds, and pigeons are refreshed after 30 seconds, you could fly arbitrarily high with a 15-stage craftbut that would still require trillions of pigeons. A better approach might be to avoid carrying the pigeons with you. After all, pigeons can get up to the top of the skyscraper themselves, so you might as well send them ahead to wait for you there instead of having their friends carry them up with you. If you could train them well enough, you could have them glide along at the appropriate height, then grab you and tug you upward for a few seconds when you reach their altitude. Keep in mind that pigeons cant grab and carry things with their feet, so theyd need little harnesses with aircraft-carrier-style hooks to intercept you. With this arrangement, its possible you could fly yourself to the top of the tower with just a few tens of thousands of well-trained pigeons. You should probably make sure you have some kind of safety system that will keep you from plunging to your demise every time a falcon flies by and spooks the pigeons. The craft wouldnt just be more dangerous than an elevator, it would also be a lot harder to pick your destination. You might plan to go to the top of the Q1, but once you take off... youll be completely under the control of anyone with a bag of seeds. World Cup-bound Wales will address any issues raised by Qatars laws and customs at their Nations League camp this week. Wales will play at their first World Cup for 64 years in November when the tiny Gulf state becomes the first Arab nation to hold the tournament. A cultural behaviour guide to Qatar, addressing issues such as dress code and alcohol consumption, has been posted on the tournaments official website. Wales manager Robert Page says it is important that his players and staff respect Qatari culture during the World Cup (Zac Goodwin/PA) The guide stresses that visitors should not stare at Qataris or ask women for information, and suggests cameras should be used as little as possible. Wales manager Robert Page, whose side conclude their Nations League campaign in Belgium on Thursday and at home to Poland three days later, said: Weve got meetings (planned) to address anything we think is going to be an issue out there. Its important we respect their culture when we get out there. We dont want to unintentionally upset anyone. We have to understand what were going into, what to do and what not to do. Accusations over the treatment of migrant workers and a poor record of human rights have plagued Qatar since it was controversially awarded this winters finals back in 2010. Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney has said Wales players will be canvassed over their views relating to controversial issues surrounding the World Cup in Qatar (David Davies/PA) Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney said after qualification was secured through the play-offs in June that players would be canvassed over their views relating to issues surrounding the World Cup. Male homosexuality is punishable by a prison sentence and same-sex marriages are not recognised by the Qatari government. When asked in May about gay people attending the tournament, Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said we expect and we want people to respect our culture. Wales will play their three group games against England, Iran and the United States at the 40,000-capacity Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. Page was part of an FAW delegation to Qatar in July and said: It was 44 degrees (Celsius), crazy hot, and thankfully its not going to be that in November. Story continues Stadiwm Ahmad bin Ali Our home for the @FIFAWorldCup Group B matches.#TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/TGpR0cCmmO Wales (@Cymru) July 6, 2022 Theyve done their best to accommodate that. I went to the stadium where we play our three games and it is exceptional. Theyve put air conditioning units all around the pitch, I could feel it from where I was stood. Im not so sure the players will feel it from the middle of the pitch, and certainly our supporters wont from the top of the stand. Im really pleased with the hotel and the training facilities are outstanding, being out there made us look forward to it even more. Its not cheap to get there and I feel for the supporters because I want them to have that great experience. But we havent been at a World Cup for a long time, and I believe they will get to Qatar. Juliette Binoche spoke about what she described as the challenging process of working with Jean-Luc Godard during a press conference at the San Sebastian film festival. Binoche who is at the festival to receive a Donostia award, the festivals prestigious lifetime achievement gong was asked to talk about Godard following news of his death earlier this week. In response, she began to discuss the process of auditioning for their sole collaboration, the 1985 film Haily Mary. More from Deadline There was a series of casting I did with him that lasted a long time. And then in the last rehearsal, I had to be naked, combing my hair, and saying a poem I learned by heart, she said. He didnt choose me for the role but he created a new role for me. Binoche continued to say that Godard was unlike any other directors she had previously encountered while working on the stage who were warm people that supported their performers. Not with Jean-Luc Godard. It was like a cold shower, she said. I felt in him a sort of contrast and conflict as if he was seeking something he couldnt find. And we had to be available to him all the time. I spent five months. It wasnt an easy relationship but at the same time I felt happy. Binoche added that one of Godards most awkward idiosyncrasies was that he banned his actors from wearing makeup, which meant her face would often turn red in front of the camera as she struggled to hide her discomfort. I was very afraid, she said. I had to hide that anguish. She added: It wasnt easy for me. I learned that I couldnt wait for anything from him. I had to be prepared. He told me things that were essential, but during the shooting of the film, it wasnt easy. Story continues Later during the presser, Binoche was joined by veteran filmmaker Claire Denis whom she most recently worked with on the Berlinale-winner Both Sides Of The Blade. As part of the Donostia award celebrations, Binoche will present a screening of the film alongside Denis. Juliette Binoche and Claire Denis. - Credit: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images The film stars Binoche alongside Vincent Lindon and is the story of a woman caught between two men, her long-time partner, and his best friend, her former lover. During the presser, Binoche was asked about how she has managed to maintain a dynamic career with roles in films like Both Sides Of The Blade and avoid being typecast as an older woman. I dont know whether its films in France or in Europe, but in any case, I dont feel it that way. I dont see it as such. I dont know if Im very lucky or if its my relationship with directors like Claire [Denis] but I know there are other women that are suffering in a more codified cinema or films, she said. But quite often you have to say no to these films where they call me to be the wife of someone. I often say no. She added that actors must learn to reject roles where we are only seen in a certain way or that are shaped by sexist codes. Denis later interjected saying that the topic of age in cinema is a question she is often asked by journalists. That idea of youth linked to desire and love is an idea that is very sad and pitiful, she said. I dont understand this idea of maturity. The idea of being an actress or actor means youre not gonna be an object. The idea is to show the life of the soul and show desire. And when I see Juliette, when I filmed her in this film, I saw her beauty but not the beauty because she is a good-looking woman. Something deeper. Of course, Juliette is beautiful, but thats not what were filming. Were filming her strength. Binoche added that the real challenge of ageing in front of the camera is that it forces you to be true. On the future of her career, Binoche said she is not interested in becoming a director, but she will expand into the world of TV. I am now finishing a TV series because I have now ventured into the world of TV, she said. My next film will be with Lance Hammer, an American director. This is his second film. And then Uberto Pasolini, based on a script by Edward Bond. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images At its peak, The Blacklist was the front page of the internet for the U.S. cannabis industry. Lured by an intoxicating user generated mix of insider leaks, industry rumor and gossip, and aggregated content that appeared to be copy-pasted directly from reputable news sources and spun into viral social-media posts, The Blacklist built an audience now totaling more than 400,000 Instagram followers. The result was the most disruptive force in weed, as cannabis website MerryJane described the outfit after interviewing one of The Blacklists shadowy, anonymous operators in 2019. In its own words aspiring to be the putative TMZ of cannabis, The Blacklist at times showed an unfiltered, unreliable, and darker side. It was alleged without conclusive evidence in industry circles that negative posts could be made to disappear for a few thousand dollars, a practice popular Instagram celebrity and cannabis entrepreneur Berner suggested was extortionist in an interview with SF Weekly last year. (The Blacklist rejected the claims as lacking evidence and libelous at the time.) They have also responded to claims that unvetted information has been published by pointing to legal protections for the hosts of user-generated content. Whatever The Blacklist may currently be, the people behind the controversial outlet are no longer anonymous. A dispute over the companys ownership is the focus of a spiraling legal battleand the latest episode in an increasingly ugly, increasingly public beef thats equal parts personal drama and industry sideshow. Whats not in dispute is that The Blacklists registered founder and owner, as per Delaware corporate filings attached to a lawsuit filed earlier this year, is a Los Angeles-area woman named Shalon Doney. Doney is (for now) still married to Adam Campbell, a long-time cannabis grower who spent years fighting a federal pot case in Montana. A divorce proceeding filed in 2021 is not yet final. That means The Blacklist is community propertythat is, an asset that should belong equally to both spousesand Campbell is entitled to half, as Doneys lawsuit admits. Story continues Shalon Doney and Adam Campbell in 2010s. Courtesy of Matthew Wagner Still, she claims in her suit that since its inception, Ms. Doney has been the sole operator and manager of TBO [The Blacklist Online] and she remains as such today. In addition to suing Campbell for unlawfully misappropriating [Doneys] federal intellectual property rights, Doney is also suing Matthew Wagner, the man who sat for the anonymous MerryJane interview. Sorry, Pot Heads: Legal Weed Linked to More Car Crashes Doneys lawsuit alleges that Campbell and Wagner represented themselves as The Blacklist in negotiations with a potential partner earlier this year that would have seen the brand expand from media into cannabis manufacturing and verification. Doney found out about this, her suit alleges, after she received DMs on The Blacklists account from people she didnt recognize saying, nice meeting you (or words to that effect), according to her suit. (Going public right away, The Blacklist then posted on its LinkedIn page that the pair were unauthorized people claim [sic] to be working with The Blacklist.) Much of the public drama around The Blacklist centers on Wagner. A former adult nightclub owner, promoter, and performer originally from Missouriwhere, he said in an interview, he originally met DoneyWagner started selling advertising for The Blacklist in late 2019. Matthew Wagner Courtesy of Matthew Wagner In his response to Doneys lawsuit, filed last month, Wagner alleges that Doney formed The Blacklist at the direction of her estranged husband, Campbell. (The Blacklists logo, an empty-faced human figure in an upturned hooded sweatshirt, is based on Campbell, the two men told The Daily Beast.) Further, Doney promised Wagner a one-third stake in the company if he could figure out ways to monetize the platformand Wagner started closing five-figure advertising deals in late 2019, according to his own filing. Their arrangement went south after Doney became physically and verbally abusive towards him, Wagner claimed in a March letter sent to Doney by his attorney and entered into the court record as part of her lawsuit. (Her filing said the claims were legally and/or factually without merit.) The letter claims that Doney sold a half stake in the company for $250,000 to another California entrepreneur, giving the company a potential valuation at $500,000. That claim could not be immediately verified. In a telephone interview, the entrepreneur who Wagner said bought a stake denied making any dealand claimed to have no relationship with The Blacklist. Contacted through her attorney, David Gingras, Doney canceled a scheduled interview at the last minute earlier this month. Emails with follow-up questions were returned by someone writing from the email address admin@theblacklist.xyz, identifying themselves only as The Blacklist Admin. The correspondent dismissed all of Wagners claims before throwing out some more accusations of their own. All of Matt Wagners allegations will prove to be false and untrue in a court of law, the person wrote. There is no proof to any of his false allegations, which is why a lawsuit was filed against him. We will not comment further on frivolous claims being brought forward by an ex sales person who worked for blacklist for a short period time [sic]. We will continue to aggregate content and be the voice of the community. The correspondent offered a shifting explanation for the purported salefirst claiming that the investor was bought out six weeks after the deal, then claiming there was no deal at all, before they lobbed a serious bomb. It should also be noted that Wagner was released after it was discovered he managed a brothel that trafficked underage girls, the email added. That information is available with an internet search. [emphasis theirs] In later emails, the correspondent shared photos of Wagner in various states of undress, including promotional photos for a male stripper show. The correspondent said he was fired once these photos surfaced and there was a story submitted that Mr. Wagner was involved in a brothel in Thailand that was raided for trafficking underage girls. Wagner freely admits Missouri police raided a club he was managing in 2014and that the risque photos, from a four-month period when he performed in Texas, are in fact genuine. The premise of the raid was the illegal sale of alcohol, dancers unlawfully performing nude, and the operation of an adult cabaret after hours, according to local reports at the time (which centered on the county sheriff defending his decision to use flash-bang grenades in the raid). Wagner was charged with felony drug possession for allegedly possessing anabolic steroids, according to the news items. He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors for allowing dancers too unclothed for Missouri law, according to a copy of the plea agreement reviewed by The Daily Beast. Doney knew all of this before Wagner started to work for The Blacklist, he claimed in an interview. As for the underage trafficking allegation, thats a familiar line, Wagner claimed. Its just not true, and thats why Im not afraid to face it. It is true that, years after the Missouri incident, Wagner worked as a consultant and promoter for nightclubs in Thailand, where he was quoted in a November 2018 local news item about a record $6,100 tab run up by a British tourist at the Windmill in Pattaya City. Its also true that Thai police raided that club and arrested three employees after a 16-year-old girl offered sex to an undercover informant in July 2019, according to Thai media reports. By that point, Wagner says he was already back in the States, a claim supported by Facebook posts appearing to place him in Pennsylvania around the time of the raid. (The office of the public prosecutor in Pattaya did not respond to an email seeking comment.) Wagner also claims to be the subject of a larger troll campaign. Earlier this year, someonenot Wagner, he sayslaunched an Instagram account under the handle @mattwagner_ca where, along with innocuous posts, some of the stripper photos appear. THIS PERSON DOES NOT REPRESENT @theblacklistxyz OR ITS AFFILIATES, @theblacklistxyz posted in the comments. Dan Miller, Wagners attorney in the lawsuit filed by Doney, said that his client plans to bring a separate suit against Doney and The Blacklist for defamation in response to the trafficking allegations. In a separate interview, Campbell said his wife formed The Blacklists corporate structures by herself because he was on federal probation for the marijuana charge picked up in Montana. Campbell has yet to be served with the federal suit, which he described as a deliberate effort to draw out the divorce and lock him out from his share of The Blacklist in the meantime. Her goal is ostracization, he said. Her goal is to really make it so Matt and I are not part of the industry, that Im not the original hoodie guy who started The Blacklist, which is ludicrous. It was Doney who saw The Blacklist as a money grab, Wagner claimed. Her venality took off after she left Campbell in May 2020, Campbell argued, claiming she used The Blacklist to fund a five-star lifestyle. (Neither Gingras nor admin@theblacklist.xyz addressed these allegations.) What its turned into is a total perversion of the original ethos, Campbell said of The Blacklist. For some in cannabis, the property is now damaged beyond repair, regardless of what happened behind the scenes or what comes nextor who wins. Ive never been quite sure what the vision of The Blacklist is other than to stoke divisiveness in this industry that is already under attack in so many ways, said Kip Morrison, a veteran PR professional and principal of KMA Cannabis, one of the larger agencies in weed. Posting gossip and negative reviews from anonymous sources does not equal credibility in our book. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Obituaries last week portrayed Kenneth W. Starr the prosecutor who pursued Bill Clinton for nearly six years of his presidency as an important but supporting player in a scandal where Clinton and Monica Lewinsky played the starring roles. Starr, though who died last week at 76 was no mere extra in the sordid disgrace we remember as the Lewinsky Affair. He was a motive force behind it, the man who turned what should have been a dispassionate legal inquiry into a frenzied political inquisition. In time, historians may come to see Clinton and Lewinsky as pawns in a scandal that was, to a surprising extent, one of Ken Starrs own making. Until achieving notoriety in the 1990s, Starr wasnt someone youd peg as a figure of historical consequence. With his doughy, Keebler Elf build and his mild-mannered demeanor, he came across as unassuming or non-threatening. But his colorless exterior masked an inner zeal a zeal that, in turn, hid a shocking ethical lassitude. Starr was a striver wrapped in a preachers frock cloaked under judicial robes. And without this bundle of contradictions, there might have been no impeachment drive, no yearlong sexual hysteria and perhaps a great deal less of the partisan ugliness that wafted off the dumpster fire of his investigation. No individual makes history single-handedly, but Starr was the rare figure who can be said to have altered the course of our politics. The very appointment of Starr as an independent counsel was itself a strange historical accident. In early 1994, Attorney General Janet Reno named Robert B. Fiske, a respected former U.S. attorney and white-collar litigator, to examine Whitewater shorthand for an ill-fated real estate deal that Bill Clinton invested in as Arkansas governor in the 1980s, which the conservative press was hyping as the next Watergate. Within six months, Fiske issued a preliminary report sizing up Whitewater as a pseudo-scandal in which neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton had done anything wrong. Fiske also handily dispatched a second, tawdrier assignment: looking into the suicide of White House aide Vince Foster, who had shot himself in a Virginia park a death that spawned a miasma of far-right conspiracy theories. Fiske found that the suicide had indeed been a suicide. Story continues Fiskes exoneration of Clinton enraged the right. At this juncture in history, the paranoid style was enjoying one of its sporadic revivals. On talk radio and in the halls of Congress, absurd theories linking the Clintons to Fosters death flourished. These years also witnessed a rising tendency led by Rep. Newt Gingrich of Georgia, soon to become speaker of the House to gin up claims of ethical impropriety to take down political foes. To Republicans unreconciled to the Democrats return to the White House, Clinton was inherently suspect. And so, that summer, a panel of three judges, led by Judge David Sentelle a protege of North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, who had been keen to go after Clinton since his election took it upon themselves to replace the impartial Fiske with the very partisan Starr, then working in private practice. It was an unconventional and consequential choice. For one thing, Starr lacked prosecutorial experience. Despite having been a judge for six years in the 1980s, he was also a known partisan, active in the Federalist Society and conservative circles. Having aspired as a youth to become a preacher, he sold Bibles while in college and taught Sunday school even while on the federal bench. His piety often blurred the lines between church and state. As independent counsel, he would promote stories like one in the conservative Washington Times headlined, Deeply Christian Starr Starts Day Jogging, Singing Hymns. The biggest problem with his appointment, however, was a major conflict of interest: Earlier in the year, Starr had provided legal assistance to Paula Jones, an Arkansas woman who was suing Clinton over a vulgar sexual advance he had allegedly made to her as governor. Starr even drafted an amicus brief supporting Jones. But Starr didnt disclose those connections to the judges who appointed him, and later he would, against all ethical standards, make common cause with Jones team in his pursuit of the president. When Starr began his investigation in mid-1994, Clinton seemed vulnerable. Despite passing some landmark legislation, he had failed to achieve his ambitious health care plan and was struggling over foreign policy messes in Somalia and Bosnia. But after November 1994, when the Republicans won control of the House for the first time in 50 years, Clinton found his footing and his fortunes revived. In response, Republicans launched new investigations into various matters and pressured Starr to find proof of Clintons wrongdoing. After several years, however, he couldnt find any, and Whitewater receded from the front pages. Clinton was destined to become the first Democrat to win two presidential elections since Franklin Roosevelt. Starr, it seemed, would have to close up shop. But then Starr made a big decision to extend his inquiry. In early 1997, he and his team began poking around into the presidents sex life. Doing so might have been illegal, since it lay well outside Starrs mandate as independent counsel. In a few months time, the news of his fishing expedition broke. In a June 1997 Washington Post article, Arkansas state troopers spoke with concern about what was going on. In the past, I thought they were trying to get to the bottom of Whitewater, said trooper Roger Perry, whom Starrs staff had questioned. This last time, I was left with the impression that they wanted to show he was a womanizer. All they wanted to talk about was women. The plunge into sexual politics drew denunciations. Starr chose to ignore the warning lights. Moralism propelled him forward. As Starr later admitted, his office soon opened a back channel also probably illegal to lawyers for Jones, whose harassment case was proceeding along independent lines. A gaggle of far-right attorneys helping her had learned about the presidents recent dalliance with Lewinsky and passed it along to Starrs staff. These attorneys called the Elves because one of their number, the polemicist-provocateur Ann Coulter, compared them to busy elves working away in Santas workshop then connected Starrs office with Linda Tripp, the Pentagon aide who posed as a confidante to Lewinsky, got her to confess details about the affair and secretly taped their conversations. Starr made his next momentous decision in deciding to use the affair as part of the impeachment case he was building. In mid-January 1998, convinced that Clinton had lied about his relationship with Lewinsky in a recent deposition in the Jones case, Starr asked permission from Reno to formally expand his probe into Clintons sex life even though he had already done just that months before. Years later, he would admit that doing so had been a mistake. (Someone else should have led the Lewinsky inquiry, he conceded.) But in seeking his expanded mandate, Starr hid from Reno and the three-judge panel those back-channel contacts with the Jones team. Reno authorized the expansion, but when she learned months later about the concealment, she almost fired Starr on the spot. News of Clintons affair with a former intern, many years his junior, generated a predictable storm of outrage. But in a short time a public consensus emerged that, however tawdry the affair, and however harshly people might judge Clintons character, this wasnt something to remove a president over. Washington pundits, in contrast, felt differently, as did a few well-placed reporters who, relying on a flood of selective leaks from Starrs staff (especially attorney Brett Kavanaugh), kept the story alive for months even as the presidents approval ratings stabilized north of 60 percent. Starrs hovered around 22 percent. Clinton appeared to retire the whole business on Aug. 17, 1998, when he finally confessed to and apologized for the affair. Most of the public said it was time to move on. But again Starr along with Gingrich and the Republican House leadership refused to let up. With Whitewater a dead letter, sexual politics would be the grounds for impeachment. During Clintons testimony before a grand jury, all the questions had been about sex, and when Starr sent his impeachment referral to Congress in September, it contained gratuitous descriptions of specific sex acts, pornographic in nature. The goal was to incite new public outrage and, perhaps, humiliate his nemesis. Like the classic small-town preacher who rails against sexual deviance precisely because he finds it so titillating, Starr was even more ardent than some of his advisers in favoring a narrative laced with explicit detail. I love the narrative! Starr told aides who counseled greater restraint. Despite losing seats in the November midterm election historically an almost unheard-of development Republicans pressed forward with impeachment. Starr made yet another fateful decision by choosing, against precedent, to become an aggressive advocate for impeachment. (In 1974, Watergate prosecutor Leon Jaworski had stayed neutral, submitting a spare factual account and merely suggesting to Congress possible impeachable infractions President Richard Nixon had committed.) Starrs decision infuriated his ethics adviser, Sam Dash, onetime counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, whom Starr had retained early on to give himself some cover. He was a partisan Republican, Dash later said of Starr. But I really believed him when he said he could push all that aside. Having defended Starr for years, Dash now let it rip, quitting the team and publicly denouncing Starrs decision to openly throw in his lot with the House Republicans. It was especially unnecessary because Clintons acquittal was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Even many Republican senators doubted that the charges amounted to constitutional crimes. But the GOP leadership, joined by Starr, pressed on. In the end, of the four charges that the Judiciary Committee reported, two failed to gain a majority even in the Republican-controlled House. The other two were rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate. But if the damage to Clinton was minor, the disruption to the country had been enormous. Starrs decisions over many years to take over from Fiske, to veer into sexual politics, to run with the Lewinsky affair, to make sex the centerpiece of his report which stemmed from his prosecutorial zeal, had helped poison the atmosphere in Washington and deepen the tendency to use sexual behavior as the basis for partisan warfare. Ironically, it was already becoming clear that many of the presidents antagonists had their own sexual secrets to hide. House Judiciary Chair Henry Hyde was revealed to have had an affair in his 40s, which he tried to downplay as a youthful indiscretion. Gingrich, damaged by the GOP losses at the polls, was overthrown as speaker amid talk that he had been conducting his own extramarital affair. His intended replacement, Robert Livingston, declined the speakership when his past infidelities surfaced. The eventual speaker, Dennis Hastert, was later convicted and imprisoned for child sex abuse. And of course Starrs key aide Kavanaugh who pushed hard to grill the president and Lewinsky about the sexual details of their relationship was, as a Supreme Court nominee in 2018, alleged to have sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford while they were in high school. Even Starrs eventual successor as independent counsel, Robert W. Ray, was charged with stalking an old girlfriend. Amazingly enough, it eventually emerged that Starr too, for all his moralizing, had carried on his own extramarital affair, with Judi Hershman, an adviser to the independent counsels office. More damningly still, Starr had to resign in 2016 as president of Baylor University after it was reported that he had covered up a string of sexual assaults, including rapes, by members of his football team. One victim had even sent him an email, while he was president, informing him that she had been raped. I honestly may have (seen it), he said of her message. Im not denying that I saw it. Her rapist was sentenced to 20 years. Despite his essential role in the Clinton impeachment, Starr in 2020 not only defended President Donald Trump during his (first) impeachment trial, but somehow managed to summon the chutzpah to impugn the Democrats for bringing charges never mind that the charges against Trump, for conspiring with a foreign government to compromise the 2020 election, were far graver than those against Clinton. The Senate is being called to sit as the high court of impeachment all too frequently, Starr piously lamented in Trumps defense. Indeed, we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the Age of Impeachment. Perhaps we are living in such an age. If so, the person most responsible for that sad state of affairs is none other than Ken Starr. LONDON Monty Roberts, but not his royally approved blue shirt, bright red bandana scarf and beige cowboy hat, will be at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral here Monday. The funeral will bring to a close 10 days of national mourning for Britain's beloved monarch. The elaborate royal funeral rites will also effectively bookend an Elizabethan age that ran for 70 years and usher in a Carolean one when a Charles reigns. Some observers may wonder why Roberts, an American horse trainer who has a 100-acre ranch in Solvang, California, will be present at a ceremony that will be attended by an estimated 500 heads of state and dignitaries including President Joe Biden; Commonwealth leaders such as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe; members of royal families from all over Europe, such as Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia; and, of course, the queen's own close family children (King Charles III, not least), grandchildren and great-grandchildren, along with their partners and spouses. After queen's death, Britons say: We need to talk about the monarchy Duchess Camilla, wife of Prince Charles, and Queen Elizabeth II attend a horse-whispering demonstration by Monty Roberts at Buckingham Palace on Oct. 21, 2015, in London. The reasons are clear to Roberts. "I wouldn't want to be the one to characterize our friendship. She had at least 50% of it," the 87-year-old trainer says in an interview on the eve of the queen's funeral at Westminster Abbey. "But if you ask me, we had an extremely close relationship." In fact, for a monarch who rigorously kept her opinions to herself, the queen's fondness for a horse trainer revered for his gentle, affectionate methods Roberts is often referred to as "the real Horse Whisperer" after the 1998 Robert Redford movie and 1995 Nicholas Evans book of the same name was an open secret. The queen's passion for horses was rivaled only by her love for corgis. When Ronald Reagan visited Windsor Castle in 1982, the queen and the president rode a pair of sleek-coated black stallions for an hour-long trek around the castle's private grounds. Story continues She first heard about Roberts after reading about his training techniques. After sending one of her horse trainers to California to observe his methods, she invited him to Britain to try them out on the royal family's horses. Illustrated scenes: Streets of London as the queen is laid to rest Horse trainer Monty Roberts in action on his ranch in California. That was more than 30 years ago. Over the past three decades, Roberts made about a half dozen trips each year to Britain to advise the queen about her horses. She also sent him to more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia and South America to spread his methods. "She called me on the phone directly a few times," Roberts said. "Though most of the time I called her. That was the arrangement. I called about 200 times. Not one was rejected. Once I got pretty close, though. She was in Northern Ireland at the time. While an aide was telling me she couldn't take the call, I heard her in the background saying, 'Is that Monty?' Well, she immediately got on the line and said her meeting had ended." Eventually, Roberts says, the queen encouraged him to write a book about his techniques. Titled the The Man Who Listens to Horses, it became a bestseller. Princess Anne: No-drama royal takes more prominent role in wake of queen's death He says that he and his wife, Pat, who is in London with him for Monday's funeral, would stay at Buckingham Palace for "weeks at a time" and that the queen treated them like family. He recalls her corgis being a constant presence. In the early days of their burgeoning friendship, he says, he was asked by palace staff to take off his cowboy hat each time he met with her, but she soon decided to bestow royal approval on his usual attire, including his hat. "She told me: 'I dub this your uniform, which means you don't have to take off your hat when you are speaking with me,' " Roberts says. "Most people I've asked about this say it's unusual." The Man Who Listens to Horses dealt with his life up until he met the queen he has also worked with veterans who suffer from PTSD and he now wants to write a book about his life since meeting the queen. "I'm 87. I may not get to see it published. But there should be a book," he says. For the funeral, Roberts will wear mourning attire, at the palace's request. "I didn't even bring my Western hat," he says. "It's a little difficult to travel with." Live updates: Queen Elizabeth's mourners pause for moment of silence This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Queen Elizabeth's surprising friendship with cowboy Monty Roberts SCITUATE Great Britain native Pauline Souther became emotional when talking about the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Im here to pay respects to the queen, the 62-year Scituate resident said as her voice broke. Im a U.S. citizen now, but shes still the queen to me. Souther was one of several people who gathered Saturday at the Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home in Scituate for a memorial visitation service that honored Queen Elizabeth II, who died at age 96 on Sept. 8 following a seven-decade reign of the United Kingdom. The funeral homes service coincided with the public visitation in Westminster, England, for the queen. We thought it would be nice to open our doors to give people an opportunity to pay their respects to the queen, said Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home Manager Sara Collins. Part of our job and part of what we do here in the community is to offer a place for people to come together as a community to grieve and to be together, especially in the time of tragedy and loss. Although we arent in England, were here in Scituate, and if there is anyone that would benefit for a place to find comfort or grieve together, we wanted to offer that to them. Virginia Lima, of Scituate, pauses before a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to honor the United Kingdom's late monarch during a memorial visitation service at the Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home in Scituate, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. In one room of the funeral home was a memorial paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. There was a large portrait of the queen with a kneeler in front flanked by flowers and candles. In another room, where tea was served and a video screen displayed a slideshow of the queen's life and her famous quotes, there were several tables with flower centerpieces and remembrance cards with a picture of the queen. Souther, who still has her English accent, recalled when she was a child in Norfolk, England, the royal family including then Princess Elizabeth who was later elevated to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II would pass through their village on a train when returning to their home in Sandringham from Norwich. The villages residents would come out hoping for a glimpse of the family as the train passed. Story continues If we knew they were coming we would be out the street, she said. More: British expats on the South Shore remember the queen's strong leadership, sense of humor One day, the train stopped unexpectedly, Souther said. The (train) windows came down, they waved, then off they went, she said. I never forgot that. It was such a special memory. Accompanying Souther at the service was Jean Young, also a native of England. Young, who was born in Liverpool, grew up as a British subject. She moved to America with her American husband and children and became a dual citizen. Young has been living in Scituate for 57 years. Her father was a British consul assigned to Panama, where she lived with her family as a child. While there, Young saw Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to the country. I waved to her, Young said. Enjoying tea and conversation about the legacy of the late Queen Elizabeth II are, from left, Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home Director Mary Bruno, of Weymouth; Jean Young, of Scituate; Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home Manager Sara Collins, of Scituate; and Pauline Souther, of Scituate, during a memorial visitation service at the funeral home Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. She and her parents also met the Duke of Edinburgh. I shook his hand, said Young. We had to wear white gloves. My mother took her glove off and said she was going to frame it. Virginia Lima, of Scituate, also stopped by the funeral home to pay her respects to Queen Elizabeth II. More: Fit for a queen: Montilio's Bakery made a cake for Queen Elizabeth II during 1976 visit I cant be in London and Im sad, so this is a good way to show my love for the queen, she said. I so revered her. Lima said she is of British and Irish heritage and that her 95-year-old mother, Marilyn, is a royalist who influenced her lifelong admiration for the queen. I admired how she was dedicated to her role as queen, she said. As a little girl, she trained to be the queen. She was thrown into the role as a young lady. A memorial honors the late Queen Elizabeth II during a visitation service at the Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home in Scituate on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Young said it seems as if the queen was ready to end her reign. Its almost like she did her 70 years and then she said, OK, Im going back now to Philip,' " she said, a reference to the queen's late husband. Souther said she was planning to get up at 4:30 Monday morning to watch the queens funeral. Ill probably be crying my eyes out, she said. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Scituate funeral home holds service for Queen Elizabeth II Russian pop icon Alla Pugacheva spoke out Sunday in opposition to Moscows ongoing invasion of neighboring Ukraine. In an Instagram post, the 73-year-old pop star wrote that Russians are dying in Ukraine due to illusory goals, adding that citizens have been greatly affected by the conflict. Pugacheva also wrote that she will stand in solidarity with her husband, TV personality and comedian Maksim Galkin, who was declared a foreign agent by the Kremlins foreign ministry on Friday. According to The New York Times, Pugacheva fled Russia in February when the conflict began. The star, who began her acclaimed music career in 1965, since returned to Moscow, Russian news media reported. I am in solidarity with my husband, an honest, respectable and genuine person who is a true and incorruptible patriot of Russia, who wishes his Motherland prosperity, peaceful life, freedom of speech and the end of the death of our guys for illusory goals that are turning our country into a pariah and worsening the lives of our citizens, Pugacheva wrote in her post. Pugachevas remarks come nearly seven months since Russia began its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands on both sides and displaced millions of Ukrainian citizens. In a statement, Kremlin official Pyotr Tolstoy referred to Pugacheva as a person who lost touch with reality. She will no longer find support among decent Russian people, Tolstoy said in the Telegram post. We will win without her songs. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that Pugacheva is still on the Russian side even though her husband opposed the conflict, in a sign of her political significance, the Times reported. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Ukraine's ambassador to the United States said Sunday that Ukraine has uncovered evidence of "war crimes of massive proportions" in the land that its forces have seized back from Russia in recent weeks. "It's so important for everyone to see the true face of this aggression," Ambassador Oksana Markarova said. Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Markarova said there is ample evidence of Russian atrocities in territory that Ukrainian soldiers have liberated after months of Russian occupation. Her statement echoed recent reporting from Ukraine: A mass burial site containing hundreds of bodies has been uncovered in Izyum, one of the newly liberated towns. She added: "It's tortures, rapes, killings, war crimes of massive proportions. That's why we need to liberate the whole territory of Ukraine as soon as possible, because clearly Russians are targeting all Ukrainians. Whole families, children, so is there is no war logic in all of this. It's imply terrorizing and committing genocide against Ukrainians." When asked by host Jonathan Karl whether Ukraine fears what Russian President Vladimir Putin might do next, Markarova said the world needs to seize the initiative from Putin and demonstrate that it will not tolerate this type of behavior. "For all the years that Putin is in power," she said, "they tried to scare the world and tried to get all of us thinking what he will do next. I think we should focus on what we together as democratic world should do." She added: "It means Russia has to lose from what they've done to us. It means we have to win." The foreign minister of the Czech Republic, current holder of the presidency of the Council of the European Union, called Sunday for a special international tribunal to investigate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address to the Ukrainian people on Friday that the countrys officials pitched to world leaders the idea of creating an ad hoc international tribunal to punish Russia for war crimes it has committed during its invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky said the proposal was made during a meeting of a group working to advance Ukraine joining the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental association of democracies with market-based economies that work to stimulate economic growth. This is an extremely important direction, which is important both in the context of European integration and in the context of the internal transformation of our state, Zelensky said. He said ambassadors from the G-7, a forum of the worlds seven largest economies, and other partner states were present at the meeting. Evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine have been recorded since Russias full-scale invasion of the country began in February. Ukrainian officials found a mass burial site in the recaptured city of Izyum this week, and Zelensky said in his Friday address that torture chambers where civilians were abused were found in areas of the Kharkiv region that were liberated from Russian occupation. The United Nations said on Friday that investigators already in Ukraine will examine the mass burial site in Izyum. Mass burial sites were also found in the city of Bucha, north of the capital Kyiv, after Russian forces withdrew earlier this year. Ukraine has been seeking to integrate itself further with the rest of Europe since the war started. The country applied to join the OECD in May and became an official candidate to join the European Union in June. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Daron Davis Was this country founded on Christianity? The 1796 Treaty of Tripoli was a Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary, now known as Libya. Article 11 states, As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion That was 1796, and today we have many Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said: We need to be the party of nationalism, and Im a Christian, and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists. More:Davis: My granddad, and how he put the hero John Brown on my mind Last month, Greene said Christian nationalism is nothing to be afraid of and that the movement will solve school shootings and sexual immorality in America. I find this belief strange and fascinating but mostly disturbing. A Christian nationalist is an individual who primarily focuses on internal politics. They support passing laws that reflect the views of their religious faith and their role in political and social life. So, Christian nationalism would prefer statutes that would result in a culture that rewards or punishes acts according to their faith-based values. More:Daron Davis: Fighting voter suppression in North Carolina, one person at a time The founders drafted the Articles of Confederation, the framework of our nation for some time, then the Constitution, which established a democratic republic. This country's framers expressly and intentionally banned faith-based legislation through the First Amendment because the founders and the framers were not all Christians. The First Amendment states Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a campaign-style rally for Donald Trump in Wellington, Ohio, on June 26, 2021. Greene is not the only person in power supporting Christian nationalism. There has been a recent resurgence of white Christian nationalism in our nation. But what is Christian nationalism? More:Beto O'Rourke in the news: How Critical Race Theory gets weaponized Story continues Before the Declaration of Independence and the founding of this country, it was colonization, genocide, enslavement, plunder and exploitation. All this was justified by a peculiar type of capitalism based on a co-opted religion of a vengeful but merciful god and a white Jesus. The first English colony in North America was the Roanoke colony of 1583, the so-called Lost Colony. The settlement and the settlers disappeared, and no one knows if they died, were killed by the land's indigenous people, its flora or fauna, or whether they succumbed to a weather event. No archaeological evidence has ever solved that mystery. Was this colony based on or founded on Christianity? No. This colony was a product of the British crown. It was intended to enrich the monarchy. They would ultimately resort to violence, enslavement and exploitation to capture the resources of the land. What are some of the basic Christian concepts? They are not unique they are actually universal and shared among all faith-based religions. They are about being a good person by being good to others. Many follow them, but then many use Biblical verses to suit their needs, goals and desires. Let's take a look at some of these tenets. First, Christians are supposed to be monotheistic and love their one and only God. Is this what they did? No, the colonists worshiped their God, money and power. Did they love thy neighbor and love thy enemies? Absolutely not! There was a genocide, and they killed the indigenous First Nation people for their land. Did the Christian settlers follow the biblical tenet of not judging others? Nope. They would consider the natives of their land as savages who did not deserve the land because they were heathens and, therefore, less than human. This tenets of their religion not only suited them in the past but has resurfaced anew in today's political and social realm. The repentance of sins is essential in Christianity. It is an important tenet, not just then but also now. Yet, many Christian Americans do not want to admit to any wrongs committed in the name of their God or country. It could be out of faith or patriotism. It's unknown, and like the Lost Colony, it's another one of many of Americas unsolved mysteries. But, like science, its true whether you believe it or not. And I have a creed that goes like this: If someone is getting mad, then I must be saying something true. And if they get angry, it's the folks I want to be mad anyways. In conclusion, this country has had three distinct periods that consequentially birthed this nation. There was a period before the founding. It was not based on Judeo-Christian values, nor did it resemble Christianity itself. After that, there was the founding, which was the end conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, which was the separation from the crown. And finally, the Framers of the Constitution prohibited the establishment of religion. Anyone stating that The United States of America was founded under, for, or about any religion is incorrect. What motivates one to say that when the First Amendment expressly banned the passing of laws that are religion and faith-based? I'm not sure, but it's not very honest or even slightly unbiased. Daron Davis lives in Fayetteville. He can be reached at theedavis5@gmail.com. This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Why Christian nationalism misses the mark Ethan Nwaneri comes on for his debut (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire) Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri has become the youngest player to make an appearance in the Premier League. He came on as a substitute during his sides 3-0 win over Brentford aged 15 years and 181 days. Here, the PA news agency looks at the other youngest players to feature in Englands top-flight since 1992. Harvey Elliott (Fulham) 16 years, 30 days Harvey Elliott, right, made his Premier League debut for Fulham (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Archive) The midfielder came off the bench during Fulhams 1-0 loss at Wolves in May 2019. He made one other brief appearance for the Cottagers that season before moving to Liverpool, where he has played 14 times in the top-flight. Matthew Briggs (Fulham) 16 years, 65 days Matthew Briggs during his Fulham days (Rebecca Naden/PA) (PA Archive) The left-back became the Premier Leagues youngest ever player when he replaced Moritz Voltz in Fulhams 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough in May 2007. He made 29 appearances for the Cottagers. Since leaving permanently in 2015 he has played for a number of clubs in the English lower leagues and Denmark and currently plays for Gosport Borough. A former England Under-21 international, he now represents Guyana. Isaiah Brown (West Brom) 16 years, 117 days Izzy Brown left West Brom for Chelsea (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Archive) The midfielder, now 19, made his top-flight debut for Albion as a late substitute in their 3-2 loss at home to Wigan in May 2013. He joined Chelsea that summer but only made one substitute appearance for the Blues first team. After a host of loan spells away from Stamford Bridge, he joined Preston in 2021 but was released this year following an injury-hit campaign and is currently without a club. Aaron Lennon (Leeds) 16 years, 129 days Aaron Lennon made his breakthrough with Leeds (PA) (PA Archive) At the time, the winger became the youngest Premier League player when he came off the bench for Leeds at Tottenham in a 2-1 loss in August 2003. A move to Spurs happened two years later and he went on to win 21 England caps. After 10 years at White Hart Lane, Lennon joined Everton in 2015. He has since had two spells with Burnley either side of a year playing in Turkey, but is currently a free agent. Jose Baxter (Everton) 16 years, 191 days Jose Baxter in action for Everton (David Davies/PA) (PA Archive) A 3-2 home defeat to Blackburn in 2008 saw Baxter make his Everton debut as a 78th-minute substitute. He made 13 substitute appearances and two starts before leaving for Oldham in 2012. In July 2015 he was suspended by the Football Association for failing an out-of-competition drugs test while at Sheffield United, who then suspended him in 2016 for an unspecified reason. He rejoined Everton and then Oldham, before signing for Plymouth in 2019. He retired aged 29 in 2021, after a year playing in America. WASHINGTON New revelations about Donald Trump investigations are helping him with his base of votes and that could spell bad news for the Republican Party as a whole. More than 40 days after the Justice Department searched his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla., Trump remains the top Republican among GOP voters and is still competitive with President Joe Biden in a number of hypothetical 2024 election polls. The Republican Party, having nominated dozens of Trump-backed candidates for public office, is struggling to regain control of governors' mansions and the U.S. Congress, even though historical trends suggest this should be a Republican year. FBI search fallout: Judge names Raymond Dearie special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents but keeps pause on DOJ investigation of Donald Trump "Donald Trump is never as strong as when hes being attacked," pollster Frank Luntz said. "He plays the victim better than any elected official Ive ever seen and his voters love it." He added: "But everyone else is sick of it and it turns them off." Trump, who held a political rally Saturday in Youngstown, Ohio, has said the investigations are "hoaxes" that will only fire up his supporters. The Senate: Control of the Senate is now a coin flip: These are the 7 midterm election races to watch The House: Will Republicans flip the House in midterm elections? These 12 races will tell the story. The governors: Abortion, voting and COVID-19: Why we're eyeing these 10 governor's races in 2022 midterms "What they did is terrible," Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt Thursday. "And I dont think the people are going to stand for it. Midterms elections are supposed to be about the party in power, in this case Biden and the Democrats. But Trump's unprecedented involvement in this year's elections combined with investigations into his conduct regarding classified documents as well as the Jan. 6. 2021 insurrection have enabled Democrats to put more of a focus on the former president. Story continues The Trump Issue Trump and his supporters have always run against a political establishment they like to call "the swamp." So far, the ex-president has persuaded supporters that the investigations are a bid by his political enemies to get back at him and them. Not everyone is convinced. In a Fox News poll this week, nearly two-thirds of voters believe it was inappropriate for Trump to have removed classified documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago a margin of 65% to 26%. Trump actually led Biden by 45% to 42% in a 2024 matchup, with 13% unsure, according to a new poll conducted by Harvard's Center for American Political Studies (CAPS) and Harris Insights and Analytics though that same poll also said most voters don't want either Trump or Biden to run again in two years. That poll also said that 59% of Republicans would vote for Trump again in 2024 primaries, well ahead of second-place finisher Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 17%. Defund the FBI?: Why Republican rallying cry could boost Democrats in midterm elections Trump has also raised political money by protesting the search of his home, as well as the multiple Jan. 6 investigations being conducted by grand juries and a special congressional committee. The political impact of all this will last for years especially if Trump is indicted. A grand jury in Atlanta is investigating his pressuring of Georgia officials to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden in that state. Grand juries out of Washington are looking into his handling of classified information and his efforts to overturn the election nationally, leading to the Jan. 6 insurrection. All those investigations:Trump in midst of gathering storm of investigations. Mar-a-Lago document inquiry is one of many. Trump has suggested his supporters might riot if he is indicted, though he doesn't believe it will come to that. "I can't imagine being indicted," he told Hewitt. "I've done nothing wrong." Trump and the 2022 midterms The intense publicity surrounding all these investigations isn't hurting Trump with Republican voters, most political experts told USA TODAY, but GOP candidates running this November appear to be damaged across the board. For one thing: it is making it harder for candidates to make the elections about Biden. What it does do is it takes away from our efforts to talk about all of Biden's failed policies, said Christopher Nicholas, a veteran Republican political consultant. So it steps on our own messaging efforts. Nicholas said that some Senate Republican candidates including Herschel Walker in Georgia, Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Blake Masters in Arizona, and J.D. Vance in Ohio face an uphill fight to victory even without news about the Trump investigations. Senate candidate JD Vance greets former President Donald Trump at a rally on April 23, 2022, in Delaware, Ohio. They are inexperienced candidates who won primaries largely with Trump's endorsement, he said, but they are having trouble attracting independent voters if general election polls are to be believed. In some cases, the Trump-ites defeated more moderate establishment candidates who would have been better in November because of their ability to woo swing voters. "I think what has hurt Senate GOP candidates more is that he endorsed and helped get over the line some Senate nominees that will be tougher to get elected in the general election," Nicholas said. Red wave or blue line?: Biden, Trump start sprint to midterms as Democrats hope to defy history The probes are not helping these and other Republican Senate candidates, analysts said. They could also be undercutting GOP efforts to regain control of the U.S. House. Nicholas said all the adverse news stories "can tamp down our enthusiasm and turnout all across the country." A win rate of nearly 96% Even before the Aug. 8 FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, Trumps hold over the GOP had been solidified during the midterm primary season. An analysis from the Brookings Institute this month, found Trump-endorsed candidates usually won their primary races. There were notable exceptions in Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp and others prevailed despite Trump's opposition. Still, candidates that Trump explicitly endorsed had a 96.53% success rate. Karen Hult, a political science professor and presidential expert at Virginia Tech, said Trump success in the primaries doesn't mean success in the general election. And the investigations are added burdens for GOP candidates. "Where it could make a difference, but only at the very narrow margins, is in the general election, Hult said. And that probably has to do with turnout of GOP voters. Because we don't know what will happen between now and then. Headwinds in November: Primary fallout: Democrats have momentum; Donald Trump Republicans face obstacles The current elections have also been rocked by another issue somewhat related to Trump: abortion. Democrats revved up their base after a majority on the Supreme Court including three Trump-appointed justices voted to strike down Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 ruling that had made abortion a constitutional right. Fifty-six percent of Democrats and 57% of Republicans a virtual tie said they were extremely or very motivated to vote, according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll released this month. Hult agreed that the attention on Trump could put off Independents or dilute Republican voting power. "It may well make people pause a little bit more before voting a straight Republican ticket," Hult said. "It may (induce) others to shut out elections and may (induce) others to either do write-ins or do kind of what we used to call split ballots." Opinion: How should Republicans answer questions about abortion? Stand firm on the side of life Opinion: Ron DeSantis' Martha's Vineyard stunt cruelly uses migrants as human pawns, helping no one Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally Aug. 5, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis. Trump and 2024 Trump's prospects as a future candidate himself are less clear. A recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found 67% of Independents do not want Trump to run again for president, while 28% wanted him to run. Overall, 61% of voters don't want him to run, according to the poll. In the aftermath of the FBI search, the survey also found that 44% think Trump did something illegal, 17% think he did something unethical but not illegal and 29%, including 63% of Republicans, think he did nothing wrong. As of Sept. 14, Trump had a 53.6% unfavorable composite rating, according to FiveThirtyEight. Early 2024 scorecard: Could Biden face a challenger? Could Pence beat Trump? What about Cheney? Dan Lee, a political scientist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said he doesnt think the investigations will diminish GOP support for Trump if he runs for president again. I think in general, Republicans are pretty supportive of Trump in spite of all of these revelations, Lee said. A lot of them will say that yes he probably did something wrong, but it hasn't reached a point yet where they're not going to support him to run to be the Republican nominee." What works for primary voters, however, doesnt work in the general election. The more he is attacked, the more likely he is to win the Republican nomination in 2024 and then lose to the Democrats as he did in 2020. Keep up with the latest political news: Sign up for our newsletter Trump's continued hold over the GOP comes at the party's own expense, analysts said. "If you look at the success Trump's had in Republican primaries, he still has a big hold on Republican primary voters," Democratic consultant and pollster Brad Bannon said. "And I'm sure it's encouraging him to (run in 2024). But again, while it's helping Trump it's killing the GOP." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Midterms: Trump investigations may help him but hurt GOP candidates As new evidence emerges of war crimes by the Russian military in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, "It's so important for everyone to see the true face of this aggression and terrorist attack Russia is waging," Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, said Sunday. "It's tortures, rapes, killings. War crimes of a massive proportions," Markarova claimed in an interview with ABC "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl. "That's why we need to liberate the whole territory of Ukraine as soon as possible because clearly Russians are targeting all Ukrainians. Whole families. Children. So, there is no war logic in all of this. It's simply terrorizing and committing genocide against Ukrainians." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address on Thursday that a mass grave was found in the recently recaptured territory of Izyum. Over 400 bodies could be buried in the site, according to Ukrainian officials. (Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians, despite evidence otherwise.) PHOTO: Forensic technicians carry a body in a bodybag at the site of a mass grave in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum, eastern Ukraine, Sept. 18, 2022. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images) "Do you have a handle in terms of those mass graves of who the victims are?" Karl asked Markarova on Sunday. "We already have teams of investigators there," she replied, adding that the country has been preparing national and international criminal cases against Russia -- an effort the U.S. is assisting with, Markarova said. MORE: Exclusive: Zelenskyy hints to David Muir of 'plural' Ukrainian counteroffensives against Russian forces "The majority of [the victims], of course, Ukrainians," Markarova told Karl, calling the mass grave's discovery "horrifying." "Some of them are families, like everyone in the family is killed for no reason," she said, noting that "the majority of them ... [showed] clear signs of torture." PHOTO: Graves proliferate a place of mass burial during an exhumation conducted by police and experts in the town of Izium, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine Sept. 17, 2022. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters) This month, Ukraine launched a rapidly successful counteroffensive to recapture territories occupied by Russia. During an address Wednesday evening, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces advanced 110 kilometers in five days of combat, taking back large swaths of the east. Story continues Karl noted the operation was undertaken "with a relatively small number of armed forces." "Do you have the manpower to hold this territory and to continue to push the Russians back?" he asked. Markarova acknowledged her country's military weaknesses but said their resistance extended beyond troops alone. "In general, our force is much slower than Russian force. But the reason why they can't hold the ground and we can retake it, and we will retake it, is because they are not only fighting with our brave president and our armed forces, they are fighting with all Ukrainians," she said. "So all 40 million of Ukrainians are fighting for our loved ones and homes." "All of them were waiting for liberation," she said. The U.S. this week provided another $675 million in aid to Ukraine for ammunition, missiles and training. Since January, the U.S. has given some $13.5 billion in aid. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, says his army is regrouping in a war he has described as preserving his country's security. The White House has publicly warned him against certain kinds of retaliation. MORE: From comedian to wartime leader: How President Zelenskyy is helping Ukraine win the information war In an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes," President Joe Biden said that if Putin were to use chemical weapons against Ukraine, "You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II." Citing that "stern warning" from Biden, Karl asked Markarova about the Ukrainian military push, saying, "What do you worry that Russia will do in response?" "For all years that Putin is in power, they tried to scare the world and they tried to get all of us thinking what he will do next," Markarova said. "We just have to continue on pushing, liberating Ukraine. We just have to clearly and all together say to Putin, and to all Russians who support this, that it's not OK in the 21st century to attack a peaceful neighboring country." "Let's not worry about what Putin thinks he should do," she added. "Let's all stay the course, provide more support to Ukraine because it's going to be much cheaper and better for the democratic world to win this war while it's still in Ukraine." Russia has been committing 'war crimes of massive proportions,' Ukraine ambassador says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Schools across US hit with dozens of false shooting, bomb threats. Experts say it's a 'cruel hoax' Across the country, dozens of schools went on lockdown. Students and teachers hid in classrooms. Police searched campuses. Parents panicked. Each time, there was no threat. Officials say there's been a wave of false reports of school shootings and threats of violence over the last several days. USA TODAY found at least 30 active shooter false alarms and threats made at schools last week. Authorities haven't publicly said the incidents are related, but experts say these intentional false reports have similarities. Their origins can be difficult or impossible to trace, but waves of false alarms are often the work of disgruntled pranksters trying to disrupt school or malicious bad actors trying to sow fear. And such hoaxes seem to increase around this time of year with students returning to classrooms. "A red flag... is when you start seeing a chunk of these very similar threats in multiple cities in one area or region or state, and then others in another state. It's usually a red flag for what they call swatting," said Kenneth Trump, a school safety expert. "Swatting" is making a hoax call to law enforcement to deliberately cause a large police or SWAT team response. Sometimes, an individual does it to single out someone specific, but the calls can also be done in waves as a trend to seemingly random targets. MORE ON SHOOTINGS: Mass killings database reveals trends, details and anguish in every US event since 2006 INCREASED VIOLENCE: Shots fired in US schools spiked dramatically last year, gun violence report finds False school shooting reports in Florida, California and more In Texas on Tuesday, Houston authorities received a call that said two shooters were rampaging Heights High School and 10 students had been shot. Police did a room-by-room search of the school. They found no trace of a shooting. Similar false reports happened at several other schools in Texas and California that day. On Wednesday, threats made on social media temporarily shuttered schools in the Thorndale Independent School District in central Texas, Eisenhower High School outside of Houston and a false shooting report put a Fresno, California high school on lockdown. Story continues The same thing happened Thursday in Santa Barbara, California where another false shooting report was phoned in, and in Northampton, Massachusetts, where a school received a bomb threat on social media. False shooting reports were also called in about schools in Florida, Arkansas, Oregon, Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma. Fear among students, parents during hoaxes Seventeen-year-old Ray High School junior Amaris Sanchez talks on the phone outside the school after police responded to a false report of an active shooter on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. The report prompted a lockdown before police determined it was false, and students were released early. Amaris Sanchez, 17, was in English class at W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Friday when the school went on lockdown after police got a call about an active shooter on campus. It turned out to be false. I was mentally preparing myself, you know, whatever happens, Sanchez told the Corpus Christi Caller Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. It was a very scary moment because you dont know what was going to happen. I didnt know at the moment if I was going to be OK. Belen Alaniz, a parent of two children at South Fort Myers High School in Florida where a false shooting report was made Friday, told the Fort Myers News-Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, she left work immediately when she heard about a shooting on campus. "The first thought was leaving work and I didn't care," Alaniz said. "I told my manager, 'I'm leaving,' and I ran out the door. I didn't even clock out because that's how afraid I was." FBI probing possible connections in slew of threats Local FBI field offices in a few states are working with police to determine whether there is a connection between some of the threats. Were working with local authorities and our field offices nationwide to determine if there is a link. Obviously, any hoax threat to a school can have serious consequences for students, teachers and others, as well as first responders, and can be prosecuted as a crime," said Laura Eimiller, a spokesperson for the FBI's Los Angeles field office. HISTORIC HIGH: It's not just Uvalde, Texas gunfire on school grounds is at historic high in the US AFTER UVALDE: Texas school shooting report finds 'systemic failures' in law enforcement response In the wake of the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 fourth-graders and their two teachers, schools and families across the country are on high alert and in a constant state of anxiety over school safety, Trump said. "People are on edge," he said. Many of the recent false alarms have fallen into two categories, said Trump, who said he has no relation to the former president and heads the Cleveland-based National School Safety and Security Services. In some cases, threats are made by members of the local community, oftentimes teenagers or young adults who are disgruntled with the school or who might be trying to pull a prank or get out of a test. "They're not realizing that once you press send, you can't put the threat back into the smartphone," Trump said. "And then when the ton of bricks hits, as happens in many other teen bad decisions, in this case, you're getting significant consequences." Those consequences can include suspension, expulsion, criminal prosecution and serious fines. Just last week, authorities say teens were charged in Michigan and Florida for making school shooting threats. The other category of swatting threats comes from malicious outside parties that often have no connection to the schools or the local communities. They can be generated from anywhere in the country or even internationally. "The FBI is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk," the FBI said in a statement to USA TODAY. Hoax threats drain resources, traumatize students and staff Students and parents reunite at South Fort Myers High School after a threat of a gun was called in Friday afternoon. Lee County Sheriff's Office declared that there was no active shooter after officers searched the school. It was declared a "swatting" incident. The false reports of active shootings can traumatize students and staff. They also drain significant resources from schools and local authorities. "Non-credible school hoaxes are a serious offense that Los Angeles Unified takes seriously. Threats disrupt the educational environment, increase stress levels, and interfere with law enforcement's ability to protect schools from real dangers. It also poses a serious risk to our community, draining resources and occupying the time of critical first responders," the Los Angeles Unified School District said in a statement after a hoax report of shots fired at Hollywood High School last week. The swatting threats can also pose a serious risk of injury. In 2017, California resident Tyler Barriss made a swatting call reporting a fake hostage situation after arguing with a fellow gamer playing "Call of Duty." He gave an address of an innocent, unrelated person who police ended up fatally shooting during their response. Barriss was sentenced to 20 years in prison. An uptick in these types of calls isn't unusual this time of year, Trump said. There's also a spike in the spring, and a wave of copycat threats in the wake of any mass school shooting. But the last several days have seen a higher number of incidents. "I don't like to use the word prank," Trump said. "It's not really a prank that we're seeing, it's really a cruel hoax." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Schools hit with fake shooting threats across US; FBI probes possible link If youre someone who considers themself a foodie (and I totally am), chances are there was a moment in the last few years when you had The Awakening. It may have been when the waiter was describing the veal marrow with beat foam served with baby lettuces from New Zealand. It may have been when you were eating the red snapper that was cooked halfway through, like a rare steak, and you thought, I love sushi, I love cooked fish, but Im not sure this is really the best of both worlds. It may have been when you saw the bill. Whatever the trigger, that was the moment you looked up from your plate and realized that high-end foodie culture has become a serious annoyance. Its gotten too fussy, too pricey, too full of itself, too not filling (of yourself), too avant-garde and conceptual, too tied to The Salvation of the Planet, too much of an ordeal. Did I mention too pricey? It used to be that if you wanted to ridicule culinary mania, you mocked someone like Guy Fieri. But he has risen from the ashes of infamy to a kind of born-again respectability (and yes, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives was always a great show). Now, if you want to ridicule culinary mania, the most natural targets are restaurants like The French Laundry in Napa Valley or Bros in Southern Italy, places where the 12-course tasting menu can inspire you to think, as one blogger put it, that there was nothing even close to an actual meal served. More from Variety Thats the foodie culture The Menu takes on and skewers, slicing and dicing it with a hilariously shocking thriller zest. Most of it is set inside the metallic contours of an exalted designer restaurant, a temple of haute cuisine called Hawthorne, thats special enough to be located on its own island Hawthorne Island, a 12-acre farm-to-table destination where the wealthy, the famous, and the pretentious pay $1,250 a head to sample the ever-changing tasting menu assembled by Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). Hes a dour guru of cuisine whos at once a self-inflated artist, a drill sergeant to his army of cooks (who labor just beyond the diners in an open kitchen), and an aggro foodie cult leader, introducing each course with a thunderous hand clap and a monologue that explains its significance. Do not eat, he says to the diners. Taste. But the exhortation to taste without eating is a chefs form of narcissism. Hes such a legend in his own mind that hes forgotten what food is for. Story continues The Menu is a black comedy, but one played close to the bone. And it is a thriller, because after a while whats being served to the diners segues from pretentious to dangerous. Even the danger becomes a form of snobbery: This is how much the food matters. Yet the tasty joke of The Menu is that the food doesnt matter at all. The food is an abstraction, an idea, all generated to fulfill some beyond-the-beyond notion of perfection that has little to do with sustenance or pleasure and everything to do with the vanity of those who are creating the food and those who are consuming it. The latter, in this case, are an ensemble of diner victims as brimming with theatrical flaws as the characters in a Knives Out movie. Thats why the knives are out for them. Theyre getting what they deserve just for coming to this restaurant, for buying into the dream that this is the meal theyve earned, because thats how cool and prosperous and elite they are. Tyler (Nichols Hoult), a devoted foodie geek, already knows hes going to love everything thats served. He had brought along a date, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), who is not nearly as into it in fact, she turns into the audiences cynically levelheaded, ordinary-person representative who sees through all the puffery on display. Lillian (Janet McTeer), a food critic, prides herself on writing the kinds of reviews that close restaurants, so we know shes going to get her just deserts. Theres also a trio of tech bros (Arturo Castro, Rob Yang, and Mark St. Cyr) who, between the three of them, incarnate every flavor of obnoxious. And theres a well-liked but fading movie star, played by John Leguizamo, along with his assistant (Aimee Carrero), whos using the dinner as a pretext to part ways with him. The Menu is divided into courses, with each dish, and its ingredients, listed on screen, and for a while the movie is content to satirize the food. The first dish features foam (a tipoff that its not going to melt in your mouth so much as evaporate before you can enjoy it). And thats the down-to-earth dish. Each succeeding one represents more and more of a deconstruction of food as we know it. Chef Slowik is a mad scientist of gastronomy who has reduced the very essence of cooking to a glorified lab experiment. The diners are his guinea pigs, which may be why he harbors a barely disguised contempt for them. As it turns out, the menu he has masterminded is meticulously arranged for all of them to get their just deserts, as if this were the Michelin Star version of Saw. The director, Mark Mylod, is a British veteran of television whos got wicked chops (he directed 13 episodes of Succession) and shows them off here. His staging is sharp, elegant, ice-cold in the best way. And the script, by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy (veterans of Seth Meyers, John Oliver, and the Onion TV series), never stops humming with observation, even as it veers into an over-the-top realm, sauced with blood, that turns the movie into a squirmfest version of theater of the absurd. All the actors are fun, but the two lead actors (sorry, I cant resist) are so good theyre delicious. Ralph Fiennes plays the art chef from hell as a high fascist of snobbery, as if his mission to make food thats to be savored but is somehow too great to eat were exalting him and tormenting him at the same time. And Anya Taylor-Joy, as the customer whos got his number, cuts through it all with a sparkle that grows more and more contemptuous, as she puts together the big picture of whats going on: that the decadent aristocratic superiority of it all is the whole point. The grand finale is bitingly funny, as Chef Slowik deconstructs the ultimate junk food the smore, a fucking monstrosity that will cleanse everything with its fire. The Menu says that the trouble with what high-end cuisine has evolved to is that its grown too far apart from the low end, leaving nothing in between. No matter how divine the food is, you wind up starving. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Ukrainian paratroopers drive a vehicle with a Ukrainian flag on the pontoon bridge across Siverskiy-Donets river Wednesday in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine. Russia is on the run in Ukraine. University of Missouri Ukrainian students Vlad Sazhen and Alina Rohulia are celebrating the military victories in their homeland while attending classes and taking exams. "This is the most important news of the week, maybe the year," Sazhen said. They spoke Thursday in Gateway Residence Hall. The Ukrainian Army has driven the Russian military from the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine back into Russia. Russia had previously withdrawn from the city of Kharkiv, where Sazhen and Rohulia are from, but until this past week had remained in the region. "It was quite a shock for us," Sazhen said. "When we woke up, there was news that this village was freed, this village was freed, 10 more villages freed." "The best news was that Russians ran away," Rohulia said. Sazhen said a friend who took part in the counterattack told him the fighting was nonstop for several days. The counterattack was a brilliant military move, they said. "We were waiting on a Kherson counterattack," Rohulia said. Russia moved its army to Kherson to defend it, and Ukraine instead attacked the Kharkiv region, Sazhen said. It may or may not be a turning point in the war, they said. "We just have to wait," Sazhen said. "It really depends on weapons from other countries," Rohulia said. Russia left behind devastation, they said. A mass grave was left behind in Izium, containing the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers and hundreds of other individual graves. The location will be investigated for possible war crime prosecutions. There also were 440 bodies buried in Balakliia, near the border with Russia, they said. Both are in the Kharkiv region liberated by Ukrainian forces. Too many organizations and countries still fear Russia, which Ukraine has proven has no power, Rohulia said. "Some organizations and some countries are afraid to say Russia is a terrorist state," Rohulia said. "We want more action from people who can help us." Story continues That includes a continued supply of weapons, they said. "Now they see our army is capable of doing such unexpected and amazing things," Rohulia said. MU classes University of Missouri Ukrainian students Alina Rohulia and Vlad Sazhen on Thursday in Gateway Residence Hall. Classes are going well, they said. "I actually had my first exam yesterday," Rohulia said. She received a perfect score on a microeconomics exam, a subject she said she knew nothing about before the start of the semester. "I didn't expect it," she said. "I actually love all of my subjects." Sazhen has exams in the coming week in aerodynamics and statistics, and he said he's not as confident as Rohulia. They continue to be overwhelmed by the kindness of people here, they said. The staff at Central Missouri Orthodontics recognized Rohulia from the Tribune and offered to do her orthodontic work at no cost. "We are incredibly grateful to them," Sazhen said. Family in Ukraine Rohulia's father and brother are in the army, now recovering from bouts of suspected COVID. Her brother is in Poltava, where her mother also is living. Her father is somewhere in the Kharkiv region, with sporadic communication. Sazhen's parents and sister are in Kyiv, the capital. "My mother will be going to Kharkiv pretty soon," Sazhen said. The family left winter clothes behind there that they will need, he said. His grandmother also is in Kharkiv, which he said is experiencing frequent power outages. Roger McKinney is the education reporter for the Tribune. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9. This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: MU Ukrainian students celebrate military victories in their homeland New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Jackie Robinson Museum, Tuesday, June 26, 2022, in New York. Julia Nikhinson/AP NYC Mayor Adams decried the migrant "humanitarian crisis" that has brought over 11,000 migrants to the city. Texas Gov. Abbott has bused about 2,500 migrants to NYC in a political stunt criticizing immigration laws. Adams said the city may use cruise ships to house migrants as the system is "nearing its breaking point." New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized the bussing of migrants as a "humanitarian crisis made by human hands" as the city looks for alternate ways to house the influx of asylum seekers from the southern border. Republican leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have flown and bused immigrants from the border to northern states as a political stunt. Since May, some 11,000 asylum seekers have entered New York's shelter system, including about 2,500 that were bused to the state from Texas, CNN reported. "We should be clear that this is, as you stated, a humanitarian crisis created by human hands, and it is an all-hands-on-deck moment where we're all supposed to come together and coordinate," Adams told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. Adams has said the city shelter system is "nearing its breaking point" in its capacity and has begun to consider using cruise ships to house migrants. "We're examining everything, from the legality of using any type of cruise ship for temporary housing. We're looking at everything to see how do we deal with this," Adams told CBS News last week. On CNN on Sunday, Adams said it is an "all-hands-on-deck moment" and called on the federal government and Governors DeSantis and Abbott to "come together and coordinate." "We should not be really treating other cities and municipalities in the manner that we're witnessing now," Adams said. "It is time for us to coordinate this humanitarian crisis that our country is facing." Story continues Adams added that his office has tried to reach out to Gov. Abbott, but that his office has refused "to do any form of coordination." Despite the concerns about capacity, Adams maintained "this is a right-to-shelter city, and we're going to fulfill our obligations." New York's right-to-shelter laws make it the only city in the country where asylum must be given to anyone who asks for it, per The New York Times. Last week, the Times reported that Adams suggested the system's "prior practices...must be reassessed," an idea that was swiftly dismissed by local state lawmakers. On CNN, Adams said he is not considering changing the law. "We're not considering and we don't believe we should change the right-to-shelter law. What needs to be looked at is the actual practices, because I'm sure, 40 years ago, when this law was put into place, no one thought that we would receive over 11,000 migrants or asylum seekers," Adams said. Read the original article on Business Insider Photo credit: Kirsty O'Connor - Getty Images Princess Kate has welcomed the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, ahead of Queen Elizabeth's funeral. The royal held a special audience with Zelenska Sunday afternoon, as part of her new role as Princess of Wales. Kate met with the first lady at Buckingham Palace, where they were photographed chatting in a drawing room, ahead of King Charles' reception welcoming world leaders and dignitaries. For the occasion, the princess wore a classic black coat dress, paired with sheer black tights and a pair of black heels. Her hair was styled in loose curls, and her accessories included a three-strand pearl bracelet. Photo credit: KIRSTY O'CONNOR - Getty Images On Friday, September 9, William and Kate officially inherited the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales from King Charles III and the late Princess Diana. King Charles announced their new roles as part of his first public speech as a monarch, having acceded the throne immediately following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. A royal source told BAZAAR.com at the time that the couple intend "on deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time" and "will approach their roles in the modest and humble way theyve approached their work previously." The source added that, while Princess Kate "appreciates the history associated with this role," she also wants "to look to the future as she creates her own path." The royal has already accompanied Prince Harry on several outings throughout the past week, including a trip to Sandringham Estate to visit tributes left by the public, as well as a meeting with troops from the Commonwealth who are set to take part in Queen Elizabeth's funeral. She also joined Queen Consort Camilla for Wednesday's procession honoring the late monarch, during which the two royals rode in a car that was being driven behind the late queen's coffin. Kate later stood at William's side during a reception held inside the Palace of Westminster. For the occasion, the princess honored both the late queen and Princess Diana through her accessories. She finished her all-black mourning ensemble with two meaningful jewelry pieces: diamond-and-pearl drop earrings that once belonged to Princess Diana, and a stunning diamond-and-pearl brooch in the shape of three leaves that once belonged to Queen Elizabeth. Story continues Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images You Might Also Like Filmmaker Malou Reymann tells a shockingly heartbreaking story in Unruly, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), based on teenage women in Denmark in the 1930s who were institutionalized for displaying rebellious behaviour. I couldn't understand that this was part of such recent history in Denmark and that I didn't know about it before, Reymann told Yahoo Canada. It was just normal women, there wasn't anything wrong with them, but they were basically just poor andit didn't take more than just being a bit [wild]...for them to be locked up. The central character of Unruly is Maren, played by Emilie Kroyer Koppel, the eldest daughter from an impoverished family. When she receives a diagnosis of being slightly mentally deficient and antisocial, after being deemed "ill-mannered and promiscuous," Maren is sent to an institution on the island of Sprog. Marens roommate Srine (Jessica Dinnage) helps her navigate this new environment, where the women are meant to "behave properly," but Maren pushes back against the system. Things get worse when a law is passed that mandates the mentally deficient need to be sterilized. The actual womens institution in Sprog was in operation from 1923 to 1961. I remember just totally falling in love with the script and with Maren, and with everything she goes through, I was so touched by it, Koppel told Yahoo Canada. It was really hard to, during these difficult scenes, [to know] that this has happened in real life, not that long ago, and that there have been so many women experiencing what was so terrible. It helped a lot to talk to my family about what we were doing I think communication and talking about what the scenes were about made me be able to put the role away when I got home because otherwise, it would have been too hard to take Maren with me I think after doing the movie I had done so much crying and screaming, and [shown] so many emotions, I was tired. I just really needed to relax for a bit and find myself again. Story continues Malou Reymann (Andreas Haubjerg) 'Women have this inner shame about their bodies and their sexuality' Malou Reymann first came across the story of these 1930s institutions through a podcast and as she continued to research for the film, what was revealed to her was how much the filmmaker could personally relate to these women. The more I dug into it, the more I was surprised by how much I could relate to it and how much I could relate to these women, which was just weird since they felt like they were living in a completely different time, Reymann said. I think a lot of women have this inner shame about their bodies and their sexuality, and we just don't necessarily notice it and don't know where it comes from. Why it is so easy to relate [is] because we still live with that, we still live in [societies] that have a very deep fear of female strength and the ability to reproduce, and the female body. With recent changes in the U.S., specifically, related to abortion rights, concerns about controlling women's bodies are particularly relevant and crucial right now. Watching everything that's going on in the world just makes me want to scream that this movie is out and I just feel such a strong injustice and anger, and I think showing it to an audience and getting a reaction...makes me happy, but I think it's scary how relevant these themes are today, Emilie Kroyer Koppel said. I think there's something about trusting what you feel is real, because I think that's really something that we worked on with the film, Reymann added. Being told that you're wrong in what you're feeling and experiencing, and kind of starting to doubt your own reality The first step for everyone is to trust in what you feel, and what you feel instinctively is right. Commissioner Phillip Walker has withdrawn his application to be appointed to the commission to serve out the remainder of his term. Walker, who resigned effective Nov. 7 so he could run for the Florida House, would likely be prohibited from an appointment because of term limits. LAKELAND Phillip Walker has withdrawn his request to be reappointed to the city commission. Walker sent an email to City Attorney Palmer Davis at 3:08 p.m. Wednesday asking that his name be removed from the list of candidates under consideration to be appointed interim commissioner to the Northwest District seat. His last day in office will be Nov 6. Walker had submitted a letter of resignation to the city in May under Florida's "resign-to-run" law in order to campaign for Florida House District 50. Upon losing the Republican primary to Jennifer Canady, Walker had asked his fellow commissioners to consider reappointing him to serve out the remaining year of his term. "I want the public to know I didnt just say I wanted to stay on this commission. At the outset of this campaign race, I knew if I should lose my time would be up," he said. "I received a call asking if I would want to be considered [for reappointment] if the commission would grant that consideration and to let them know. Thats what I did." Walker sent an email less than 18 minutes before the Aug. 26 filing deadline asking to be considered a candidate for interim commissioner for the Northwest District seat. Davis had previously said to The Ledger and the commission that the state's "resign-to-run" statute did not bar Walker from being reappointed to his seat. The city attorney said he has since discovered a second legal issue. Davis wrote a lengthy email to Walker on Wednesday afternoon stating he "arguably," is not qualified to be reappointed due to term limits. Previously: Lakeland Commissioner Phillip Walker seeks reappointment to seat he resigned to run for House Take a look inside: Lakeland's History and Culture Center opens Thursday at the library 'It's not over yet': Lakeland Library reopens amid second phase of renovations "I have reached the conclusion that your reappointment to the Commission would be vulnerable to challenge based upon the term limit provisions unique to the Lakeland City Charter and their application to the filling of vacancies. The issue is complicated," Davis wrote. Story continues In November 2019, the commission including Walker placed a referendum before voters that changed the city's charter to further restrict the city's term limits. Originally, the city's charter read that no member of the City Commission could serve more than three complete terms, or 12 consecutive years, whichever is greater, in a singular position of mayor or commission. There was one exception: an elected officials could serve four terms, or 16 consecutive years, whichever was greater in a combination of positions between mayor and commissioner. Davis wrote at that time Walker clearly qualified as a candidate. He was first elected to office in November 2009 in a special election and served two years before being elected in 2011 and 2015 to two, four-year terms. The 2019 referendum approved by voters amended the city's term limits. Newly elected officials would be restricted to serving no more than three complete terms or 12 consecutive years in the singular position of mayor or commissioner, or more than four complete terms or 16 years in a combination of mayor and commissioner. It also added officials who serve a partial term, two years or more, counts as a full term. Davis' email highlights an important difference "This amendment eliminated the qualifying language the greater of from the Charter," he wrote. Walker was originally grandfathered in, which would have allowed him to serve out the remainder of his third term through January 2024. But it appears Walker can no longer enjoy this exception. "Unfortunately, upon your resignation to run for the Florida House of Representatives, the grandfathered status of your service on the City Commission arguably ended," Davis wrote. In November 2021, voters approved a referendum to the city charter that allowed the commission to appoint individuals to a vacant seat rather than host a special election. The provisions are that the appointee must meet eligibility requirements of living in the district for more than a year, being a registered voter and not being a convicted felon. There's one other important provision. "[N]o individual otherwise precluded by length of previous service from holding the office of city commissionermay be appointed by the city commission to fill a vacancy in such office," Davis quotes the city charter. As of his Nov. 7 resignation, Walker will have served 12 years and 10 months on the commission, in excess of the term limit of "12 consecutive years." Davis concludes that Walker would be ineligible to be appointed to his own vacant seat. The city attorney said there is an argument that can be made that the new city charter language should not apply to Walker because he was grandfathered in and, if he had not resigned to run for Florida House, would have still been allowed until January 2024. "[I]t is my desire to NOT place the City of Lakeland in any vulnerable situation where a challenge based upon our current Lakeland City Charter becomes questionable," Walker wrote in an email to Davis. The commissioner said that up until Davis contacted him Wednesday, he was not aware the charter changes could be interpreted in such a way that rendered him term limited. Once he realized that, Walker said his next step was obvious. "Im concerned about making sure the spirit of what I call unity is there in the city," he said. "I dont need disruption. I dont need disruption in my life, I dont want it in the life of my residents." The City Commission will meet 8:30 a.m. Friday at City Hall, 228 S. Massachusetts Ave. for their agenda study. It's anticipated there will discussion about scheduling candidate interviews for interim commission to replace Walker. Mayor Bill Mutz and Walker are not expected to be present. Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland Commissioner Phillip Walker withdraws request for reappointment Donald Trump returned to the Youngstown area Saturday to campaign for J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, on the home turf of the Democratic nominee and current U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan. Recent polls shows the race between Vance and Ryan a dead-heat. More:Polls show races and issues to watch before election The former president spoke after a slate of Trump-endorsed Republican officials and candidates campaigning for Vance, including U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan and Bill Johnson. The former president began by greeting the crowd and remarking on the Ohio State Buckeyes game. Ohio Democrats had been mocking the Republicans in recent days for scheduling a rally when the state's beloved scarlet and gray were playing, claiming Vance was out of touch with Ohioans. Following the rally, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released a one-sentence statement. Did anyone even watch that? she said. Its game day in Ohio and J.D. Vance clearly doesnt give a damn about the Buckeyes but this isnt the first time hes shown that hes more comfortable ignoring Ohioans than tailgating in Columbus, Ryan campaign spokesperson Jordan Fuja said in a prepared statement. Trump quickly pivoted to talking about the upcoming election. Less than two months from now, the people of Ohio are going to vote and fire the radical left Democrats," Trump said. He said that the choice in November is between voting for Democrats assuring the continued destruction of America or voting for Republicans in order to save the country. "The radical Democrat Congress has turned our country into a sanctuary for dangerous criminals," Trump said. Debunked stolen election claim among familiar themes in Trump's Ohio rally speech Trump said the American dream was being shredded, using the recent poor performance of the stock market as an example. During his hour-long speech, Trump touched on his perceived persecution and the Afghanistan withdrawal. He also reiterating the debunked claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged "I ran twice, and won twice," he said and criticized immigration along America's southern border. He called for the death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers. Story continues Moving on to the election, Trump accused Ryan of being a radical leftist who has been lying about being a moderate. He also attacked Ryan over his support for taking action against climate change. "A vote for Tim Ryan is a vote for extinguishing America's future," Trump said. "The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance." Trump invited Vance on stage with him to say a few words. Vance is running against Ryan for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Trump last visited Ohio in April to rally supporters behind the "Hillbilly Elegy" author amid a divisive GOP primary that surfaced Vance's past criticisms of the former president. "[Ryan's] whole attack on me is that I'm out of state, from California, even though the reason I left the state when I was 18 years old was to enlist in the United States Marine Corps and go and serve my country," said Vance. "Tim Ryan has not one, but two books on yoga and meditation. Tim Ryan has called to ban gas powered cars, and Tim Ryan has voted for the Green New Deal. Who's from California, Tim? It sounds like you are." Vance then called for the firing of 87,000 newly hired IRS agents and a mass hiring of border patrol agents. Crowd reaction Alice Marshall, a Youngstown resident, said she came to Covelli Centre because the country needs to change. "Trump, Vance, really, and the people that have a good heart are going to change this nation back to what the Constitution is, and back to the legal way it's supposed to be," Marshall said. Her impressions of Vance are positive despite his previous remarks critical of Trump. "That man is so bright," she said of Vance. Jo Ellen of Sandusky, on the other hand, was a little more lukewarm on Vance. She said she hasn't done enough research on him to have an opinion one way or another, but she has heard some negative opinion. "(I've heard) conflicting reports that he's one of the good guys, that he's one of the bad guys that can't be trusted, that he's a RINO (Republican in name only) I don't know," said Ellen. She's not at the rally to have her mind made up, though. Ellen said she was at the rally for two reasons: "I'm here to support Trump, and to boo loudly when he says he endorsed (Gov. Mike) DeWine." Senate rate in a virtual tie During the rally, Vance shared his story of growing up with the crowd. He grew up in Middletown, an Ohio city that shares some of the same history as Youngstown. "When the jobs moved out, the drugs moved into my family," Vance said, "so I was raised by my working-class grandparents." He said that Ohio has been good to him, presenting him with the opportunity to represent the Republican party. Vance moved to attacking Ryan, saying that there are two versions of the candidate. The first is the version presented to the voters, who plays at being a moderate. The second is who he calls "D.C. Tim, who votes 100% of the time with Joe Biden." "Ladies and gentlemen, we need to kick D.C Tim to the curb, make him go back home and get a real job for once," Vance said to cheers and applause. "I've got to say, ladies and gentleman, that's exactly what we're going to do." The event could provide Vance with additional momentum as the race attracts national attention and heads into its final weeks. Groups such as the Senate Leadership Fund are pouring money into Ohio to boost Vance, who has trailed behind Ryan in fundraising. Republicans also expressed concern over the summer that Vance wasn't campaigning enough and allowing his opponent to dominate the airwaves. USA Today Opinion:If Republicans don't regain the Senate, there's one person to blame: Donald Trump A USA TODAY Network Ohio/Suffolk University poll released Monday showed the candidates virtually tied, with Ryan leading Vance 46.6% to 45.6% of voters. The rally also came days after Trump endorsed DeWine, who is running for reelection against former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley for governor. Trump didn't weigh in on the four-way primary for the GOP nomination, but the governor still won with 48% of the vote. DeWine was at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport Saturday evening to welcome Trump to Ohio and thank him for his endorsement, according to Tricia McLaughlin, DeWine campaign spokesman. Haley BeMiller from the USA TODAY Network Ohio State Bureau contributed to this report. Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Trump in Ohio holds rally for U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance 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. Story continues 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. Continuing its energetic push into international markets via its Spanish Screenings initiative, Spains film and export authorities look set to back a record presence of execs and movie/TV titles at Buenos Aires Ventana Sur, Latin Americas biggest film-TV market. Co-organized by Cannes Marche du Film, Cannes Film Festival and Argentinas INCAA film-TV agency, Ventana Sur runs Nov. 28Dec.2. More from Variety Announced Sunday at a San Sebastian press conference, Spanish Screenings on Tour will see five projects or productions-in-post from Spain play at each of four key Ventana Sur forums. These take in animation platform Animation! where five titles will be presented as part of a Spanish Screenings Animate initiative, its genre market Blood Window (Spanish Screamings), women directors project section Punto de Genero (Spanish Screenings Perspectives) and TV focus SoloSerieS (Spanish Screenings Series), said Beatriz Navas, director general of Spains ICAA film-TV agency. Projects or productions in each section will be selected by representatives of Spanish Screenings on Tour and Ventana Sur. Winners will have covered both air flights and accommodation at Ventana Sur vital as the cost of air travel between Europe and Latin America has spiked post-pandemic. Spanish Screenings on Tour has also established alliances with four of Spains principal specialist festivals which will prize one project per section according to their focus. Horror, fantastic and sci-fi mega fest Sitges, for example, will award one title going to Blood Window, which will receive the Sitges Fanpitch Blood Window Spanish Screenings Prize. TV co-production forum Conecta Fiction, new talent platform Abycine Lanza and animation meet Weird will adjudicate prizes to one project at SoloSerieS, Punto de Genero and Animation! respectively. Story continues Details of the Spanish Screenings on Tour were presented at San Sebastian by Navas, San Sebastian Festival director Jose Luis Rebordinos, Malaga Festival director Juan Antonio Vigar and Pablo Conde, director of fashion, habitat and cultural industries at governmental investment organization ICEX. The Spanish Screenings Content will run next year at the Malaga Festival and its Mafiz industry arm over March 13-17, Vigar said. Activities will take in screenings of recent Spanish movies, market premieres, Next from Spain, featuring trailers and pix-in-post, a day dedicated to remakes, a Spanish Co-Production Forum, and sections dedicated to literary adaptations and soundtracks, Vigar added. The Festival will also renew Hack Mafiz Malaga, a platform for new talent creating content for social networks and new platforms, Vigar said. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. LPETTET / iStock.com Costco has more than 111 million members who shop at the company's warehouse stores in the United States and abroad, and a countless number of them are lured by the savings offered by the store's private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Discover: 9 Best Dollar Tree Items for Fall 2022 Learn: This Credit Score Mistake Could Be Costing Millions of Americans The Kirkland products reach across the store's aisles: home and kitchen, clothing, grocery, health and beauty, pet food and supplies, household and cleaning, and diapers and baby supplies. Costco also has a wide selection of Kirkland organic goods. But is the quality as good as that of rival name brands? Yes, says Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst at DealNews.com, who shared with GOBankingRates the 10 Kirkland items that are her go-to for both price and quality. Costco Kirkland Signature Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheeses Ramhold's suggestions start with shredded cheese, which she said she keeps on hand to make quick and easy quesadillas. "You get essentially 5 pounds of shredded cheese for about $18.25, which works out to $3.65 per pound. At other stores, you're probably paying that much for name-brand pouches that measure 8 to 12 ounces. Plus, this cheese is super melty, which makes the perfect quesadilla, but also is great for adding to mac and cheese, broccoli -- honestly whatever you want to add cheese to for a gooey snack or meal." Live Richer Podcast: Unexpected Ways Losing a Spouse Can Affect Your Finances and Retirement David Tonelson / Shutterstock.com Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean Free & Clear Liquid Detergent Ramhold recommends this detergent, which comes in a mammoth 194-ounce container for about $18.50. "It's unscented, which is great for anyone with skin or fragrance sensitivities," she said. "The price works out to about 9 cents per fluid ounce, which you may be able to find elsewhere on name brands, especially if there's a sale. But you won't be able to buy the same amount in one container, which means you have to buy more overall or replace your supply sooner than you'd like." Story continues LPETTET / iStock.com Kirkland Signature Fresh Mozzarella "Get 36 ounces of this incredibly fresh and delicious cheese for $9.39, which is about 26 cents per ounce," Ramhold said. "Elsewhere, you can expect to pay $4.39 for 8 ounces, which is about 55 cents per ounce. I can personally vouch for the Kirkland Signature fresh mozzarella being delicious with caprese salads as well as tossed into pasta dishes at the very end for a fresh, creamy flavor." shaunl / Getty Images Kirkland Signature Vanilla Ice Cream After that pasta dinner comes the ice cream. "It's amazing on the Costco bakery apple pie as well as delicious on its own or turned into milkshakes -- basically whatever you want to use vanilla ice cream for," Ramhold said. "Kirkland Signature's brand is a delicious pick." LPETTET / iStock.com Kirkland Signature Chicken Tortilla Soup "It comes in two 32-ounce containers for around $11.58 and is one of the best out-of-the-box --so to speak -- soups I've had," Ramhold said. "Ordinarily store-bought soups like that, whether refrigerated or in a can, need to be doctored up some, with adding salt, pepper or other spices. But Kirkland Signature is pretty much perfect right out of the fridge. We just heat some in a pot and then have it with a grilled cheese sandwich." Ramhold said the Costco soup, at about 18 cents per ounce, is about half the price of other ready-made soups, and "that's on the low end." Costco Kirkland Signature Wildflower Honey "I can get 5 pounds of this honey for $18.57, which is about $3.71 per pound," Ramhold said. "Other stores are charging at least $5 per pound and, in many cases, far more; I saw an 8-ounce jar of wildflower honey for $12 at a local store." Trong Nguyen / Shutterstock.com Kirkland Signature Organic Strawberry Preserves Ramhold also is a fan of the preserves for sweetening a meal. "Get a 42-ounce jar for about $9.83 and try not to put it on everything jam-appropriate," she challenged. "It tastes amazingly fresh, and I've used it in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baking projects, toast and oatmeal with zero complaints." Chase Brock / GOBankingRates Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter Here's the peanut butter to go with that jelly. "You'll get two 28-ounce jars of creamy peanut butter that's perfect if you're looking for natural peanut butter as it's made with dry-roasted organic peanuts and sea salt, and that's it," she said. "It works out to about 20 cents per ounce at Costco, while elsewhere you can expect to pay 30 cents per ounce for a similar product. You do have to stir the Costco peanut butter, but I recommend storing the jar upside down to cut down on separation once you stir it initially, as that'll make it easier every time you open the jar." Edgar Lee Espe / Shutterstock.com Kirkland Signature Organic Maple Syrup "This is the only syrup I'll eat on pancakes and waffles now, and you can get a liter of it for about $14.20," Ramhold said. "It's also amazing used to sweeten whipped cream for fall desserts like pumpkin cobblers and apple pies, and it works out to about 42 cents per ounce, whereas elsewhere you may spend around 80 cents per ounce." Alastair Wallace / Shutterstock.com Kirkland Signature Aller-Tec For allergy sufferers, the Kirkland offering is a go-to product, Ramhold said. "This is the Costco store-brand of Zyrtec, and it's one of the most affordable allergy meds I've ever seen," Ramhold said. "A bottle of 365 tablets -- that's a full year's supply -- is around $16, but Costco also puts this item on sale for around $13 during seasonal shifts when allergy symptoms are likely to increase. That's about 4 cents per pill either way; and, for an entire year's supply, that's hard to beat. I can personally vouch that it works just as well as Zyrtec for me but is a fraction of the cost." More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Costco Brand Items To Buy That Are Just as Good as Name Brands One more former member of the Boston Celtics backcourt has found a team for the 2022-23 NBA season according to a press release from the New York Knicks. Guard Ryan Arcidiacono signed a contract to return to the Knicks, who had picked him up from the Maine Celtics at the end of last season. Arcidiacono had been playing with Bostons G League team as an affiliate player. He had signed with the Celtics for the 2021-22 preseason, but The Arch of Dimes did not see the court with the parent club. The Langhorne, Pennsylvania native has averaged 4.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game over the course of his pro career to date. New episode of the Celtics Lab Podcast on YouTube Sorting out whos on top and who is not in the East with @Zaknoble Via @betonline_ag X @CelticsCLNS https://t.co/4WOPl4gQIj Celtics Lab Podcast (@CelticsLab) September 17, 2022 Listen to the Celtics Lab podcast on: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi Related Celtics' Luke Kornet checks in as league's 7th-slowest player in new NBA 2K assessment An outsider's view of the Boston Celtics' new NBA 2K ratings Boston Celtics included in NBA's 'Best scoring performances of 2021-22' video Despite a massive game from Dennis Schroder, Spain ousts Germany 96-91 from the EuroBasket Semi Ojeleye talks about his new Italian team and his memories of the Boston Celtics Celtics Lab 141: Projecting the order the East and talking on the NBA's Robert Sarver reaction with Zak Noble List Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 12 List Are the Boston Celtics overrated? Lead Governor Wyc Grousbeck worries they might be Story continues List Celtics' Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams III ranked just 5th-best 'Big 3' in NBA 2K update List 'We were trying so hard to prove to others and ourselves that we belonged,' says Celtics' Marcus Smart of 2022 Finals loss Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire LAS CRUCES A trial to determine if state police should pay out for Darian Jarrott's death could be coming as early as next year. Over the last year, lawyers in the case filed and completed dozens of depositions and motions. Meanwhile, critical deadlines have come and gone, and the parties are scheduled to meet in December to discuss a trial date in 2023. The collection of courtroom maneuvers marks the latest developments nearly two years after Omar Cueva shot and killed Darian Jarrott during a traffic stop on Feb. 4, 2021. After the fatal shooting, Darian Jarrott's widow, Gabriella Jarrott, filed a wrongful death tort claim on June 10, 2021. New Mexico State Police officer Darian Jarrott is seen in a NMSP photo. Jarrott was killed in the line of duty east of Deming on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. Gabriella Jarrott alleged that New Mexico State Police withheld information about Cueva when the agency instructed Darian Jarrott to pull him over. In court filings, they say that Jarrott had no idea how much danger he was in. "Officer Jarrott was sent into an ambush without protection, backup, or even the information needed to know the danger he was in," Gabriella Jarrott's civil complaint reads. "As a result, he was brutally murdered." Deposition of NMSP sergeant details events that led up to killing Unknown to Darian Jarrott, Homeland Security Investigations had followed Cueva for some time. Court filings show HSI believed Cueva was smuggling fentanyl from Phoenix to Deming. Filings also show that an HSI undercover agent overheard Cueva say he "wasn't going back to jail." Cueva carried a semi-automatic rifle for such an occasion. As HSI tracked Cueva across the desert, they called the New Mexico State Police to help pull him over before he got to Deming. Specifically, HSI called Jarrott's sergeant, Mark Madrid. Madrid is one of 14 people deposed by Gabriella Jarrott's lawyer, Sam Bregman. At the time of the shooting, Madrid oversaw a half dozen NMSP officers in the Luna County area. Though Darian Jarrott was stationed in southwest New Mexico, he was not one of Madrid's officers. A memorial to slain New Mexico State Police officer Darian Jarrott is seen on the side of Interstate 10 east of Deming, N.M. on Thursday, July 15, 2021. More:New Mexico dedicates 18-mile stretch of Interstate 10 to state police officer Darian Jarrott Story continues However, most area officers were either sequestered in Silver City for a meeting or training in Lordsburg when HSI requested help arresting Cueva. Madrid told Bregman that reality left him in charge of Jarrott and left Jarrott in charge of patrolling the area around Deming. Still, Madrid said he thought Jarrott would be capable of patrolling the area alone. In the deposition, Bregman pushed Madrid on this point. He asked if the Department of Public Safety, which oversees NMSP, had any policy regarding the number of officers in a given area and what NMSP do when they need backup. Bregman asked Madrid on who state police officers rely. "We rely on ourselves, sir," Madrid answered. "We can reach out to other officers, but we work by ourselves." Later, Bregman asks Madrid about HSI's request to get NMSP to pull over Cueva. Madrid said he reached out two days before the shooting to get more info on Cueva. The conversation was brief, Madrid said. On the day of the shooting, Madrid said HSI contacted him. An HSI agent told Madrid that Cueva was on his way to Deming and possibly to Las Cruces. Bregman asked if HSI's call heightened Madrid's concern about Cueva. Madrid said it did not but said he felt like HSI was confused about what they were doing. "I think they were not knowing what was going on," Madrid said. "I believe they were hinting at something that wasn't there." Madrid said he was referring to the fentanyl, adding that HSI seemed unaware of Cueva's location. However, the HSI agent had sent Madrid four photos of four different vehicles, saying that Cueva was likely in one of them. Madrid passed that info to Jarrott. He told Jarrott to be on the lookout for Cueva's truck. New Mexico State Policeman Darian Jarrott pulls over Omar Cueva on a traffic violation along Interstate 10 east of Deming on Feb. 4, 2021. That was the extent of NMSP's knowledge of HSI's involvement with Cueva, Madrid said. As far as he knew, no other NMSP officers were working with HSI for the operation. A tactical team including an NMSP officer who didn't tell Madrid or anyone else he was working with HSI was trailing Cueva a few miles back. The camera inside Jarrott's police unit shows the team arriving on scene minutes after Cueva shoots him. It's unclear from Madrid's deposition why Jarrott pulled Cueva over. Madrid testified that he never asked him to. However, Bregman pointed out that Jarrott could have interpreted the "be on the lookout" order to mean that he should pull over Cueva if he got the chance. Jarrott does pull over Cueva's white truck about noon on Interstate 10 east of Deming. In body camera footage, Jarrott tells Cueva he pulled him over because his window tint was too dark. Not more than five minutes later, Jarrott asks Cueva to step out of his vehicle. As he does, Cueva reveals a semi-automatic rifle and ambushes Jarrott, shooting and killing him. Cueva returned to his truck, speeding toward Las Cruces, and eventually other officers began a pursuit. Cueva was killed after a crash and exchange of gunfire with officers from several departments on Interstate 10 in Las Cruces less than an hour later. Some hurdles remain On Sept. 15, Bregman confirmed to the Sun-News that he intended to take the case to trial. A scheduling order filed at the beginning of the process shows that the time for mediation has come and passed, as has the time for depositions. In all, Bregman deposed Jarrott's sergeant, Orlando Ayers, and the chief of the NMSP, Tim Johnson, along with a dozen others in 2022. The Reporter's Notebook podcast:Darian Jarrott, Baby Brianna and LC Bowling Alley Massacre have anniversaries in February Yet, even as the case hurls toward trial, lawyers representing the state of New Mexico and the department of public safety believe that no trial is needed. In a motion for summary judgment filed on Sept. 12, the state's lawyer, Mark Jarmie, said that Bregman couldn't prove that Gabriella Jarrott had a valid complaint. "(Gabriella Jarrott and Bregman) has taken fourteen depositions and been provided with thousands of pages of discovery," Jarmie's motion reads. "Now, discovery is closed, and (Gabriella Jarrott and Bregman) can still not sustain her claim." A hearing has not been scheduled to resolve Jarmie's motion as of the publication of this article. If the case moves forward, both sides have until mid-November to file their final witness lists and mid-December to submit final exhibit lists. Gabriela Jarrott, mother to two of fallen New Mexico State Police Officer Darian Jarrott's children, issues a statement on behalf of the family on Feb. 6, 2021, in Deming. If the preliminary witness lists remain mostly unchanged, the trial is expected to be lengthy. Jarmie's witness list includes 69 police officers from HIS, NMSP, and local agencies like the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office and Las Cruces Police Department. Bregman's witness list was similar in make-up but smaller. He listed 23 witnesses, most of whom are police. According to the scheduling order, jury selection hearings will begin mid-January and end around the same time as the first anniversary of Jarrott's death. Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com Others are reading: This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Darian Jarrott wrongful death lawsuit may proceed to trial BALTIMORE Just weeks from the start of voting in Maryland, Democratic congressional candidates hope to capitalize on opposition to South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Grahams newly proposed nationwide abortion ban an issue that can be politically problematic for Republicans in such a blue state. Maryland Democrats pounced on the Republican senators legislation, which would prohibit doctors nationwide from performing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. His bill, introduced Tuesday, elevated an issue that many analysts believe benefits Democratic candidates by motivating their partys voters to turn out in support of abortion rights. By introducing this legislation, Republicans have made clear that their true objective is the control of womens health decisions, not the defense of states rights, said Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes, who is running in the 3rd Congressional District that includes Howard County and parts of Anne Arundel and Carroll counties. Attorney Yuripzy Morgan, a former political talk show host and the Republican nominee challenging Sarbanes, disputed in an interview the characterization of many Democrats that Grahams legislation is extreme. The extreme would be the opposite of what Lindsey Graham is saying, which would be a total ban on access, she said. I am not in favor of banning all abortions. I am in favor of reasonable access, she said. When I say the extremes, I mean the side that says zero access, to the side that says you could be walking into a hospital in labor and then decide you want to have an abortion. Most people are in the middle. Flavio Hickel Jr., an assistant political science professor at Washington College in Chestertown, said Grahams proposal may have been ill-timed for the GOP. Its pretty clear Senate Republicans felt blindsided and were not pleased with the timing, Hickel said. Another analyst, Todd Eberly, said Grahams proposal is not what Republicans need. Most Americans have a nuanced view on abortion. The idea of 15 weeks and theres nothing allowed after that is still pretty hard core, said Eberly, a political science professor at St. Marys College of Maryland, Story continues Abortion can be politically tricky for Republicans in Maryland. Thats because the Democratic Party, which favors abortion rights, maintains a 2-1 voter registration advantage in the state. Gov. Larry Hogan, a second-term Republican, has repeatedly referred to abortion as settled law in Maryland while personally opposing it. Nicolee Ambrose represents Maryland on the Republican National Committee and is the partys nominee to challenge Democratic Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger in the 2nd Congressional District. When asked Wednesday by The Baltimore Sun about Grahams bill, she similarly framed the issue around states rights. Marylanders decided the abortion matter 30 years ago by ballot referendum. Washington should not interfere with our states rights and Marylanders have spoken, Ambrose said. Ruppersberger, a Baltimore County resident first elected to the 2nd District two decades ago, called Grahams bill an attempt to score political points at the expense of womens health by taking personal health care decisions out of the hands of women and their doctors. The district includes chunks of Carroll and Baltimore counties, as well as a piece of Baltimore City. In Maryland, a person is permitted to have an abortion up to the point where the fetus is viable outside the womb, considered at about 24 weeks, and later to protect the health or life of the pregnant person or for a fetal anomaly. The states law codified the protections of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that had made abortion a constitutional right until the court overturned it in June, allowing states to set their own laws. A national abortion ban like the one Graham proposed would supersede Marylands law. Weve always known that tearing down Roe was only Part One of their plan and that next theyd attack these rights for women everywhere. Lindsey Grahams bill does just that, said Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Van Hollen, who is up for reelection, said he was determined to fight such bans. His Republican opponent, Chris Chaffee, did not return messages seeking comment. Grahams legislation has not been embraced by Senate Republican leaders and is almost certain not to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate or House. The congressional session ends in early January, but the measure could be reintroduced in the new Congress. A ban could be approved in the future, based on the outcome of Republicans efforts to take control of Congress in the November elections and the White House in 2024. When you look at the state of Maryland, people here recognized, fortunately, that Maryland was sort of leading the way in terms of protecting those (abortion) rights by laws that were passed by the General Assembly, said U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Baltimore, who is seeking his second full term since returning to Congress to represent the 7th Congressional District. But Mfume said the GOPs latest attacks on abortion rights would bypass states laws, such as Marylands, and pose a grave concern. Future such abortion restrictions, he said, would disproportionately affect those women who are Black and brown and white and Asian in this country who are not economically in a position to assist themselves. Mfumes Republican opponent, Scott Collier, did not respond to email messages. Seven of Marylands eight U.S. House members are seeking reelection. Democratic Rep. Anthony Brown is stepping down in the 4th Congressional District to run for state attorney general. The only Republican member of the congressional delegation, Rep. Andy Harris, did not return messages left with his campaign and Capitol Hill office. Harris tweeted after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade that the court got it right. In 2021, he co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, which would block abortions at all stages of pregnancy without exceptions. His opponent, former state delegate and 2014 gubernatorial candidate Heather Mizeur (pronounced miz-EER), is hoping for a sizable turnout of abortion rights supporters motivated by the Supreme Courts June decision, and perhaps by media attention about Grahams bill. Its always been clear that anti-choice forces would stop at nothing short of a nationwide ban, despite claiming it should be an issue for the states to decide, she said. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday called GOP governors busing and flying migrants to Democratic-led cities outside of their states pathetic. It is pathetic that these governors are taking advantage of these helpless people, making promises to them to get on the bus and life is just gonna be fine, Durbin told moderator Chuck Todd during an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday sent two planes of migrants to Marthas Vineyard, an island in Massachusetts known for its popularity among the wealthy. The flights come as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) continue busing thousands of migrants away from border towns to northern U.S. cities, fueling fury among Democrats. Why is it when the Republicans want to enforce their immigration theories, its always the kids that end up being the victims, Durbin said on NBC. We saw it with kids in cages, we saw it with the forcible removal of children from their parents some who have never been reunited with their families and now once again its the kids and families who are put on these buses and transported for political purposes across the United States, he continued. Ducey and Abbott have both sent migrants to Washington, D.C., and Abbott has also sent migrants to New York City and Chicago. Durbin said he met with some of the migrants sent to Chicago at a Salvation Army facility. The Republican governors have defended the relocations as aiding border communities overwhelmed by President Bidens immigration policies, hoping the move will lead Washington to adopt stricter border control measures. Its unclear whether the migrants are undocumented or whether they are asylum-seekers allowed into the country to wait out their immigration court cases, or a combination of both. Durbin on Sunday appeared to acknowledge concerns among activists that relocated migrants with upcoming immigration hearings could now miss their court appearances. Story continues The governors have often transported the migrants for thousands of miles. Those who landed on Marthas Vineyard last week boarded two planes that originated from San Antonio, local officials said. Off they go to places far removed from where theyre supposed to be appearing under the requirements of our law in a matter of weeks and months, said Durbin on NBC. So hes jeopardizing their stay in the United States when each governor makes this decision. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 18, 2022 /CNW/ -- A group of AI graduate students in several prestigious international universities concluded their participation in the second edition of the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence, which concluded yesterday in Riyadh and visited Masmak Palace in the center of Riyadh to be briefed on the history of the capital. International students conclude their participation in Global AI Summit to attract global capabilities (PRNewsfoto/SDAIA) The students represented six countries joined by several Saudi scholarship students in the same specialization. Their participation came within the knowledge exchange initiative launched by "SDAIA" and hosted 19 male and female students of different nationalities including the US, the UK, India, Jordan, Algeria, South Korea, and Nigeria, who study at prestigious international universities and institutes, including the Sorbonne University in Paris, Oxford University, University College London, Durham University, Nottingham University, Sussex University in the UK, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA, and King's College London. Through this initiative, SDAIA aimed to attract global capabilities in artificial intelligence and to enhance the role of distinguished youth based on the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and its aspirations to enable them to lead the future of artificial intelligence in the Kingdom, the region, and the world. On this occasion, SDAIA President, Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi explained that the knowledge exchange initiative was designed to achieve several benefits, including engaging visiting students in knowledge exchange dialogues to explore opportunities for future cooperation, and introducing them to the Kingdom's efforts in pioneering the data and artificial intelligence and the future of the sector during a journey that Saudi students will lead with their peers from international universities. He stressed that "SDAIA" aims through the initiative to build qualitative partnerships that support its efforts in data and artificial intelligence and help attract global capabilities that achieve qualitative addition to the Kingdom, adding that the initiative contributes to activating the distinguished role of Saudi youth and engaging them in a real dialogue that develops their leadership spirit and shows their knowledge capabilities. Al-Ghamdi said that this will enhance the Kingdom's position in data and artificial intelligence, noting that the initiative provides the opportunity to exchange knowledge and explore opportunities for future cooperation through a constructive dialogue that brings together Saudi youth and foreign graduate students. Story continues Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1901312/SDAIA.jpg Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/international-students-conclude-their-participation-in-global-ai-summit-to-attract-global-capabilities-301626722.html SOURCE SDAIA Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2022/18/c4165.html king charles Dominic Lipinski/AP/Shutterstock King Charles King Charles is speaking out ahead of his mother Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday. In a statement on Sunday evening, the new monarch thanked those who have shared in the grief following the loss of the late monarch and matriarch. "Over the last ten days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world," he began. "In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, The late Queen." "As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief," he concluded. In the wake of his mother's death, King Charles traveled around the U.K. alongside his wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort. The pair have taken part in several royal walkabouts, comforting well-wishers who gathered outside the royal residences and stood in line to pay tribute to the Queen as her coffin lies in state at Westminster Hall. RELATED: Everything to Know About Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral king charles HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty King Charles On Friday, Charles and Camilla completed their tour with a visit to Wales. The country is of particular significance to Charles, who spent most of his life as the Prince of Wales. The royal couple also attended engagements in Scotland on Monday. They also greeted well-wishers gathered outside of Hillsborough Castle in Belfast, Ireland, on Tuesday. On Saturday, the 73-year-old monarch and his heir Prince William, 40, met with police officers and staff at the Metropolitan Police Service Special Operations Room in London to thank them for their work ahead of the Queen's state funeral. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Britain's King Charles III (L) and Britain's Camilla, Queen Consort (R) view floral tributes left outside Hillsborough Castle in Belfast on September 13, 2022, during his visit to Northern Ireland. - King Charles III on Tuesday travelled to Belfast where he is set to receive tributes from pro-UK parties and the respectful sympathies of nationalists who nevertheless can see reunification with Ireland drawing closer. (Photo by Niall Carson / POOL / AFP) (Photo by NIALL CARSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) NIALL CARSON/POOL/AFP via Getty King Charles and Queen Camilla Queen Elizabeth's state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday, gathering about 2,000 world leaders and royals from around the globe. The funeral will be followed by a committal at St. George's Chapel in Windsor where the Queen's parents, sister Princess Margaret and beloved husband Prince Philip are laid to rest. About 50 migrants were flown to Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday, dropped off at the airport with no notice. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken credit for the move, saying he wanted to relocate the migrants to liberal-leaning areas amid an effort to pressure President Joe Biden on issues at the U.S. Mexico border and federal immigration policy. The migrants, largely from Venezuela, were picked up in Texas after crossing the border. They were given shelter in a church on the Vineyard and have since voluntarily moved to Joint Base Cape Cod. Here's the latest: Bourne school leaders say they are prepared for migrant students from Joint Base Cape Cod Bourne Public Schools Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou said Monday that the district's administrative team has been in contact with representatives from Joint Base Cape Cod regarding the migrant children. "While no final decisions have been made regarding the status of the children, the Bourne Public Schools are ready, willing and able to provide a public school education to these children should the need arise," Quinlan-Zhou said in an email. Bourne schools: Ready to welcome children of migrants staying on Joint Base Cape Cod Bourne Public Schools Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou After they were unexpectedly dropped off on Martha's Vineyard on Sept. 14, the 50 or so migrants mostly from Venezuela were given the opportunity to move to the base, which is better equipped to house them and help with the next steps in the immigration process, according to state officials. It is unknown how many children there are among the group. Since the housing on the base is within the borders of Bourne, the town's school system provides education to families living there. And there is also precedent for schooling displaced children on the base. "We educate children of military families each year in our school buildings, and have also taken in refugee students in the past including, as an example, students displaced from Hurricane Katrina," Quinlan-Zhou said. "These students are educated in our school buildings as members of our school community." Story continues The school system's relationship with Joint Base Cape Cod "is extremely positive, and we are familiar with the process of collaborating with families residing there," Quinlan-Zhou said. During the 2021-2022 school year, the school system enrolled 111 students from the base compared with 179 students during the 2017-2018 school year. The school system is prepared to assist children whose first language is not English, Quinlan-Zhou said. How to help: Want to make a donation for migrants on Cape Cod military base? Waquoit Congregational Church provides translators as next steps are fleshed out Waquoit Congregational Church members have been at Joint Base Cape Cod since Friday when the 50 migrants who arrived on Martha's Vineyard unexpectedly last Wednesday were brought to the base for longer-term accommodations. The church, in Falmouth, has brought 10 or 12 Spanish-speaking members of the community to help with translation for the people housed at the base, many of whom don't speak English, the Rev. Nell Fields of Waquoit Congregational said. The Rev. Nell Fields is pastor of the Waquoit Congregational Church in Falmouth. The church is bringing Spanish-speaking community members to Joint Base Cape Cod to help migrants communicate their needs and their stories, Fields said. "We want our guests to know we welcome them," Fields said in a phone interview with the Times. Alongside translating for the professionals working with the migrants, volunteers from the church have been helping address other basic needs. On Friday, some of the men housed at the base said they were looking for a basketball hoop by Saturday, Fields was able to get one for them. "Our translators have been translating for the professionals working with the guests, including lawyers and medical professionals, but we also want to help with basic needs. We want to hear from them, to hear their stories," she said. 'We are here to help': Cape groups ready to support Mass. agencies assisting migrants The situation is still new for everyone at the base, migrants and volunteers alike, Fields said. It is unclear what the next steps are specifically for the 50 men, women and children there, but the main focus has been on providing legal assistance and allowing the migrants to rest. "We make the road by walking, were doing these next steps day by day," she said. "The big thing is start them on the legal journey. They all want to work, but they need the right permits to do that, so the legal professionals have been working at that." A migrant family makes their way on Friday to a bus that would transport them from St. Andrews church in Edgartown, Massassachusetts to Vineyard Haven, on their way to a military base on nearby Cape Cod. Fields said they have been speaking with the migrants about next steps for housing as well, identifying if they have relatives in the area they can stay with. "Its all so new for us, but in Falmouth, we want these guests to know they are welcome," she said. "They're well-cared for, too, I cannot say enough about how wonderful the state has been, and the vendors they've contracted for these people, and just the general response has been great." Attorneys for migrants call for criminal investigation A Boston-based legal organization for some of the migrants who arrived unexpectedly on Marthas Vineyard Wednesday is calling for authorities to probe the matter, saying its clients were induced to board airplanes and cross state lines under false pretenses. On Saturday, Lawyers for Civil Rights, which is representing about 30 of the approximately 50 South American migrants, sent letters to Attorney General Maura Healey and U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins calling for a criminal investigation. Individuals, working in concert with the Florida governor, made numerous false promises to our clients, including of work opportunities, schooling for their children, and immigration assistance, in order to induce them to travel, wrote Lawyers for Civil Rights. The migrants only learned they were being flown to Marthas Vineyard rather than Boston, as many had been told, when the flight was mid-air, according to Lawyers for Civil Rights. They were targeted based on race and national origin in order to make the political point they wanted, wrote the legal group. At the El Paso border: Rep. Henry Cuellar calls for more resources for migrants: 'We need solutions and not theater' The tactics used to get them on two chartered plans to Martha's Vineyard thwarted their clients ability to comply with federal immigration obligations, such as attending hearings and check-ins, and deprived them of liberty, said the group. They preyed on the vulnerability of our clients many of whom had suffered deep trauma in their home countries and on their journeys to the United States and exploited this vulnerability to win trust through false promises, wrote Lawyers for Civil Rights. The League of United Latin American Citizens has issued a 'wanted' poster, and a reward, for information leading to the identification and arrest of a woman who migrants brought to Martha's Vineyard said lured them there with false promises. Civil rights group offers reward for Perla. Migrants say she offered false promises of jobs, housing Before boarding chartered planes that brought them to Martha's Vineyard on Wednesday, migrants from South America mostly from Venezuela said they were approached in San Antonio, Texas, by a woman named "Perla," who said they'd be given jobs and housing when they arrived. Now, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the country's oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, is looking for her, and any others who are working with her. DOJ contacted: Massachusetts seeks human trafficking probe targeting Florida Gov. DeSantis over migrants The organization on Saturday afternoon issued a nationwide plea, and a $5,000 reward, for information leading to the identification and arrest of the woman. "LULAC is taking this action of offering a $5,000 reward to help stop the deliberate and possible illegal actions of deceiving people by enticement," LULAC National President Domingo Garcia said in a statement, According to Garcia, many of the migrants who found themselves on Martha's Vineyard on Sept. 15 told him and other LULAC representatives who traveled to the island on Friday that the woman had enticed them with promises of free housing and three months of work if they took the flight. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken credit for the transfer. Garcia said Perla described as being "light-complected" with blonde hair, and accompanied by a man in a white truck approached the migrants in San Antonio, Texas, near the Migrant Resource Center. LULAC representatives are at work this weekend canvassing San Antonio in search of the woman, and putting up "wanted" posters in areas where she has been reported working. LULAC is instructing anyone with information to call 214-941-8300 or to email domingo@dgley.com. Massachusetts politicians asking for investigations On Sunday, state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, D-Woods Hole, tweeted that "we are requesting that the Department of Justice open an investigation to hold DeSantis & others accountable for these inhumane acts." Four days earlier, two charter planes holding about 50 migrants, many from Venezuela, landed on Martha's Vineyard without a place to stay or immediate connections to anyone on the island. Venezuelan migrants: They share their stories before leaving Martha's Vineyard. What they said After news of the planes arriving on Martha's Vineyard broke, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' communications director 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...'" We are requesting that the Department of Justice open an investigation to hold DeSantis & others accountable for these inhumane acts. Not only is it morally criminal, there are legal implications around fraud, kidnapping, deprivation of liberty, and human trafficking. Dylan Fernandes (@RepDylan) September 18, 2022 On Friday, the state offered migrants who wanted to leave Martha's Vineyard transportation to the military base. The base is home to five military agencies and at least 2,000 residents, according to the base website. "Not only is it morally criminal, there are legal implications around fraud, kidnapping, deprivation of liberty, and human trafficking," Fernandes said in his Tweet Sunday. In another tweet, he said he had spoken with U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins and is "grateful to hear she is pushing for a response from the DOJ." On Friday, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, called for a federal investigation into the funds Florida used to pay for the migrants' unexpected transfer. More: Can Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket prepare for more migrants? Here's what officials say In a letter to U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Inspector General, he and members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation urged the office to review whether Florida improperly used interest earned on federal COVID-19 relief funds to relocate the migrants, saying it "effectively (used) COVID-19 relief to score political points by exploiting vulnerable immigrants." According to reports, Florida has used federal funds intended to help communities recover from the coronavirus pandemic for an inhumane program to transport newly arrived immigrants, the lawmakers wrote. We believe this program misuses federal COVID-19 relief funds and violates federal law. Florida's legislature approved $12 million to fund shipping migrants out of Florida. The letter asks that the office investigate Florida and take "all necessary action," including potentially rescinding any misused funds. Video released of housing for migrants at Cape Cod base The Baker-Polito administration released on Sunday a video and photographs of interior views of housing available at Joint Base Cape Cod for migrants staying there, but the administration offered no media access on Sunday to the base. Organizers have created specific housing areas for families who will remain as a unit, women, and any person with specific needs including medical care. Dedicated space will allow for safety, security, and privacy, according to the release. Joint Base Cape Cod is set up dormitory-style to help keep migrant families together, women and anybody with specific needs, including medical care, according to a press release on Sunday from Gov. Charlie Baker's office. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is coordinating efforts among state and local officials to provide food, shelter, and essential services for the men, women, and children. Gov. Charlie Baker activated 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to help. The agency will continue to work with state agencies and nonprofit organizations to provide people and families with access to services including clothing and hygiene kits, food and drink, healthcare, bilingual staff and Interpreter services, and more, according to the release. All immediate needs are being met through existing resources provided by state partners and the voluntary organizations. Unsolicited volunteers and donations cannot be accepted at Joint Base Cape Cod, according to the release. People and organizations looking to support emergency relief efforts should send an email to the Massachusetts Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters at MAVOAD@gmail.com, according to the release. Cape Cod organizations mobilizing to help migrants Cape Cod and other organizations in the region are joining forces to help the 50 migrants, including four families, who are now being housed at Joint Base Cape Cod after unexpectedly finding themselves on Marthas Vineyard. Alisa Magnotta, chief executive officer of the Housing Assistance Corporation in Hyannis, said her staff will work with Father Bills & MainSpring in Brockton to help figure out next steps regarding shelter assistance and permanent housing options. Punish sanctuary states, derail asylum: Legal questions swirl around DeSantis' migrant relocation effort Her organization will collect money to relocate people and to find housing as well as funds for everyday essentials, she said. The agency is also searching for drivers who are fluent and native Spanish-speaking volunteers. Community members can sign up to help at hac@capecod.org. "They have nothing so we are working hard to start putting resources together," she said. Permanent housing options can be developed once the state evaluates individual family needs, said John Yazwinski, chief executive officer and president of Father Bills. Migrants may have family in Massachusetts or other parts of the U.S., he said. Father Bills is a nonprofit that offers programs that provide emergency and permanent housing and help people obtain skills, jobs, housing, and services. Yazwinski recalled helping displaced people temporarily at the base during Hurricane Katrina and the Haitian earthquakes and sending them to other areas where they felt supported. "Right now we are trying to listen to them and understand what they need," he said. "Just because they are from another country doesn't mean they don't have connections to people either in Massachusetts or in other parts of the country." Julian Cyr: Elected officials not expected to visit Joint Base Cape Cod this weekend "The most important thing is that these folks get the attention and care that they need from the professionals who are setting this up," Massachusetts State Senator Julian Cyr said in a Saturday interview with the Times. "Im not traveling to the base today and dont plan to do so over the weekend." There was an agreement that all of the electors would stay away, honestly, Cyr said. What officials say: Can Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket prepare for more migrants? "We are just really making sure to deploy a whole host of resources regarding medical care, legal services, social services, volunteers from several Cape churches and nonprofits that are providing food," he said. The plan is to give the migrants "some space to receive these services of care and legal services and at a later date we will go back to the base at some point," Cyr said. Everyones exhausted, he said. Martha's Vineyard GoFundMe fundraiser for migrants closes A GoFundMe fundraising campaign on Marthas Vineyard closed on Friday after raising $43,191 to help about 50 migrants who landed Wednesday at the Vineyard airport with nowhere to stay and no connections or support on the island. The verified, certified charity GoFundMe fundraiser entitled Urgent plea to help Martha's Vineyard migrants was organized on behalf of the Marthas Vineyard Community Foundation, according to a GoFundMe press release. Organizer Sarah Goulet disabled the fundraiser, which had 465 donors, when the migrants left the island on Friday, according to the site. Thank you to everyone who donated. All funds raised went directly to the MV Community Foundation, to distribute to the organizations with the most need, the fundraiser stated on the site. The mission of the foundation is to put charitable contributions to work for the people of Marthas Vineyard by making grants that address community priorities. The Vineyard foundation is talking with a similar foundation on Cape Cod and intends to work collaboratively to see that money raised would go to Cape and Island organizations that have or are helping the migrants, Martha's Vineyard Community Foundation Executive Director Emily Bramhall said Saturday in a phone interview with the Times. More information will likely come on Monday, Bramhall said. Mass. Attorney General Healey issues statement about Venezuelan migrants On Friday afternoon Attorney General Maura Healey issued a statement on an estimated 50 migrants arrival by plane on Wednesday on Martha's Vineyard: I am proud of how our state has responded to this situation. Our office is joining with the Governor, federal, state, and community leaders to offer services and help those who have arrived here find a safe place to stay while determining next steps. This is yet another example of why we need comprehensive federal immigration reform in this country. The people: Venezuelan migrants share their stories before leaving Martha's Vineyard. What they said The attorney general's office is focused on helping the migrant families who arrived in Massachusetts and supporting the local community, according to a spokesperson. The office has been in regular communication with partners to provide assistance and resources in any way the office can. The office continues to gather information about what happened. On Saturday, Healey, the Democratic nominee for governor, intended to be in Springfield and South Boston, according to a published schedule. Moved to Joint Base Cape Cod, a five-agency military base with at least 2,000 residents The approximately 50 migrants who were flown to Martha's Vineyard have been moved to Joint Base Cape Cod, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promises to fly or bus more undocumented immigrants north. Since Wednesday, Massachusetts town, county and state officials have been trying to figure out how to house, feed, and transition a group of mostly Venezuelans who were flown from Texas to Massachusetts. DeSantis use money from the Florida state budget to pay for the flights. The reaction: Massachusetts, Florida and Texas politicians react to migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard The Venezuelan migrants arrived on the island with paperwork that listed mandatory court dates in places as far away as Tacoma, Washington, some scheduled as early as Monday, according to Rachel Self, an immigration attorney who lives on Marthas Vineyard and met with some of the migrants. Federal agents had listed their addresses as homeless shelters across the country, she said. Were working on some longer-term housing solutions, as well, said state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, D-Wood Hole, shortly after the bus departed for the base, migrants waving through the darkly-tinted windows. This is what good government actually looks like and this is what compassionate government actually looks like, he said. I couldnt be prouder of the people of Marthas Vineyard and Cape Cod for their incredible work here, and I couldnt be prouder to be from the state of Massachusetts to have a state team that pulled this together so quickly. Recapping what we knew Friday: Migrants move from Martha's Vineyard plus did DeSantis hint flight to donors Increasing numbers of Venezuelans are crossing the southern border A majority of Venezuelans who have arrived at the Texas border in recent months crossed through Border Patrols Del Rio Sector the same area that a year ago became the site of a large migrant encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande, according to the El Paso Times. In the first 10 months of fiscal 2022, CBP encountered or apprehended more than 130,000 Venezuelan nationals, up from more than 50,000 Venezuelans encountered or apprehended in fiscal 2021. A Cape Cod resident shares her story: Venezuelans migrating to the U.S. and now to Martha's Vineyard: 'Out of desperation' A view from Texas: El Paso struggles to keep up with Venezuelan migrants: 5 key things to know What is Gov. Ron DeSantis saying 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. A political move: Why is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard? What we know about the flights 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." 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." Read more on what Florida governor says: Gov. Ron DeSantis relishes left's response to Florida-funded flights to Martha's Vineyard "'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. What the group will find waiting at Cape Cod military base 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. Besides having a place to sleep, they will be provided with clothing and toiletries kits, and food. They will 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. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is working with various organizations to provide these services. Immigrant vs Migrant: Here's the difference in the meaning of the words "Immigrants generally are people who move to a different country with the intention of settling there," according to the Associated Press Stylebook. "This term, rather than migrants, is most commonly used for people established in the U.S., which usually is their final destination. It also is used when another specific country is the final destination." "Migrants generally are people who are on the move, sometimes for economic reasons, either within one country or across borders," according to the Stylebook. "The term migrant also may be used for those whose reason for leaving their home country is not clear, or to cover people who may also be refugees or asylum-seekers." Lisa BelCastro and Rachel Self became the spokespeople on the island Lisa BelCastro lives on Marthas Vineyard with her family, and is the winter shelter coordinator for Harbor Homes Marthas Vineyard. Harbor Homes offers homeless prevention programs and services for low-income residents. Rachel Self is an immigration and criminal defense lawyer based in Boston. Self is a legal analyst for the Fox News Channel and CNN, according to her website. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Live updates on migrants who are now at Joint Base Cape Cod Palm Trees Near the Hollywood Bowl Catch Fire Following Sound of Music Sing-along Palm trees near the Hollywood Bowl caught on fire Saturday evening as an audience was leaving the venue following a Sound of Music sing-along concert. Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) responded quickly to the scene and posted an update on Twitter, writing, "We're pleased to say the @HollywoodBowl is not endangered, and no injuries have been reported." "A trio of @LAFD fire companies are on scene handling," the organization continued. That somewhat stubborn fire near the @HollywoodBowl, our 1,423rd emergency of the day, thankfully involves only vegetation, and has not risen to the level of issuing an @LAFD ALERT. #LAFD Talk (@LAFDtalk) September 18, 2022 RELATED: Midair Plane Crash Leaves 3 Dead in Colorado The department added that the incident "involves only vegetation" and was their "1,423rd emergency of the day." LAFD also requested that the California Highway Patrol would close down one lane of the freeway traffic during the evening, per ABC7. Stunning scene here as crowd streams out of the Hollywood Bowl - firefighters seemed to be on scene immediately and fire now appears under control. pic.twitter.com/zBRn1a5Xs2 Alex Silverman (@AlexSilverman) September 18, 2022 Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Chinese pianist Lang Lang performs at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the United States, on Sept. 15, 2022. Lang Lang performed iconic Disney melodies in a concert Thursday night at Hollywood Bowl, an amphitheatre in Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. (Photo by Gao Shan/Xinhua via Getty Images) Gao Shan/Xinhua via Getty The cause of the fire has not been revealed. The LAFD did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment. Director of News & Programming at KNX News, Alex Silverman, tweeted photos from the location, writing, "Stunning scene here as crowd streams out of the Hollywood Bowl - firefighters seemed to be on scene immediately and fire now appears under control." Electric and gas prices will likely increase as Xcel Energy seeks to raise rates in line with the price of natural gas, which has reached a 15 (AFP via Getty Images) South Africa captain Siya Kolisi believes the only thing that has changed in his sides game following back-to-back Rugby Championship wins over Australia and Argentina is their execution in the opponents 22. The Springboks scored five tries to secure a crucial bonus-point 36-20 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday and draw level with New Zealand on 14 points at the top of the table to keep alive their hopes of regaining the title they last won in 2019. The 2022 season had been characterised by a lack of composure and precision in attack, something coach Jacques Nienaber has repeatedly highlighted. But their 24-8 win over the Wallabies in Sydney and their victory this weekend suggest improvements have been made in both areas. Nothing has changed in the way we play, it is just about executing, Kolisi told reporters. If we stick to the plan, we know our system will give us these opportunities to score. In the past couple of games we have taken those chances. Our mindset was to come here and get maximum points. We want to win the Rugby Championship and knew we had to pitch up for the game. It was a very good win against a very good Argentina side. The Boks were rocked in the build-up to the match by online reports that a South African Sunday newspaper will reveal allegations of recreational drug taking by certain unnamed players in the squad. This was taken so seriously by South African Rugby that they released a statement calling the allegations unsubstantiated and denying any player had tested positive for a banned substance. It was quite disturbing, the timing of it, five hours before a match like this, Nienaber said. Im stunned that allegations like that can be made against this team. We are sometimes tested three times a week in South Africa. I can assure you we are one of the most tested teams. There has not been one positive test since we have been together this year. South Africa host Argentina in Durban next Saturday, while New Zealand welcome Australia to Auckland. While campaigning for Republican U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance Saturday, former President Donald Trump mocked him, telling a rally in Ohio that Vance was trying to get into his good graces. "J.D. is kissing my ass. Of course, he wants my support," Trump said. The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance, he added. Trump said that Vance fell in love with him the same way North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did. "This is a great person who I've really gotten to know," Trump said of Vance. "Yeah, he said some bad things about me, but that was before he knew me and then he fell in love. Remember, I said that about Kim Jong Un he fell in love, and they said, 'Oh, Trump was saying he fell in love.' Actually, he did." He told the crowd that the choice in November is between voting for Democrats assuring the continued destruction of America or voting for Republicans in order to save the country. J.D. Vance, the Republican running in Ohio's U.S. Senate race, is seen Aug. 29, 2022, in Mansfield, Ohio. Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Ohio on Sept. 17 to support Vance. Trump midterms: Investigations may help Donald Trump politically and that may hurt the Republican Party Latest on Vance: In key US Senate race in Ohio, Democrat Tim Ryan leads Republican JD Vance by a point: Suffolk poll Vance is running against U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan. During his hourlong speech, Trump touched on what he called politically motivated investigations and the "weaponization of the Justice Department," and the Afghanistan withdrawal. He also repeated his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen: "I ran twice, and won twice." Vance is running against Ryan for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Trump last visited Ohio in April to rally supporters behind the "Hillbilly Elegy" author amid a divisive GOP primary that surfaced Vance's past criticisms of the former president. "Hillbilly Elegy" portrayed Vance's rural Midwestern upbringing and made him a media voice of the white working-class during the 2016 presidential election. Last year, upon announcing his candidacy, Vance pushed back on accusation of flip-flopping. In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, he said he didn't take the former president seriously at first but always believed in his agenda. Story continues "I just didnt think this guy would actually deliver on it, and he proved me wrong," Vance told the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau in July 2021. Contributing: Record-Courier Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally Aug. 5, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: At Ohio rally, Trump says J.D. Vance is trying to get on his good side The Augusta congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Church held a phone bank training Saturday as part of the Unitarian Universalist Associations national effort to increase voter turnout. The nonpartisan groups UU The Vote project is targeting twelve states including Georgia. Events are taking place in Augusta, Athens and Lawrenceville. Election: Celebrity candidates are running in the 2022 Georgia election. Will fame alone be enough? More: We can protect 2nd Amendment and 2nd graders, Abrams tells Augustans at rally The association intends make contact with four million voters by November, letting them know how to register, where and when to vote. The last day to register to vote in the November election is Oct. 11. This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Georgia Unitarian churches begin phone bank to register voters HELD ON SEPTEMBER 8TH, THE FORUM EXPLORED THE "SOURCE OF JIANGNAN" IN DEQING, HUZHOU Hangzhou, China--(Newsfile Corp. - September 17, 2022) - Xinhua Daily Telegraph has proudly announced that it has successfully co-organized the South-China Culture Heritage and Development (Deqing) Forum on September 8th, 2022, at the bank of Mogan Mountain. The forum was co-sponsored by Xinhua Daily Telegraph, Propaganda Department of Huzhou Municipal Committee and Deqing County Government. Deqing County's "South-China Source" Cultural Research Center was unveiled, and more than ten experts and scholars from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Zhejiang University and other institutions exchanged views on the origin of South-China culture. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8457/137273_c9282c93b4ff2877_001full.jpg "To study Jiangnan culture, regional human geography should be grasped," said Ge Jianxiong, a Senior Professor at Fudan University, while sharing his thoughts at the forum. "Hangjiahu, where Deqing is located, is a transitional zone between hills and plains and when people chose to settle down in the early days, they chose such a place with the advantages of hills and plains," he added. According to Professor Ge, many early sites are also located in these areas, where rich resources provide a fairly rich material foundation for the development of economy and culture. He also added that it is even more necessary for the people to continue to carry forward, inherit and develop South-China culture in a down-to-earth manner on the basis of the heritage left by history. "In recent years, there are more and more academic institutions studying South-China culture and I believe that today, we should look at Jiangnan culture in the context of globalization, not just as a historical thing, but also as a contribution to human civilization," said Professor Liu Shilin, Dean of Urban Science Research Institute of Shanghai Jiaotong University. Professor Liu also believes that under the background of the global ecological crisis and the intensification of social contradictions, the original and carried cultural wisdom of the Chinese nation, including Jiangnan culture, can make it possible to build an inclusive and sustainable production and life style. Story continues The Head of Deqing Country Wang Bo, while representing the local government said that the government is implementing the 'Source Culture' traceability project. He also said that the administration will focus on building a comprehensive exhibition area of "Source Culture" in the South of the Yangtze River by integrating the functional carriers of urban culture, such as county museums and archaeological sites parks, etc. Deqing has a superior geographical location, natural endowment, and profound cultural heritage, where famous mountains, wetlands and ancient towns converge. The area also has the ability to prevent wind, make jade, cast swords, make porcelain, raise pearls, repair history and compose poems. Company: Xinhua Daily Telegraph Contact: Wang Na Email: 476270532@qq.com URL: https://h.xinhuaxmt.com/vh512/share/11104064?d=1348bed&channel=weixin To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/137273 Time to celebrate a new spot for Black culture in the Central District If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. Your morning rundown of the latest news from overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. OMAHA Omaha is moving forward with a plan to turn human waste into green energy, and make millions of dollars in the process. With a $20 million investment approved last month, one of the citys wastewater treatment plants will increase its ability to turn the waste into renewable natural gas, also known as biogas. The project will allow the city to profit off its biogas production and contribute to the renewable energy market. Its a big step for Omaha on climate initiatives and moving toward net zero emissions, said David Sykora, plant manager. Since 1977, Omahas Papillion Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility has operated in Sarpy County just north of where the Platte River meets the Missouri River. Simply put, the plants purpose is to take dirty water and make it clean, Sykora said. All day, every day, wastewater from thousands of homes is treated at the facility. The amount of dirty water that flows to the plant each day could fill up to 100 Olympic-size swimming pools. Water comes into the facility through a collection system and is separated by solids and liquids. Both are stabilized and refined to state and federal standards before waste is turned into fertilizer for farm fields and water is pumped into the Missouri River. Jim Theiler, assistant public works director, compares the process to a big human digestive system. There are liquids and solids the plant disposes of, just like a human, Theiler said. And there are large amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. For years, the facility has used the gas internally to heat the plant. Now, with the $20 million project, the facility aims to capture more gas, refine it and sell it to Black Hills Energy. In 2021, the plant produced enough electricity to power about 1,000 homes. Through the biogas project, officials estimate that the renewable natural gas produced by the plant each year will be enough to meet the yearly heating needs of 4,000 Nebraska households. The City of Omaha has approved a nearly $20.2 million contract with All Purpose Construction to build the infrastructure needed for the project, including an expansion and updates to the gas pipeline and a biogas building. Sewer revenue bonds will be issued to help finance the project. Facility leaders hope to have the project up and running by spring 2024. Once in operation, the Public Works Department expects to see a profit of $4 million to $5 million annually from the project making the citys investment back within five years. The use of biogas as a sellable energy source by water treatment plants has gained popularity in recent years, Theiler said. The City of Lincoln in early 2021 completed its own biogas project in partnership with Black Hills Energy and has since used the gas to produce vehicle fuel. Lincolns project is estimated to generate $2.6 million each year, recouping the citys project costs in just more than three years, according to Black Hills Energy. Lincolns successful project is an example of what is possible in Omaha, Sykora said. To be one of the first places in Nebraska to take this step I think is pretty exciting, Sykora said. Theres a lot of different options that this will provide the city of Omaha. We want to be a utility of the future. PM Narendra Modi yesterday, on September 17, released eight African Cheetahs in Madhya Pradeshs Kuno National Park. As part of the first-of-its-kind transcontinental mission, a special customized Boeing 747-400 jumbo aircraft landed in Namibia to get Namibian Cheetahs back to Indian territory after being extinct for over 70 years. As Delhi traffic police have been on a roll with its memes to promote road safety through its social media campaign, this time as well Delhi traffic police left no stone unturned. To spread awareness about overspeeding and its repercussions, Delhi traffic police took to Twitter but with a twist. Delhi Traffic police tweeted a short video of a Cheetah running at its best speed, where it mentioned Only speed we admire is Cheetahs If you Overspeed you might get a welcome at our police station read the text on the video. Remember, you are not Cheetah! read the caption of the tweet. Netizens soon took over the comments sections with positive and humourous remarks. To bring down road crashes in the country, the Delhi traffic police have been trying everything in their power, from creating awareness through memes to Delhi Traffic Police on September 14 launched a drive to intensify road safety awareness in the national capital. As a step to push people to wear rear seat belts, Delhi traffic police issued a challan to a total of 17 people with a penalty of Rs 1,000 on the first day of the special drive. Also read: Road Safety: Delhi Traffic Police suggests THIS action to reduce road crashes The traffic police conducted checks on Barakhamba Road near Connaught Place in central Delhi to ensure compliance. The drive comes after former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry (54) died in a road accident in Maharashtra's Palghar district on September 4. According to police, Mistry, who was sitting in the rear, was not wearing a seatbelt. The value of cars being stolen in Denver. More than 85% of stolen cars are worth less than $25,000. New Delhi: Director of massive hits such as Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai, Ali Abbas Zafar is known for giving some groundbreaking blockbusters. Now, he is all set to double the action and engagement with yet another freshly-curated human heist thriller Jogi. Produced by Himanshu Mehra and Ali Abbas Zafar Jogi has released on Netflix and within just a day's release and has gained a lot of appreciation from the netizens. Several B-Town celebs like Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and others took it to social media to share their eagerness to watch this gripping thriller coming from the ace director and we are excited too! Lets look at the appreciation received by the film from celebs - Akshay Kumar Khiladi Kumar shared a story with the film's poster on social media and captioned it, "My binge watch for this weekend is fixed! All the best @aliabbaszafar, @diljitdosanjh and Team Jogi." Katrina Kaif Katrina Kaif also took to her Instagram in praise of the film and wrote, "Looking amazing, super talents in this one @aliabbaszafar - @netflix_in" . Kriti Sanon Kriti Sanon also showered praises on the film and said, "Had loved the trailer @aliabbaszafar! Watching it soon!! #Jogi streaming now! Goodluck @diljitdosanjh and the entire team!" Check out the trailer here - Ali Abbas Zafar is known for roping his audience in his gripping action-packed thrillers and giving some fresh content every time. Starring Diljit Dosanjh as the lead actor in the historical thriller, Jogi has turned out to be a sleeper hit coming from producer duo Himanshu Mehra & Ali Abbas Zafar. New Delhi: Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan is known for his amazing dance moves and hard-hitting action sequences. During the `Alcoholia` song launch event, on Saturday, he revealed that the doctors had restricted him from doing action or dance films before the release of his first film `Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai` in 2000. Hrithik is currently busy promoting his upcoming action thriller film `Vikram Vedha`, which is a very special film for the `War` actor, as it's the 25th film of his career. During a recent song launch event, Hrithik talked about his journey and said, "Before the release of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai my doctors had told me that my health condition is not so good that I can do action films and dance films. I took this diagnosis as a challenge and focused on my health and fitness. I learnt how to do my work to the best of my abilities and I`m just happy to be here standing in front of you`ll today. It is nothing short of a miracle for me that in my 25th film, I`m still doing action and I`m still dancing and I`m still being able to say my dialogues. I think the 21-year-old me would be very proud of this me, today." He further added, "Thank you to my audience, it wouldn`t have been possible without your love & support. And nothing would be possible without the (Vikram Vedha) team, I`m blessed to be working with directors that I trust, Ganesh Hegde, Vishal-Shekhar .. this song would not be what it is if it wasn`t for this team. And I`ve had this opportunity to work with some of the best actors, I just consider myself very fortunate." Makers of the upcoming action thriller `Vikram Vedha` on Saturday unveiled the first song of the film `Alcoholia`. Taking to Instagram, Hrithik Roshan shared a glimpse of the song which he captioned, "#VedhaKaRuab hua rangeela .. #Alcoholia Song out now." Alcoholia song out now - In the music video, the `Krrish` actor could be seen dancing with his gang at a local bar in a rustic look. Helmed by director duo Pushkar and Gayatri, the film also stars Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte in the lead roles and is slated to hit the theatres on September 30, 2022. Watch Vikram Vedha trailer - The song gives a glimpse of Vedha`s `Mad` dance, as he is seen letting loose and dancing to the song that has a desi vibe.`Alcoholia` is sung by Vishal-Shekhar, Snigdhajit Bhowmik, and Ananya Chakraborty. The music is given by the hit duo Vishal-Shekhar while the lyrics are written by Manoj Muntashir. London: A couple of Vietnam, who claimed themselves as hackers, has wiped off the large amount of data of British hotels chain, Intercontinental Hotels Group for fun. The couple said that they first tried to release a ransonware in the servers of the hotels chain, however, their plan was thwarted. Then they decided to wipe off large amount of data by releasing a wiper attack. (ALSO READ: Good news! SBI waives off SMS charges from Mobile fund transfers; Read details) The IHG group confirmed on Tuesday that it had been hacked. Booking channels and other applications have been significantly disrupted since yesterday, it informed to investors in filing with the London stock exhchange. (ALSO READ: Google accidentally SENT Rs 2 crore to a hacker, Read HOW Google reacted after it) In order to prove their involvement in the breach, the hackers, going by the handle TeaPea, contacted the BBC using the secure messaging service Telegram. The hackers claimed to gain the access to the most sensitive parts of Intercontinental Hotels chains system which was extremely weak. Ironically, the hackers didnt feel any guilt about their act and the damage it caused to the hotel group. "We don't feel guilty, really," one of them told the BBC. "We prefer to have a legal job here in Vietnam but the wage is average $300 per month. I'm sure our hack won't hurt the company a lot." UK-based IHG has 6000 hotels across the world, with various subsidiaries Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Regent brands. What is a Wiper attack? It's a malicious software whose aim is to delete or erase the data of the host or targeted location. It is another form of malicious softwares that are used by hackers to impede the smooth process of systems. Stay tuned to Zee News for more on Cyber News New Delhi: Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, "600" brands will be required to remove their Royal Warrant from products, including Cadbury, Mason teas, Burberry raincoats, and Fortnum. In exchange for selling goods and services to the royals, a Royal Warrant allows businesses to use the royal coat of arms on products and in marketing. Since the Queen's death, the warrant has become null and void, as it automatically expires upon the death of the Royal who issued it. If the companies do not receive the new monarch's approval, they will have two years to remove the seal that designates them as the sovereign's preferred supplier. In his previous role as the Prince of Wales, King Charles - Britain's new monarch - had issued his own royal warrants to over 150 brands. The Royal Warrant Holders Association was quoted by news agency AFP as saying that holders get "the right to display the appropriate royal arms on their product, packaging, stationery, advertising, premises, and vehicles." Fortnum and Mason have a long and close relationship with the royal family, having created Royal Blend tea in 1902 for King Edward VII. They were Queen Elizabeth's appointed grocers and provision merchants, as well as the Prince of Wales' appointed tea merchants and grocers. "We are proud to have held Her Majesty's warrant since 1954, and to have served her and the royal household throughout her life," the luxury London department store stated. The Dubonnet wine-based aperitif the key ingredient in her favourite cocktail of Dubonnet and gin was one of the other brands that benefited from their association with Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 96 at her remote summer residence in Scotland, Balmoral Castle. On Monday, the people of the United Kingdom will relive the Queen's glorious life and legacy at her state funeral. Several guests, ranging from political heads of state to specific royal family members and dignitaries from around the world, will travel to the UK for the funeral. Saudi Arabia: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal met Saudi Arabia`s Minister of Commerce and the Minister of Information in charge Majid Alkassabi on Sunday and discussed ways to attract investment in order to boost the economic ties between New Delhi and Riyadh. (ALSO READ: Messaging app Telegram rolls out FEATURE including Infinite reactions, more) Taking to Twitter, Union Minister said, "Strengthening India-Saudi ties Had a fruitful meeting with H.E. @malkassabi, Minister of Commerce, KSA. Discussed ways to attract greater investment and further diversify bilateral trade to boost economic ties between India and Saudi Arabia. (ALSO READ: Grand Theft Auto 6 footages leaked: Here's HOW netizens reacts on Twitter) On the same day, Goyal met the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Khalid Alsalem and identified a range of mutually beneficial opportunities to further strengthen economic cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia. The Union Minister, who is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, will co-chair the inaugural ministerial meeting of the economic and investments committee with Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia Abdul Aziz Bin Salman. This Ministerial Committee is one of the two Ministerial verticals established under the framework of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council, which is headed at the highest level by the Prime Minister of India and the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.The two Ministers are expected to discuss the progress made under the various Joint Working Groups of the Economic and Investment committee, according to an official statement released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Both sides are expected to formulate a plan of action for further strengthening bilateral cooperation in an array of priority areas and projects, including the West Coast Refinery Project, Trans-ocean grid connectivity, Green Hydrogen, Food security, energy security and pharmaceuticals; and accelerate progress on the announcement made by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, during his visit to India in February 2019, of investments worth USD 100 billion in India. India and Saudi Arabia`s relations are defined by a forward-looking strategic partnership that encompasses all major areas of cooperation. Economic ties are a pivotal pillar of this partnership. India is the second largest trade partner of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia is India`s fourth largest trade partner. The visit to Saudi Arabia, one of its strategic partners of India, will add further impetus to this dynamic and ever-growing strategic partnership, and pave the way for new areas of cooperation that will further strengthen commercial and trade ties between the two countries. Biswanath: Seventeen Bangladeshis, including a "religious preacher", were arrested from a remote location in Assam's Biswanath district on Saturday on charges of violating visa norms, a senior police officer said. Those arrested had previously visited religious places in other parts of India, the officer said. Biswanath superintendent of police Navin Singh told PTI that the group was apprehended from the Baghmari area of the district. They had reached Biswanath on September 13 by bus from Cooch Behar district in West Bengal and were engaged in "religious preaching", he said. "Syed Ashraful Alam, a preacher, was leading the group", with the other members being his "followers", the SP said. "The religious preacher was engaged in spreading his teachings in remote areas of Baghmari and had already taken 500 people there as his disciples. Also Read: Assam, West Bengal to have Bharat Jodo Yatra; Congress MP Jairam Ramesh calls it Booster dose for the party The police officer said the group had visited other religious places like Ajmer Sharif before coming to Assam. "We had a tip-off that these 17 people were engaging in activities like religious preaching, which is not allowed by foreigners entering on a tourist visa. We verified the information and arrested them," Singh added. New Delhi: The AAP is resorting to the "old drama" it does before every state poll, the BJP said on Sunday and accused Arvind Kejriwal of glorifying corruption, hours after the Delhi chief minister claimed the ruling party in Gujarat is rattled. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra termed Kejriwal a "megalomaniac" who is considering himself god after winning power in two states. He always claims before a state poll that his party is winning and others are rattled, Patra said. It seems Kejriwal's certificate on honesty and dishonesty is more important than that of the judiciary, he said. Taking a swipe at Kejriwal, the BJP spokesperson said it was a matter of "surprise" that the AAP leader did not say that US president Joe Biden was also afraid of him. The AAP has "disintegrated" in Himachal Pradesh and its president in Uttarakhand quit the party even though Kejriwal made tall claims about his party's prospects in these states, Patra said. Hitting back at Kejriwal for claiming that his party was "kattar imandaar" (hardcore honest), he said it was in fact "kattar beimaan'" and corrupt. No government has seen so many of its ministers resigning due to various charges in such a short period as has the AAP dispensation, Patra said citing Jitender Singh Tomar and Sandeep Kumar among others. The leader who took "commission" from liquor trade compares himself to "Kanha" (Lord Krishna), he said and called him "bayan bahadur" (one who talks big), the BJP spokesperson said and accused the Delhi chief minister of "glorifying" corruption. Also Read: PM Modi's advisor has warned TV channels not to give coverage to AAP in Gujarat: Kejriwal Earlier in the day, Kejriwal launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, accusing them of trying to "crush" the AAP in the name of fighting corruption as they feared a defeat in Gujarat polls. Addressing the first-ever national conclave of his party's elected representatives, Kejriwal also alleged that the Modi government has been trying to frame his party ministers and leaders in false corruption cases as the BJP is "not able to digest the growing popularity of the AAP in Gujarat". New Delhi: A day after Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that "Gujarat is no Pakistan" amid a row over the shifting of the Vendanta-Foxconn project to the neighbouring state, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday (September 17, 2022) hit back at him and asked if Maharashtra is Pakistan. "Is Maharashtra Pakistan that you drove the project to Gujarat? What mistake has the youth of Maharashtra done?," Aaditya, a former minister, said. Fadnavis on Friday had said that the neighbouring state was "no Pakistan", and had accused the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of graft. "Gujarat is no Pakistan. It is our brother. This is a healthy competition. We want to get ahead of Karnataka, and everyone. The Opposition's policy was to stop everything, and with such policy, Maharashtra could not beat Gujarat," the BJP leader had said. The Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government has been facing the heat after the announcement earlier this week that the joint venture semiconductor project of the Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, proposed to be set up near Pune city earlier, will come up in Gujarat now. The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress, all constituents of the MVA, have been cornering the Shinde-BJP government over the Rs 1.54 lakh crore plant going to Gujarat. ALSO READ | Shinde reacts to Maharashtra losing semiconductor project to Gujarat: 'MVA govt didn't...' AP EAMCET 2022: Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture, Medical Common Entrance Test or AP EAMCET 2022 Counselling is currently underway and is being conducted by Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education, APSCHE. Today - September 18, 2022 is the last date to change EAPCET Options. Candidates can utilise the EAMCET Option changing facility now on the official website -cets.apsche.ap.gov.in. The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) is conducting the AP EAPCET counselling 2022 to offer admission to candidates in BE, BTech and Pharmacy courses for the academic session 2022-23. The AP EAPCET 2022 seat allotment result will be declared on September 22. Candidates are allowed to appear for self-joining and reporting at allotted colleges between September 23 and September 27, 2022. The classwork for AP EAPCET passed candidates will be commenced on September 26. AP EAMCET 2022 Options: Here's how to change Candidates must visit the official website of Andhra Pradesh Engineering Agriculture Medical Common Entrance Test - cets.apsche.ap.gov.in. On the homepage, click on the Change in Options link. A new page would open where you have to enter your login credentials as asked. Your AP EAMCET options can now be changed. Save and submit them once done. Candidates would also need their login credentials like AP EAMCET hall ticket and other details to access their EAPCET forms for change of options. It should be noted that any changes made and submitted today will be viewed as final, and there won't be another chance to do so. New Delhi: A senior officer with the Bihar Police said on Sunday that a group of villagers in Katihar district attacked seven men in uniform, including two station house officers (SHOs). On Saturday, a group of villagers attacked the Pranpur Police Station, hours after the death of a man allegedly in custody. After 40-year-old Pramod Kumar Singh was discovered dead in the police station, locals went on a rampage and damaged vehicles parked on the premises. On Friday, this man was arrested for having bottles of liquor in dry Bihar. According to the senior officer, the two injured SHOs are Manitosh Kumar of Pranpur Police Station and Shailesh Kumar of Dandkohra Police Station. "All the injured policemen have been admitted to the district hospital in Katihar and their condition is stated to be stable. The situation is completely under control and our teams are camping in the area," Acting Superintendent of Police Daya Shankar said on Saturday. Also Read: Police, Army recover arms and ammunition is J&K's Uri He claimed that the body was discovered while police officers were preparing documents to bring Singh before a court. As word of Singh's death spread, villagers armed with sticks and iron rods attacked the police station, injuring officers. "The situation could only be brought under control after additional security personnel were called in from the nearest police stations," he quotes. According to the officer, Shailesh Kumar was among those dispatched from other police stations. Singh's body was sent for post-mortem examination, and a case was filed against those who attacked the cops, he said. On April 5, 2016, the state government banned the manufacture, trade, storage, transportation, sale, and consumption of liquor and made it a punishable offence for those who violated the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2016, which has since been amended several times. (With Agency Inputs) A representative of Bosch Vietnam speaks at a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on September 17, 2022. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Government Portal Foreign-invested firms expect the Vietnamese government to ensure a consistent business environment and offer transparent tax policies to secure long-term investment. During a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday, a representative of German engineering and electronics company Bosch in Vietnam pointed out the inconsistencies in legal regulations that make it difficult for them to invest in the country. "Quick changes in policy can make it difficult for both businesses and tax authorities to enforce and comply," he commented. The representative said after the 2019 inspection, the tax incentives that Bosch received were partially abolished as per regulations introduced after it made its first investment steps. Such changes went against investment protection terms specified in the Investment Law, he said. Referring to tax policy, a representative of Eurocham also said the top priority for European investors is transparency in tax law development. For many years, Vietnam has used corporate income tax incentives as a top priority for attracting investment. With the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to implement the global minimum tax rule in the near future, the Eurocham representative suggested that Vietnam could apply policies from Europe and other countries to directly support investors. Finance Minister Ho Duc Phuc said Vietnam has made many tax reforms. The common tax rate has been lowered by 5% to 20%, for instance. In some areas of investment incentives, the tax rate is currently 10%. Depending on the subject, the preferential tax rate can be 9% within 30 years. Some businesses can be exempt from taxes for the first six years, and have payable tax reduced by 50% in the next 13 years. "This is a very favorable mechanism," he said. Administrative procedures are also a concern among foreign business representatives in Vietnam. They complained the lengthy procedure is causing a lot of trouble and wasting time. Tim Evans, CEO of HSBC in Vietnam, said the average an investor needs is six to nine months to set up a business in Vietnam, while they expect the licensing time to be shortened to three months. Evans proposed state management agencies should have regular discussions with FDI enterprises to clarify regulations related to capital flow, financing, business establishment and incentives. The Eurocham representative also suggested the government should soon approve the Power Development Master Plan VIII to make way for the transition to green and clean energy projects in Vietnam. "We don't want to put a burden on the Vietnamese economy as well as raise electricity prices. We just want to have a specific roadmap for the energy transition," the Eurocham representative said. During the meeting, PM Chinh also pledged to create a safe and transparent investment environment and urged foreign companies to keep faith while doing business in Vietnam. Hajipur: A woman who went to pluck flowers with her son was shot and injured by bike-borne criminals in Hajipur in Vaishali district of Bihar. The incident occurred in the Barati OP area`s Andharavar village. The criminals shot the woman and then fled the scene as the police patrol car approached. The son assisted in transporting the injured woman to the Sadar Hospital. The woman is reportedly in critical condition. The police said, "Baby Devi (46), along with her son Manish, had left the house early in the morning to pluck flowers. Meanwhile, seeing the deserted area, three criminals riding a bike tried to snatch the mobile from the mother and son. Then seeing the police patrol vehicle approaching, the criminals shot the woman and fled from the spot." The injured woman was taken by the son to the Sadar Hospital with the help of the police, where after the first aid to the woman, the doctors referred her to Patna PMCH, police said. In this regard, the incident`s eyewitness and her son Manish Kumar, who walked outside to gather flowers alongside the woman, told that as usual, we used to leave the house in the morning to pluck flowers in this sequence. When asked about the incident, ASI Vinay Kumar, who was travelling in the same police vehicle said, "We were going on patrol, at the same time some thieves were trying to snatch mobile phone from them. When they saw the police car they shot the women and then fled away from the spot." A case has been registered and further investigation is underway. Assembly elections will be held in Himachal Pradesh later this year. Considering this election, BJP has started campaigning here. BJP's central leaders are regularly visiting Himachal Pradesh and the atmosphere is being prepared for this election. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani attended the 'Nari Ko Naman' program at Rampur in Shimla. Smriti Irani criticized the Congress in this program. Irani attacks 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' of Congress and also on the issue of development. Irani alleges Congress deprived the people of benefits and comforts. Irani said that developmental works which have been pending for many years are being done by BJP. Irani Claims, "During the BJP government, toilets were built across the country. 2 lakhs of these toilets were built in Himachal Pradesh alone. Are there enough toilets for women in the country? Congress is not worried about this. Congress did not even complete the work of the Atal tunnel." Irani claimed that the Congress was inefficient in completing the work. Thus, the BJP completed the work of this tunnel. Also Read: Rahul Gandhi bows down, makes a girl wear sandals properly; Heart-touching video from 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' goes viral - WATCH She also expressed her belief that the BJP would win the upcoming assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. Irani said, "Himachal Pradesh has been deprived of development for the past several years. Himachal Pradesh is developing due to the joint work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Center and Jairam Thakur in the state. Development works are being done by BJP. The Congress is currently relaxing." Speaking further, Irani criticized Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra. She said, "Congress workers themselves are asking who the president of our party is. The Congress Party is doing Bharat Jodo Yatra with those who say that India will be divided into pieces." Meanwhile, the BJP has started campaigning for the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. As a part of it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the meeting of the youth in Mandi on Saturday. Ahmedabad: Thousands of employees of the Gujarat government, including school teachers, joined the 'mass casual leave' protest across the state on Saturday demanding the implementation of the old pension scheme (OPS). The umbrella union bodies had on Friday called off the stir, stating that the state government has accepted most of their demands, but the district-level unions claimed that the government has not considered their main demand for OPS. "Our main demand was OPS and this issue was not resolved by the state government on Friday. This issue affects each and every employee of the state and hence, they have decided to join the mass CL stir today," said Mahesh Mori, convenor of Rashtriya Samyukt Morcha, Saurashtra region. Nearly 7,000 government teachers were on leave on Saturday in Bhavnagar district alone, he said. Unions representing teachers, panchayat health workers and revenue employees have been protesting for some time for the reintroduction of the OPS in the state. In Gandhinagar, a large number of disgruntled employees had taken out a rally in Old Sachivalaya campus and stayed away from work. "Our union leaders had called off the stir saying all our demands were met. But, our main demand for OPS is still standing. The government has agreed to give OPS only to employees who have joined service before 2005, while most of us have joined after 2005," a protesting employee said. In Kutch, nearly 8,000 government employees, mostly school teachers, did not go to work to register their protest. "Since our main demand for OPS has not been accepted, we have decided to continue with the mass CL stir today. In Kutch district, nearly 8,000 employees, including teachers, are on leave today," said Jakhrabhai Kerashiya of Kutch Prathmik Shaikshik Mahasangh. After a meeting with five ministers of the BJP government on Friday, Samyukt Karmachari Morcha president Digvijaysinh Jadeja and Rashtriya Samyukt Morcha president Bhikhabhai Patel had said the mass leave stir had been called off as the government had accepted the majority of their demands, except reintroduction of OPS. The state government on Friday announced that employees who had joined service before April 2005 will get benefits of the General Provident Fund and old pension scheme. MNS President Raj Thackeray who is currently on a Vidarbha visit for five days from today, reached Nagpur by train on Sunday morning. On this occasion, he received a warm welcome from his supporters and activists at Nagpur railway station. There was a huge crowd to welcome Raj Thackeray. Meanwhile, a strange incident has come to the limelight. It is always said that Raj Thackeray and his oratorical style have appealed to the general public. But the influence of Raj Thackeray's personality has a great impact on kids also. One such incident that brings proof of this happened today in Nagpur. A ten-year-old boy had been waiting in front of the hotel since morning with his grandmother insisting that he wanted to meet Raj Thackeray. Raj Thackeray and 'Little Fan' Raj Thackeray entered the hotel around 9:30. At that time, some workers from Nagpur saw this little boy standing in the corner. He was advised to go to Ravi Bhavan and meet Raj Thackeray in the afternoon. But the child and his grandmother were not ready to move from there. Finally, he was allowed to enter the hotel. Activists told Raj Thackeray that, "a ten-year-old boy wants to meet him. He has been starving since morning." Then Raj Thackeray, who was sitting on the upper floor, sent a message to the little boy who was sitting on the ground floor, "You have your breakfast first, eat something. Only after that I will meet you and give you, my autograph." As directed by Raj Thackeray, the toddler had his breakfast and then it was five minutes past eleven when Raj Thackeray left the hotel to go to Ravi Bhavan. So, first of all, he met the boy after coming out of the lift. He gave his autograph on a diary the 'little fan' had brought with him and after greeting him, Thackeray left for Ravi Bhavan. Municipal elections in Maharashtra Raj Thackeray has become active in the wake of municipal elections in Maharashtra. A meeting was organized by Raj Thackeray with activists and office bearers in Nagpur. In this meeting, Raj Thackeray expressed his belief that change is a law of nature and it will be fixed and advised the workers to strengthen the party from the ground level. Raj Thackeray also gave some suggestions. Thackeray said that he does not have that much strength in Nagpur, so party building is necessary to achieve good success. Raj Thackeray assures office bearers that he will continue to come, but they have to work hard and build the party. Also Read: 'Will soon DEAL with both 'Razakar' and 'Sajakar'...', Raj Thackeray gives BIG warning in an OPEN letter Raj Thackeray said, "We will reform the party and have to build the party at the local level." At this time, Raj Thackeray also suggested that more efforts will have to be made to remove the evil that has come into the party. While saying that he will work to bring new energy to the party New Delhi: President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar, has stated that the "mentality" of north India and Parliament does not appear to be conducive to granting women reservation in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies. The former Union minister made the remarks on Saturday during an interview with his daughter, Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule, at a programme hosted by the Pune Doctors' Association. He was responding to a question about the Women's Reservation Bill, which aims to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies for women but has yet to be passed, and whether this demonstrates that the country is still not mentally prepared to accept women's leadership. Pawar stated that he has been speaking on this issue in Parliament since he was a member of the Congress Lok Sabha. "The 'mansikta' (mentality) of Parliament, especially of north India, has not been conducive (on this issue). I can recall that when I was a Congress Lok Sabha member, I used to talk about the issue of reservations for women in Parliament. Once after completing my speech, I turned back and saw that majority of MPs from my party got up and left. This means even for people from my party, it was not digestible," Pawar quotes. Also Read: National Congress Party re-elects Sharad Pawar as President The NCP chief stated that all (parties) should continue to work to get the bill passed. "When I was the chief minister of Maharashtra, reservation for women was introduced in local bodies like the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti. It was opposed initially but later people accepted it, he said. (With Agencies Inputs) New Delhi: Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, announced on Saturday that the number of volunteers who have donated blood through the Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav has surpassed one lakh. Crossed 1,00,000 the minister wrote in his older tweet. Earlier on Saturday, officials from the Ministry of Health announced that the country had set a world record by exceeding its previous high of 87,059 blood donations in 2014. Raktdaan Amrit Mahotsav is a countrywide mega voluntary blood donation drive that was launched on Saturday by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, who donated blood at a blood donation camp at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. A statement read, "As another remarkable aspect of this nationwide drive, 6,112 camps have been registered for this mega drive along with more than 2.07 lakh blood donors registered so far on the E-Rakt Kosh portal," On September 9, 2022, President Droupadi Murmu launched the 'Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan' to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025. A statement quotes, "Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan is an extension of Hon`ble Prime Minister`s citizen-centric policies and a key step in ensuring enhanced awareness regarding the treatment for TB, a curable disease. The treatment is available free of cost at government health facilities," The initiative has gained traction, and approximately 13.5 lakh TB patients have registered on the Nikshay portal, with 9.5 lakh active TB patients consenting for adoption. The Ni-kshay 2.0 portal is facilitating the provision of the additional patient support to improve treatment outcomes for TB patients, as well as increasing community participation in meeting India's commitment to end TB by 2025 and leveraging Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) opportunities. Nikshay Mitras can also register on the website, and over 15,000 of them have already done so, demonstrating their commitment to helping over 9.5 lakh, TB patients. (With Agencies Inputs) Kolkata: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday asserted that non-BJP parties that believe opposition unity without the grand old party as the fulcrum is possible are living in a "fool's paradise". Without naming any outfit, he said many regional parties have back-stabbed the grand old party in the past to serve their own self-interests, and that such parties should stop using Congress as a punching bag. "There cannot be any opposition unity without the Congress as its fulcrum. That is fundamental. If any non-BJP outfit thinks any alliance sans the Congress can provide a stable government for five years, it is living in a fool's paradise. There can never be any opposition unity minus the Congress," Ramesh said in an interview with PTI in Kolkata, where he had come to attend a party programme. Although he dubbed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as the "B-team" of the BJP, Ramesh stopped short of analysing the role of the Trinamool Congress, which too, like the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, is opposed to the Congress, by saying, "It (TMC) has Congress in its name." "We have said this before...There is ample evidence to prove that AAP is the B-team of the BJP. If you look at its history or the background of its leaders, you will know it. Regarding the TMC, I am yet to make my assessment, but I think they, too, have Congress in their name," he said. Also Read: Rahul Gandhi as Congress chief: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot passes resolution Without naming anyone, Ramesh said those who talk of opposition unity without the Congress only want to weaken the opposition front and the grand old party. "In an alliance, you give something and receive something in return. It is an understanding. So far, the Congress has been offering, and everyone has benefited from it. And after getting benefits, they have been trying to use the Congress as a punching bag to weaken it. This has to stop now," he said. Terming the Congress the "big elephant of Indian politics", Ramesh said no one should make the mistake of "writing it off". Speaking on the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said a strengthened Congress and a more durable and constructive opposition would be the end product of the march. Also Read: Pathological Liar: Congress slams PM Narendra Modi over his criticism of previous govts on Cheetah re-introduction "We have started the Yatra over national issues. The country is going through a situation where our politics, economy, and institutions are falling apart due to the BJP and its divisive politics. Another motive of the Yatra is to galvanise the rank and file of the Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls," the former union environment minister said. Ramesh said the Yatra was not aimed at state elections in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. When told that the Congress is speaking of "Bharat Jodo" when the party itself is in disarray, Ramesh said the outfit is trying to fix its internal issues. "We have to set our house in order, and we are doing it. We have to fix our issues and are in the process of doing it. The Congress is a 137-year-old party; sometimes, there are some crucial moments in history when you need out-of-the-box thinking to reach out to the masses. Bharat Jodo Yatra is one such thinking and will be a game changer," he said. A nearly 3,650-km-long padayatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir is being undertaken by senior leader Rahul Gandhi since September 7. The five-and-a-half month-long march aims to galvanise Congress cadres and strengthen the organisation, breathing in new energy. Taking a swipe at Congress 'G-23' leaders, senior politicians of the party who had sought an organisational overhaul and elections at all levels in a letter to the Congress president in August 2020, Ramesh said that after the age of 65, senior politicos should act as "mentors and groom next-generation leaders". "Senior Congress leaders should act as mentors. I believe I am now 68 and don't have the same energy I used to have ten or five years back. After the age of 65, one should identify people who are in their 30s and 40s and groom them for becoming next-generation leaders," he said. Speaking on the ongoing desertion of senior leaders from the party, Ramesh said those who have got everything from Congress are leaving the party. "There are two types of people who are leaving the Congress. The first type includes those who have benefited immensely from the party. Ghulam Nabi Azad is an example. He got everything from the party and has now left it. "The second type are those leaving the Congress to escape investigative agencies which are after them for their previous sins. Dedicated Congressmen will never desert the party," he said. When asked whether the Bharat Jodo Yatra's idea to mobilise masses was taken from the Ram Rath Yatra of the BJP in the 90s, Ramesh replied in negative. "Earlier, on several occasions, the Congress and Rahul Gandhi have taken out yatras, but maybe not of this scale. And regarding BJP's yatra, it was in response to V P Singh's Mandal Commission. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is against the divisive politics and policies of the BJP," he added. New Delhi: The Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday (September 18, 2022) hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark that "no constructive efforts" were made for decades to reintroduce cheetahs to India after the big cats were declared extinct in the country. The Congress leader shared a letter on Twitter which, he said, initiated 'Project Cheetah' in 2009 and accused PM Modi of being a "pathological liar" for criticising previous governments of not making constructive efforts to reintroduce the big cat in India. The remarks were made by the prime minister after he released three of the eight cheetahs flown in from Namibia into special enclosures in the Kuno National Park (KNP) in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. "This was the letter that launched Project Cheetah in 2009. Our PM is a pathological liar. I couldn't lay my hands on this letter yesterday because of my preoccupation with the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Mr. Ramesh tweeted. This was the letter that launched Project Cheetah in 2009. Our PM is a pathological liar. I couldnt lay my hands on this letter yesterday because of my preoccupation with the #BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/3AQ18a4bSh Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 18, 2022 The Congress leader, along with the tweet, also shared the letter which was written by him, as then Minister for Environment and Forests, to M.K. Ranjitsinh of the Wildlife Trust of India in 2009. The letter shared by Mr Ramesh dates back to 2009. In the letter, Ramesh had asksed a functionary of the Wildlife Trust of India to prepare a roadmap for the reintroduction of cheetahs. There was no immediate reaction from the BJP on Mr. Ramesh's remarks. New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) searched 40 locations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday for Popular Front of India (PFI) cadres and detained four people. In the case involving Abdul Khader of Nizamabad district in Telangana and 26 other people, the agency conducted searches at 38 locations in Telangana (23 in Nizamabad, four in Hyderabad, two in Nirmal, seven in Jagityal, one each in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts) and two in Andhra Pradesh (one each in Kurnool and Nellore districts). The NIA said it has seized incriminating materials in these raids, which have been ongoing since Sunday morning, including digital devices, documents, two daggers, and Rs 8,31,500 in cash. "Four persons have been detained for questioning," quotes the anti-terror agency. As per NIA, these accused were "organizing camps for imparting training to commit terrorist acts and to promote enmity between different groups based on religion". During investigations by the Nizamabad Police Station in Telangana, four accused were arrested: Abdul Kader, Sheikh Sahadulla, Md Imran, and Md Abdul Mobin. The NIA later re-registered the case on August 26. Abdul Khadar, 52, a resident of Autonagar, Nizamabad, was charged in the NIAs First Information Report (FIR), along with 26 others, with conspiring to wage war against the Government of India. "In pursuance of the criminal conspiracy, they recruited the members of Popular Front of India (PFI), organised camps for imparting training for committing terrorist acts. They formed an unlawful assembly and promoted enmity between different groups based on religion and were involved in activities disrupting sovereignty and territorial integrity of India," the FIR mentions. The case was first filed on July 4 at the Nizamabad police station in Telangana. During the investigation, the Telangana Police arrested four suspects: Abdul Kader, Sheikh Sahadulla, Md Imran, and Md Abdul Mobin. The NIA later re-registered the case on August 26. Since then, the case has been under investigation. (With Agencies Inputs) New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, accusing them of trying to "crush" the AAP in the name of fighting corruption as they feared a defeat in Gujarat polls. Addressing the first-ever national conclave of his party's elected representatives, Kejriwal also alleged that the Modi government has been trying to frame his party ministers and leaders in false corruption cases as the BJP is "not able to digest the growing popularity of the AAP in Gujarat". The BJP is so rattled by the AAP's growing influence ahead of Gujarat assembly elections that "the prime minister's advisor Hiren Joshi has warned several TV channels owners and their editors not to give coverage to AAP party in Gujarat, threatening them with dire consequences", the party's national convenor alleged. No immediate reaction to Kejriwal's charge was immediately available from the PMO or Joshi. "Stop doing things. If these editors share the screenshots of Joshi's messages, both the prime minister and his advisor will not be in a position to show their faces to the country," Kejriwal said. "We are going to form a government in Gujarat," he added. In a veiled attack on the prime minister over his 'revadi culture' remark, Kejriwal said the AAP's freebies are being criticised on the ground that providing free facilities to people will ruin the economy of the country. "Only a dishonest (person), a corrupt and a traitor will say freebies are not good for the country. If any politician says freebies will ruin the country's economy, consider his intentions are wrong." Kejriwal said. Packs of South African apples are pictured in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Linh Dan Fruits imported from South Africa, Cambodia, India, and China have been flooding into Vietnam this year as they are priced reasonably. Loan, a vendor in Ho Chi Minh Citys Go Vap District, said imported grapes, apples, oranges, and mangoes are cheaper than their Vietnamese counterparts. "I sell 10 to 20 three-kilogram packs of South African apples every day. They are small but crunchy and sweet, and are well received by consumers." Hang, a vendor in Tan Binh District, said the prices of Australian tangerines have dropped by half to VND100,000-150,000 per kilogram. Online shops are also selling South African and Cambodian fruits in boxes of three to five kilograms each. Nguyen Hoang Hai, a vendor in District 12, said both the quantity and quality of imports have been rising, and Vietnamese consumers love Australian oranges, South African apples and Cambodian mangoes. The oranges cost less than VND50,000 per kilogram, which is cheaper than local produce, he added. "I sell hundreds of boxes every day." In the first eight months of the year fruit imports surged by 28.8% year-on-year to $1.2 billion. Of the top 10 import markets, South Africa led with a 70% increase followed by China with 63%. Imports from Australia, Cambodia, South Korea, and Myanmar all grew by double digits. Patna: JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan on Saturday alleged that political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor was "working for" the BJP, as part of its "conspiracies" to find a firm foothold in Bihar. Rubbishing Kishor's claim of having turned down an "offer" from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the party's de facto leader, Lalan asserted that the poll campaign manager was "not a political worker but a businessman" who relied on "marketing" tactics. "We know Prashant Kishor has been working for the BJP for some time. One agent of the BJP was recently caught during magistrate checking," remarked the JD(U) chief, in an obvious reference to former national president RCP Singh. "The BJP is relying on conspiracies in Bihar. First, it used RCP Singh, and now it is using Prashant Kishor. But we are vigilant. We will not allow these designs to succeed," Lalan said. The JD(U) president's remarks come barely a few days after a meeting between Kumar and Kishor after which the latter claimed to have engaged in some plain-speak with the Bihar CM, having told him that prohibition, one of his most feted moves, was a complete failure and needed to be reviewed. Kishor, who has launched a campaign 'Jan Suraaj' as part of which he will be embarking on a 3,500 km-long state-wide 'padayatra' next month, had also claimed to have turned down a "specified" offer from Kumar who, he believes, has run out of steam. Lalan claimed, "It was Prashant Kishor who wanted to meet Nitish Kumar after the new political situation emerged in Bihar. He spoke to the CM who asked him to first have a word with the party president. So he came to meet me in New Delhi." "I told him that his return to the party could be considered if he agreed to abide by party discipline. Thereafter he secured an appointment with the CM who agreed to meet him and gave an appointment. But, as part of his marketing strategy, he told the media that he has been called to the CM's residence but he will not go," claimed the JD(U) president. "Later, after Pavan Varma met Nitish Kumar, the former also had a word with Kishor whom he knows. Kishor again expressed the wish to meet the CM and they met. But why will anybody give him any offer? Who is he?" said Lalan. Notably, Kishor shot to fame in 2014 when his company IPAC handled the spectacularly successful campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the Gujarat CM and the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate for Lok Sabha polls. Kumar, whose party was drubbed, hired Kishor a year later when assembly polls were held in Bihar. Kumar's alliance with arch rival Lalu Prasad and Congress trounced the BJP despite an intensive campaign by the PM. Kishor was subsequently appointed as an advisor to the Bihar CM, a post of cabinet minister rank, though he continued to work in professional capacity for other political figures. In 2018, Kumar, who was then the JD(U) national president, inducted Kishor into the party and elevated him to the post of national vice president within weeks. However, Kishor's outspokenness against CAA-NPR-NRC led to his expulsion from the party in 2020, which was then an NDA ally. Soon afterwards, Kishor had launched a campaign called "Baat Bihar Ki" which ran into an intellectual property rights legal dispute and was, subsequently, shelved. Kishor, who maintains that he gave up the previous project because of the COVID-19 pandemic, went on to manage West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's successful campaign in 2021 assembly polls. After a long drawn out, but unsuccessful, negotiation with the Congress which he had promised to revamp if he joined as a full-time member and got a free hand, Kishor returned to Bihar earlier this year to launch 'Jan Suraaj' which he promises to develop into a "better political alternative" for the state. The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday hit back at the BJP after it called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a "megalomaniac", saying the saffron party should answer questions raised by the AAP chief rather than deploying what it called were diversionary tactics. "Idhar udhar ki baat na karein. (Don't deploy diversionary tactics. Answer the questions," the AAP's national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told a press conference here, attacking the BJP. He alleged the BJP has "poached" 285 MLAs of other parties and toppled governments in different states under 'Operation Lotus' so far. "The BJP should tell the nation how much black money it spent on purchasing, kidnapping and breaking 285 MLAs away from their parties across the country," Singh said, asking shouldn't the "Operation Lotus be probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. The stinging reaction came after the BJP called Kejriwal a "megalomaniac" following his allegation AAP leaders were being targeted as the BJP fears defeat in Gujarat elections later this year. At the BJP press conference, its spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged the AAP is resorting to the "old drama" it unleashes before every election that "others were rattled as the AAP was winning". Sanjay Singh's press conference came in response. "It is obvious for the BJP to get unnerved after seeing such a big conclave of the AAP's elected representatives here." "Instead of responding to the issues raised at the conclave, the BJP's Sambit Patra did baseless talks at his press conference," he charged. "I want to ask some specific questions to Patra, though they might pinch him. The BJP should tell the nation how much of the black money it has spent to purchase, kidnap and break 285 MLAs away from their parties across the country," Singh said. "The BJP should also reveal the source of the money spent on this." Singh also alleged the BJP received "a cut" when the Modi government "waived billionaires' loans worth crores", and demanded the party tell the nation 'how much money it got as commission". Singh alleged the BJP has been trying to frame Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders in "false cases" of corruption to stop the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in Gujarat even as its ?Operation Lotus' failed "in toppling the AAP government in Delhi and Punjab". He said the AAP leaders have been "acquitted by courts in 135 cases out of a total 169 registered" against them during the BJP regime. "I want to ask the BJP and Sambit Patra if Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and your party president J P Nadda should apologise to these AAP leaders or not," SIngh said. Singh alleged the BJP has left no stone unturned in its bid to "destroy" the AAP. "But the AAP's caravan is not going to stop. The AAP is going to repeat the history that it made in Delhi as people are standing by the party and Kejriwal," he claimed. London: President Droupadi Murmu arrived at Gatwick Airport in London to attend Queen Elizabeth II`s state funeral at London`s Westminster Abbey on Saturday. The President is on an official tour to the United Kingdom from September 17 to 19 to attend the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday and offer condolences on behalf of the Government of India. The presidential aircraft carrying Murmu and her entourage members, including foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra landed at London`s Gatwick Airport at 20:50 IST from where she left for the hotel where she will be staying during this tour. On her arrival at the airport, the president was received by the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. President Droupadi Murmu arrives in London to attend the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. pic.twitter.com/T6zWlJGkYB President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 17, 2022 According to official reports, on Sunday, she will attend the Lying-in-State of the Queen`s coffin at the Palace of Westminster and sign a condolence book on behalf of the Indian government at Lancaster House near Buckingham Palace. Later in the day, she will attend a reception hosted by King Charles III for the overseas leaders at Buckingham Palace in London before the funeral service on Monday at 11 am local time. The next day, she will attend the state funeral service at West Gate of Westminster Abbey. And in the afternoon, she will attend the reception hosted by James Cleverly, UK`s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. Queen Elizabeth II, 96, the former head of state of the UK and Head of the Commonwealth of Nations passed away on September 8. She will be laid to rest will full state honours at Westminster Abbey on September 19. One-day state mourning was observed across India on September 11 as a mark of respect to UK`s Queen Elizabeth II who passed away on September 8. New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (September 17, 2022) took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the arrival of eight cheetahs in India and asked him why 16 crore jobs were not created in eight years. Rahul's remarks came after PM Modi released eight cheetahs brought from Namibia at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. "Eight cheetahs have come, now tell why 16 crore jobs didn't come in eight years," Gandhi, who is currently leading Congress' 150-day long "Bharat Jodo Yatra", said in a tweet in Hindi. "Yuvaon ki hai lalkar, le kar rahenge rozgaar (It is the cry of the youth that they will have employment)," he added using the hashtag "Rashtriya Berozgar Diwas" (National Unemployment Day). 8 , , 8 16 ? , #__ pic.twitter.com/QEFUF90lkm Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 17, 2022 The Congress on Saturday claimed that in view of the "worrying" job situation in the country, the youth are marking the prime minister's birthday as "National Unemployment Day", and demanded that he provide employment to them as promised. Modi promised to provide two crore jobs annually but instead only seven lakh people have been given employment in the last eight years, the Grand Old Party claimed, adding that 22 crore people had applied for jobs. Earlier on Saturday, eight Cheetahs -- five female and three male and aged between 30 to 66 months -- arrived in India from Namibia by a special flight and were released by PM Narendra Modi in the Kuno National Park, seven decades after they became extinct in the country. A long wait is over, the Cheetahs have a home in India at the Kuno National Park. pic.twitter.com/8FqZAOi62F September 17, 2022 No "constructive efforts" were made by the previous governments to revive the population of the world's fastest animal in India, PM Modi said. "It is unfortunate that we declared cheetahs extinct in 1952, but for decades no constructive efforts were made to reintroduce them in India. Now, with new strength and vigour, the country has embarked on the project of reviving the population of cheetahs during this 'amrit kaal'," he added. "I thank our friendly nation Namibia and the government there for their help to reintroduce cheetahs to Indian soil after decades,' Modi said, adding that only three cheetahs were left in the wild in India in 1947 which were unfortunately hunted. Project Cheetah is our endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation. https://t.co/ZWnf3HqKfi September 17, 2022 The last cheetah died in the country in 1947 in the Korea district in present-day Chhattisgarh, earlier part of Madhya Pradesh, and the species was declared extinct from India in 1952. (With agency inputs) New Delhi: Moments after Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight Namibian cheetahs in the Kuno National Park on Saturday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav made fun by posting a video of a cheetah where the big cat was seen meowing inside its box. "Everybody was waiting for a roar. But it turned out to be a member of the cat family," Yadav wrote on Twitter. Hours after Yadavs tweet, BJP Delhi spokesperson Ajay Sehrawat reacted to SP chiefs remark and said that the money that went into Akhilesh Yadav's studies in Australia is a waste. Sehrawat mocked at Akhilesh for his apparent 'ignorance' that cheetahs do not roar. "Ye Australia se padhe hai... sara paisa barbad," the BJP leader tweeted. Ye Australia se padhe hai... Sara paisa barbad pic.twitter.com/XLmywLhJQi September 17, 2022 Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also took reacted to Akhilesh Yadav's tweet and said, Rahul has many competitorsbut this gentleman is closest in the race to the bottom. Rahul has many competitors - but this gentleman is closest in the race to the bottom https://t.co/zovJRXszGA Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@Rajeev_GoI) September 17, 2022 Not only political leader, but many social media users also corrected Samajwadi Party chief that cheetahs do not roar like lions, tigers or leopards as they have a different bone structure in their voice box. Many netizens also mocked him and pointed out that it's not his mistake that he did not know as cheetahs went extinct in 1952. Seven decades after the cheetahs became extinct in India, eight members of the species arrived in the country from Namibia by a special flight on Saturday morning as part of an ambitious project to reintroduce the majestic animal in Indian forests, and three of them were released into a special enclosure at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) by PM Modi. New Delhi: A woman from Uttar Pradesh has come forward nearly 28 years after the incident to report her sexual assault as a seven-year-old child by male members of her stepfather's family. She is the wife of a former Army officer, 35, told police that the assaults continued until she was 19 years old.Based on her complaint, a FIR has been filed in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. The woman claimed that initially the police refused to file a FIR, then she has to approached the SSP, the National Commission for Women, and the Chief Minister's grievance redressal portal. Finally the FIR has been registered under the Indian Penal Code sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 376 (rape), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation). As stated in the FIR, one of the woman's step-uncles raped her for the first time when she was seven years old. She claimed she told her mother about the entire incident and complained of stomach pain. "But my mother gave me some medicine and asked me to keep quiet." Then a second step-uncle raped her, and the cycle continued. The woman claimed that she was raped frequently at various locations until she was 19 years old. She quotes, "After that, I tried my best to stop them as much as I could. They could not rape me but still outraged my modesty." Also Read: Indias potential recognized globally..: UP CM Yogi Adityanath honours PM Narendra Modi on his Birthday She got married in January 2011, Even after that whenever she used to go visit her mother they tried to rape her. "After marriage, they tried to rape me whenever I went home to meet my mother but I resisted," she added. The woman, a mother of two minor girls, stated that she was unable to cope with the mental trauma and eventually told her husband about it. She said, "He supported me and encouraged me to fight against my exploitation." "On April 11 this year, my husband took me to my step-father`s house to talk about the matter. When he narrated my horror story, he was beaten up. My mother supported them and did not trust me. Over the past four months, we have been trying to register an FIR. But now I have the support of my husband and will fight for justice till the last breath," she added. House Officer Savita Dwivedi of the women's police station said that, "The woman has filed a detailed complaint. All the aspects of the case are being probed. (Inputs from Agencies) Mumbai: Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are living the best phase of their lives as they are all set to become parents soon. Currently, the two are leaving no chance to flaunt their love in public. Be it at a promotional event or on social media, the two have been shelling out couple goals ever since they tied the knot on April 14 earlier this year. Now Alia has once again left everyone in awe of the couple`s chemistry with her Instagram post. Taking to the social networking site, Alia, who is basking in the success of `Brahmastra`, posted a picture with Ranbir. In the monochromatic image, Alia and Ranbir are seen embracing each other with their eyes closed. Ranbir`s lips are placed on Alia`s nose as he adorably gives her a peck. "Home," Alia captioned the post alongside an infinity sign and heart emoji. See pic here - Interestingly, it was on the sets of Brahmastra only where the two fell in love with each other, and after dating for five years, Ranbir and Alia tied the knot in April 2022 in a close-knit ceremony at their residence. In June, Alia announced her pregnancy on Instagram as she shared a photo from the hospital. On the work front, the duo are basking in the success of their latest release Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva which is all set to become the highest grossing Bollywood film in the pandemic era. Directed by Ayan Mukerji, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt as Shiva and Isha respectively. Apart from this, Alia Bhatt will be soon making her Hollywood debut alongside Gal Gadot in Heart of Stone. She has also wrapped up the shooting of Karan Johars upcoming directorial Rocky aur Rani ki Prem Kahan opposite Ranveer Singh. Ranbir Kapoor, on the other hand, will be seen in Sandeep Reddy Vangas Animal and Luv Ranjans untitled next. New Delhi: SIIMA Awards is one of the largest and most viewed film awards show in South India that celebrates cinematic excellence in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages. The awards are being held in Bengaluru on September 10 and 11 this year. It was a star-studded night in the presence of Ranveer Singh, Allu Arjun, Yash, Vijay Deverakonda, Pooja Hegde and others. Rana Daggubati hosted the award function and made it a huge success. During the red carpet, Pooja talked exclusively to Zee News Digital and opened up about her upcoming projects and more. When asked about her excitement about being in Bangalore for SIIMA 2022, she said, "It is always great when anything celebrates films and art and I am very happy to be a part of SIIMA this year as they are also celebrating their 10 years. Also, I am super excited about being nominated as well. I have many relatives here in Bangalore and I love the city." Talking about her upcoming Bollywood projects, Pooja shared, "The films I am most looking forward to are 'Cirkus' and 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.' I am really looking forward for people to watch these two films as we have and are still working really hard on them. I had a blast working with Salman sir as he is one of the most welcoming people on the sets." Giving good news to her Kannada fans, Pooja added, "Also, my movie with Mahesh Babu is on the calendar now, will be shooting for that soon. I wanna say this too on record that I really wanna work in Kannada films too." Pooja won an award for her performance in 'Most Eligible Bachelor', she was awarded Best Actress in a Leading Role (Telugu). SIIMA 2022 was seemingly a successful night for the actress as she also won the Youth Icon South (Female) Award. New Delhi: SIIMA Awards is one of the largest and most viewed film awards show in South India that celebrates cinematic excellence in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages. It was a star-studded night in the presence of Ranveer Singh, Allu Arjun, Yash, Vijay Deverakonda, Pooja Hegde and others. Rana Daggubati hosted the award function and made it a huge success. The awards were held in Bengaluru on September 10 and 11 this year. During the red carpet, Allu talked exclusively to Zee News Digital and opened up about Pushpa's success and the upcoming parts. 1. Were you expecting such a response from all over for 'Pushpa: The Rise'? Ans. Not at all, we had never thought that it would make such a great one, that people will give so much love to our film. 2. How overwhelming is it for you to receive such a response? Ans. Well, it took me 20 years to reach here, to get this response, to get such love and I am really happy. We are all very happy and we had never expected this response but we loved it, completely. 3. How pressured are you about 'Pushpa' part two? Ans. We are really hoping to meet the expectations of the people. We are to start shooting next month and are equally excited as the fans. Really looking forward to it, will work double hard for my fans. Allu Arjun won the Best Actor award (Telugu) at SIIMA 2022 for his top-notch performance in 'Pushpa: The Rise.' He took away the best actor trophy home for the second time in a row. Last year too, he won the award for 'Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.' New Delhi: It seems like Shefali Shah is truly unstoppable this year. While she constantly won the heart with back-to-back top-notch performances in series like Human, Jalsa, Darlings, and now Delhi Crime 2. The talent hub in a real sense, Shefali is constantly making her name shine all around the globe and this time she went on to win an award for the Alberto Sordi Family Awards. Shefali is a name who is constantly proving her mettle on the screens with her chartbuster performance and while she is receiving all the love from the audience, she is also making her mark on prestigious platforms. This time the actress went on to win the Alberto Sordi Family Award, a recognition that is awarded to personalities of Italian culture close to the thought of the famous Roman actor. She won the award for the Alberto Sordi Family Awards where she was considered an International cultural figure. The prestigious Award was established in 2017 by the will of the actor's family members represented by Igor Righetti, cousin of the national Alberto, journalist and RAI radio and television host, which has been awarded in past years to several talented and famous artists around the globe. Taking to her social media, shared a bunch of pictures of herself where she donned a beautiful saree and held the award in her hands. She wrote, "Alberto Sordi Family Awards are held every year for the last 20 years to celebrate Alberto Sordi's sheer genius and magic. A legendary, iconic actor of Italian cinema, The Alberto Sordi Awards are bestowed upon creators from across the world in his honour, Colin Firth, Hellen Mirren and Robert Moresco, Gina Lollobrigida, Mark Strong, Matt Dillon and the director Andrei Koncalovskij and many more legends have won it. And this year among the recipients is me... What can I say except that I am shocked, extremely humbled and thankful truly unbelievable..." Before this, Shefali also won the award for Best Actor (Female) at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2022 for 'Jalsa'. Looking at this, it seems like she has got no stop this year to shine bright with her impeccable performances. On the work front, other than Delhi Crime 2, the actress will be seen in Doctor G along with Ayushmann Khurrana and Rakul Preet Singh. A group of Vietnamese is transported to a hotel after their escape from a business facility in Bavet, Cambodia, September 17, 2022. Photo obtained by VnExpress A casino in Cambodia has handed over 11 Vietnamese citizens to local authorities after 56 of their brethren escaped the facility on Saturday. The foreign ministry said Vietnam was currently cooperating with Cambodian authorities to bring the Vietnamese citizens back home as soon as possible, and to check if there were any any other Vietnamese national left at the facility. Nguyen Thanh Ngoc, Chairman of the Tay Ninh People's Committee, had said Saturday that 56 Vietnamese people working in a casino in Bavet Town, Svay Rieng Province, had fled towards the main road leading to the Moc Bai border gate, citing working conditions. Cambodian police have held this group back for an investigation, Ngoc said. A minute-long video recorded by local people shows the group fleeing from the casino when it was raining heavily. The video shows many people in black uniforms chasing after them. When some of the people fleeing fell, the people in black uniforms captured them, beating them as they did so. Cambodia casino releases 11 Vietnamese citizens Hon 50 nguoi Viet thao chay khoi casino Campuchia Over 50 Vietnamese run from a Cambodia casino near Vietnam's Moc Bai border gate, September 17, 2022. Video obtained by VnExpress The escape was the second major attempt by Vietnamese workers in Cambodia that has come to light in recent weeks. On August 18, 40 Vietnamese swam across the Binh Di River to escape from the Phoenix casino in Cambodia to Vietnam's An Giang Province. One of two other people who had also attempted to escape a teenage boy drowned in the river, while another was captured by the casino people. The Vietnamese said they were held at the casino against their will and subjected to torture. In the first half of this year, the Ministry of Public Security has busted several rings smuggling people to Cambodia for illegal work. Authorities have also rescued hundreds of Vietnamese citizens and supported thousands of others in Cambodia with procedures to return home. New Delhi: We've already passed the halfway point of the current month, but there are still a few bank holidays left in September. As the holiday season began in September, there were as many as 13 bank holidays, eight of which had already been used. This month, five more bank holidays are left for the remaining 13 days, after which the holiday season will be in full swing. It should be noted that bank holidays differ from one state to the next and from one bank to the next. Six of September's 13 bank holidays are weekend days, with three of them already taken during the first two weeks of the month. There are eight regional holidays during which lenders in certain areas remain closed due to events in those areas. While adding the two, we can see that there are 14 bank holidays, one of which was on September 10 the second Saturday of the month. As a result, this holiday clashes, making September 13 a bank holiday. Due to Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi, banks in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram were closed on September 10. Bank holidays are determined by a list of holidays prepared by the Reserve Bank. Every year, the RBI compiles a list of holidays, which are then implemented. The banking regulator has announced three bank holidays: the Negotiable Instruments Act Holiday, the Real Time Gross Settlement Holiday, and Banks' Closing of Accounts. All banks in the country, including the public and private sectors, foreign banks, cooperative banks, and regional banks, will be closed on the notified holidays. List of Bank Holidays in September 2022: September 1 (Thursday): Ganesh Chaturthi (2nd day) Panaji September 6 (Tuesday): Karma Puja Ranchi September 7 (Wednesday): First Onam Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram September 8 (Thursday): Thiruvonam Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram September 9 (Friday): Indrajatra Gangtok September 10 (Saturday): Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram September 21 (Wednesday): Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi Day Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram September 6 (Monday): Navratri Sthapna/Mera Chaoren Houba of Lainingthou Sanamahi Imphal, Jaipur Aside from that, there are seven-weekend leaves, one of which coincides with Patriot's Day, when banks across the country will be closed. These are listed below. List of Weekend Leaves in September 2022 September 4: Weekly off (Sunday) September 10: Second Saturday September 11: Weekly off (Sunday) September 18: Weekly off (Sunday) September 24: Fourth Saturday September 25: Weekly off (Sunday) To avoid any inconvenience, if you have any bank-related work, you should contact your local branch to confirm the bank holidays in September this year according to your regio Facing issues while reserving train tickets? Indian Railways has a solution! There are times when due to load on the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) official website, passengers are not able to make reservations on time, hence, this AI-powered chatbot AskDisha will allow you to make the reservation of tickets through the official railway chatbot. Indian Railways initiated this service for the convenience of passengers seeking help anytime. Disha stands for Digital Interaction to Seek Help Anytime and has been initiated by Railways to make it easy and convenient for passengers to book their tickets. The features in 'AskDisha' will offer improved assistance to the customers and will also solve queries. As per the data, over 10 lakh people visit IRCTC's official website on a daily basis to make their train reservations. Hence, if passengers will use the chatbox, it will be hassle-free. The fee for making the booking will have the same service charge as the website. If the passenger is paying via UPI, IRCTC will charge Rs 10 more for the sleeper class and Rs 15 more for the AC berths. However, if passengers are paying through any other payment options, Indian Railways will charge Rs 20 extra for sleeper class and Rs 30 extra for AC class. Also read: Indian Railways to provide free meals if train gets delayed by THESE many hours Features and how to use 'AskDisha' railway chatbot: - AskDisha is the AI-powered chatbot which works as a help desk service program by IRCTC, - Indian Railways recently upgraded the app with several regional languages to provide convenience to passengers - The essential features of AskDisha includes quick answer customer queries, ability to provide answers to queries of customers around the clock, - 'AskDisha is available at the bottom right corner of the IRCTC's website too, - Passengers can ask any railway related query and get it sorted by 'Ask Disha' in seconds. This is one of the many initiatives that the Indian Railways have taken to give passengers ease of travelling. Among the lot is another recently activated feature that allows railway passengers to order food via WhatsApp. Using the feature, a passenger can get food delivered to their berths from across five hundred railway stations. New Delhi: Messaging app Telegram has announced to roll out a slew of new features including emoji statues, infinite reactions, new username links, and prioritise downloads on Android. Now they will have the option of infinite reactions and emoji statues. Have a look on all the new features coming in the update for Telegram premium users. (ALSO READ: Onam Bumper 2022: An autorickshaw driver won Rs 25 crore LOTTERY in Kerala) The emoji revolution continues with Infinite Reactions and Emoji Statuseshttps://t.co/KhM9yHkZAm Telegram Messenger (@telegram) September 16, 2022 Infinite Reactions The company informed that Telegram premium users can pick reactions from infinite selections of custom emoji. Besides, they can now attach up to 3 reactions per message. However, these changes to reactions are currently available in groups and 1-on-1 chats and Group admins can control whether custom reactions may be used in their groups or not. (ALSO READ: A Vietnamese couple wipes off Hotel chains group data for FUN; Check details) Emoji Statues Now Telegram premium users can display animated emoji status next to their name to let others know how theyre feeling or what theyre doing. This custom status will replace the premium badge in the chat list, in your profile and in groups. Popular suggestions for working, sleeping, traveling and more will be shown at the top. You can tap the premium badge at the top of the chat list or go to the settings to change your status. Press and hold an emoji to set a status for a specific duration. New Username Links Now every username has a new unique link format username.t.me for those who want to underline their name (or have trouble finding the /key). Earlier, all @usernames on telegram have their own t.me/username links, making it easy to share your public profile, group or channel anywhere on the internet. Prioritize Downloads on Android Media and files that are actively downloading can be managed in the 'Downloads' tab of Search or by tapping the download icon that appears in your chat list. You can now press and hold any items in the list to reorder them and change their priority downloading the top file first. New Delhi: China has stepped up its aggressive posture toward the US and its regional allies in recent years, and a top US general has warned of Beijing's expanding nuclear arsenal, adding that it does not reflect minimal deterrence. General Anthony Cotton of the United States Air Force made these remarks while testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee. According to the Washington Post, the general told lawmakers considering his nomination to lead the United States Strategic Command that the military's assessment of China's nuclear capabilities had changed dramatically since 2018. Earlier, Beijing was judged as requiring "minimal nuclear deterrence" and the Pentagon`s nuclear posture review had assessed China`s ambitions as being focused on "regional hegemony," the general said, the Washington Post report noted. It is worth noting that the top general is US President Joe Biden's choice to lead the US military's nuclear arsenal and missile defence operations. The general warned on Thursday that China's rise as a nuclear power poses historical threats and challenges that necessitate a rethinking of current policies. Also Read: Fresh blows for Google: India, US, EU Challenging Big Tech monopoly "We have seen the incredible expansiveness of what they`re doing with their nuclear force -- which does not, in my opinion, reflect minimal deterrence. They have a bona fide triad now," Cotton said explaining that the Chinese military has nuclear-capable forces that operate on land and in the air and sea. Another interesting point brought up by the general is that the US approach to Russia will not work for China in addressing the nuclear threat. He went on to say that the United States is well aware of Russia's nuclear ambitions, which date back decades to the Cold War. Beijing and Moscow, the general said, "act differently, from a doctrine`s perspective," reported The Washington Post. Historically, Beijing did not possess the arsenal of the two major Cold War superpowers, nor were its nuclear ambitions regarded in Washington as the same as Moscow`s intensity. "We need to seriously consider that we are entering a new, trilateral nuclear competition era," the committee chairman, Rhode Island Democratic Senator Jack Reed told Cotton."You will be responsible for continuing to ensure that the United States and its allies can deter not one, but two near-peer nuclear adversaries, something your predecessors did not face." (With Agencies Inputs) Kyiv: Pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin mounted both on the battlefield and in the halls of global power as Ukrainian troops waging a counteroffensive pushed Saturday to advance farther into the country's partly recaptured northeast. At a high-level summit in Uzbekistan, Putin vowed to press his attack on Ukraine despite recent military setbacks but also had to address concerns over the drawn-out conflict voiced by India and China. "I know that today's era is not of war," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Russian leader in televised comments as the two met Friday in Uzbekistan. At the same summit a day earlier, Putin acknowledged China's unspecified "questions and concerns" about the war in Ukraine while also thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping for his government's "balanced position" on the conflict. The hurried retreat of his troops this month from parts of a northeast region they occupied early in the war, together with the rare public reservations expressed by key allies, underscored the challenges Putin faces on all fronts. Both China and India maintain strong ties with Russia and had sought to remain neutral on Ukraine. Xi, in a statement released by his government, expressed support for Russia's "core interests" but also interest in working together to "inject stability" into world affairs. Modi said he wanted to discuss "how we can move forward on the path of peace". On the battlefield, Western defence officials and analysts on Saturday said Russian forces were apparently setting up a new defensive line in Ukraine's northeast after Kyiv's troops broke through the previous one and tried to press their advances further into the east. The British Defence Ministry said in a daily intelligence briefing that the line likely is between the Oskil River and Svatove, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. The new line emerged after the Ukrainian counteroffensive punched a hole through the war's previous front line, allowing Kyiv's soldiers to recapture large swaths of land in the northeastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia. After the Russian troops retreated from the city of Izium, Ukrainian authorities discovered a mass grave site, one of the largest so far discovered. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that more than 440 graves have been found at the site but that the number of victims is not yet known. Zelenskyy said the graves contained the bodies of hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, and some had been 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. Ukrainian forces, in the meantime, continue to cross the key Oskil River in the Kharkiv region as they try to press on in a counteroffensive targeting Russian-occupied territory, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War. ALSO READ | 'Don't. Don't. Don't...': Biden warns Putin against use of chemical or nuclear weapons in Russia-Ukraine War The Institute said in its Saturday report that satellite imagery it examined suggests that Ukrainian forces have crossed over to the east bank of the Oskil in Kupiansk, placing artillery there. The river, which flows south from Russia into Ukraine, had been a natural break in the newly emerged front lines since Ukraine launched its push about a week ago. "Russian forces are likely too weak to prevent further Ukrainian advances along the entire Oskil River if Ukrainian forces choose to resume offensive operations," the institute said. Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian forces continued to pound cities and villages with missile strikes and shelling. A Russian missile attack early Saturday started a fire in Kharkiv's industrial area, said Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor. Firefighters extinguished the blaze. Syniehubov said remnants of the missiles suggest the Russians fired S-300 surface-to-air missiles at the city. The S-300 is designed for striking missiles or aircraft in the sky, not targets on the ground. Analysts say Russia's use of the missiles for ground attacks suggests they may be running out of some precision munitions as the monthslong war continues. Shelling of the nearby city of Chuhuiv later on Saturday killed an 11-year-old girl, Syniehubov reported. In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a large part of which is occupied by the Russians, one person was wounded after the Russian forces shelled the city of Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia's Ukrainian governor Oleksandr Starukh reported on Telegram. Starukh said the Russian troops also shelled two villages in the region, destroying several civilian facilities there. The central Dnipropetrovsk region also came under fire overnight, according to its governor, Valentyn Reznichenko. "The enemy attacked six times and launched more than 90 deadly projectiles on peaceful cities and villages," Reznichenko said. Meanwhile, Ukraine's atomic energy operator, Energoatom, said a convoy of 25 trucks has brought diesel fuel and other critical supplies to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Europe's largest, which was shut down a week ago amid fears that fighting in the area could result in a radiation disaster. The trucks were allowed through Russian checkpoints on Friday to deliver spare parts for repairs of damaged power lines, chemicals for the operation of the plant and additional fuel for backup diesel generators, Energoatom said in a statement. The six-reactor plant was captured by Russian forces in March but is still operated by Ukrainian engineers. Its last reactor was switched off Sunday after repeated power failures due to shelling put crucial safety systems at risk. The Russian military on Saturday accused Ukraine of renewed artillery shelling of the power plant and its personnel rebuffed the attack. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately address the claim. In Russia, one person was killed and two more wounded Saturday as the result of Ukrainian shelling of a village, according to Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod. Islamabad: Pakistan is in talks with Russia on the possibility of importing oil on deferred payment, according to a media report on Sunday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had three meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan's Samarkand city, which concluded last week, the Express Tribune newspaper reported quoting a top government official. "One was formal and the rest were informal," said the official, who was part of the prime minister's delegation. "What we have discussed during the recent interaction with the Russian side is the possibility of importing oil on deferred payment," the official said, adding that Moscow has shown an inclination to consider the proposal. If the proposal is materialised, it will be a landmark development given that Pakistan imports oil from Gulf countries and in past Saudi Arabia and UAE supplied Pakistan oil on deferred payment. However, it is not clear if the government can pursue the option given the likely opposition from the United States. A source in the foreign office disclosed that the US has never explicitly asked Pakistan not to import oil from Russia but "advised us that it is better if we don't enter into such a venture with Russia", the report said. By Azernews The statement by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi during her visit to Armenia on September 18, 2022, which distorts the situation in the region, is deeply regrettable, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated in a statement, Azernews reports. "Pelosi's baseless and unfair accusations against Azerbaijan are unacceptable. "The incident that took place on a conditional, non-delimited border on the night of September 12-13 this year is a large-scale military provocation by Armenia against Azerbaijan. The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan prevented the provocation and ensured the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country. Currently, the ceasefire is observed and the escalation of the situation has been prevented. All responsibility for the aggravation of the situation in the region and the large-scale provocation lies with the military-political leadership of Armenia. "In general, Pelosi is known as a pro-Armenian politician, and the presence of pro-Armenian members of Congress in her delegation is evidence of this. With the midterm congressional period approaching, Pelosi is using this visit for her domestic political agenda and in order to enlist the support of the Armenian lobbying circles in the United States. It is unacceptable to transfer political intrigues and lobbying of interests from the US domestic political agenda to the South Caucasus region through Armenia. "We emphasize with regret that Pelosi, who speaks of justice, has not purposefully shown any position until today regarding the policy of aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, the occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan for almost 30 years, the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis and other similar grave crimes, for which Armenia is responsible. "What Pelosi said in Armenia should be regarded as a statement made on the basis of Armenian propaganda. This is a serious blow to efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. "Such unilateral steps and unfounded statements do not serve to strengthen the fragile peace in the region, but, on the contrary, escalate tension," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said Sunday that policies were needed to encourage workers to return to work after the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Speaking at a Vietnam Socio-economic Forum 2022 discussion on ways to support businesses and workers and recover production, Hue said several industries still lacked workers. Jonathan Picus, UNDP Senior Economist in Vietnam, said there were multiple reasons for some workers not returning to the market after the Covid-19 pandemic. Some might have had their health decline after a Covid-19 infection, requiring periods of recovery, especially for older people. Others workers may want to switch jobs or switch to other places for work. Besides, scientific and technological advances were reducing demand for humans to work in retail, banking and certain production sectors, Picus said. Automation and machines were gradually replacing people, while there are fields that lack skilled workers, he added. Le Van Thanh, Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said one of the main reasons for workers not returning to work after the pandemic was that those who had returned to their hometowns from big cities haven't had enough time to move back. Many workers in textile and leather have also moved to other industries, he added. Lam Van Doan, deputy head of the Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, cited data from the General Statistics Office to point out that the average income of a worker in the second quarter was VND6.6 million, a VND200,000 increase from the first quarter. Compared to the same period in 2021, the income of workers in the second quarter saw a 8.9% growth or about VND542,000. The northern part of central Vietnam and coastal central Vietnam have seen the highest average income growth, he added. Ever since Vietnam switched its strategy to adaptation with Covid-19, the workforce has increased to 51 million people, while the number of unemployed people dropped by 41,000 compared to the previous quarter to 1.1 million. The eastern part of southern Vietnam and the Mekong Delta have the highest rate of unemployment in the country. The number of unemployed workers have also markedly reduced in many fields, including agriculture, seafood, industry, construction and services. The unemployed are mostly low-skilled workers. "The capabilities and skills of workers, despite improvements, is still low compared to the needs of labor markets both inside and outside Vietnam, which is a roadblock to job growths and productivity," Doan said, adding that Vietnam should learn lessons from countries like Japan to change its social policies and adapt to an aging population. The National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Hanoi, the country's top facility in the field, is running out of anesthetic and may have to shut down, its doctors said. "We will be out of anesthetic in the next two weeks. It's a total headache looking for replacements," said Pham Thanh Ha, deputy director of the hospital. The risk of its closing down is "very high," Ha said, adding that two thirds of its outpatient services need anesthetic. There are several pharmaceutical companies that import anesthetic to Vietnam, but their distribution licenses have not been renewed. Ha said the hospital has sought support from the Ministry of Health to simplify procedures for the import and distribution of the drug, but has not received a response. In Vietnam, a drug distribution license will expire after five years and a business needs to perform different procedures to register for a new one. The license renewal process got delayed during two years of Covid when medical task forces were spread thin, leading to heavy backlogs. Major hospitals Bach Mai in Hanoi and Cho Ray in Ho Chi Minh City are also short of antidotes and antivenom for a similar reason. Vietnam has been suffering from shortages of drugs and medical equipment since April. In Hanoi and HCMC, certain hospitals lack even basic equipment like needles and certain drugs. Besides the licensing delay, causes have also been attributed to bidding procedures for drugs and medical supplies. CARSON CITY (AP) Weapons-grade plutonium that secretly was sent to Nevada over objections from the state has been removed ahead of schedule, federal officials said. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said in a statement that she was notified by the National Nuclear Security Administration late Friday that the plutonium had been removed. The work that started last year had been expected to wrap up by the end of 2026. The U.S. Energy Department under former President Donald Trump had planned to ship a full metric ton (2,204 pounds) of plutonium to Nevada from South Carolina, where a federal judge ordered the material be removed from a Savannah River site. Nevada had argued in a lawsuit that the clandestine shipment of half a metric ton (1,100 pounds) of plutonium to the vast Nevada National Security Site an area larger than the state of Rhode Island in 2018 amounted to a secret plutonium smuggling operation. The U.S. government argued it kept the shipment secret because of national security concerns. The Nevada site was used to conduct nuclear weapons testing from 1945 to 1992. The legal battle ended in mid-2020 after the federal government agreed to remove the highly radioactive material already trucked to Nevada and abandon any future plans to send more. The material now is held at a site in New Mexico, a congressional aide told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Chinese researchers recently published an assessment of the mitigation of China's carbon neutrality to global warming, noting that the country's efforts can mitigate global warming by 0.48 and 0.40 degrees Celsius under intermediate and very high greenhouse gas emission scenarios. According to the study published in the journal Nature Communications, compared with the period from 1850 to 1900, the global mean surface temperature from 2081 to 2100 is estimated to increase by 1.7 degrees Celsius under the low greenhouse gas emission scenario. The global mean surface temperature from 2081 to 2100 is estimated to rise by 2.7 and 3.4 degrees Celsius under the two intermediate scenarios, and by 4.7 degrees Celsius under the very high scenario. The global surface temperature from 2001 to 2020 was 0.99 degrees Celsius higher than that from 1850 to 1900, according to a report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Researchers from Nanjing Normal University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and institutions under the Chinese Academy of Sciences used a model that consists of atmosphere, land, ocean, river and other components for simulation. The simulation results show that joint efforts from all countries in the world are needed to mitigate further global warming through net-zero carbon actions, according to the study. 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. More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road was opened by the people in China and Central Asia, driven by a desire for friendship and mutual learning, thus starting a great era of exchanges between civilizations. In the more recent era, a "new Silk Road" has brought China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan together again the Belt and Road Initiative. It was first proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Kazakhstan back in 2013. On the same trip, he also visited Uzbekistan including the city of Samarkand, a shining pearl on the ancient Silk Road. From September 14 to 16, 2022, President Xi Jinping paid state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan again and attended the SCO summit in Samarkand. The visits have drawn much international attention as it is President Xi's fourth visit to Kazakhstan, third to Uzbekistan and the first time for the Chinese President to travel overseas since the onset of COVID-19 more than two years ago. The aim is to carry forward the Silk Road spirit, advance Belt and Road cooperation, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Good partners of BRI cooperation Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the BRI. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are among the first countries that expressed support for and took an active part in BRI cooperation. Nine years on, BRI cooperation has delivered fruitful results in both countries, making a real difference on the ground. The 100-MW Zhanatas wind farm and Shymkent Oil Refinery modernization in Kazakhstan and the upgrading of old hydro power stations in Uzbekistan all bear witness to robust BRI cooperation. As the world's largest inland country, Kazakhstan used to face many challenges in exporting its quality products such as wheat. Now with the China-Europe freight trains running through Kazakhstan and the bustling China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in the eastern Chinese port of Lianyungang, products from Kazakhstan can set sail for the Pacific Ocean. For Uzbekistan, BRI cooperation-enabled connectivity is as important, if not more in addition to being land-locked itself, its neighbors are all inland countries as well. Running through the mountains in Central Asia, the Angren-Pap railway line is a milestone project between China and Uzbekistan built under the BRI. The railway line's main tunnel, the Qamchiq Tunnel, is the longest tunnel in Central Asia and considered a miracle in the history of tunnel building. With its completion, the railway line has now become part of an international transport corridor that links up China, Central Asia and Europe. And more transport potential is being unleashed from the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway and the China-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan railway. Uzbekistan is thus transforming from a land-locked to a land-linked country. Friends in need This year marks the 30th anniversary of China-Kazakhstan and China-Uzbekistan diplomatic relations. Over the past three decades, the two sides have all along supported each other on issues concerning core interests and stood together through thick and thin. China has maintained close communication and cooperation with both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan bilaterally and multilaterally on a wide range of issues such as combating the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, organized crimes and drug trafficking. Such close security cooperation is a demonstration of deep political mutual trust. During the visits, China reached broad consensus with both countries on deepening ties and furthering cooperation in priority areas including economy and trade, energy, railway and connectivity. Nearly 30 cooperation documents have been signed covering finance, water conservancy, the digital economy, green development and cultural interactions. It is particularly worth mentioning that a trilateral memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway has been signed, a milestone in the building of a transport corridor on the Eurasian continent. Embracing a shared future Another highlight of President Xis visits is that China and Kazakhstan have agreed to work toward building a community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe. China and Uzbekistan also agreed to implement the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral level, adding new substance to bilateral ties. One of the defining features of a community with a shared future is firm mutual support. China and the two countries are each others firm supporter for development and rejuvenation in this new characterization of bilateral relationship. This not only serves the long-term development of bilateral ties and peoples well-being on both sides, but also contributes to the positive forces in the world and to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. It is of great significance in the current volatile and complex international environment and will become a new milestone in China-Kazakhstan and China-Uzbekistan relations. In renewing the Silk Road spirit, advancing Belt and Road cooperation and working for a community with a shared future, President Xi's visits represent both a continuation of the shared legacy and a right choice for the future. China stands ready to work with both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to inject fresh impetus to their age-old ties, pursue common progress and make greater contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the wider world. It is a fresh starting point. Together, China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are ready to embark on a new journey. (Yi Fan is an international commentator based in Beijing) ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists have unearthed a gold "funeral mask" dating back more than 3,000 years in an ancient noble tomb in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, local authorities said. The mask measures 18.3 cm in length and 14.5 cm in width, and weighs around 40 grams. It was discovered in a tomb which was recently unearthed at the ruins of a city from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.), according to the Zhengzhou municipal institute of cultural heritage and archaeology. "The size of the mask means it could basically cover the face of an adult," said Huang Fucheng from the institute. The artifact is among several gold wares recovered from the tomb, which has yielded more than 200 burial objects, including bronze and jade wares. A large number of gold items were unearthed at the famed Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province, but they are rarely found at cultural relic sites of the Shang Dynasty in the central plains. Experts believe that the new findings could shed light on the burial rituals and gold culture of the dynasty. 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. The Egyptian Presidency of the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) urged countries to put aside political differences over the Russia-Ukraine war and collaborate to move forward on climate action. Iran is awaiting the release of about $7 billion in funds frozen abroad, state media said Sunday, after it allowed an Iranian-American to leave the country and released his son from detention. Another outbreak of Russophobia in Armenia 18 September 2022 [12:36] - By Trend Protests against Russia begin in Armenia, Trend reports. Footage from a protest rally appeared on telegram channels, in which Armenians chant anti-Russian slogans and use Russophobic expressions --- Views: 448 Twenty-eight effective projects in the fields were discussed during the regional forum from the Arab region that was held on Thursday in Beirut, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for Egypt and UN Special Envoy on Financing 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda Mahmoud Mohieldin said. The project covers fields of climate action priorities such as transportation, energy, agriculture, desertification and water management, Mohieldin added during the closing session of the forum. The forum is well organised by ESCWA, Egypt's presidency of COP27 and [high-level champions (HLCs)], while [Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)], investment banks and development partners participated, and this reflected the interest of all stakeholders to get involved in climate action, he added. The forum in Beirut is the fourth in a series of regional meetings organised by Egypt's presidency of COP27, UN regional commissions, HLCs and GFANZ to prepare for the COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh from 6 to 18 November. Egypt, the host of COP27, had previously announced the launch of the five regional roundtables in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Santiago, Beirut, and Geneva to catalyse climate investments in different climate sectors. Geneva is set to host the last roundtable on 20 September. "Climate financing and encouraging investors and finance entities to participate requires the existence of applicable and bankable projects; that is the goal of the five regional roundtables initiative," Mohieldin said. "It is necessary for Arab governments to link public budgets to [sustainable development goals (SDGs)] as public finance can be considered the cornerstone of financing development and climate action including adaptation measures," Mohieldin pointed out. Climate financing, he noted, should take the shape of partnerships and investments rather than debts, especially with having feasible projects on the table. He explained that debts could represent investing opportunities in case the Arab states reached deals with lenders to activate debt swaps, referring also to the importance of blended finance as a method to implement climate projects. At the end of his speech, Mohieldin confirmed the importance of investing in development and climate action as an investment in human capital in order to build capacity and enhance the skills of dealing with new technologies that development and climate projects depend on. 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. Search Keywords: Short link: Advancing deep into Ukrainian territory seized by Moscow earlier in its invasion, a counteroffensive launched in September, 2022 has forced back the invading Russian army. In the process Kyiv has recaptured over 2,000 square miles of land in the country's northeast and left Moscow's prized units like the 1st Tank Guards Army in disarray. The success of the counteroffensive has shown that what is known in military circles as "operational art" - the creative use of time, space and forces to achieve a position of advantage - can be more important than relative combat power and simply counting the tanks and artillery possessed by either side in conflict. And while this latest operational turning point in Ukraine is not the end of the conflict, as a defense strategist with more than 19 years of military experience, I see three key insights about modern warfare in the recent Ukrainian success. 'Deception is still possible in conflict' Modern war takes place during an open source intelligence revolution in which commercial satellite photos and a constant stream of social media facts and fiction bombard politicians, soldiers and citizens. This flood of information makes hiding large military formations increasingly difficult, if not impossible. Yet, the Ukrainians showed the world that a globally connected information environment does not mean the art of deception is dead. Ukraine's military planners used old concepts optimized for a new era in designing its counter-offensive. They employed a variant of the 19th-century military concept of "central position." This concept is associated with Napoleon, who when confronted with two armies, positioned his forces between them to split the enemy. This allowed the French leader to concentrate his forces in one location, even when they were outnumbered overall. In the recent counteroffensive, Ukraine used a central position to confront two concentrations of Russian forces, one in the east around the city of Kharkiv and the Donbas region - which includes portions of Donetsk and Luhansk - and a second in the south along the Dnieper River and Kherson. These Russian forces collectively outnumbered Ukraine's army and possessed greater numbers of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and attack aircraft. While Ukraine was building up forces in Kherson in the south and using rocket artillery, sabotage and unconventional warfare to attack infrastructure to isolate Russian troops, it also maintained a large armored force in the east. This gave Ukraine the ability to fix Russian forces along one front while attacking on another. Ukraine's central position made Russia have to factor in the possibility of Ukrainian troops attacking in either direction. Ukraine also employed a clever form of deception adopting elements of what is known as "Magruder's Principle." This maxim holds that it is easier to induce a target to maintain a pre-existing belief than introduce a new idea. By conducting strikes that isolated Russian forces along the Dnieper River and making public statements that suggested Ukraine would attack Kherson, Ukraine reinforced Russian views that Kherson would be the initial main area of attack during the counter-offensive. This use of public statements and action to shape an adversary's decision-making is also consistent with the old Soviet concept of "reflexive control," which uses misinformation to skew how the target perceives the world and conditions them to make self-defeating decisions. As a result, Russia moved forces to the south to bolster its fighting positions in Kherson. Doing so likely hollowed out Moscow's forces in the east and compromised its ability to deploy reserves. Combined with Ukraine's central position, this clever ruse meant that Kyiv set the conditions for the large-scale rout of Putin's army in the east and future operations to retake Kherson. 'Precision strike facilitates depth and produces cascading effects' At a more tactical level, Ukraine has proven a master of using precision strikes to hamper the movement of Russian troops. Kyiv has employed swarms of "loitering munitions" - airborne drones that locate and then attack targets - alongside a mix of anti-tank guided missiles as well as traditional armored formations and artillery to pressure Russian ground forces. This combination has freed up the country's warplanes, special operations teams and long-range precision missiles to hunt Russian radars, command posts and supply depots. The net result is that Russian forces have had to confront multiple dilemmas and have struggled to build up sufficient combat power to counterattack and halt the Ukrainian advance. War is a complex system governed more by power laws than linear dynamics. That is to say, smaller, mobile force - like the Ukrainians - can defeat larger armies. The depth and simultaneity of the Ukrainian tactical approach in the counteroffensive produced shock and dislocation. Information operations compounded this effect by circulating images of retreating soldiers, thus making defection and surrender contagious. 'War remains a continuation of politics' A political timeline drove the sequence and setting of Ukraine's recent counteroffensive. Kyiv needed to disrupt the ability of Russia to hold an illegitimate referendum in Kherson and occupied territory in the east - the same playbook Moscow used to seize Ukrainian territory in 2014 through the Minsk agreement. Moscow wanted to use the referendum to justify annexing Ukrainian territory and show progress to a weary Russian public. At the same time, Putin was likely trying to consolidate territorial gains before using the looming threat of winter to divide Western support for Kyiv. In other words, at the strategic level even if the recent counteroffensive had not gained large amounts of territory or defeated entire Russian divisions it could have complicated Moscow's ability to hold a referendum in occupied territory. Russian forces would be forced to defend the front as opposed to securing polling sites. So while the operational and tactical gains produced by the counteroffensive are important, underlying objective Ukraine is pursuing at the strategic level remains political. This political logic, despite the success of the counteroffensive, casts doubt on the prospects of the conflict ending with a decisive battlefield defeat of Russian forces in the near term. Even if Ukraine makes significant gains in the south and retakes Kherson, Moscow can still opt for a large-scale mobilization and continue the war until either Russian elites or its citizens turn on Putin and his inner circle. Search Keywords: Short link: Western defense officials and analysts on Saturday said they believed the Russian forces were setting up a new defensive line in Ukraine's northeast after Kyiv's troops broke through the previous one and tried to press their advances further into the east. The British Defense Ministry said in a daily intelligence briefing that the line likely is between the Oskil River and Svatove, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. The new line comes after a Ukrainian counteroffensive punched a hole through the previous front line in the war and recaptured large swaths of land in the northeastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia. Moscow ``likely sees maintaining control of this zone as important because it is transited by one of the few main resupply routes Russia still controls from the Belgorod region of Russia,'' the British military said, adding that ''a stubborn defense of this area`` was likely, but that it remained unclear whether the Russians would be able to withstand another concerted Ukrainian assault. Ukrainian forces, in the meantime, continue to cross the key Oskil River in the Kharkiv region as they try to press on in a counteroffensive targeting Russian-occupied territory, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War. The Institute said in its Saturday report that satellite imagery it examined suggest that Ukrainian forces have crossed over to the east bank of the Oskil in Kupiansk, placing artillery there. The river, which flows south from Russia into Ukraine, had been a natural break in the newly emerged front lines since Ukraine launched its push about a week ago. ``Russian forces are likely too weak to prevent further Ukrainian advances along the entire Oskil River if Ukrainian forces choose to resume offensive operations,'' the institute said. Videos circulating online on Saturday indicated that Ukrainian forces are also continuing to take land in the country's embattled east. One video showed a Ukrainian soldier walking past a building, its roof destroyed, then pointing up over his shoulder at a colleague hanging the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag over a mobile phone tower. The soldier in the video identified the seized village as Dibrova, just northeast of the city of Sloviansk and southeast of the embattled city of Lyman in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Another online video showed two Ukrainian soldiers in what appeared to be a bell tower. A Ukrainian flag hung as a soldier said they had taken the village of Shchurove, just northeast of Sloviansk. The Ukrainian military and the Russians did not immediately acknowledge the change of hands of the two villages. Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian forces continued to pound cities and villages with missile strikes and shelling. A Russian missile attack early Saturday started a fire in Kharkiv's industrial area, said Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor. Firefighters extinguished the blaze. Syniehubov said remnants of the missiles suggest the Russians fired S-300 surface-to-air missiles at the city. The S-300 is designed for striking missiles or aircraft in the sky, not targets on the ground. Analysts say Russia's use of the missiles for ground attacks suggests they may be running out of some precision munitions as the monthslong war continues. In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a large part of which is occupied by the Russians, one person was wounded after the Russian forces shelled the city of Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia's Ukrainian governor Oleksandr Starukh reported on Telegram. Starukh said the Russian troops also shelled two villages in the region, destroying several civilian facilities there. The central Dnipropetrovsk region also came under fire overnight, according to its governor, Valentyn Reznichenko. ``The enemy attacked six times and launched more than 90 deadly projectiles on peaceful cities and villages,'' Reznichenko said. Meanwhile, Ukraine's atomic energy operator, Energoatom, said a convoy of 25 trucks has brought diesel fuel and other critical supplies to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant _ Europe's largest, which was shut down a week ago amid fears that fighting in the area could result in a radiation disaster. The trucks were allowed through Russian checkpoints on Friday to deliver spare parts for repairs of damaged power lines, chemicals for the operation of the plant and additional fuel for backup diesel generators, Energoatom said in a statement. The six-reactor plant was captured by Russian forces in March but is still operated by Ukrainian engineers. Its last reactor was switched off Sunday after repeated power failures due to shelling put crucial safety systems at risk. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held on Saturday his first phone call with the UKs King Charles III since his coronation after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September. El-Sisi offered condolences to King Charles and the British government and people over the death of the queen, who gave a lot to her people and country over the decades, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. King Charles thanked El-Sisi for his generous gesture, which highlights the distinguished traditional relations between the two friendly countries. El-Sisi and King Charles also discussed a number of issues of mutual concern, especially regarding climate change, the statement said. This comes in light of the several initiatives sponsored by the king in this field and the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) that Egypt is scheduled to host in November in Sharm El-Sheikh city, the statement added. Over the past few months, Egypt has coordinated with the UK, the host of COP26 last year, and international partners in Glasgow to make COP27 a success by implementing the Paris Agreement and turning climate pledges into actions. The phone call comes two days before the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96. The funeral is set to be held on Monday with the attendance of hundreds of heads of state and royals from around the world. President El-Sisi met with then-Prince of Wales Charles in November last year during the latters two-day visit to Egypt along with his wife, Camilla Parker, for the first time since 2006. Search Keywords: Short link: Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, has expressed eagerness to pump investments into the tourism and hotel sectors in Egypt, a statement by the cabinet on Saturday read. In a meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Saturday, Chief of Asia-Pacific and Africa Investments at QIA Faisal Bin Thani Al-Thani said that Egypt is one of three most important destinations for Qatari investments in the region, noting that the authority gives great attention to the Egyptian market. A number of senior officials from the French hotel group Accor attended the meeting. For his part, Madbouly said that the visit by the Qatari business delegation gives a strong impetus to economic cooperation. Last week, Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi made a two-day visit to Doha his first since assuming the presidency in 2014 upon the invitation of Qatars Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. During the visit, the two leaders signed several memorandums of understanding (MoUs), including one between QIA and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE) for investment and development. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt has taken serious steps in its human rights file, National Council of Human Rights (NCHR) President Moushira Khattab told Antonio Lopez, a member of the EUs parliament, during a meeting in Cairo on Saturday. Khattab also stressed that "there are challenges being dealt with transparently," while assuring him that "Egypt is at crossroads and is witnessing a historic opportunity," the NCHR said in a statement issued following the meeting. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi declared 2022 as the Year of Civil Society. He launched in September 2021 the first homegrown National Strategy for Human Rights 2021-2026, a scheme aimed at addressing political, economic, social and cultural rights for all groups, including marginalised ones. Then, in October he revoked the national state of emergency that had been in place since 2017. The steps were followed by the reactivation of the Presidential Pardon Committee in April and the start of preparations for the National Political Dialogue called for by the president in May. El-Sisi has since pardoned a number of high-profile political activists who had received final sentences such as Hossam Mones, Yahia Abdel-Hady, Hisham Fouad and others. Also since May, Egypt's Public Prosecution has ordered the release of hundreds of pretrial detainees as the government and various political forces prepare for an extensive National Political Dialogue that will discuss pressing political, economic and social issues. Saturday's meeting dealt with "the positive developments" of the human rights process in Egypt during the past two years, including the launch of the National Strategy for Human Rights and the launch of the national dialogue. The NCHR, Khattab added, has taken important steps towards implementing the country's National Human Rights Strategy, the statement added. The Spanish MP told the Egyptian side that Europe is now facing developments that put it "at a critical crossroads that requires common issues to be re-sorted out," according to the statement. Lopez said the recent developments of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the ensuing food and energy crises require working on highlighting commonalities between the Egyptian and European sides to surmount the new challenges. The statement added that both the Egyptian and European sides agreed on strengthening communication between the NCHR, the Egyptian House of Representatives and the European Parliament, especially at the youth level. The meeting was also attended by Tarek Radwan, head of Human Rights Committee at the Egyptian House of Representatives; and Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, deputy chairperson of the same committee and member at the presidential pardon committee. Lopez, who is representing the Spanish centre-right Peoples Party, is on his first official visit to Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has taken his reelection campaign on the road, delivering an open-air campaign speech Sunday in London, where he had come to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Allies hope Bolsonaro's four-day foreign trip will sway some voters and give him an image of gravitas after almost four years of rifts with other world leaders _ while providing material for TV ads. Bolsonaro trails former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in opinion polls, with the other candidates far back. The leftist da Silva, who governed from 2003 to 2010, is hoping to win 50% of the votes Oct. 2 and avoid a runoff against the incumbent. Speaking to about 200 supporters gathered outside the Brazilian Embassy in London, Bolsonaro insisted the polls were wrong, and that he could win outright in the first round. "Our flag will always be in these colors, green and yellow. Our motto is God, nation, family and freedom," the right-wing leader said from an embassy balcony. He later visited Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro and evangelical pastor Silas Malafaia. Bolsonaro declared three days of national mourning in Brazil after the death of Britain's 96-year-old monarch and the funeral will be Bolsonaro's first official visit to the United Kingdom. He met the new monarch, King Charles III, during a trip to Japan in 2019. At the time, Bolsonaro described Charles, a keen environmentalist, as "a person who, like the rest of the world, is wrong about the Amazon." Bolsonaro's administration is frequently accused by environmentalists of not working to put a halt to deforestation in the Amazon region and ignoring environmental crimes there. Bolsonaro was expected to meet the king again on Sunday at a reception at Buckingham Palace. At least some Brazilians criticized his use of a funeral trip for politicking. "It is an absolute disgrace for Brazil," said lawmaker Joice Hasselmann, a former Bolsonaro backer, on her social media channels. "He transformed the queen's funeral into a rally." Following the funeral, Bolsonaro was to travel to New York to maintain the tradition of Brazilian presidents being the first to speak at the assembly. According to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bolsonaro's speech in New York will probably have an electoral approach as well as elements suggested by Brazil's diplomatic team. "He's head of state and government, but also a candidate for reelection. This separation is necessary, but not always perfect", said Brazil's U.N. ambassador, Paulino Neto. Bolsonaro himself made clear the ties between the election and his foray abroad while speaking at a campaign rally Friday in the southern state of Parana. He told supporters that he should pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth to represent Brazil. "And each and every day, Brazil interacts and integrates with other countries around the world. Brazil is a fantastic country, everybody wants to do business with us," he said. Oliver Stuenkel, a foreign affairs professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, said Bolsonaro wants to show voters he is not isolated from international leaders. And he said Bolsonaro's conservative base, which includes monarchists, will be happy to see him at the royal funeral. "What Bolsonaro wants is to ... show he can assure some stability and predictability in terms of values, and respond to the criticism saying he is isolated in the world," Stuenkel said. "And New York will give him a global stage. He will secure headlines for a couple of days." Search Keywords: Short link: Facing a complex set of challenges that try humanity as never before, world leaders convene at the United Nations this week under the shadow of Europe's first major war since World War II, a conflict that has unleashed a global food crisis and divided major powers in a way not seen since the Cold War. The many facets of the Ukraine war are expected to dominate the annual meeting, which convenes as many countries and peoples confront growing inequality, an escalating climate crisis, the threat of multiple famines and an internet-fueled tide of misinformation and hate speech, all atop a coronavirus pandemic that is halfway through its third year. For the first time since the United Nations was founded atop the ashes of World War II, European nations are witnessing war in their midst waged by nuclear-armed neighboring Russia. Its Feb. 24 invasion not only threatens Ukraine's survival as an independent democratic nation but has leaders in many countries worrying about trying to preserve regional and international peace and prevent a wider war. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the strategic divides, with the West on one side and Russia and increasingly China on the other, are "paralyzing the global response to the dramatic challenges we face." He pointed not only to the devastation in Ukraine from nearly seven months of fighting but the war's impact on the global economy. Escalating food and energy prices are hitting the world's poorest people hardest, and nations are "being devoured by the acids of nationalism and self-interest" instead of working together and resolving disputes peacefully, two principles that lie at the heart of the U.N. Charter and underpin everything the United Nations tries to do. "The General Assembly is meeting at a time of great peril," the U.N. chief said last week. For the first time in three years, leaders will be delivering their speeches in person in the vast General Assembly hall. There will be no more COVID-caused prerecorded addresses or hybrid meetings, with one exception: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Over objections from Russia and a few allies, the 193-member assembly voted overwhelmingly Friday to allow the Ukrainian leader to pre-record his speech because of reasons beyond his control, the "ongoing foreign invasion" and military hostilities that require him to carry out his "national defense and security duties." The death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her funeral in London on Monday, which many world leaders plan to attend, have created last-minute headaches for the high-level meeting. Diplomats and U.N. staff are scrambling to deal with changes in travel plans, the timing of some events and the logistically intricate speaking schedule for world leaders. Guterres is skipping the funeral to preside over Monday's "Transforming Education Summit" that he called to create action on a U.N. goal to ensure quality education for all children by 2030 that lost significant ground during the pandemic. The actual gathering of world leaders, known as the General Debate, begins Tuesday morning with the U.N. chief's state of the world speech to the 77th session of the General Assembly which began on Sept. 12. Brazil has spoken first for over seven decades because at the early General Assembly sessions it volunteered to speak first when no other country did. The U.S, president, representing the host country for the United Nations, is traditionally the second speaker. But President Joe Biden is attending the queen's funeral, and his speech has been delayed until Wednesday morning. Senegalese President Macky Sall is expected to take Biden's slot. Nearly 150 presidents, prime ministers and monarchs are on the latest speakers list, a very high number reflecting the importance of the meeting not only for presenting every country's view of the world but for private one-on-one and group meetings where diplomats say a lot of the world's business is carried out. In addition to Zelenskyy, Biden and Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, other heads of state coming to the U.N. include the presidents of Turkey, Iran, France, Colombia, South Korea, South Africa, Egypt and Venezuela. Heads of government on the list include Britain's new Prime Minister Liz Truss, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also making a first appearance, and the prime ministers of Japan, Israel, Iraq and Pakistan. Russia and China are sending their foreign ministers. For many years, foreign ministers of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, have met on the sidelines for lunch or dinner. Diplomats said no meeting is planned this year. During typical high-level weeks, thousands of people are in the U.N. complex for speeches and hundreds of side events. But because of the continuing pandemic, this year only the few events organized by the secretary-general and the General Assembly president are being held at U.N. headquarters. Dozens of side events will take place elsewhere in the city. Richard Gowan, U.N. director of the International Crisis Group, said Ukraine and the food crisis will be the two "overarching themes" and the message from Western leaders is going to be clear: "This is Russia's war of aggression and this is a huge attack on the U.N. system." A highlight will be the U.N. Security Council ministerial meeting on Sept. 22 focusing on the fight against impunity in the war in Ukraine, a topic decided by France which holds the council presidency this month. The meeting could put foreign ministers of the five permanent council nations in the same room with Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who has been invited. France's U.N. ambassador, Nicolas De Riviere, said Friday that "perpetrators will be held accountable" for the "dramatic consequences" that "the Russian war of aggression" has had on civilians in Ukraine. And U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United Nations faces "a crisis of confidence" brought about by Russia's invasion of Ukraine that violated its neighbor's sovereignty and territorial integrity, "trampled on human rights" and struck at the heart of the U.N. Charter by pursuing war instead of a negotiated peace. She told reporters Friday that the response must be to "double down on our commitment to a peaceful world and hold even closer our deeply-held principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace and security." Thomas-Greenfield insisted the high-level meeting "will not be dominated by Ukraine" because there are conflicts taking place elsewhere as well. That's why she says the United States is focusing on tackling the food crisis as well as climate change, advancing global health and upholding the U.N. Charter. The Crisis Group's Gowan said his organization has seen in recent weeks that African and Latin American countries "have gradually succumbed to Ukraine fatigue," and there is a feeling in many parts of the U.N. "that countries don't want to have to constantly attack Russia." There is a clear understanding among Western leaders, and especially in the U.S., of the need "to keep non-Western countries on board over Ukraine," he said. Gowan said he will also be listening for "an undercurrent of discontent" from African nations and countries from the global South about how they've been let down on COVID-19 vaccinations and financing to tackle climate change and deal with escalating food prices and the cost of living. He also lamented that crises in Mali, Afghanistan and Yemen won't be on the front burner. Secretary-General Guterres, who just visited Pakistan where he said the flooded area is three times the size of his home country Portugal, lashed out at the Group of 20 richest nations, which he said are responsible for 80% of emissions that cause global warming. "My message to world leaders gathering here is clear: Lower the temperature, now," he said. "Don't flood the world today; don't drown it tomorrow." Search Keywords: Short link: Deaths related to the coronavirus in Egypt have fallen to almost zero during the current wave of the virus in the country, said Presidential Health Adviser Awad Tag El-Din on Sunday. In TV remarks, Tag El-Din said Egypt has experienced six coronavirus waves, the last of which was extremely week in the severity of infection and the number of people infected. Hospital admissions have been rare and deaths have been almost zero during the sixth wave, Tag El-Din said. Except for an increase of 6.9 percent in coronavirus infections recorded in late June/early July, Egypt has been witnessing a major decline in infections and deaths nationwide in recent months. At the end of the first week of September, Minister of Health Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said coronavirus cases and deaths in the country decreased by 33 percent and 40 percent respectively week-on-week. Egypt seeks to fully vaccinate 50 million of its 102-plus population as per the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommendations, Abdel-Ghaffar said in a Cabinet meeting. He added that the number of those who received their first vaccine shot has already surpassed the target population, while 78.7 percent of the target population has received the second shot. As for the third booster shot, around 8.4 million people have been inoculated so far, nearly 33.4 percent of the country's target priority groups, which the health ministry estimates at 25 million people, Abdel-Ghaffar said. In recent months, the country has eased the coronavirus-related restrictions it had imposed since March 2020. This includes allowing mosques and shrines nationwide to return to normal operation hours after two years of limited services. It also included allowing weddings and celebrations at indoor halls in hotels as long as they follow precautionary measures. In 16 June, Egypt announced that it is lifting COVID-related entry restrictions for all travellers, whether Egyptian nationals or foreigners, according to a statement by the Cabinet. Aside from the coronavirus, Egypt recorded and isolated its first monkeypox case in a citizen coming from Spain earlier in September, making Egypt one of dozens of countries that have reported monkeypox cases, although the disease is not endemic there. Monkeypox has infected tens of thousands of people worldwide recently, after it had been primarily found in parts of Central and West Africa. Search Keywords: Short link: President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will launch the National Strategy for Intellectual Property on Wednesday in line with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Development Agenda, the UNs Sustainable Development Goals and Egypts Vision 2030, according to Chairman of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) Karam Gabr. In a press conference organised by the SCMR on the National Strategy for Intellectual Property on Saturday, Gabr asserted Egypt will cooperate with the WIPO in training and qualifications to help the country reach an advanced rank globally. WIPO Director-General Daren Tang will attend Wednesdays launch ceremony, in his first visit to an Arab country since he took over his position in the organisation in 2020. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO was created in 1970 to promote and protect intellectual property across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organisations. During the press conference, Minister of Higher Education Mohamed Ayman Ashour said that Egypt has been a member of WIPO since 1975, and has signed fourteen agreements administered by the organisation. These agreements included the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Property, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Madrid Agreement on the International Registration of Marks and the Hague Agreement on the International Deposit of Industrial Designs. Ashour asserted the importance of intellectual property protection in creating an environment conducive to innovation, pointing to the 884 requests filed with the Egyptian Patent Office so far in 2022, compared to 1,271 requests in 2021. The ministry has adopted the From Patent to Product (P2P) project, which aims to convert patents into a marketable industrial product, as well as benefit from information related to inventions. He explained that the ministry aims to spread awareness of intellectual property law at the university and postgraduate levels to consolidate the foundations of intellectual property. For his side, Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir stated that intellectual property helps the economy grow, adding that the ministry has set goals to make patents available for effective use and help contribute to sustainable development. He explained that the ministry worked in coordination with the rest of the authorities to define the intellectual property goals of the trade ministry, to achieve integration between research and academic institutions and the industry sector. In this regard, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat, said that there is a passion among investors for intellectual property because it paves the way for increasing investments in emerging companies. She added that the national strategy for intellectual property helps the Egyptian economy to open many areas and then create additional job opportunities, as the global economy currently depends on the usage of technology and innovation. Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi, explained that the strategy is also directed to establish the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority because the presence of one body supervising intellectual property will work to create a supportive environment, adding that the most important point is to spread societal awareness. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend An agreement was reached on the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the province of Mersin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this, commenting on the construction of the first Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkiye, Trend reports. Erdogan noted that a corresponding agreement was reached at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand. "At the moment, [the Russian side] has reached an agreement with the Turkish company IC. The construction of the nuclear power plant will continue with active topics in order to commission the first power unit during 2023," the president said. Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat will fly to Lebanon on Thursday to participate in the Arab Regional Forum on Climate Initiatives to Finance Climate Action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event is one of five regional forums organised by the Egyptian Presidency of the 27th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27), the UN climate change high-level champions, and the five UN regional commissions. Al-Mashat will participate in high-level discussions meant to rally climate finance and hold a meeting with officials of the Institute of International Finance. The forum gathers Arab public and private sector parties to discuss the means to accelerate the finance of climate work. It will tackle Arab countries' financial needs to secure water, energy, and food in light of changing climate circumstances. The forum will facilitate contact between partners and stakeholders to accelerate public and private investment mobilisation for projects and initiatives. The event is set to connect institutional investors, private sector financiers, and development partners with governments around co-creating investment opportunities in support of regional priority actions. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has stressed that ongoing global developments and challenges require the Arab world to accelerate towards achieving Arab economic integration and activating joint Arab work. Minister of Manpower Hassan Shehata delivered the remarks on behalf of El-Sisi on Sunday in a speech during the 48th session of the Arab Labour Conference organised by the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO) in Egypt with the attendance of labour ministers and representatives of trade unions from 21 Arab countries. The conference kicked off on Sunday and is running until 25 September. In his remarks, El-Sisi affirmed that global developments require the Arabs, who are also witnessing political, economic, and social challenges, to prioritise joint Arab work, said a statement by the Egyptian manpower ministry. It is time for prioritising national interest and renouncing disputes and strife whose igniters seek to obliterate the Arab identity and tamper with the capabilities of our peoples, El-Sisi stressed. The president also called for a realistic assessment of all global changes and pressed for quick action to achieve Arab economic integration. The Egyptian government will continue to support Arab national interests and renounce disputes that are plotted to obliterate the Arab identity, said El-Sisi. The president urged Arab countries to march toward unity in order to achieve development, knowledge, creativity and innovation. He also called for taking the initiative to block the endeavours of those tampering with Arab capabilities. This can be achieved by setting realistic and achievable goals in accordance with specific and clear timetables, El-Sisi affirmed. Egypt will always act toward a comprehensive settlement to all problems facing the Arab world, particularly the Palestinian cause, he assured. Easing effects of unemployment Speaking during the conference, Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Abul-Gheit called for increasing cooperation and continued coordination among the Arab states to ease the negative economic and social effects of unemployment, which remains a key challenge in the Arab world. The unemployment file has not been given due attention in the Arab world, particularly with the lack of coordination between education and the labor market and in light of the increasing population and poverty in Arab states, he said. Abul-Gheit called for exerting unified efforts to face challenges in this regard. Abul Gheit's address was read out on his behalf by Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Hussein Hindawi. The 48th Arab Labour Conference kicked off in Cairo today under the chairmanship of Morocco and the auspices of El-Sisi. Representatives of the General Secretariat of the Arab League and delegates of Arab and international agencies are among the attendees, along with several diplomats and public figures. The conference is set to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the foundation of the ALO in 1965, which was to be held two years ago but was postponed due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The celebration will involve honouring a number of representatives of some member countries of the ALO and the three production parties for their key role in serving the labour and worker issues in the Arab world, according to an earlier statement by the manpower ministry. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt has called on governments and development partners to endorse its stance for countries and global institutions to provide adequate funding to face the effects of climate change as well as mitigation and adaptation programmes. Minister of Agriculture El-Sayed El-Quseir made the remarks during the first Arab Conference for Climate and Sustainable Development, which was organised by the Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU) that Egypt hosted on Sunday under the theme Al-Akhdar Hayah (Green is life). This comes less than 50 days before the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), slated for 6-18 November in Egypts Sharm El-Sheikh city. As the official host of the COP27 conference, Egypt is determined attain results in terms of helping developing countries, especially in Africa, to benefit from climate financing. During the second edition of the Egypt International Cooperation Forum (Egypt-ICF 2022), held on 7 September, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called for the countries most responsible for climate change impacts to boost their contributions to support efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. El-Sisi made the comments after US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry stressed during the forum that 20 countries are responsible for 80 percent of total global emissions, while 24 countries in Africa cause only 0.55 percent of these emissions. Recommendations on climate action During his speech today, El-Quseir recommended that governments encourage the private sector to inject investments to support adaptation and mitigation projects by introducing incentives and tax concessions. He also highlighted the importance of supporting the legislations backing adaptation and mitigation measures in the face of climate change and taking comprehensive measures to reduce emissions and achieve sustainable development goals. The Egyptian minister also called for establishing a carbon platform to help local communities boost their capabilities to engage in establishing agricultural systems that are more resilient and sustainable, especially in the climate-vulnerable regions. El-Quseir also urged establishing early warning systems locally and regionally that enable farmers and others to take proactive measures amid the accelerating pace of climate change. The minister affirmed the need for large industrial countries to fulfil their climate commitments within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 2015 Paris Agreement, and the Kyoto Protocol. Egypts hosting of COP27 creates an unprecedented opportunity for member countries to expand their efforts aiming at implementing the climate related measures and solutions that address water scarcity, energy, and food systems, the minister added. Speaking at the conference, Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj stressed Egypts commitment to the Paris Agreement, which requires nations to put plans to reduce emissions. Boosting civil society participation The social solidarity ministry is keen to ensure a strong and effective participation by civil society groups and volunteers at COP27, El-Qabbaj said. The ministry is also keen to introduce a true image that showcases the great efforts of civil society in Egypt to provide all forms of protection to needy societal categories against economic, social, and environmental threats, she added. El-Qabbaj said up to 1,000 volunteers will participate in COP27. The ministry is also planning to organise a day for civil society on the sidelines of COP27 to highlight the role and success stories of civil society in the field of climate change mitigation, taking into account the global, regional and local dimensions at all levels, she added. The Egyptian government has repeatedly affirmed its keenness to allow the greatest possible number of local and foreign civil society organisations to participate and express their views in COP27. Egyptian Minister of Justice Omar Marwan, Minister of Local Development Hisham Amna, and Speaker of the Senate Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek attended the meeting. Also, Secretary General of the CAEU Muhammadi Al-Ni and a number of Arab figures and Egyptian MPs were among the attendees. The conference discusses legislations and laws related to sustainable development and climate, ways of facing economic, industrial and agricultural repercussions on sustainable development. It also addresses the role of media, international and Arab institutions and civil society organisations in preserving sustainable development. Attending COP27 Egypt is making round-the-clock preparations to host COP27 and receive the largest number of attendees. Those interested in attending the conference can register on the official COP27 website here. Last week, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the number of people who have applied to participate in COP27 is double the number of participants during the past two editions of the conference, Madbouly said, without giving specifics. Meanwhile, Egypts EC4SDF, an observer non-governmental organisation (NGO) to COP27, said late in August that about 35,000 people from around the world so far have registered on the UN website to attend COP27. This puts the upcoming UN climate change conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on track to possibly become one of the most attended COPs, the NGO asserted. Egypt has reiterated that it would seek during the conference to push for implementing climate pledges on the ground within the framework of the Paris Agreement. Egypt will also urge developed countries to meet their promise to mobilise the necessary funds to help developing nations with mitigation and adaptation measures. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt has been officially selected to host the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP 27) in November 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh. The current UN climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow announced on Thursday that Egypt was chosen to host the upcoming session of the conference in 2022 (COP27). The UAE will host the 2023 edition of the conference. At the summit earlier on Thursday, Egypts Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad expressed her appreciation to all delegations, especially the African countries delegations, for their support of Egypt. The minister added that Egypt is committed to building on the success achieved at COP26 and will exert efforts to achieve success in the upcoming COP27 summit in Sharm El-Sheikh. Fouad also welcomed all parties to meet next year in Egypt to work on reaching fair and balanced outcomes to face the impacts of climate change and to help developing and African countries to quickly face and adapt to climate change. Earlier this month, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on developed countries to fulfil their pledge to provide $100 billion annually to developing countries to address the effects of climate change. In a speech delivered to the COP26, El-Sisi seconded highlighted the need to allocate at least half of all public climate finance to adaptation measures. He affirmed the need to preserve the Paris Climate Accords to ensure the bolstering of efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the negative effects of climate change. The president also vowed that Egypt would seek to enhance international climate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement during the countrys presidency of the COP27, affirming this will achieve the interests of the global community. The Paris Climate Accords adopted at COP21 and signed by over 190 states including Egypt came into effect in 2016 with the aim of reducing the rate of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in this century. El-Sisi said strengthening climate action to achieve this rate has become imperative and undeferrable. In 2019, Egypt co-chaired a coalition with the UK on climate adaptation and resilience at the UN Climate Action Summit. Egypt also hosted the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2018. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt is putting in place a broad and comprehensive health safety plan for the thousands who will be attending the COP27, slated to take place in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh in South Sinai 6-18 Novemebr. The plan includes operating fixed and mobile clinics at quarantine facilities at airports, at hotels that will host guest delegations, and at conference halls, Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar told the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Egypt has been making round-the clock preparations to host the 27th UN Climate Change Conference that will see the participation of deleagtions from countries around the world, in addition to hundreds of environmental and other NGOs, as well as thousands of individuals. About 35,000 worldwide have registered on the UN website for COP27, putting the upcoming UN climate change conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on track to possibly become one of the most attended COPs, according to a recent report by the Egyptian Earth's Climate for Sustainable Development Foundation (EC4SDF). The health safety plan for COP27 includes mobilising ambulances that are equipped with intensive care units to provide emergency medical services, the minister added. Meanwhile, Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital (SSIH) will be ready to deal with any cases that require medical attention immediately, will also to receive any patients, he stressed to the Cabinet. The hospital has been equipped with a cardiac catherisation unit to treat any cases, he added. In mid-August, the Chairman of the General Authority for Healthcare (GAH) Ahmed El-Sobky had announced that work is underway to upgrade SSIH in order to become the first green medical facility in Egypt and Africa ahead of the COP27. The hospital has been registered as the first Egyptian entity at the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH), an international network of medical facilities using eco-friendly tools, according to El-Sobky. Abdel-Ghaffar stressed during the Cabinet meeting that all hospitals in the South Sinai Governorate will be ready to receive any medical cases. He also noted that the ministry has set aside 1.5 million rapid coronavirus test packages to administer to those who request them. Egypt has continued to see dwindling numbers of coronavirus infections and pandemic-linked deaths, according to recent figures released by the health ministry. The sharp decline in coronavirus cases in the country has contributed to the decrease in occupancy rates at isolation and triage hospitals affiliated with the health ministry in recent months. The ministry has recently announced that100 percent of the target population received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, 78.4 percent received a second dose, and 32.3 percent received a booster shot. Search Keywords: Short link: Turkish raids in northern Syria on Sunday struck outposts operated by the Syrian army and Kurdish-led forces, killing three, a Britain-based war monitor said. The raids near the Kurdish-held border town of Kobane targeted positions of the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The three casualties were wearing Syrian army uniform, according to the monitor. Several other fighters were wounded, some in critical condition, according to the Observatory, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria. The strikes were preceded by cross-border shelling from near Kobane against Turkish forces, according to the monitor. Last month, the Syrian government said it would respond to direct attacks by Turkey against its forces. The warning came after a Turkish raid on a regime outpost near Kobane killed at least three troops in mid-August, according to the official SANA news agency. Turkey has launched a series of cross-border offensives targeting Kurdish forces and the Islamic State group since 2016, but such operations have rarely resulted in the killing of Syrian regime fighters. Ankara has stepped up its attacks in Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria since a July 19 summit with Iran and Russia failed to green-light a fresh offensive against Kurdish fighters viewed by Ankara as terrorists. Regime forces have deployed in areas controlled by Kurdish fighters near the border with Turkey as part of agreements intended to stem a fresh Turkish operation. Last week, the UN's Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria said that "another Turkish ground operation" remains a threat in Syria's north, amid "continued mobilisation and fighting" between Turkish and Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish-led opponents. "Syria cannot afford a return to larger-scale fighting, but that is where it may be heading," warned Paolo Pinheiro, the head of the commission. Search Keywords: Short link: Kyrgyzstan said on Sunday at least 36 people had died in recent border clashes with Tajikistan, raising its toll of the latest violence between the Central Asian neighbours. "The total number of dead as a result of the armed conflict in the Batken (border) region is 36," the health ministry said in a statement. A further 139 people had been wounded in the fighting on the southwestern border, it said. The previous toll given by the ministry was 24 dead. Similarly, Tajikistan said on Sunday, on it's official foreign ministry Facebook page, that 35 of its citizens were killed in the border clashes including civilians, women, and children. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called for "no further escalation" between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In phone calls with the leaders of the Central Asian nations, Putin also urged them to "take steps to resolve the situation as soon as possible by exclusively peaceful, political and diplomatic means". according to a statement from the Kremlin. Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are part of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) but they regularly clash. The two sides agreed to a ceasefire on Friday but have since accused each other of breaching it. After more clashes on Saturday, the night passed "quietly, without incidents" the Kyrgyz authorities said on Sunday morning. "The country's leadership is taking all measures to stabilise the situation, prevent attempts of escalation... in a peaceful way," they added. On Sunday afternoon, the Kyrgyz authorities issued a statement saying the situation at the border "remains calm, trending towards stabilisation". On Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the leadership of both sides "to engage in dialogue for a lasting ceasefire, said a spokesman. Border disputes have dogged the former Soviet republics through their three decades of independence. Around half their 970-kilometre (600-mile) border is still to be demarcated. In 2021, unprecedented clashes between the two sides killed at least 50 people and raised fears of a wider conflict. Search Keywords: Short link: US President Joe Biden paid his respects at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in London's Westminster Hall on Sunday, a day ahead of her state funeral. Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill, crossed himself as they stood in the mediaeval hall, where the casket of Britain's longest-serving monarch has been lying in state since Wednesday. A succession of world leaders have visited the catafalque in the oldest part of Britain's parliament. Thousands of people made their way to Windsor Castle on Sunday, a day before the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, to lay flowers at the gates of what will be her final resting place. Many feared the crowds on Monday would prohibit them from paying their last respects at the palace gates, where bouquets had piled up. Police officers were dotted along the route along the Long Walk, a 3-mile (5-kilometer) avenue where a walking funeral procession will be held before the queen is laid to rest in St. George's Chapel. Mourners went through an security check before entering the premises. More are expected to come after the national silence is observed at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Mourners have been told not to bring tents or gazebos, only chairs and blankets. Stalls have opened along the road, selling food and refreshments. Steve Beeson had come with his family of three and was unwrapping the plastic off his bouquet of flowers for the queen, following a strict rule by organizers. The queen "was the only head of state we have ever known, all our lives," he said. "She has been a constant steadying of the reigns for the country through all of these really rough times, the least we can do is come and say `Thank you.'" Search Keywords: Short link: Prosecutors in an area of Ukraine where Russian forces recently retreated in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive are accusing Russia of torturing civilians in one village that was recently freed. In an online statement, prosecutors in the Kharkiv region said they found a basement where Russian forces allegedly tortured prisoners in the village of Kozacha Lopan, near the border with Russia. In images they released, they showed a Russian military TA-57 telephone with additional wires and alligator clips attached to it. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of using the Soviet-era radio telephones as a power source to electrocute prisoners during interrogation. Russian shelling hit cities and towns across a wide stretch of Ukraine during the night, officials said Sunday, while the British defense ministry warned that Russia is likely to increase its attacks on civilian targets as it suffers battlefield defeats. ``In the last seven days, Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate military effect,'' the ministry said in an online briefing. ``As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government.`` Russian fire killed four medics attempting to evacuate a psychiatric hospital in the Kharkiv region on Saturday, said governor Oleh Syniehubov. Two patients were wounded in the attack in the village of Strelecha, he said. Overnight shelling also hit a hospital in the city of Mykolaiv, a significant Black Sea port, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said. He said there was also shelling in other parts of the region, and two people were wounded. Three people were wounded in nighttime shelling of the city of Nikopol, which is across the river from Europe's largest nuclear power station, said regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko. The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was captured by Russian forces in March, but is operated by Ukrainian engineers. Its last reactor was switched off a week ago after repeated power failures because shelling put crucial safety systems at risk. Near the city of Zaporizhzhia, Vatican Almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and his convoy came under fire on Saturday, the Vatican news service reported, forcing them to seek cover while unloading supplies. ``For the first time in my life, I didn't know where to run. Because it is not enough to run, you have to know where to go,'' said the Polish-born cardinal, whose position makes charitable contributions in the name of the pope. Five people have died over the past day in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region, one of two Ukrainian regions that Russia recognizes as sovereign states, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said. The separatist forces that control much of Donetsk on Sunday claimed that Ukrainian shelling of a prisoner-of-war colony in Olenivka killed one prisoner and injured four. More than 50 POWs were reported killed in a July attack on the Olenivka prison that Russian and Ukrainian authorities blame on each other. A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Russian forces in Donetsk continue to conduct ``meaningless operations'' on villages as opposed to reinforcing the front line. Search Keywords: Short link: US President Joe Biden was to pay his last respects in London to Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday as ordinary mourners queued for the final 24 hours left to view her coffin lying in state. After witnessing the sombre scene in parliament's Westminster Hall, Biden, Japan's Emperor Naruhito and other world leaders were due to attend a reception with the late queen's successor, King Charles III. Biden, who flew in late Saturday, has said that Elizabeth, who was queen for a record-breaking 70 years, "defined an era". Australia's anti-monarchy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who viewed the lying-in-state Saturday, told Sky News Australia that the queen was "a constant reassuring presence". Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, which like Australia now has Charles as its sovereign, said she "served for her entire life, and bore the weight of her duties with impeccable grace". They are among dozens of heads of state and government in attendance, as Britain stages its biggest-ever policing operation for the historic funeral of its longest-reigning monarch. The first members of the public were already camping out in advance to catch a glimpse of Monday's grand farewell at Westminster Abbey, which is expected to bring London to a standstill and be watched by billions of viewers worldwide. "The nation's granny" "We wanted to have a good spot to see the procession," said Royal Navy veteran Bill Parry, 59, as he waited in camping chairs with two other former servicemen. "It's not much to ask to sleep outside considering everything the queen did for us: 70 years of duty." Britain will hold a minute's silence at 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Sunday to reflect on the "life and legacy" of the queen ahead of her funeral. Those wanting to view the flag-draped casket have until 6:30 am (0530 GMT) on Monday to make it into the cavernous Westminster Hall opposite the abbey. As the queue continued to snake for miles (kilometres) along the River Thames Sunday morning, the waiting time stood at more than 13 hours, and the line could be closed early at some point. IT worker Shaun Mayo, 27, was among those relieved to have made it to Westminster Hall after queueing for 14 hours to pay his respects. "It was incredibly emotional. She was like the nation's granny," he told AFP. "We'll all miss her." A man who was arrested after approaching the casket on Friday has been charged with a public order offence, police said. Grandchildren's vigil As mourners streamed by on Saturday evening, Prince William and his estranged younger brother Prince Harry led the queen's eight grandchildren in a 12-minute vigil around the coffin. Harry -- who did two tours with the British Army in Afghanistan -- wore the uniform of the Blues and Royals cavalry regiment in which he served. The move appeared to be the latest olive branch offered by Charles towards his youngest son after Harry and his wife Meghan, now living in California, accused the royal family of racism. No longer a working royal, Harry, 38, was stripped of his higher-ranking honorary military titles. The vigil will be the only time he will be seen in military dress at royal ceremonial occasions. The king and his eldest son William, the new heir to the throne, had earlier surprised those standing in line along the Thames by staging an unscheduled walkabout to shake their hands and thank them for coming. Queen Elizabeth's state funeral, the first in Britain since the death of her first prime minister Winston Churchill in 1965, will take place Monday at Westminster Abbey in London at 11:00 am (1000 GMT). Russia says "immoral" Leaders from Russia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria and North Korea were not invited to join the 2,000 guests. Moscow's foreign ministry last week called the decision "deeply immoral", and "blasphemous" to the queen's memory. China will attend at the abbey, but was barred by parliamentary leaders from the lying-in-state. More than 2,000 police officers have been drafted from across the country to help Scotland Yard. After the funeral, the queen's coffin will be transferred to Windsor Castle, west of London, for a private burial when she will be laid to rest alongside her late husband Prince Philip, her parents and her sister. Camilla, the new queen consort, was the latest royal to pay tribute as she remembered her mother-in-law's smile and "wonderful blue eyes". "It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman" in a world dominated by men, Camilla said in televised comments. "There weren't women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one so I think she carved her own role." Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend Turkiye aims to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Trend reports citing Turkish media. "Of course, we are not part of the "Shanghai Five". We participated in the summit as special guests at the invitation of Uzbekistan," Erdogan said. He noted that with membership in the SCO, Turkiye's relations with the participating countries will reach a new level. LUSAKA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango said Friday that the country will not face any food crisis because it has sufficient maize stock. In remarks delivered during a parliament session, the vice president said that public warning about a hidden food crisis should stop, as the maize reserves were sufficient for consumption until the next farming season. Nalumango said that the Zambian government purchased 220,000 tons of maize, up from the targeted 170,000 tons, and that there was more in market supply and farmers were free to sell it to any buyers. However, she admitted that there would be food shortage in some areas of poor harvests, noting that the government would step in to help. "The situation is not as bad as it is being portrayed. We have done our vulnerability assessment and we know areas that did not produce enough maize. The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit are ready to move in," she said. Early this week, the Zambia Public Procurement Authority canceled the fertilizer tender, raising concerns that the delay in fertilizer supply to farmers would affect the farming season and production of the coming season. DAKAR, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese President Macky Sall appointed a new prime minister on Saturday, a position he abolished in 2019 and reinstated last year. According to a presidential decree, the inspector of taxes and domains Amadou Ba was appointed the prime minister and he received instructions to form a cabinet during the day. Aged 61, the new prime minister was Minister of Economy and Finance (2013-2019) under the regime of Macky Sall, then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad (2019-2020). In place since November 2020, the outgoing government had 33 ministers and four Secretaries of State. People participate in a march in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, Sept. 17, 2022. People dressed in pink took part in a march to express support for patients with breast cancer and their families here on Saturday. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua) People participate in a march in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, Sept. 17, 2022. People dressed in pink took part in a march to express support for patients with breast cancer and their families here on Saturday. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua) A woman poses for photos during a march in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, Sept. 17, 2022. People dressed in pink took part in a march to express support for patients with breast cancer and their families here on Saturday. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua) George Reuben Sanga checks the vegetables in his greenhouse in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Sept. 16, 2022. Agriculture is wealth. If one wants to make money, one should invest in agriculture because every human being needs food, which is unlike running a clothing shop where your customers are limited, says a young Tanzanian farmer. DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- George Reuben Sanga felt a thrill of pleasure as he walked around his 120-square-meter greenhouse at Makongo Juu in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial capital. Sanga's farming area covering half a hectare is greenish throughout the year as he engages in the demonstration for irrigation farming, fisheries and poultry. "Agriculture is wealth. If one wants to make money, one should invest in agriculture because every human being needs food. Unlike running a clothing shop where your customers are limited," 35-year-old Sanga told Xinhua in a recent interview. Sanga said he was trained as a civil engineer at the technician level and got employment in a construction company. But he quit and in 2015 started his farming project called Waloma Investment with a slogan: Agriculture and Livestock Keeping Towards an Industrialized Nation. George Reuben Sanga checks the vegetables in his greenhouse in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua) "I decided to practice farming after I had undergone training on irrigation farming and fish farming in Dodoma region when I realized that agriculture is indeed the right answer to unemployment facing most youth in the country," he said. The young farmer, who also grows chili on his four-hectare demonstration farm and another four-hectare pawpaw farm in Mkuranga district in the coast region with one of his trainee farmers, said he shares his farming knowledge with the youth who visit his farm from different parts of the country. "I train them on how to plant various crops. I train them on the use of high-quality seeds. I train them on good seasons for planting various crops, including tomatoes," said Sanga. "Apart from training the youth, people who have retired from employment in private and public companies and people who have an interest in agriculture visit my place to learn the ABC of farming, fish farming and poultry." He said among the beneficiaries of his project are students from the Sokoine University of Agriculture in the Morogoro region and students from a number of other agricultural colleges in the country. George Reuben Sanga checks the vegetables in his greenhouse in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua) "They come here with little knowledge about agriculture, but at the end of the day they go back home or to the colleges fully equipped with skills in farming activities," said Sanga, a father of two children. Seven years of his project have seen him training more than 20 young farmers who right now have their own farms. "I have also employed 10 youth farmers in my project and I have been visited by over 2,000 guests, mostly those who are keen to learn about farming, fisheries and livestock keeping," he said. The farmer said he sells his produce to his community and to some schools and supermarkets in the business capital. But like any other business, Sanga said he faced a number of challenges, including rising prices of farm inputs and climate change that is hugely impacting agriculture. That aside, Sanga has one message to his fellow youth: "Since I started engaging in agriculture, my welfare has improved tremendously. And if one wants to succeed in life as a youth, one will get it on the farm." CARACAS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela "strongly" rejected a recent White House memorandum that listed it as one of the countries involved in drug production or trafficking, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. The memorandum issued on Thursday accuses more than 20 countries of being "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries." The memorandum is of an "interfering nature" and has no legal status, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "In that infamous publication, the faithful compliance with international commitments" of Venezuela in the fight against illegal drug trafficking is not mentioned, the statement said. The ministry also condemned the U.S. government for trying "to be the policeman of the international arena and to persist in the imposition of extraterritorial policies." The United States, it added, "seeks to make unfounded judgments" about Venezuela to justify its annual expenses in the alleged war on drugs. The Venezuelan government said it was only after the expulsion of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from its territory in 2005 that the country began to make the largest drug seizures in its history. The South American nation also reaffirmed its "unrestricted and unconditional commitment in the frank, upfront, and sincere fight against drug trafficking." The file photo shows John Kerry, U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, speaking at a press conference during the ongoing 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland, the United Kingdom, on Nov. 10, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan) Green campaigners from the Sub-Saharan African region slammed the United States Climate Envoy John Kerry for giving lip service to the continent's quest for a low-carbon and resilient future. NAIROBI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Green campaigners from the Sub-Saharan African region on Saturday slammed the United States Climate Envoy John Kerry for giving lip service to the continent's quest for a low-carbon and resilient future. Kerry, who addressed the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) held on Sept.13-16 in Dakar, Senegal, appeared indifferent to the plight of vulnerable population in the continent bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, said the campaigners. Mithika Mwenda, the executive director of Nairobi-based Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), regretted that Kerry's address felt short of acknowledging the United States and West's lip service to the continent's green aspirations. According to Mwenda, the major Western powers are yet to deliver on their pledges to help Africa deal with the escalating climate crisis that has worsened poverty, inequality, conflict and disease outbreaks. Mwenda said, in particular, that Washington is yet to demonstrate commitment to supporting communities in the climate hotspots of the Sahel and Horn of African regions to cope with the phenomenon. The file photo, taken on June 9, 2015, shows an aerial view of a traffic jam along Waiyaki Way at Westlands in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. (Xinhua/John Okoyo) During the just concluded Africa's environment ministers summit, Kerry said the West bore no responsibility for the ravages of climate change in Africa and the global south by extension. According to Mwenda, Kerry insisted that each country should bear the burden of climate emergencies, adding that Africa should prioritize mitigation as opposed to adaptation measures. Augustine Njamnshi, the chair of the Technical and Political Committee of PACJA, said in a statement released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the failure of the United States to honor its financial pledges to support Africa's climate response had taken a toll on livelihoods. He added that Washington bears historical responsibility for run-away greenhouse gas emissions that had worsened climatic shocks like droughts, cyclones and floods in Africa. "We thus call on the U.S. to stop dilly dallying and avail to African people its fair share of climate finance to build their resilience," Njamnshi said. Julius Ngoma, a member of Malawi's Civil Society Network on Climate Change, said Africa should chart its own green pathways without relying on Western powers. WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Fiona has become a hurricane, with sustained winds of 130 km per hour, as it is heading toward Puerto Rico, according to the latest public advisory issued by the U.S. Hurricane Center on Sunday. Hurricane conditions are expected across portions of Puerto Rico on Sunday, with heavy rains likely to produce life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding. Fiona is forecast to continue to strengthen after moving away from the U.S. territory. U.S. President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Puerto Rico on Sunday morning as Fiona is approaching the island. SHANGHAI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- It has been a hectic September at Haitong Pier, one of China's largest auto-export terminals, in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, with cargo ships fully loaded with new energy vehicles (NEVs) being checked and cleared for departure. Produced by companies like Chery, Geely and other Chinese carmakers, the NEVs have been forming long queues ahead of boarding, before being shipped to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and South America. The bustling scene is a microcosm of the pioneering role that the metropolis of Shanghai has undertaken in reform, opening up and economic development. DEVELOPMENT VANGUARD Over the past decade, Shanghai has been the testing ground for institutional innovation and spearheading high-quality growth, sharing opportunities with the world. Just three or four years ago, only about 10 percent of the automobiles from Haitong Pier were exported to Europe. In the first half (H1) of 2022, the proportion climbed to 40 percent. "Over the past two years, a vacancy on ro-ro ships delivering cars to Europe has often been hard to get," said Xi Jialin, executive director of the marketing department of Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal Co., Ltd. In H1, despite the impact of the novel coronavirus flare-ups in several regions across China, the throughput of Haitong Pier rose by more than 20 percent year on year, and exports logged a year-on-year increase of more than 50 percent. Over the past decade, Shanghai has seen emerging industries mushrooming and the business environment constantly improving. The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), the first pilot FTZ in the country, was established in Pudong in 2013. In 2019, Pudong's vanguard role was further exemplified as the country launched the new Lingang area of the Shanghai pilot FTZ. By August 2022, U.S. automaker Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory had accumulatively manufactured 1 million vehicles. As a major foreign-invested project, the factory began construction in January 2019 when the area in Lingang was still a wasteland. So far, more than 60,000 foreign-funded enterprises have invested in Shanghai, including 857 regional headquarters of multinational corporations and 516 foreign-funded research and development centers. The actual use of foreign investment in the megacity has exceeded 300 billion U.S. dollars, Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai told a press briefing in early August. SHARING OPPORTUNITIES Over the past five years, the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world's first import-themed national-level expo, has become an important window for global enterprises to share China's development dividends. "We immediately decided to participate in the exhibition after receiving the invitation," recalled Noboru Miura, China Chief Representative of Nachi-Fujikoshi (China) Co., Ltd. In 2018, the Japanese company was among the first enterprises to sign contracts for participation at the first CIIE. As China is the most important strategic market for Nachi, Miura noted that the CIIE is not merely an "exhibition that simply sells products." The company, which has established its Chinese headquarters in Shanghai, hopes that the CIIE can present Nachi's cutting-edge technology and advanced products to the Chinese consumers, bringing more and more opportunities for cooperation. According to Quan Heng, a researcher with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the continuous hosting of the CIIE in Shanghai not only allows the world to share China's market opportunities, but also provides an international public good for economic globalization. The CIIE has not only enriched the lives of Chinese consumers, who enjoy much easier access to a wide array of gourmet fare and products from across the globe, but also has significantly enlarged cooperation between Chinese and overseas companies. In late June, General Motors and Shanghai's Pudong New Area government inked an agreement, in which the automaker proposed to increase investment of 100 million U.S. dollars in the premium import business. HIGHER-LEVEL OPENING UP Along with the lengthening list of supportive trade measures, the past decade has also been a time when trimmed negative lists for foreign investment and the lifting of foreign-ownership caps in some sectors have brought in a large inflow of capital, and boosted the Chinese economy via increased competition and enhanced cooperation. "The concept of 'free trade' has spread from Shanghai to the whole country, and the 'CIIE bonus' has benefited consumers all over the country as well as enterprises worldwide," Quan said. According to Quan, Shanghai will continue to adapt to high standards of international rules, promote the flow of industrial factors and the more effective allocation of resources, and promote the connection between the Chinese and overseas markets under the new development pattern of "dual circulation" of domestic and international markets. Produced by Xinhua Global Service CAPE COAST, Ghana, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 140 Ghanaian students were awarded Friday the Chinese ambassador scholarships for their excellence in Chinese study in a ceremony at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). Addressing the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Lu Kun voiced hope the scholarships will help Ghanaian students at all levels excel in their study of the Chinese language. "As China became the second largest economy in the world, learning Chinese helps you not only better understand China but also share China's development dividends and realize your dreams," he said. Lu assured the students that the Chinese embassy is ready to provide assistance to Ghanaians who wish to study in China. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, the UCC Vice Chancellor, said the significance of the Chinese language has been growing. "Chinese language provides the keys to unlock the door to a world of opportunities. There are numerous employment opportunities in the growing number of Chinese enterprises in Ghana," he said, urging the awardees and other students to take the Chinese courses seriously in order to be globally competitive. Hamed Dizatu, a UCC student and awardee, told Xinhua that she has overcome lots of difficulties in her pursuit of language proficiency. "This award means a lot to me and it was motivating to know that I am not studying in vain," she said. Produced by Xinhua Global Service HARBIN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- After a day's work, Mikhail Karpechenko finally had time to sit at his desk and open a history book. "I love Chinese history, but today's China fascinates me even more," said Karpechenko, a representative of Russia-based enterprises in China, who has lived in China for 13 years. The reform and opening-up policy has greatly improved people's lives. In particular, the past decade has been a period of rapid development for the country, and I have the honor of being a participant and witness to that history, he said. "Amazing" was Karpechenko's first impression of China in 2009 when he visited the city of Mudanjiang in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. He had just graduated from college, and was keen to explore the unknown. "There were already so many tall buildings and beautiful places," he said, recalling his first trip to China. "I soon made up my mind to live here." Karpechenko moved to the city of Mudanjiang and worked for an online store that sold wedding dresses, shoes and electronic goods to Russia. In 2011, he left for the city of Harbin, the provincial capital, still engaging in e-commerce, but in a different area. He said he helped a travel company in Harbin do marketing in Russia to attract more Russian tourists to China. In 2016, he climbed aboard the bandwagon of the booming internet industry, moving to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. "I remember when I first came to China, online shopping was not as popular as it is now," he said. "Now, however, online shopping platforms have enriched the choices of the consumers." "It used to be a hassle to get online payments enabled, especially for foreigners, as there were a lot of forms to fill out," he said, adding that now it only takes a few minutes to complete the registration process. Karpechenko said he finds life in China increasingly convenient. "With the rise of a cashless society, digital payment has reshaped people's shopping habits. Also, the country's burgeoning food delivery industry has made everything so much easier." In 2017, he went back to Heilongjiang, where he met new opportunities. "Many Russian companies want me to help them find clients or partners in China," he said. Karpechenko now works on the procurement and delivery of goods for Russian firms. "Chinese products are of reliable quality and well received among the Russian consumers," he said. "I have seen the vigor and vitality of the country, and I'm even more excited about its future development." RTHK: King greets world leaders as Biden pays tribute King Charles welcomed world leaders to Buckingham Palace on Sunday ahead of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, as US President Joe Biden paid a final tribute to the late monarch. Biden crossed himself and put his hand on his heart while he stood with his wife Jill on a gallery overlooking the flag-draped casket in London's cavernous Westminster Hall. Members of the public filed by as time ticked down for them to pay their last respects to the only sovereign most Britons have ever known before she is laid to rest on Monday. Biden said the queen, who reigned for a record-breaking 70 years until her death on September 8 aged 96, exemplified the "notion of service". "To all the people of England, all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you, and you were fortunate to have had her for 70 years, we all were. The world's better for her," Biden said after signing a book of condolence. The US president then headed to Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by Charles for the dozens of leaders from Japan's reclusive Emperor Naruhito to France's Emmanuel Macron attending the funeral. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2022-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Trend According to the instruction of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, on September 18, the Minister of Defense of the Azerbaijan Republic, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, and the leadership of the Ministry visited the Main Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Defense, Trend reports. At first, the leadership of the ministry laid flowers at the monument to national leader Heydar Aliyev, erected in the territory of the hospital, and paid tribute to his memory. Colonel General Z. Hasanov met with servicemen, who were wounded during the suppression of large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces and are being treated in the Main Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Defense, and enquired about their health and concerns. It was reported to the Minister of Defense that hospital's entire medical staff are working with high professionalism for the treatment of wounded servicemen. Then the Minister visited the servicemen being treated in the wards, enquired about their health, rehabilitation process, and wished them a speedy recovery and return to their places of service. General Colonel Z. Hasanov has given relevant tasks on better organization of the medical service provided to wounded servicemen. Photo taken on May 1, 2022 shows a container vessel docking at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) China-proposed initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI), reflect China's contribution to global development and support for developing countries and emerging economies, said Mohamed Fayez Farahat, director of Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. by Mahmoud Fouly CAIRO, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's economic growth plays a key role in promoting global development and maintaining global economic stability, an Egyptian expert has said. "China defends the causes of developing countries on the international stage, and also plays an active role in important international organizations such as the Group of 20 and the BRICS," said Mohamed Fayez Farahat, director of Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Farahat said that China-proposed initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI), reflect China's contribution to global development and support for developing countries and emerging economies. The BRI is important given the wide participation of countries and its positive impact on the global economy, the expert said, highlighting that the BRI "enriches the concept of development, which is a basic issue that concerns developing countries." Aerial photo taken on July 19, 2022 shows the Central Business District (CBD) project in Egypt's new administrative capital in east of Cairo, Egypt. (CSCEC Egypt/Handout via Xinhua) "This gives the BRI a philosophy different to other international initiatives that only focus on trade and neglected development, or on political dimensions," Farahat said. The expert, who has traveled to China several times, said he has witnessed in person a big transformation in the country, attributing China's development achievements to such factors as the internal consensus among the people and the fact that China works according to plans "with specific terms and goals." "I believe China provides an important model for the concept of a development-based country, which is an attractive model for emerging economies in the world," Farahat said. In the past when the world saw economic crises, China greatly contributed to restoring the stability of the global economy, he said, expecting China to play an even greater role in this aspect. It has been a hectic September at Haitong Pier, one of China's largest auto-export terminals, in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, with cargo ships fully loaded with new energy vehicles (NEVs) being checked and cleared for departure. Produced by companies like Chery, Geely and other Chinese carmakers, the NEVs have been forming long queues ahead of boarding, before being shipped to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and South America. The bustling scene is a microcosm of the pioneering role that the metropolis of Shanghai has undertaken in reform, opening up and economic development. DEVELOPMENT VANGUARD Over the past decade, Shanghai has been the testing ground for institutional innovation and spearheading high-quality growth, sharing opportunities with the world. Just three or four years ago, only about 10 percent of the automobiles from Haitong Pier were exported to Europe. In the first half (H1) of 2022, the proportion climbed to 40 percent. "Over the past two years, a vacancy on ro-ro ships delivering cars to Europe has often been hard to get," said Xi Jialin, executive director of the marketing department of Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal Co., Ltd. In H1, despite the impact of the novel coronavirus flare-ups in several regions across China, the throughput of Haitong Pier rose by more than 20 percent year on year, and exports logged a year-on-year increase of more than 50 percent. Over the past decade, Shanghai has seen emerging industries mushrooming and the business environment constantly improving. The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), the first pilot FTZ in the country, was established in Pudong in 2013. In 2019, Pudong's vanguard role was further exemplified as the country launched the new Lingang area of the Shanghai pilot FTZ. By August 2022, U.S. automaker Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory had accumulatively manufactured 1 million vehicles. As a major foreign-invested project, the factory began construction in January 2019 when the area in Lingang was still a wasteland. So far, more than 60,000 foreign-funded enterprises have invested in Shanghai, including 857 regional headquarters of multinational corporations and 516 foreign-funded research and development centers. The actual use of foreign investment in the megacity has exceeded 300 billion U.S. dollars, Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai told a press briefing in early August. SHARING OPPORTUNITIES Over the past five years, the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world's first import-themed national-level NAIROBI, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Green campaigners from the Sub-Saharan African region on Saturday slammed the United States Climate Envoy John Kerry for giving lip service to the continent's quest for a low-carbon and resilient future. Kerry, who addressed the 18th session of African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) held on Sept.13-16 in Dakar, Senegal, appeared indifferent to the plight of vulnerable population in the continent bearing the brunt of climate crisis, said the campaigners. Mithika Mwenda, the executive director of Nairobi-based Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). regretted that Kerry's address felt short of acknowledging the United States and West's lip service to the continent's green aspirations. According to Mwenda, the major Western powers are yet to deliver on their pledges to help Africa deal with the escalating climate crisis that has worsened poverty, inequality, conflicts and disease outbreaks. In particular, Mwenda said that Washington is yet to demonstrate commitment to support communities in the climate hotspots of the Sahel and Horn of African region to cope with the phenomenon. During the just concluded Africa's environment ministers summit, Kerry said that the West bore no responsibility to the ravages of climate change in Africa and the global south by extension. According to Mwenda, Kerry insisted that each country should bear the burden of climate emergencies, adding that Africa should prioritize mitigation as opposed to adaptation measures. Augustine Njamnshi, the Chair, Technical and Political Committee of PACJA, said in a statement released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that failure by the United States to honor its financial pledges to support Africa's climate response had taken a toll on livelihoods. He added that Washington bear historical responsibility for run-away greenhouse gas emissions that had worsened climatic shocks like droughts, cyclones and floods in Africa. "We thus call on the U.S. to stop dilly dallying and avail to African people its fair share of climate finance to build their resilience," Njamnshi said. Julius Ngoma, a member of Malawi's Civil Society Network on Climate Change, said that Africa should chart its own green pathways without relying on Western powers. The file photo shows an African penguin being seen at the Stony Point Nature Reserve in Betty's Bay, Western Cape province, South Africa, on March 30, 2019. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng) Four cases of bird flu were confirmed among the endangered penguins at Boulders Penguin Colony in South Africa's Cape Town. JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Four cases of avian flu, or bird flu, were confirmed among the endangered penguins at Boulders Penguin Colony in South Africa's legislative capital of Cape Town, News24, a local news website, reported Saturday, citing a clinical veterinarian. As of Friday, there had been four confirmed cases and another seven suspected cases, said Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) management. Once seabirds show symptoms of bird flu, they usually die soon afterward, News24 reported, quoting David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) as saying. The flu strain is the same as the one detected in seabirds in the Western Cape last year. That outbreak saw thousands of birds die in vulnerable colonies. Now, conservationists worry the same fate could await the endangered penguins, if no quick action is taken. The file photo shows African penguins walking on the beach at Boulders Penguin Colony, Simon's Town, southwest South Africa, on April 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran) Roberts said that it could also pose a significant risk to breeding colonies if there is an outbreak in endangered species, like the African Penguin, Cape Cormorant and Cape Gannet. The outbreak of bird flu last year killed an estimated 230 African penguins, said Roberts. "At the peak of the outbreak, more than 500 affected birds were collected per day. The population-level effect was of an unprecedented scale, and approximately 15 percent of the South African population of Cape cormorants died from avian influenza in less than four months," he said. The outbreak devastated the endangered Cape cormorant population in the Western Cape, resulting in the deaths of 24,000 birds. The worst-affected area was Dyer Island off Gansbaai, home to a Cape cormorant breeding colony. According to Roberts, the actual number of deaths was likely to be far higher. Before the outbreak, there were an estimated 57,000 Cape cormorant breeding pairs in South Africa. However, the population had dropped by 50 percent over the last 30 years. Bird flu refers to the disease caused by infection with the avian (bird) influenza virus. Strains of the influenza virus primarily infect birds. GAZA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The annual Arab financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) had declined to 3 percent of UNRWA's budget in 2022, a UN advisor said on Saturday. Adnan Abu Hasna, the media advisor of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip, told reporters in Gaza City that in 2018, the Arab financial support to the UN agency reached 200 million U.S. dollars. "In 2021, the Arab financial aid to the agency declined to 20 million U.S. dollars," he said, adding that "this year (2022), the financial support will be much less than we expect." Abu Hasna explained that during all the previous Arab summits, the Arab League agreed that Arab support for the UN agency should not be less than 7.5 percent, "but today we have seen it decline to 3 percent ... this is a big problem." He added that UNRWA is trying hard, with the help of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to restore contact with many Arab countries that have suspended and reduced their financial aid. Abu Hasna explained that the UN agency is counting on the success of the meeting of the donor countries, which will be held in New York on the sidelines of the meetings of the UN General Assembly. "We hope to mobilize the required and enough financial support that would cover UNRWA's financial deficit, which has reached 100 million U.S. dollars," he added. He warned that "if there are no financial developments after the conference, the crisis will intensify in the coming months of November and December." UNRWA was established as a United Nations agency by a decision of the General Assembly in 1949 and was mandated to provide assistance and protection to Palestine refugees registered with it in the agency's fields of operations. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. Smart robots work at a monocrystalline silicon solar cell factory of LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd. in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, March 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Shao Rui) BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Continued efforts over the past decade have steered China's industrial sector toward high-quality and sustainable development as industrial production steadily increased and manufacturing capabilities gradually improved. The following data from the National Bureau of Statistics has provided an overall picture of the remarkable achievements of the industrial sector in the period, which serves as not only a key pillar of the world's second-largest economy but also a vital driver of the global manufacturing industry. GROWING INDUSTRIAL PROWESS Despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, sluggish global economic growth, and the wave of deglobalization, China has sustained sound growth momentum in industrial growth and demonstrated enhanced capability in resisting shocks. The value-added industrial output, an important indicator measuring industrial activities, rose to 37.3 trillion yuan (about 5.38 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2021 from over 20 trillion yuan in 2012, according to a report from the bureau. During the 2013-2021 period, China's value-added industrial output grew at an average annual growth rate of 6.1 percent, much higher than the level of other major economies. Apart from its massive size and rapid growth, China's industrial sector also showed great resilience in the face of unexpected risks. It took the lead globally in rebounding from the COVID-19 fallout as China effectively coordinated COVID-19 response with economic and social development, according to the report. Industrial firms with an annual business turnover of at least 20 million yuan saw their operating revenues in 2021 jump 18 percent from 2020. Their profits logged a sharp increase of 27.2 percent. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING An underlying logic in China's industrial development over the past 10 years is the country's commitment to upgrading its industrial structure -- to make the sector not only big but also smart and tech-savvy. From 2013 to 2021, the added value of the equipment manufacturing sector and the high-tech manufacturing sector climbed at an average annual growth rate of 9.2 percent and 11.6 percent, respectively, the report said. New types of industrial products constantly pop up thanks to the application of cutting-edge technologies and the digital transformation of industrial firms. China produced 366,000 industrial robots in 2021, a rapid increase of 67.9 percent from the previous year, while the output of optoelectronic devices rose 24.1 percent year on year to 1.2 trillion pieces. Chinese consumers' growing demand for premium goods also brought new opportunities to enterprises. The output of new energy vehicles, a typical example in this regard, skyrocketed 145.6 percent year on year to 3.68 million units last year. VITALITY OF MARKET ENTITIES All types of industrial firms expanded in the past ten years amid the country's efforts to reduce taxes and fees and improve the business environment. In 2021, the total profits of major state-owned enterprises came in at 2.3 trillion yuan, surging 50 percent from 2012, data from the report showed. The private firms also posted a strong performance during the period, with better capacity in gaining profits and offering jobs. The total profits of major private industrial companies jumped 44.4 percent from 2012 to 2.9 trillion yuan last year. These companies employed 35.82 million people in 2021, an increase of 14.7 percent from 2012. Meanwhile, policy support has been given to small businesses to provide an encouraging environment for their development. China had more than 400,000 major small and medium-sized industrial firms in 2021. Their profits amounted to 4.7 trillion yuan, an increase of 26.7 percent from 2012, the data showed. Photo taken on Sept. 16, shows the exhibits of New Zealand and Vanuatu embarking for the fifth CIIE were loaded on board for shipment, at Tauranga Port in Tauranga, New Zealand. A container with New Zealand and Vanuatu products depart from the Port of Tauranga, New Zealand's largest port, to attend the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2022 in Shanghai, which will create new opportunities for New Zealand companies to explore the Chinese market and strengthen business exchanges between the two countries. AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A shipping container loaded with products of New Zealand and Pacific Island nation Vanuatu left Port of Tauranga, the largest port in New Zealand, on Saturday for the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2022 to be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10. More than 200 companies from New Zealand have participated in the previous four editions of the expo in China, which is by far New Zealand's largest trading partner. Chen Zhiyang, economic and commercial minister-counselor of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, said China encourages more New Zealand companies to embrace the business opportunities presented by the CIIE. "CIIE is a key event in China's opening-up. It is a world-class forum for cooperation and a great opportunity for innovation and exploring market potentials," Chen told Xinhua. "During the past years, New Zealand companies have been actively participating in the CIIE, which provides a platform for the vast Chinese consumers to appreciate the high-quality New Zealand products such as agricultural products of dairy products, wine, meat products, honey, and health products and high-quality consumer products," he said. "This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand. We encourage New Zealand companies to fully avail themselves of the CIIE platform to further pragmatic cooperation and enjoy the shared economic development opportunities," Chen added. The COSCO SHIPPING container, which was heading to China on Saturday, carried a wide range of products from New Zealand and Vanuatu, such as dairy products, honey, juice, and art crafts. The container is expected to arrive at Shanghai Port in early October. Kang Xiaoyu, managing director of COSCO SHIPPING Lines New Zealand, told Xinhua that her team in New Zealand had been preparing for the shipment for quite a long time. Photo taken on Sept. 14, shows the exhibits of New Zealand and Vanuatu embarking for the fifth CIIE were packed in the customs supervision warehouse, in Auckland, New Zealand. "We collaborated with local companies so that we worked out individual shipping plans for them to make sure the products from New Zealand and Vanuatu arrive in Shanghai safe and sound and on time," she said. David Song, managing director and CEO of Yashili New Zealand Dairy, said he was looking forward to the new products that the company would launch at the fifth CIIE, and highlighted the support from COSCO's New Zealand team. "Under the challenging circumstances where the global supply chain is at constant risk of disruption, it is great that COSCO supports us with high-quality services," said Song. YTABC, a New Zealand company participating in the CIIE for the first time, said it has been preparing for the exhibition for months ahead to understand relevant policies and customs clearance procedures. The company is looking forward to showcasing its products at the CIIE. COSCO SHIPPING is the official international shipping service provider for the CIIE. SHENYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, resounded with wailing air-raid sirens and vehicle horns on Sunday, the 91st anniversary of the September 18 Incident that marked the start of Japan's invasion of China. As the sirens howled in the city, pedestrians stood in silent tribute, and vehicles honked. Since 1995, Shenyang has sounded the air-raid alarm on this occasion to commemorate the September 18 Incident for 28 years in a row. At the 9.18 Historical Museum, nearly 300 people from all walks of life gathered and held a ceremony to commemorate the September 18 Incident and the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Flanked by the honor guards of the People's Liberation Army, 14 representatives from various sectors struck a huge bell 14 times at around 9:18 a.m. in commemoration of the 14-year-long bitter war against Japanese invaders. On Sept. 18, 1931, Japanese troops blew up a section of railway under their control near Shenyang and accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for the attack. Later that night, they bombarded barracks near Shenyang. Just 3 km from the museum lies the Beidaying (Northern Grand Barracks) site that the Japanese troops bombarded. It officially reopened to visitors as an exhibition hall after renovations at the end of last year. "The site is like an indelible deep scar left by the Japanese invaders, which the Chinese people will never forget," said Jing Shaofu, former curator of the city archives. Wang Cheng, a taxi driver, pulled over and honked the horn to pay tribute. "I stop my work to honk every year. That's my way of remembering history." To the echoes of sirens and the tolling of the bell, Chen Jiale, a high school student, stood straight and gazed at the calendar-shaped September 18 Incident monument at the 9.18 Historical Museum. "Like our parents and grandparents, our generation will never forget the history," said Chen. Other Chinese cities including Chengdu, Nanchang and Nanjing also sounded sirens as a reminder for people to stay alert in times of peace. In east China's Jiangsu Province, people from all walks of life gathered at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders and six delegates struck the Bell of Peace to mourn the victims and remind the public not to forget national humiliation. Ge Fengliang, son of a Nanjing Massacre survivor, attended the commemoration event. "Today is a date that all Chinese people should not forget," said Ge. "As one of the first batch of inheritors of historical memories regarding Nanjing Massacre, I have the responsibility to pass on the historical memory." "Nanjing Massacre survivors and their oral testimonies, the daily bell ringing at the opening of the memorial hall, and the sirens ringing across the city all remind us that past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future," said Zhou Feng, curator of the memorial hall. In a move to take history as a mirror and cherish peace, the Museum of the War of the Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing also held activities to pay tribute to fallen heroes who had sacrificed their lives for national independence. "We look back on this part of history in various ways today to remind people not to forget national humiliation, to draw lessons from history, and to inspire people to work hard for a better life," said Li Yang, a staff worker with the Museum of the War of the Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. A boy plays with a pet dog in a green open space in Beirut, Lebanon, April 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Zongya) Mired in economic crisis, many Lebanese have to abandon their pets as they could no longer afford their healthcare and food. BEIRUT, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese veterinarian Hassan Farhat feels frustrated after his clinic's revenues dropped tremendously in light of Lebanon's steep economic crisis. Farhat has been running his clinic for five years in the southern city of Nabatieh but is now unable to cover his rent and other expenses. "I can say that veterinary medicine has collapsed as more and more citizens can no longer afford the cost of breeding animals amid the deteriorating economic and living conditions," Farhat told Xinhua while examining a dog at his clinic. UN peacekeepers vaccinate a dog in Souk el Khan in the southern town of Hasbaya on Sept. 7, 2022. (Photo by Taher Abou Hamdan/Xinhua) Farhat recalled that his clinic used to teem with customers with their pets, but now it has become almost empty, with only a few visitors daily. Adel Mansour, another veterinarian, said as people could no longer afford their pet's healthcare and food, many are forced to abandon them, causing the rapid collapse of the sector. Mansour cited a study by Lebanon's Syndicate of Veterinarians, which said that around 60 veterinarians have left their clinics over the past few months. "Moreover, dozens of stores selling pet supplies have closed due to the losses incurred from the sharp fluctuation in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar in the parallel market," he said. Lebanon has been facing an unprecedented financial crisis caused by the shortage of U.S. reserves, which led to a collapse of the local currency and devaluation of salaries, plunging over 80 percent of the population into poverty. A shop selling bargain clothes is seen in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 13, 2022. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua) Most people today focus their spending on basic needs, including medicines, food, and school fees, with all other items crossed out of the list. "It has become challenging for me to take care of my three cats and dog, and I am looking for friends who can adopt them," Najwa Chedid, a woman in her 30s, told Xinhua. Chedid said it costs a fortune nowadays to pay for her pets' daily meals and hygiene items, including shampoos, toothpaste, and brushes. Likewise, Ihab Munther, a university student, said it cost him over 1.5 million Lebanese pounds (around 45 U.S. dollars) to take his dog to the veterinarian for checkups and seasonal medicines. "It has become a heavy burden to feed them as well... Can you imagine that feeding a dog may cost around 4 million Lebanese pounds per month, equivalent to a monthly salary in Lebanon?" he asked. A man enjoys himself with his dog on a beach in Beirut, Lebanon, April 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Zongya) The increased number of abandoned pets has given rise to the number of charitable shelters across Lebanon. Hussein Hamza, the owner of a shelter in Nabatieh, told Xinhua that he has over 400 dogs in his shelter, and he expects the number to continue to rise later this year. The young man covers the expenses with his own money as well as assistance from donors and environmental activists, adding that the cost of caring for pets in shelters has increased ninefold over the past year. * The successful experience of SCO is adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. * Xi's visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries. * China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration. BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping just concluded his two-nation trip on late Friday 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. In a packed three-day schedule, Xi intensively attended nearly 30 events, featuring multilateral and bilateral agendas, and covering security and development issues. There are many highlights and fruitful results, which have strongly pushed the SCO expansion a new step forward and brought China's relations with relevant countries to a new level. Global experts, scholars and officials have spoken highly of Xi's appeal for a closer SCO community with a shared future, as well as China's initiatives and its role in the SCO community and beyond, expecting the organization to boost stability and development across the Eurasian continent. OPEN NEW STAGE OF SCO DEVELOPMENT UNDER SHANGHAI SPIRIT Since its founding in 2001, the SCO, now with eight full members, four observer countries and multiple dialogue partners, has become not only a strong pillar of global peace and development, but also a major force for international equity and justice. 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. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) In his speech at the SCO summit on Friday, Xi summarized the successful experience of the organization, namely, adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. These five points fully embody the Shanghai Spirit -- mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, he said. "We owe SCO's remarkable success to the Shanghai Spirit. And we will continue to follow its guidance as we forge ahead," Xi said. Gulru Gezer, a Turkish foreign policy advisor and former diplomat, views the Shanghai Spirit as "an example for a newer way of cooperation," which is especially important when "the world needs new patterns of relationships" in a multilateral era. As the globe is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and a new phase of uncertainty and transformation, the Shanghai Spirit could be "instrumental in building bridges between the nations and continents, fostering economic integration of the regions, and mitigating many regional and global challenges," said B. R. Deepak, chairperson of the Center for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. Under the joint efforts of Xi and the other leaders, the summit adopted more than 40 documents covering such areas as economy, finance, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges, institution building and external interactions. It 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. Of special note is that an increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family. At the summit, Iran officially became a full SCO member. China and other SCO members also started the procedure for Belarus' accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, and reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, director of the Islamabad-based Centre of South Asia and International Studies, believes that the SCO's principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party has won the hearts of many countries; and that its modern visions on politics, security, economy, and human society are pretty attractive to countries in the region and beyond. WRITE NEW CHAPTER OF CHINA-KAZAKHSTAN, CHINA-UZBEKISTAN FRIENDSHIP Back in 2013, during his Central Asia tour, Xi first put forward the Silk Road Economic Belt, a component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Kazakhstan, and made a special visit to Uzbekistan's Samarkand. The Silk Road Economic Belt has since closely connected China with the two Central Asian countries. The wind farm, with 40 wind turbines and a combined capacity of 100 megawatts, is jointly-held by China Power International Holding and Visor Kazakhstan. (Photo by Dmitry Vasilenko/Xinhua) This time, Xi paid visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which clearly reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries, as well as the close friendship and deep trust between the heads of state. During formal talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi said that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan in firmly supporting each other's development and rejuvenation, and that 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. When talking with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Xi pointed out that China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits. China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, and deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit, he said. Xi received the Order of the Golden Eagle awarded by Tokayev, and the first Order of Friendship conferred by Mirziyoyev, and signed and issued joint statements respectively with the two colleagues, comprehensively summarizing the achievements and experience accumulated during the past 30 years of diplomatic relations and drawing a blueprint for future development. Xi's visit demonstrates "the important role that Kazakhstan plays in China's foreign policy," said Gulnar Shaimergenova, director of Kazakhstan's China Studies Center, who expects the "very significant diplomatic event" to add strong impetus to the further deepening of bilateral relations. "I believe that the visit of the leader of China will be productive for the further development of bilateral relations in all areas," said former SCO Secretary-General Bolat Nurgaliyev. Azamat Seitov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan, observed that cooperation between Uzbekistan and China in investment and technology is booming, which will accelerate technological modernization and diversification of the Uzbek economy, and enhance the country's export potential. INJECT POSITIVITY INTO EURASIA'S PEACE, DEVELOPMENT In Samarkand, Xi attended bilateral meetings with 10 leaders participating in the SCO summit, and the meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia. The events play an important role in guiding the development of bilateral relations and boosting regional peace and stability. These diplomatic efforts have shown "China is willing to work with the SCO community to deepen cooperation in law enforcement, security and defense, and combatting drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and terrorism," among other fields, said Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh. Guests visit the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) International Investment and Trade Expo in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) As a positive force in the SCO, China-proposed initiatives "such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative are essential to reinforce multilateralism, international cooperation and solidarity to address global challenges and concerns for common interests," he added. In the past years, the SCO has unleashed enormous development opportunities for the region and the wider world by building up connectivity under the Belt and Road framework, advancing synergy between the initiative and development plans of regional countries. Since 2001, the combined economic size of the SCO countries has risen around 13-fold. These years, China and other member states have been using the SCO as a platform to promote the synergy between the China-proposed BRI and development strategies of other countries, said Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Turkish Center of Asia Pacific Studies. "Today, thanks to the efforts of the SCO, member countries' borders are safer and more secure, and their economies are more integrated." Calling the SCO "a role model for other regional organizations," Colakoglu said: "as one of the founding members of the SCO, China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration." In a highly interconnected world where non-traditional threats are more challenging, countries can promote peace and preserve the gains of development only through common development and cooperation, said Pramod Jaiswal, research director of Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement. Therefore, China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind is peculiarly worth appreciation, Jaiswal observed, adding that he believes China has been playing a crucial role and will encourage more participation in the cause. (Video reporters: Meng Jing, Cai Guodong, Huang He, Jiang Chao, Wang Huan; video editors: Li Ziwei, Liu Yutian, Caoying.) By Trend Under the instruction of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, the leadership of the Ministry, other servicemen, and civilian workers attended the funerals and mourning ceremonies of servicemen who became Shehids during the suppression of a large-scale provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces, Trend reports via Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. At ceremonies held in Baku city and regions of Azerbaijan, the memory of the sons of the Motherland, who became Shehids for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, was honored with observing a minute of silence. During the visit to the Alleys of Shehids, flowers were laid on the graves of Shehids, and prayers were made for their souls. At the mourning ceremonies, it was spoken about the combat path and the courage shown by servicemen who became Shehids. The seventh China-Eurasia Expo, slated for Sept. 19-22 in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has attracted 3,600 enterprises to attend its online events. Nearly 17,000 exhibits of these enterprises from 32 countries and regions are to be shown online. The expo will be held both online and offline. Covering an exhibition area of 40,000 square meters, the expo has set up three zones featuring themes including investment cooperation and commodity trade. Produced by Xinhua Global Service TEHRAN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran renews readiness for prisoners' exchange with the United States, said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani. "We have already announced our readiness to exchange prisoners, and we still have this readiness," Kanaani was quoted by the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) on Sunday. "Negotiations have been conducted in different ways and both sides have made necessary agreements, and now it is the decision of the American government to implement this agreement or not," he said. Kanaani also said that the issue of prisoners' exchange has nothing to do with the conclusion of the talks aiming at the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said that the exchange of prisoners with the United States had been discussed on the sidelines of nuclear talks in Vienna. BAGHDAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Seven Islamic State (IS) militants and a member of government-backed paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces were killed on Sunday in a clash in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the media office of Hashd Shaabi forces said in a statement. Hashd Shaabi fighters clashed with IS militants hiding in a tunnel in the al-Hatra desert southwest of Mosul, capital of Nineveh Province, according to the statement. The clash resulted in the killing of seven IS militants inside the tunnel, the statement said, adding a Hashd Shaabi member was also killed and eight others wounded after two suicide bombers blew up their explosive belts in an attempt to storm the tunnel. Meanwhile, Yahia Rasoul, spokesman of the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, said in a statement that the army's helicopter gunships destroyed a vehicle and killed three IS militants aboard during reconnaissance and search operations in Nineveh. Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities. The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, its remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian water authorities on Sunday announced that they would organize a meeting of stakeholders aimed at deliberating on means and ways of ending water shortage in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania. Minister for Water Jumaa Aweso announced plans to convene the meeting when he launched the third phase of the country's Water Sector Development Program, a five-year initiative estimated to cost 6.5 billion U.S. dollars. He said the meeting will be attended by officials from the Ministry of Finance and Planning and development partners, but failed to provide the schedule of the meeting. Aweso said the national capital of Dodoma should be supplied with adequate water to meet the demands of a growing city. Aweso added potential development partners in the water sector will be invited to the meeting to give their technical and financial inputs on how to improve the water supply in the national capital. DAKAR, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Newly-appointed Senegalese Prime Minister Amadou Ba formed a 38-member government team Saturday evening, according to a statement read out Saturday night to the press by Minister Abdou Latif Coulibaly with the General Secretariat of the Government. Ba, who was appointed to the position of Prime Minister Saturday morning, explained in a statement made on the occasion that his government was "a mission team" to fulfill the vision of the Head of State, Macky Sall, which centers on the realization of the Senegalese Emerging Plan (PSE), a ten-year strategy launched in 2014 to speed up the country's development. The previous government consisted of 33 ministers and four deputy ministers. According to a decree of the presidency released early Saturday, Amadou Ba was appointed the prime minister, a position abolished in 2019 and reinstated last year. The new prime minister, 61, previously served as minister of Economy and Finance and minister of Foreign Affairs. BUDAPEST, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government is committed to fulfilling its promises made to the European Commission (EC) in order to gain access to billions of euros of European Union (EU) funds, Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Regional Development and Utilization of EU Funds, told a press conference on Sunday. "The government has no intention of failing to fulfill the commitments it has made," Navracsics said, following the EC's earlier decision on Sunday. Earlier Sunday, the EC proposed suspending 7.5 billion euros in financing for Hungary, until the implementation of anti-corruption reforms from the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The Hungarian government is expected to inform the committee by November 19 about the implementation of the promised changes. At the press conference, Navracsics explained that the negotiations phase of the conditionality procedure with the EC have been concluded, and the organization has accepted the anti-corruption commitments of the Hungarian government. "This means that new aspects and new expectations cannot arise from the EC, now we have to execute what we have vowed to do," he told journalists. "The commission has doubts about whether the Hungarian cabinet will implement its commitments, but it is absolutely certain that we will implement them, so I will not focus on the possible financial sanctions," he said. Navracsics added that the EC would monitor closely the implementation of the Hungarian government's undertakings, in order to avoid a situation like the one that arose between Poland and the EC regarding the withdrawal of funds. "So we will continue to consult with the commission in the future, I will fly out to Brussels on Wednesday for instance," he underlined. The Hungarian government promised the setting up of an independent anti-corruption institution to monitor the use of EU funds as well as steps to make the legislative process more transparent. "The government made a total of 17 promises, and some bills have already been submitted to the parliament, while others will follow next Monday and Friday," Navracsics said. Earlier Sunday, Justice Minister Judit Varga reacted to the commission's proposal by saying that "we still have work to do" to end the dispute, while insisting that "we are moving in the right direction." "We are working to ensure that the Hungarian people receive the resources they are entitled to!" Varga posted on her Facebook page. UK: Eight grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth gathered near the coffin of US President Joe Biden on Saturday as US President Joe Biden flew in ahead of the funeral of Britain's longest-reigning monarch. King Charles' sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, stood guard around the crowned coffin at Westminster Hall in London, as members of the public entered the catacombs after waiting several hours. The grandchildren of the queen, aged 44 to 14, stood silently with their eyes down. Harry, who served in the British Army for two tours in Afghanistan, wore the uniform of the Blues and Royals Cavalry Regiment. Harry and his wife Meghan, who are now living in California, pointed out King Charles' latest olive branch for their youngest son after the royal family was accused of racism. Harry, 38, was stripped of his high-ranking honorary military titles because he was no longer a working royal. His only appearance in military uniform would be vigil on royal ceremonial occasions. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Princess Anne's children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, and Prince Edward's children Louise and James stood quietly around their grandmother's coffin. Sophie, Edward's wife, looked distraught as she watched their children, aged 18 and 14, face the most difficult public duty they had ever faced. The personal grief of the Queen's family has been highlighted internationally. Just before the chowder, Beatrice and Eugenie paid an emotional tribute to "our dearest Granny." "We, like many others, assumed that you would be here indefinitely," the sisters said in a statement. "And we all miss you dearly." You were our parents, our guide, our loving hand on our shoulders as we navigated this world... For the moment, dear Granny, we just want to say thank you. , They also added: "We're so glad you're back with Grandpa," she said of her late husband Prince Philip, who died last year at the age of 99. The vigil came just hours after King Charles and his successor William went on a London walkout to thank those who had waited all night to pay their respects. William's Twitter account later wrote, "It means you are all here." After a record-breaking 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth died on September 8 at the age of 96, causing a flood of emotions. Thousands of people have been queuing for more than 25 hours to pass by his flag-draped coffin. The royal visit delighted the mourners who had endured a cold night. As the royals thanked the well-wishers, the crowd on the banks of the river was raising slogans of "Lord save the king". I am very happy. He was very calm and friendly and gentle, said Geraldine Potts-Ahmed, a secretary in her late 50s, as she kept her emotions under control after shaking hands with King Charles. struggled to keep up. "He would make the best king." "I saw the queen in her tenderness and tenderness." According to the London Ambulance Service, 435 people in the queue required medical attention, most of whom suffered head injuries after fainting. After paying her last respects, Alison Witham, a former nurse from Ashby in the English Midlands, said her 14-hour wait was worth it. "It was very dynamic, very dignified and blissfully calm," said the 54-year-old. "It was great to be able to just focus while not holding the phone near anyone." The queue was estimated to be at least 17 hours long at 10:30 pm. (2130 GMT) Saturday. The public can view the coffin until 6:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) on Monday, before the Queen is honored with Britain's first state funeral in nearly six decades. King Charles is now the head of state of 15 countries, and he later met with five of his prime ministers who had come for the funeral. He met Canada's Justin Trudeau, Australia's Anthony Albanese, New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern and the Bahamas' Philip Davis at Buckingham Palace. He also met Andrew Holness of Jamaica, who described the late Queen Elizabeth II as a "deeply beloved monarch". "Queen Elizabeth's death heralds a new era for the United Kingdom and the rest of the world, who have known only one Head of State for 70 years," he wrote on Twitter. "His legacy is vast, and his impact on the world will be discussed for a long time." After signing the book of condolence, Trudeau said that Queen Elizabeth "served for the rest of her life, and carried out her duties with impeccable grace." Biden is expected to sign the book at Westminster Hall on Sunday before attending a reception for the dignitaries hosted by Charles. Police prepare for Monday's funeral in Britain's biggest security operation ever. The Metropolitan Police chief, Mark Rowley, described the operation as a "monumental policing operation that will culminate in us deploying the most officers in the Met's history for a pre-planned event." Mourners have already begun to camp out in central London in order to catch a glimpse of the funeral procession. "I went to Princess Diana's funeral as a teenager, and the atmosphere was incredible," said Magdalena Staples, 38, who was camping outside Westminster Hall with her two children, ages nine and ten. "I wanted my children to have the same experience that I did." We'll be camping for three nights and will have hot clothes, snacks, a mattress, and toilets nearby," she added. The funeral service at Westminster Abbey, which will be broadcast to billions around the world, will feature 142 sailors pulling the gun-carriage carrying her lead-lined coffin. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend, but leaders from countries at odds with the UK, such as Russia, Belarus, and Afghanistan, have been excluded. David Beckham pays his respects to the late Queen after waiting in line for 12 hours, gets teary Meghan Markle & Prince Harry uninvited to Queen Elizabeth II's pre-funeral reception; Couple left 'baffled' Prince Harry to attend Queen Elizabeth's final vigil wearing his military uniform File: Jeevan Ram Shrestha Kathmandu, September 4 A security guard has been arrested after asking Tourism Minister Jeevan Ram Shrestha to stand in a queue. Shrestha was at the VFS Global Visa Application Centre in Chhaya Center in Thamel to give his biometric details and submit his visa application form for Canada. The security guard requested him to stand in the queue like everyone else. But, the tourism minister, who had come with his personal security officer, tried to jump the queue and enter the office, after which he was stopped by the security guard. Shresthas security officer had told the guard that Shershta was a minister, but the guard told him it did not matter and Shrestha, like everyone else, had to stand in the queue. Then, the ministry filed a complaint against the security guard, after which Nepal Police officials arrested him accusing him of indecent behaviour. The arrested security guard has been identified as Sher Jung Gurung who works for Garud Securities. NANNING, China, Sept. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 19th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS), themed "Sharing RECP New Opportunities, Building a Version 3.0 China-ASEAN FTA", was held in Nanning, China, from September 16 to 17, 2022. 2022 marks the first year of the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership and RCEP coming into effect. On this special occasion, the Round-table Dialogue between Malaysian Government and CEOs from China, the China-ASEAN Business Leaders Forum & Special Dialogue on RCEP Business Cooperation, and the Symposium on China-ASEAN Commercial Legal Cooperation were successfully-held under the 19th CABIS. H.E. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia, delivered his video remarks at the event of CABIS The CABIS focused on RCEP new opportunities, industry and supply chain integration, New Land-Sea Trade Corridor construction, digital economy, green energy, sustainable development, commercial legal services, and intellectual property protection. State leaders, business representatives, and legal professionals from China and ASEAN conducted in-depth discussions online and on-site, yielding many outcomes in high-level dialogues, exchange of thoughts, and economic and trade cooperation. The CABIS released the Progress Report on the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (2004-2021) and the Business Environment of ASEAN 2022, well received by the business communities of both sides. It issued the Appointment Letter to Members of the Expert Advisory Committee for CABIS, inaugurated the China-Japan-Korea Business Council Guangxi Liaison Office and RCEP Business Advisory Council China Committee Guangxi Liaison Office, and held the signing ceremony for Malaysia Kuantan International Logistics Park. It promoted the establishment of the China-ASEAN FTA Nanning International Commercial Tribunal and the ASEAN Trial Center of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, and set up the Guangxi Commercial Mediation Association. The Guangxi Chamber of International Commerce Commercial Legal Service Office in RCEP Member States was established; The CCPIT Cross-border Trade and Investment Law Service Platform (English, Lao, and Myanmar Language) Hotline was launched; The Strategic Agreement on Developing Guangxi Intellectual Property International Exchange and Cooperation Platform under the RCEP was signed. Story continues The CABIS has been held successfully 19 times and become an international economic and trade event of the highest level, the largest scale, and the widest influence between China and ASEAN. It is an important cooperation mechanism to promote high-level dialogues, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, and promote people-to-people exchanges and the advocacy of business and industry communities of both sides. (The Executor of the events of the 19th CABIS is Guangxi CA Panorama Group.) SOURCE Guangxi CA Panorama Group President Biden announced on Thursday he was able to help broker a tentative rail deal between freight railroads and workers that averted a potential strike. The agreement, brokered by administration officials, was seen as a major victory as a strike would have wreaked havoc on the nation's rail system and further disrupted supply chains during a period of economic uncertainty. Here are three things to know about the deal and how it got done: A CSX freight train travels through Alexandria, Va. on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. President Joe Biden said Thursday that a tentative railway labor agreement has been reached, averting a strike that could have been devastating to the economy before the pivotal midterm elections. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) Union struck a five-year deal Under the terms of the five-year deal, which is retroactive to 2020, the Associated Press reported that workers will receive a 24% pay increase and $5,000 in bonuses. Railroads also promised to ease scheduling policies. The agreement comes as the rail industry has seen profits boom during the pandemic and as rising geopolitical risks, particularly given Russia's war with Ukraine, have put additional strain on U.S. supply chains. Secretary Walsh brokered the deal Labor Secretary Marty Walsh secured a tangible and substantial policy victory for the Biden administration. As a result, the former Boston mayor has emerged as a progressive advocate with a plain-speak style reminiscent of Biden during his early career in the Senate. President Joe Biden, with Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, left, speaks about a tentative railway labor agreement in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) The deal nearly didn't happen, Politico reported, and Walsh negotiated around the clock to get it done. "The Biden Administration applauds all parties for reaching this hard-fought, mutually beneficial deal," Walsh wrote on Twitter. "Our rail system is integral to our supply chain and a disruption would have had catastrophic impacts on industries, travelers and families across the country." Congress was ready to act Republicans and Democrats appeared poised to pass immediate legislation to avoid the worst impacts of a rail strike. The Railway Labor Act grants Congress the authority to intervene during worker strikes in industries that are seen as critical to the economy, such as railroads. The last time Congress voted to end a rail strike was in April 1991. Story continues People wear face masks as they sit in a Metra train at the Metra Arlington Heights station Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Arlington Heights, Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Congress has yet to have faced a major unionized vote in recent history. Should union members ratify the five-year agreement, that trend would continue in a partisan political climate where union workers are increasingly well-mobilized. Washington-based business advocates collectively applauded the deal, which prevented costs from going up due to disruptions. And in deploying a political playbook that hasn't been used in some time, the Biden Administration also avoided a political debacle so close to the midterm elections. Kevin Cirilli is a visiting media at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. Follow him on LinkedIn here. Click here for politics news related to business and money Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube Vivasvaan Industrial Company, a firm based in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), has signed a strategic manufacturing licence agreement with Marley Plumbing and Drainage UK a prominent brand in the region present for the past 40 years. Vivasvaan Industrial Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aquaplex Holding, which has over two decades of experience in catering to the MEP and construction supplies industry in the region, with active on the ground operations across most GCC countries. Under this agreement, Vivasvaan Industrial Company will manufacture Marleys PVC Push Fit Soil and ABS Waste range of piping products as per BS Kitemark requirements for residential and commercial constructions, industrial and public utility applications. This agreement will not only reinforce Marleys position in the GCC-wide region, but also add another distinguished partner to its diverse portfolio of products under the Aliaxis umbrella, it stated. Marley PVC Soil and Waste Piping products have been installed at many marquee locations across the UAE, it added. On the new manufacturing arrangement, Amedeo Macchiavello, the Vice President (EMEA) International Business Development of Aliaxis, the parent company of Marley, said: "We are proud to collaborate with Vivasvaan Industrial Company for the manufacturing of Marley products in the region. It has a strong presence in the region, and we are confident that this partnership will enable both companies to jointly cater to the futuristic needs of the construction industry in the region." Vivasvaan Industrial Company CEO Ravi Hinduja said: "Our partnership with Marley is a testament of our continuous commitment to the construction supplies segment in the region. As a specialist supplier in MEP and building material products, we are confident that this association will elevate our brand offerings and facilitate our reach to a wider audience across the GCC." The company had earlier this year signed a similar manufacturing licence agreement with 80-year-old Marshall-Tufflex, a producer of uPVC conduit and cable management systems to BS EN standards, another UK brand whose presence in the GCC market is extremely noteworthy, he added.-TradeArabia News Service FILE PHOTO: The logo of Swiss bank UBS is seen at a branch office in Zurich (Reuters) - Swiss bank UBS is hiring a team of 'content reviewers' to make sure that Chinese research publications by its analysts are free from any "sensitivities", the Financial Times reported on Saturday. A job advertisement posted by the bank in July for its global wealth management division said that the reviewers would have to make sure the language, tone and content of the reports were appropriate and adhered to regulatory as well as internal guidelines, the newspaper reported. The bank now has one employee who sits alongside the research editing team, the newspaper added, citing a person close to the hiring process. UBS did not immediately reply to a Reuters' query for comment. The move comes three years after UBS global chief economist Paul Donovan was suspended over a comment about pigs in China that triggered a row with clients who perceived the remark as a racist slur. (Reporting by Rachna Dhanrajani in Bengaluru; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) The Princess of Wales has welcomed the First Lady of Ukraine to Buckingham Palace ahead of the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. Kate held an audience with Olena Zelenska at the royal residence on Sunday afternoon, where they were pictured speaking. The Princess of Wales welcomes the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, to Buckingham Palace (PA) Images capture the pair sitting side-by-side in front of a fireplace on gingham armchairs with purple orchids on display in the background. Ms Zelenska earlier visited Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state. Olena Zelenska pays her respects as she passes the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) No 10 had previously declined to confirm reports that the Ukrainian presidents wife would travel to the UK for the historic ceremony. Ms Zelenska made the jouney to the UK after her husband, Volodymyr Zelensky, set time aside from leading his country against Russias war to sign a book of condolence for the late British monarch, who died last Thursday. Responding the the visit of the top Ukrainian official, the UKs ambassador to the war-torn eastern European nation said she was deeply honoured by the presidents gesture. Grateful to the president for taking the time to do this given all else that is happening in (Ukraine) at this time, Melinda Simmons said. The meeting of Kate and Ms Zelenska comes after Liz Trusss earlier audience with the King in the Palaces 1844 Room. The prime minister has also continued informal talks with world leaders as hundreds of dignitaries descend on London for Mondays funeral. It comes after president Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin as part of his trip to pay his respects to the late monarch. Mr Biden arrived in London earlier this week to pay tribute to the Queen as part of a series of events. Shortly afterward, Mr Biden also signed the condolence book for the Queen. They were then attending a reception at Buckingham Palace. More follows Today at 4 p.m., the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society will sponsor a virtual talk by international bestselling author and Virginia resident Brad Parks. Parks will discuss his latest novel, Unthinkable, and share insights about the writing process, publishing and what hes learned from 14 years of writing mystery novels full time. He is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of crime fictions most prestigious prizes. A former journalist, Parks lives in Middlesex County with his wife and two school-aged children. He writes his novels from the corner table at the Hardees in Saluda. To request the Zoom link or telephone dial-in number for this virtual talk, email the Middlesex Museum at info@middlesexmuseum.com, sign up at middlesexmuseum.com, or call 804/758-3663. Regard for those who perished in the terrorist mayhem of Sept. 11, 2011, still burns bright in Culpeper. On Sunday, the rainy 21st anniversary of that terrible day, many dozens of Culpeper County people turned out to honor the tragedys victims and their loved ones. They held events to note the precise times when four hijacked jetliners crashed in Arlington, New York City and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Observances began in front of the Culpeper County Volunteer Fire Station at 8:46 a.m., when American Airlines Flight 11 flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. There, as firemen, police, sheriffs deputies and heritage-society members lined West Davis Street, Dave Shuma, of New Baltimore, played taps in memory of the firefighters and medics who died on Sept. 11, 2001. A short while later, the ceremony was repeated in the courtyard between the courthouse and the Sheriffs Office at 9:03 a.m., when United Flight 175 hit the World Trade Centers South Tower. The moment was held in memory of the law enforcement officers who died that day. And at 9:37 a.m., when American Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, Shuma played taps in the towns Wine Street Memorial Park, where the Homage statue memorializes Culpepers war dead. The moment honored the military personnel who died on 9/11. Culpeper police, sheriffs deputies, the VFW honor guard and Sons of the American Revolution re-enactors stood at attention next to the war memorial, joined by three members of Culpepers American Heritage Girls unit in their red vests. At the last place, the heart of Culpeper, police halted traffic in downtowns busiest crossroads so a bugler could play taps, first responders and the Culpeper Minute Menringing the squarecould salute the fallen, and a fire truck could hoist the U.S. flag above Main and Davis streets. Townsfolk and passersby, including the brother of a local flight attendant killed in the Pentagon attack, lined sidewalks to watch. That observance at 10:03 a.m. marked the moment when United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, diverted by some of its passengers so the plane couldnt crash into the U.S. Capitol or White House in Washington, D.C. Just before bugler Shuma tooted taps in a pouring rain, announcers April and McKenzie Quinn noted that he would play the tune in memory of the heroic citizens who gave their lives that day to save many more. Soon afterward, a dozen or so people went to the towns Yowell Meadow Park and walked along Mountain Run until they reached the shady grove that shelters a granite bench honoring Ken and Jennifer Lewis, married flight attendants from Culpeper who died aboard American Flight 77 in Arlington. The couple loved to walk in Yowell and enjoy its natural sights and sounds. I RECENTLY shared with a friend words from Bryan Stevensons Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. The founder and executive director of Equal Justice Initiative writes: Each of us is more than the worst thing weve ever done. I would build on this: None of us are as bad as the worst thing weve ever done, and none of us are as good as the best thing weve ever done. For individuals, it is the aggregation of our lifes actions that define us. And only by examining our lives as a whole can we grow and build for ourselves a better future, learning from our successes and our failures. We would do well to remember this as increasing demands to stifle discussion about race and other contentious issues accelerate from the governors office to school boards across the state. Whether by government policy enacted by legislative or executive branches, judicial decision, or popular movement, our countrys track record doesnt always present us in the best light. At the very time we appear to be making progress towards a more perfect union, we act contrary to our founding principles. Arguably, our most beloved President, Abraham Lincoln, acted in ways not in consonance with the exceptionalism celebrated in the Emancipation Proclamation or Gettysburg Address. On Dec. 6, 1862, Lincoln signed an executive order sentencing 38 Dakota men to death for their participation in an armed rebellion against the U.S. Army and settlers in Minnesota, their ancestral home. The original military commission, in a show trial conducted less than six weeks after the combatants had surrendered, recommended 303 for execution. Lincoln reviewed the records, and revised the criteria from those who participated in battles to those who were involved in massacres, as he later explained to the Senate. In February 1863, Lincoln signed a bill nullifying treaties between the U.S. and the Dakota and Winnebago tribes in Minnesota. In March 1863 he signed a bill authorizing the physical removal of all remaining tribes in Minnesota to unoccupied land outside the limits of any state where they would then be subject to the incursion of homesteaders. In less than a year, the Great Emancipator had presided over the removal and ethnic cleansing of the entire native population of Minnesota and opened up the West for the same. Then there was the judiciary. In the Supreme Courts Dred Scott v. Sanford ruling in 1857, Chief Justice Taney wrote that Scott had no rights which the white man was bound to respect, and since slaves were property, slavery could not be prohibited north of the Missouri Compromise line of 1820. In 1896, SCOTUS upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson, largely setting aside the promise of equality under the law found in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Not until 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education did SCOTUS rule that separate but equal school systems were not equal, and therefore unconstitutional, mandating the desegregation of public-school systems. Popular movements have also shaped our national identity. Abolitionists argued, acted, and fought to end slavery; suffragists organized and marched for womens right to vote. And civil rights activists battled on multiple fronts to abolish Jim Crow laws, establish equality in education, and protect access to the ballot box. Popular movements also gave us the Ku Klux Klan and domestic terrorism. From the late 19th century to the Civil Rights era, there were over 5,000 documented lynchings carried out by extrajudicial mobs. In 1898, in Wilmington, North Carolina, a riot carried out by white supremacists overthrew the duly elected multiracial government, the only internal coup detat in our nations history. The good in our nations past has been taught and memorized. The bad, that part we wish were not true, has not, for the most part, been taught or understood. As with individuals, it is the totality of our past actions that have made or defined our present. Only by understanding that past, and with acknowledgement and accountability for the damage done, can we hope to chart a future toward a more perfect union. As Columbia Historian Emeritus Eric Foner has said: Neither history nor politics is well served by simple hagiography. The United Nations has condemned a Taliban ban on high school for girls across Afghanistan, saying the policy put in place a year ago is "tragic and shameful." The ongoing exclusion of girls from high school has no credible justification and has no parallel anywhere in the world, Markus Potzel, the acting chief of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said in a statement on September 18. It is profoundly damaging to a generation of girls and to the future of Afghanistan itself, he said. Since taking power in August 2021, the hard-line Islamist group has been criticized for human rights violations, including the imposition of harsh restrictions on girls and women. The group reopened high schools for boys on September 18, 2021, but banned girls from attending secondary schools. "This is a tragic, shameful, and entirely avoidable anniversary," Potzel said. UN chief Antonio Guterres urged the Taliban to allow the reopening of high schools for girls in Afghanistan. [September 18] marks one year since girls were banned from attending high school in Afghanistan, he wrote on Twitter. A year of lost knowledge and opportunity that they will never get back. Girls belong in school. The Taliban must let them back in. In comments to VOA, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his government is determined to resolve the problem of girls education within the framework of Sharia, or Islamic, law. Whether its a problem with the world or not, our own people also demand the same from us. We are trying to find a positive way out, he said. But Mujahid said the potential reopening of schools for girls is an internal Afghan matter and that the global community should not link the issue to establishing ties with the Taliban government. No other countries have officially recognized the de facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. This is the internal problem of Afghanistan. It is the issue of our people. It is the issue of my children and my daughter. There is no room for outside intervention, Mujahid told VOA. On September 12, a UN human rights expert said conditions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule are in a "descent towards authoritarianism" and called for radical changes to stop the trend. "The severe rollback of the rights of women and girls, reprisals targeting opponents and critics, and a clampdown on freedom of expression by the Taliban amount to a descent towards authoritarianism," Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, told a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva. "This crisis demands ongoing attention from this council," he said, adding that while all Afghans are going through "turbulent times," he is "gravely concerned about the staggering regression in women and girls' enjoyment of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights since the Taliban seized control of the country." The mandate to monitor human rights violations in Afghanistan was established by the council almost a year ago after the Taliban takeover last August. With reporting by VOA, AFP, and dpa Pius Kamau, M.D., general surgery, is president of the Aurora-based Africa America Higher Education Partnerships; co-founder of the Africa Enterprise Group and president of the Consortium of African Diasporas in the U.S.A. He has been a National Public Radio commentator and a blogger, and is author of The Doctors Date with Death. Mitch Morrissey is a criminal justice fellow at Common Sense Institute. He is a former district attorney in Denver. Common Sense Institute (CSI) is a non-partisan research organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of Colorados economy. CSIs mission is to examine the fiscal impacts of policies, initiatives, and proposed laws so that Coloradans are educated and informed on issues impacting their lives. Saudi-based National Water Company (NWC) has awarded two long-term contracts worth more than SR714 million ($190 million) for the operation and maintenance of sewage treatment plants at Makkah city and Jeddah Governorate covering the Western and Northern clusters. The agreements were signed with Saudi-French consortium of Al Awael Modern Contracting Company (Alawael) and Suez Group for the Western Cluster (Makkah Region and its governorates) worth SR365 million and Saudi-Spanish consortium of International Water Distribution Company (Tawzea), Haji Abdullah Alireza & Company, and FCC Aqualia for the Northern Cluster (Qassim, Hail, Al-Jouf, and Northern Borders regions) worth SR349 million. Engineer Nemer bin Mohammed Al Shebel, the interim CEO of NWC, signed the deal with the representatives of both the Saudi-French consortium and Saudi-Spanish consortium in the presence of Engineer Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al Fadhli, the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture (Mewa) and Chairman of the NWC Board of Directors. After signing the contracts, Al Shebel said: "One of the most important pillars of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 is the well-being of citizens and the quality of the services provided to them, from which the National Water Strategy 2030 emerged, through which it adopted the strategy of the NWC, which developed detailed plans to upgrade water services in the Kingdom, with participation of the private sector." "With this signature, NWC has completed Phase I of the distribution sector as per the National Strategy of Water Sector approved by the Council of Ministers," he stated. The strategy includes integrating water directorates under NWC and signature of the management contracts for the six clusters. Afterwards, NWC will prepare for the coming phase of private sector engagement i.e. concession contracts, he added.-TradeArabia News Service A Gazette investigation shows an increasing number of soldiers, including wounded combat veterans, are being kicked out of the service for misconduct, often with no benefits, as the Army downsizes after a decade of war. Four hundred and sixty-nine bell tolls rang out at Memorial Park on Saturday, each attached to the name of a fallen firefighter or paramedic. Its the first time in three years that firefighters and their loved ones from across the country gathered in person for a proper goodbye at the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial. The annual event, now in its 36th year, shifted online in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. A necessary measure at the time, attendees say nothing can compare to the healing they experience while together in Colorado Springs. Its just really cathartic to be able to be in the presence of the celebration of so many other givers, said Lori Jackson, whose husband, Troy, served in Colorados South Metro Fire Department until his death in 2019. She wore his station pin and 25-year work ring in his honor. In person, being with people, hugging those around you that are important, makes it so much more personal. Jackson was one of an estimated 8,000 people in attendance, marking one of the largest ceremonies in the events history. The memorial doubled up in honoring those who died in 2019 and 2020, who were previously remembered at the online ceremonies. The decision to once again honor them with a proper in-person memorial was easy, according to International Association of Fire Fighters spokesman Mike Smaldino. You can see it in pictures, you can see it in video, but its a lot different when you can see it in person, Smaldino said. This years batch of honorees join the more than 8,000 names already etched into the parks granite memorial wall. Among them are Billy Cahill and Joey Marano of Somerville, Mass. The two are described as universally loved by friends James Keenan and Linda Sullivan. Keenan worked his entire career with Cahill from the time he was hired in 1985, calling Cahill one of the funniest guys youd ever wanna meet due to his dry sense of humor. Cahill died in 2020. You dont want them to forget them, Sullivan said. And this, this is one of the things thats gonna be here forever on that wall. Sharing stories about them is what its all about. Each of these people were amazing. Sullivan is no stranger to the memorial. This year marked her third ceremony since her husband, Paul, died of pancreatic cancer in 2015. Her first ceremony was filled with nerves and raw emotion, she said. Subsequent returns have been much more reflective as she is able to focus instead on helping those around her, a story not unusual to a woman who has worked to connect with others suffering losses to cancer. Shortly before his death, firefighter Marano called on Sullivan to talk to his wife and prepare her for whats to come. As somebody who has been through it all before, she said, there was no hesitation. Thats what we do: We help each other, and thats the beauty and the brotherhood of the fire department, Sullivan said. Sullivan is one of many loved ones who returns to the memorial year after year to honor fallen firefighters, according to IAFF spokesman Smaldino. They are emblematic of the healing process. Youre never gonna forget, but you are gonna heal, Smaldino said. It might be a long road, but you are gonna be able to get moving again. And following the somber ceremony, Keenan said, is another tradition that returns to Colorado Springs this year: a night out downtown, where firefighters and loved ones come together to celebrate life and heal. Its gonna be a party, Keenan said. Thats what firefighters do. Your morning rundown of the latest news from Colorado Springs and around the country Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Bahrain will host a GCC Committee meeting on the latest developments in unifying the classification and registration procedures of medical specialties in the region on September 30. The GCC Committee focuses on researching the procedures for defining and registering health specializations in Gulf countries. The meeting will be part of the Second Bahrain Health Regulatory Conference and Exhibition, held under the patronage of the Supreme Council of Health Chairman Lieutenant General Doctor Dr Sheikh Mohamed Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, from September 29 to October 1, 2022. "Safe and high-quality healthcare services" is the theme of the Second Bahrain Health Regulatory Conference and Exhibition. Key healthcare professionals from Bahrain, GCC states, and beyond will attend. It aims to bring together healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare organizations, patient safety experts, and educators in medicine from around the world to share knowledge on implementing and managing health regulations. Meanwhile the meeting will be attended by GCC States representatives, GCC Health Council representatives, and GCC Secretariat General representatives, said National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) CEO Dr Mariam Adhbi Al Jalahma . In addition to the specialization certificates recognized in every country, Dr. Al Jalahma explained that the meeting will also cover agreeing on the qualifications of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and related professions for Gulf and non-Gulf citizens, as well as methods of verifying the fundamental sources of qualifications of health practitioners. "This meeting is part of efforts to bring GCC citizens together regarding the classification and registration of medical specialities," said Dr Al Jalahma. "This can be executed through the unification of the right standards for practice and development of health professions, the procedures for issuing registration cards and certificates of professional classification for all health practitioners." "This is in addition to the sharing and assessing of training programs and rehabilitation of trainees," Dr Al Jalahma added. A GCC decree established the GCC Committee to examine the classification and registration processes for health specialities in GCC member states. The GCC Committee's goals include coordinating classification and registration processes for health specialities, creating a joint Gulf guide, and exploring the potential for joint projects like establishing the Gulf Board for Health Specialties, exchanging knowledge and information in the field, among others. TradeArabia News Service Damaged buildings are seen, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the town of Izium, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Sabic, a global leader in the chemical industry, is featuring at The Battery Show North America 2022 its array of thermoplastic materials that are well-suited for electric vehicle (EV) and supply equipment (EVSE) battery applications. Sabics Petrochemicals and Specialties businesses are highlighting their latest material solutions to address battery requirements, including sustainability, efficiency, safety and reliability. Applications, test samples and videos are on display to illustrate and demonstrate the design, manufacturing and performance advantages of plastic-intensive solutions over traditional materials. In addition, Sabic is spotlighting its new strategic BLUEHERO initiative, an expanding ecosystem of materials, solutions and expertise designed to help accelerate the shift to electric power. Electric vehicle manufacturers are focusing on higher efficiency to improve range and performance, which are top consumer issues, said Abdullah Al-Otaibi, general manager, ETP & Market Solutions, Sabics Petrochemicals business. In addition to exploring higher-voltage batteries, their strategies include replacing traditional battery materials, like metals, with thermoplastics. By reducing weight and expanding design freedom, Sabics solutions can help enable long-term efficiency gains. Were making further advancements through our new BLUEHERO ecosystem, which applies systems engineering principles to help customers enhance EV battery design and manufacturing with thermoplastics. The global transition to electrification demands continuous innovation in battery materials to realize the full sustainability potential of EVs, said Maureen MacDonald-Stein, director, Growth OEMs and Markets, Sabics Specialties business. We combine a broad and diverse portfolio of thermoplastic resins, compounds and copolymers with design, application development and regulatory expertise. These global resources are helping customers reimagine battery design, manufacturing and operation to further enhance environmental benefits and promote circularity. Our high-performance materials can help remove barriers to EV adoption and expand the benefits of clean energy. Under BLUEHERO, led by the Petrochemicals business, Sabic has been expanding both its portfolio of thermoplastic polymers and its EV expertise to better assist the value chain in addressing challenges, especially the critical safety requirements of batteries exposed to external fires and thermal runaway situations. The business has added a number of flame retardant (FR) materials to its offering, backed by data that demonstrates their potential to withstand high temperatures and pressure loads. To document these capabilities, the business is presenting at the show, results from rigorous thermal runaway testing based on the new UL 2596 standard for battery enclosure materials. The testing revealed that STAMAX FR long glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene resin can meet the new UL standard, having passed the test six times in succession without any perforation. Underscoring the potential of its FR thermoplastics, Sabic is presenting an interactive Virtual Flame Test Lab, which allows show visitors to execute a simulated flame test on samples of aluminium and STAMAX FR resin. Other exhibit highlights from Sabics Petrochemicals business include: A visual representation of the BLUEHERO ecosystem, which enables interaction with the value chain across multiple competency areas and product development stages to support solution enhancements A Battery Explorer installation allowing visitors to take the virtual battery pack model apart, reassemble it and zoom in to see the specific features and uses of thermoplastics such as FR grades of STAMAX resin and Sabic polypropylene compounds, as well as FR grades of LEXAN, CYCOLOY and VALOX resins Hondas Silver Edison Award-winning EV battery pack cover that meets stringent fire safety requirements while eliminating thermal blankets and reducing weight by 40 percent vs. a similar design in metal An all-plastic prototype EV battery tray with integrated cooling channels and crash protection elements, for up to 12 percent weight savings compared to a tray in an existing aluminium EV battery pack A prototype plastic honeycomb structure in XENOY HTX resin for possible battery pack side impact protection, with significant weight and costs savings vs. metals. Sabics Specialties Business Features Proven Materials Portfolio To help EV manufacturers address the demands of higher-voltage batteries, Sabics Specialties business is featuring its new NORYL NHP8000VT3 resin at the show. This high-performance, polyphenylene ether (PPE)-based resin achieves the highest comparative tracking index performance level category (CTI PLC0), provides ultra-thin-wall extrusion and thermoforming capability, and meets the UL94 V0 standard at 0.25 mm with non-brominated, non-chlorinated flame retardance. It is well suited for insulation film used in EV battery modules to help protect against short circuits and fire propagation. The insulation film and a thermoformed part made of NORYL NHP8000VT3 resin are on display at Sabics booth. Other exhibits and solutions from the Specialties business include: A lightweight, laminated sandwich panel with honeycomb structures for exceptional acoustic, vibration and thermal insulation, as well as superior dimensional stability at reduced weight vs. metals or thermosets. Next-generation battery pack and module prototypes well suited for enclosures and covers, energy absorbers, cell spacers and cell frames, highlighting multiple Specialties products, including NORYL NHP6012 resin, LEXAN CX7420 resin and LNP KONDUIT compound. To provide low-temperature ductility performance for robust energy absorption in extremely cold climates, the Specialties business has developed a new NORYL GTX grade. It is being featured at the booth in a battery side impact rocker protection component that offers high energy absorption and up to 40 percent less weight than metal. This new product, which is in the final stages of commercialization, provides superior property retention over a broad range of temperatures from -40C to 80C to address battery requirements such as impact strength and stiffness. This new NORYL GTX grade can sustain e-coat bake temperatures ( 200C for up to 30 minutes) in the automotive assembly process, thus helping to build multi-material solutions such as metal / plastic hybrids for light-weighting and system cost reduction. The Battery Show North America is taking place September 13-15, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan. TradeArabia News Service Scheduled to be held in Dhahran Expo in Dammam from Septmber 28 to 29, the third edition of the Saudi Maritime Congress is all set to enhance the capabilities of the industrys workforce, and develop the theoretical and practical knowledge of aspiring professionals in the Kingdom by giving them an opportunity to interact and learn from leaders in the sector. One key focus area of the events strategic agenda is improving the regions maritime education standards, reinforcing its support for economic diversification, investments in promising sectors, and reducing dependence on oil and gas-based revenues. This echoes the goals of Vision 2030, which seeks to raise the contribution of non-oil exports to the GDP of the Kingdom from 16 per cent to at least 50 per cent, a statement issued by the Congress said. Emad AlHumam, Senior Vice President of Corporate Services, International Maritime Industries said: Saudi Maritime Congress is the ideal platform to discuss the importance of maritime education and training, and the need for qualified national cadres to enhance the Kingdom's global competitiveness, and achieve the goals of Vision 2030. As the largest shipyard in the MENA region, it is our responsibility to contribute towards the progress of the maritime industry in the Kingdom. Following a strategic plan to construct some of the largest ships in the world, and thanks to our affiliation with leading global entities, we were able to take the lead in the shipbuilding industry and maintain standards that are at par with those of major international corporations. In line with the national aim of increasing job opportunities for Saudi nationals, we have always been keen on utilising the capabilities and expertise of local talents and resources. Christopher Welsby, Chief Executive for UAE & KSA, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said: With the maritime sector in the Kingdom presently undergoing rapid development, we see it as our responsibility to support the nation in their move towards greater success by providing the necessary marine-related training. We have a proven track record in our training schemes providing extensive expertise which has enabled many maritime companies, ship owners & operators around the world. Bureau Veritas Company ensures that marine industry players globally are focused on energy efficiency and environmental safety. Through our participation in the Saudi Maritime Congress, we look forward to countless opportunities to collaborate with regional maritime institutions to not only share our expertise but also take advantage of their R&D capabilities to establish standards specific to the Kingdom's environmental, operational requirements & Flag administration requirements. Turki Al Shehri, Director of National Maritime Academy, said: In line with vision 2030 and in order to lead the progress of the sector, it is an absolute must to have skilled and capable professionals. As one of the leading maritime academies in the region, we at the National Maritime Academy believe that the onus is on us to qualify skilled local maritime professionals by exposing them to valuable work experience early in their careers. We have always been at the forefront of contributing towards the growth of this sector by forming strategic alliances with leading organisations in the industry. Our priority via our participation in the Saudi Maritime Congress is to localise maritime expertise and convert it into a resource to boost the Kingdoms economy, while also enhancing the knowledge and opening new opportunities for our students. Chris Morley, Group Director Maritime Events, Informa Markets said: Saudi Arabia is one of the IMO's newest members being elected to the IMO Executive Council under Category C in 2021. Our aim is to reinforce the Kingdoms role in achieving sustainability in the sector locally & globally by helping to amplify messages and support the Kingdoms voice at IMO. In the third edition of the event, we have prioritised maritime education and its significance in producing skilled local professionals for the industry. Through our insightful sessions and panel discussions, we will facilitate knowledge transfer on the best practices in the sector and highlight multiple opportunities for the next generation of professionals.--TradeArabia News Service A North Iowa woman has been identified as the deceased person found in rural Worth County on Friday. According to Worth County Sheriff Dan Fank, a resident called to report they had discovered a female body in the Shell Rock River while on a regular morning walk near the intersection of 390th Street and Raven Avenue, southeast of Kensett. The body was identified as that of Melissa Jo Olson, of Northwood, according to a press release by the sheriff's office on Saturday. The area in which the Olson was found was a shallow portion of the river with no trail access to the water. On Friday, Fank said it was unclear how long she had been in the water, but he didn't believe her body had traveled downstream. Iowa Department of Natural Resources officers on the scene kayaked the surrounding waters to search for evidence, and a drone was deployed to observe the location, but the sheriff declined to say whether any foul play was suspected. Olson's body transported to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy, and the Department of Criminal Investigation is assisting in the investigation. North Iowa high school students took full advantage of the opportunity to enroll in college classes last year. According to North Iowa Area Community College's 2021-22 high school impact report, 19 regional high schools earned a total of 12,028 credits from the institution and saved close to $2.4 million in tuition. NIACC President Steven Schulz says the numbers is something for all involved to be proud of. "Our job is to serve North Iowa and you can see from south to north, we have participation in this program and it's meeting the needs of high school students," said Schulz. Schulz said there weren't any surprises with the report, but it showed opportunities for growth in certain school districts. NIACC is also able to see where change has happened in their enrollment numbers. The top three earners of college credit last year was Clear Lake with a total of 1,382, Hampton-Dumont-CAL with 1,334, and then Mason City High School with 1,047. Schulz believes a school's philosophy on concurrent enrollment, college credit classes, impacts how many credits are earned within a district. "When I moved here nine years ago, Hampton-Dumont was our number one consumer of this. That was surprising based on size, and yet their leadership committed to concurrent enrollment and really having students access that," said Schulz. Clear Lake Superintendent Doug Gee and the district has a similar commitment to concurrent enrollment. "We have felt there was more benefit with concurrent enrollment," said Gee. Clear Lake students earns a majority of their NIACC credits through online learning. Gee says the online option helps saves time for students since they do not have to travel and kids enjoy the flexibility. The high school counselors played a big role with Clear Lake's numbers in the impact report, according to Gee, and explaining its impact. From there, word of mouth and knowing the district pays for the class encourages students to take college credit. Clear Lake robotics assemble for state competition Teamwork and strategy are some of the key ingredients to a successful robotics team. Gee thinks Clear Lake's concurrent enrollment numbers will continue to increase because of enrollment numbers and recent apprenticeship program additions. "For us, it is more 'let us keep improving and, more importantly, growing in the classes,'" said Gee. As new administration figures in the community, HD-CAL Superintendent Aaron Becker and high school principal Matt Trosky hope to continue providing all possible opportunities to students. "We want to encourage to any student at HD-CAL to get a jump start on those college credits," said Becker. HD-CAL has 290 enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) classes, which is higher than arts and sciences. This is the highest CTE class-enrollment figure out of the 19 districts. "We have a population of kids who want to work and want to come out of high school and want to make money," said Trosky. HD-CAL is looking to expand its health apprenticeship program and partner with local health facilities. A grant that was awarded in July is funding the expansion. "We are really trying to give those extra opportunities and making that a thing for them," Becker said. Schulz is excited for Mason City's future with concurrent enrollment at NIACC. "I think they're also starting to really rethink these opportunities that are a mile away from them and how it might fit into a Mason City High School student schedule," said Schulz. Mason City Assistant Superintendent Bridgette Wagoner thinks one of the reasons why the district appears lower is because of size. She says many smaller district use resources like NIACC for classes. Mason City, like other bigger districts, have policies that say a student can't take a concurrent class if it is offered in the high school, according to Wagoner. "We have had a bias toward keeping kids in our high school rather than moving into the concurrent enrollment world, but that is something that will change," said Wagoner. A majority of the credit hours earned at Mason City came from within its own classrooms last year, according to the report. High school teachers need to have a master's degree in order to teach a college class, according to Schulz. "The trend is definitely shifting away from AP courses and more to the concurrent classes. When you take a class in a community college they actually translate and transfer to a university," said Wagoner. Wagoner says with the effect of declining enrollment on district budget, Mason City has to look at how to cut certain areas but still provide students opportunities. Relying more on resources like NIACC can help. "It's an incredible opportunity that we have to take advantage of and meets priorities that we have identified in our district for enrollment, for programs, and for opportunities," said Wagoner. Mason City school employees gather before year starts Class was back in session for Mason City teachers and staff on Friday. Mason City seniors Rosa Monarch, Emma Mehmen, Destiny Kinyaiya said they see the value of taking college credit classes in high school, both for their future careers and financially. "I've gotten all my prerequisites out of the way for the nursing program already. I made sure to start sophomore year so then by the time I graduate, I can get right into the nursing program and start year one," said Mehmen. "I've tried to get the classes I'm interested in, the ones that fall under my major. But I've also tried to take a math class every year and I've done all the ones that the high school offers," said Monarch. Kinyaiya says taking concurrent classes during high school is more comfortable for her due to familiar surroundings and classmates. She added it helps when she has struggled in a class. "I feel like if we have this opportunity, we might as well take it. It's paid through the school, it's kind of like a free college class," Kinyaiya said. Schulz said there will be slow steady growth in concurrent enrollment, with Mason City having the most opportunity for growth. Some of the growth will be due to NIACC career academies. "We're going to continue to build out career academies. We're going to see some growth in Rockford, Nora Springs, North Butler, Charles City, and Osage. We'll see some growth because of these concurrent enrollment programs at career centers," said Schulz. "Those will be opportunities to grow and those are credit rich programming." NIACC contacts with high school counselors each summer to check in and evaluate needs are being met. The other focus is making sure the programs are high quality and preparing students for life after high school. "I always talk to parents, as well as students, to understand what those offerings are and spend a little time thinking about how that would give an opportunity to explore a career," Schulz said. Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! The 31st annual Danville-Pittsylvania County Fair roared back to life this weekend with a classic slate of rides and carnival foods including a crazy concoction pickle pizza joining the midway culinary experience. The fair kicked off Friday and runs through this coming Saturday. Following a fatal shooting last year, theres extra security planned, organizers announced on Facebook. The added precautions include extra security, more cameras, bag checks and metal detector screenings before entering the gate. Our goal is to keep things running as fast and efficient as possible, but you may want to allow some extra time to enter the gate especially if you are arriving at a peak time, the social media post stated. As a reminder there are absolutely no weapons allowed on the Fairgrounds property. James E. Strates Shows is back this year with a midway of rides, games and shows. Among the more unique food offerings will be pickle pizza, making its debut this year at the fair. Its no surprise that Danville Pittsylvania County customers love to eat, Marty Biniasz, a spokesperson for Strates Shows, wrote in a news release. Concessioners Doug and Laurie Dills a couple with a fitting last name came up with the pickle pizza creation. Its made with hand-tossed dough, a special dill-flavored dressing sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese and dill seasoning, a news release stated. Then, layered on top are thin slices of bright green pickles. What sets Strates Shows midway food apart is the quality of the ingredients used and the freshness of the final product served to the fairgoer, said Biniasz. Most of the menu items are made to order in front of the customer. Additionally, due to the volume of product sold, new batches are always in production. In addition to pizza, other time-honored carnival favorites will be part of fare including corn dogs, Italian sausage with peppers and onions, funnel cakes and deep fried Oreos. The Strates Shows, a 99-year-old family owned and operated outdoor amusement and carnival business, is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, according to a news release. The business recently listed its top-10 rides based on ticket scans from last years Danville-Pittsylvania County Fair. At No. 10 is Zero Gravity, where patrons stand against the wall as the ride begins to spin at dizzying speeds. As the ride pivots vertically, the g-forces kick in and pin riders in place. Coming in at No. 9 is The Wacky Worm, known as the the perfect first coaster for young riders as colorful caterpillar. Jumbos Flying Elephants ranked as the No. 8 ride. For No. 7, the Dream Wheel posts a panoramic view of the midway from 72 feet above the ground while riding in a family-sized gondola. For the experience of the ultimate sensation of speed, The Claw comes in at No. 6. The ever-famous Merry-Go-Round, a carousel constructed by the legendary Allan Herschell Company, is a time-honored classic at Now. 5. A drivers license isnt required for the No. 4 top ride with the Scooter/Bumper Cars. At No. 3, the Sky Flyer is a 98-foot-high vertical swing can be seen dancing in the sky. As 24 riders slowly rise to the top, the tower begins to rotate and centrifugal force kicks in. Music, lights and sounds keeps the action spinning on the No. 2 ride of Muzik Express. Topping the list of the favorite ride is the Giant Wheel, known as the king of the midway. At 105 feet in height, it dominates the fairgrounds and the surround community. Learn more about the fair online at dpcfairgrounds.com. Question: Why does Allegiant Airlines not fly between Greensboro and Sanford Florida any more? And will they return? G.M. Answer: We asked Allegiant Air about its Sanford, Florida, route and got this reply from a spokesperson. Allegiants business model is based on demand. We consider all of our network routes to be seasonal, so its not unusual for a route to go on seasonal hiatus. Our last flight of the spring for the Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) to Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) route was on April 20, 2022. Our GSO-SFB service is scheduled to resume again on March 9, 2023. We have a dedicated team of network planners who are constantly analyzing and adjusting service to best fit our customers needs. This means we have the ability to ramp capacity up and down, seasonally, according to demand. If you navigate our website, youll notice we are still offering our Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) to Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) service. Customers can find the latest routes only on www.allegiant.com. Q: Why has Ballinger Road been closed for over two years and when will it reopen? M.M. A: A city spokeswoman said in an email the bridge has been closed since April 26, 2021. It was coming due for replacement, but it was hit by two cars, prompting us to close it immediately and start the replacement project. We had hoped to have it done by the end of 2021. That didnt happen due to pandemic-related global supply chain issues. The contractor couldnt start the work without the parts. The contractor recently verified a delivery date for the needed materials. If this delivery goes as planned, crews could be able to complete the bridge by the end of the year. Keep in mind, though, all construction projects are subject to delays due to labor or material and shortages and weather. We thank residents for their continued patience. Staff Writer Jennifer Fernandez Its been decades since Erik Olshall and his family first embraced their native Swedens early shift to clean energy. But memories of those efforts still inspire Olshall as his Triad-based company looks to significantly shrink its carbon footprint. Some 40 years ago, I helped my dad put a solar heating system on our house, he recalled. With homebuilt equipment and in a land more known for snow than sun, the system reduced our consumption of heating oil by a third. Olshall, president of Nordfab Americas in Thomasville, is counting on an even more significant energy impact with the installation of a 1 megawatt array of more than 800 rooftop panels expected to generate half the electricity at its primary production facility and headquarters. Nordfab manufactures equipment for industrial duct systems. About 150 employees work at the Thomasville facility. The solar purchase and installation are part of a $5.5 million expansion that will bring the complexs footprint to 180,000 square feet of production, office and warehouse space. That plant is fully air-conditioned, which is great for all of us who work here, but not necessarily good for the environment, Olshall noted. The ability to generate the electricity needed for that air conditioning, as well as much of the production equipment, with 100% renewable and absolute clean energy is fantastic. The expected cost of the panels is $480,000. The company projects that the panels will reduce Nordfabs carbon dioxide emission by more than 1,000 metric tons, which is the equivalent of 218 passenger cars being taken off the road for a year. Carbon dioxide is the leading manmade cause of climate change. Mother Nature has told us for some time now that we need to change our behavior, Olshall said. Just imagine if all industries would do the same. As part of its own climate goals, Nordfab has set targets of cutting carbon dioxide emissions in half and consuming the equivalent of 53% of current energy use by the end of 2023. The company also will offer free charging stations for employees who drive electric or plug-in vehicles, and we hope that others will come and visit us to fill up their batteries as well. As Nordfab prepares to install its solar system, Olshall said he cant help but think back to when he helped his father add panels to their house. To do the same now on a large industrial scale, and in solar-perfect North Carolina, is just beyond great, he explained. Im very proud Nordfab is doing it, and I think my dad would be proud, too. Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services, the largest air cargo network operator in Africa, has been crowned with 'Cargo Airline of The Year' and 'Best Cargo Arline - Africa' at the Air Cargo News Awards 2022. In a ceremony held in London on September 16, Ethiopian has been crowned with the two awards in the presence of cargo leaders from across the globe. Global cargo players including freight forwarders, ground handlers, general and cargo sales agents cast their votes online, where the highest votes for 'The Cargo Airline of The Year' and 'Best Cargo Arline - Africa' titles went to Ethiopian. Ethiopian Cargo was a finalist in three categories. Regarding the awards, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said: " We are very proud of the vote of confidence of our global partners and customers, and I would like to thank them for their votes. We give high regards to our cargo operations and strive to provide our customers the best the industry has to offer, and it is a great reward to know our efforts are appreciated. We will continue to be our customers' reliable cargo service provider with unparalleled service excellence. Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services, one of the major strategic business units within the Ethiopian Airlines Group, demonstrated remarkable performance, growing in excellence and customer service each year and it has been a globally acclaimed cargo player during the pandemic for transporting essential medical supplies and vaccines in all corners of the world with utmost efficiency. Ethiopian transported around 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine around the globe, converting its passenger aircraft to Preighter to strengthen its cargo operations. Currently, Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services cover more than 130 international destinations around the world with both belly hold capacity and 67 dedicated Freighter services. - TradeArabia News Service Does Alaska have a political message for North Carolina? Not a chance, you say. Its too far away. But wait a minute. There are some connections. Steve Cowper, who grew up in Kinston and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, served two terms in the Alaska House of Representatives and was governor from 1986 to 1990. Then there is my connection to Mary Peltola, who was elected to the U.S. Congress two weeks ago by beating former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. My tie to Rep.-elect Peltola is remote but important to me. She lives in Bethel, in the far west of Alaska on the Kuskokwim River. It is where I spent the better part of a month on an Army mission to train soldiers in the Alaska National Guard. These troops were, like Ms. Peltola, native Alaskans. Most of the troops had Russian names. I remember Sgt. Nicolai Nicolai even now, more than 50 years after I first knew him. Russians were the original European colonists in Alaska. Although they withdrew after selling Alaska to the U.S. in 1867 for $7.2 million, there were still reminders, in addition to the Russian names. When we arrived in early January, the celebration of the Russian Orthodox Christmas season was just ending. North Carolina and the Bethel area of Alaska also share a connection to the Moravian church. I remember a cold dogsled ride from Bethel to the nearby Moravian mission, which was serving Alaskan natives, but where I felt very much at home. Enough of your personal memories, you are thinking; what does all this have to do with Alaskas message for todays North Carolina? The answer comes from understanding how Peltola, a native Alaskan member of the Yupik group, and a Democrat, beat former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in the recent special congressional election. It helps to understand Alaskas new voting system, a form of what is called ranked-choice-voting. Here is how it worked in Alaska. First, in a nonpartisan primary, each voter picked one candidate from a list of everyone who had signed up to run. In the recent congressional election, 48 candidates ran in that first-round primary. The top four vote-getters in this primary were each given a spot on the ballot for the general election. The top four were Palin, Peltola, Nick Begich and another candidate who later dropped out. Voters were able to rank up to three of the remaining candidates in order of preference: first, second and third. Republicans Palin and Begich gathered a total of nearly 60% of first-place votes. Democrat Peltola got only about 40% of the first-place votes. But because Begich came in third, he was eliminated, and his second-choice votes were reallocated. Most of his second-choice votes went, not to fellow Republican Palin, but to Peltola, who thus got a majority and the victory. Would this method of choosing office holders work in North Carolina? On the positive side, it would eliminate candidates winning elections with as few as 30% of the vote. It would open the door to worthy candidates who do not have connections to the major political parties or access to great wealth. On the other hand, the complexity of ranked-choice-voting could have citizens complaining that they prefer traditional voting systems that they can understand. Democracy works best when citizens understand the system and have confidence in it. I admire and respect Alaskans, especially the newly elected Peltola, but for now I would like to keep our election system just like it is. As time passes, though, we should, like the Alaskans, be open to adopting new election procedures that preserve and enhance our treasured democratic traditions. Correction: In a recent column about UNC Systems move to Raleigh, I wrote that the historic presidents home in Chapel Hill was no longer occupied by the president. The universitys office advised that President Peter Hans does indeed currently live there. I apologize for my error. The death of Queen Elizabeth II encourages me to consider the interesting topic of Great Britain, a country I left more than 40 years ago. I wonder again about why this woman was so significant, and have come to believe its because she enabled her subjects to find a way to love their rather troubled country. The queens public persona of quiet virtue, religious devotion, sense of duty, self-control and stoic resistance to the allure of fickle public opinion made her much admired, and now, much mourned. In its early years, her long reign over the United Kingdom as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other realms beyond the seas, unfolded during the rather brisk dissolution of the old British Empire. This break-up gathered speed in the 1960s, with African countries, with Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Kenya leading the way. The British Commonwealth of nations, now just the Commonwealth, emerged. Elizabeth was famously devoted to this organization, forming strong personal relationships with many leaders of former colonies. Watchers of The Crown will know that Elizabeth promoted economic sanctions against apartheid South Africa and that in 1961 she danced with Ghanas president Kwame Nkrumah in what was then a rather shocking display of Black and white closeness. But all the queens horses and all the queens men cannot purify the history of the British Empire and its aftermath. The British Empire was a racist, oppressive and sometimes cruel and violent institution. These unpleasant truths are vividly laid out, most recently in Caroline Elkins 2022 book Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire. Indeed, the United Kingdom is now having its own Black Lives Matter experiences, with calls for apologies and reparations, particularly to the Caribbean islands where slaves toiled under the British monarchy until 1834 followed by indentured labor and imperial neglect that produced dreadful conditions for generations. The white settler colonies of Kenya and South Africa also were notably racist constructions, with brutal British suppression of the Kenyan Mau Mau rebellion in the 1950s. So in order to love their country, the British have to do some hard and mature thinking about their past. Just as Americans are grappling with their own histories of racism and oppression and the long shadows of the Civil War, Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era, so the British must come to terms with or reckon with their national historical wrongdoing. Some may question what that means. I think it means finding in the queen, since she assumed the throne in 1952, the best parts of an ideal national self. In the U.K. and across the old empire and the new Commonwealth, Elizabeth performed for her peoples a role of decency and moral effort. It was an effort to be better than the reality of past and present, and to approach the far point of Martin Luther King Jr.s arc of the moral universe, which is indeed long, but which I, too, believe bends toward justice in the U.K. and the U.S. The British and the Americans want to love their countries. President Bidens Independence Hall address on Sept. 1 encouraged our patriotism by reminding us of what we can be. We, the people, have burning inside each of us the flame of liberty that was lit here at Independence Hall a flame that lit our way through abolition, the Civil War, suffrage, the Great Depression. Thus he performed a valuable function: not as chief executive, but rather as a head of state, as Elizabeth was to her country. King Charles III, following his mothers example, must continue to show his own nation its best self, to be characterized by a strengthening humanitarian decency that crosses lines of class and race, both within and beyond the United Kingdom. How disappointing it is that he will not have the help of Prince Harrys wife, Meghan Markle, whose Black American roots looked set to help the royal family reflect the multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan society that Britain has become since 1952. Her presence, inspecting funeral flowers and greeting the Windsor crowds, was welcome. Is it too late to bring the Duke and Duchess back into the royal fold? Charles may look for further inspiration to the cabinet of new conservative prime minister Liz Truss, where the great offices of state Foreign Office, Treasury and Home Office are occupied by no white men at all. The new king could also encourage the clear thought contained in his June 2022 speech to Commonwealth Heads of Government in Kigali, Rwanda, about imperial slavery and the most painful period of our history. If he can do so, then the sins and evils of the national past can be not erased but at least more fully understood, more truly acknowledged, and maybe, at least partially redeemed. They say you should give credit where credit is due and certainly that applies to Montanas legislators who turned down the attempt to hold a theatrical pre-election special legislative session only months before the legislature convenes in January. Considering about $1.5 billion in surplus tax revenue was at stake, a rushed special session was absolutely the worst thing the legislature could have done. The so-called surplus resulted from the influx of federal funds to help Montanans and all Americans get through the extremely difficult fiscal situations resulting from the COVID pandemic. Its no secret that business as usual couldnt happen due to the variety of measures battling the pandemic required. And despite the howls from the faux fiscal conservatives about the national deficit, rest assured those federal funds were a very welcome life raft for millions of our citizens. Our people were in need and our government responded. Montana could have decided to not tax those federal relief dollars, but did not do so. They counted it as income, which produced additional tax dollars for the state coffers. Montanas constitution allows the Legislature to call itself into session with a majority vote of our 150 House and Senate members. Its pretty clear that those howling about giving the taxpayers their money back werent really concerned with the efficacy of attempting to distribute such a vast sum equitably in a short special session. Instead, it was a baldfaced attempt to strut across the public stage hoping to buy votes for the upcoming election. But anyone who has ever experienced legislative special sessions know they are the worst possible ways to make public policy. Even during a regular 90-day legislature it is very difficult for members of the public to stay abreast of the day-to-day actions, decisions, and votes on matters of great significance to the state, its people, and our future. In a special session the public you know, the people these legislators are supposed to represent are virtually excluded from the process due to the compressed timelines. In Montanas history, some of the worst public policy decisions have resulted from rushed legislation. While there are many examples, none stand out as injurious to the general public as the Republican-dominated 1999 legislatures incredible blunder to stuff through a massive utility deregulation bill in the last two weeks of the session. The very complex 230-page bill severely short-cut normal due process since the legislature had to suspend its own rules to even allow introduction of a late bill. They then had to likewise suspend the rules several more times to bring it from committee to the floor to the second chamber all long after normal deadlines. Its rushed passage before the legislature adjourned resulted in impacts Montanas citizens continue to suffer to this day. The hydroelectric dams consumers paid to build and maintain were sold to an out-of-state corporation, Montana Power Co. stocks crashed to near worthless, pensions were lost, and we went from the lowest cost power in the region to the highest. Now consider the likely consequences of distributing 1,500 MILLION dollars in a special session with single-party majorities and virtually no opportunity for the public to review or provide feedback on the bills. Chaos would be the appropriate description not competent governance. Montanans can be thankful for those legislators who refused to go along with the hair-brained attempt to call a special session. The money isnt going anywhere. And the January session is just around the corner when the public can have the opportunity to actually provide considered input to the law-making that so intimately affects all our lives and futures. In America, voters choose who our leaders will be. At least, we used to. In the 2021 legislative session, Montana Republicans flipped that tradition. They chose who their voters would be. Their choice: Montanans most likely to vote for them. They passed three bills that make it harder for four distinct populations to vote: the disabled, the poor, American Indians, and college students. Of course, they couldnt say that was their intentbut, frankly, their statements on the floor, in public, and in court remind you of asking your son and his friends why the car you let them take camping smells well, funny. They cant get their lines right or their stories straight. HB 530 was originally a clean-up bill, intended merely to update security measures to prevent foreign interference in our elections. It sailed through the House, but mysteriously languished in the Senate. It was having a makeover. Earlier in the session, the Senate had killed a bill prohibiting paid ballot collection after election clerks and tribal members complained mightily of the burdens such a ban would impose. But in the flurry of activity two days before the legislature left town, Republican leadership snuck the same concept into HB 530 as a floor amendment. Floor amendments dont allow for public comment, so senators were spared the vehement objections to the original bill. The new, improved HB 530 passed the Senate on a party-line vote. Wearily, the House sponsor saddled up what had become a Trojan horse and rode it back to the House. Despite her incoherent defense of the makeover, the bill passed, slashing what Montanas Native Americans describe as their lifeline to the ballot box. Next: Election Day Registration (EDR). One story alone justifies EDR. On Election Eve 2017, a Montana candidate for Congress assaulted a reporter and then lied about it. Maybe you hadnt cared much about that election or any election until then. But if you wanted to register the next day and cast your vote to keep someone with those character issues out of Congress, you could. Not now. HB 176 eliminated EDR even though Montanans voted to keep it in 2014. Yes, election eve surprises are rare, but election day registration isnt. Since 2008 7% of all registered voters in Montana, nearly 1/3 of those young voters, have used it. Its never been associated with fraud. For the trifecta: HB 169, revising Montanas voter ID requirements. After 36 years running Rosebud County elections, Rep. Geraldine Custer saw weaknesses in the original bill. For a month she worked with the governors office, the Secretary of State, the bills sponsor and her partys leadership to make HB 169 the best ID law in the land. She finally got consensus. But in the 11th hour, the Speaker of the House himself rose to amend HB 169 from the floor. The amendment? Eliminating student IDs as a primary source of identification. No voter fraud has ever been associated with student IDs. The only thing associated with them is more students voting. The amendment would require college students to show not just their ID, but something college students dont always have: a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or government document addressed to them. Why? Speaker Galt took the silver spoon out of his mouth long enough to explain: If youre a college student and you dont have a registration, bank statement, or a W-2, I kind of wonder why youre voting. Sheesh. While her Rosebud County colleague openly ridiculed her from behind, Custer took her last stand. Its discriminatory, she warned. Its going to be challenged. Were going to spend hard-earned Montana taxpayer dollars to line the pockets of attorneys. Her majority leader rose to scold her for over-reacting. You lost me at lining their pockets, she told Custer. The legislature has allocated $1.3 million to pay a private law firm to defend against challenges to these three bills. Not to over-react, but thats a lot of pocket-liner. The solution isnt in court, critics say. If you dont like what these legislators did, throw the bums out. Theres the rub. The Montanans most likely to do the tossing have been tossed themselves. As news of Queen Elizabeth IIs passing was announced to the public Thursday, Sept. 8, Michael Gardner, a devout fan of the queen from Wise County, Virginia, was shocked, but not surprised to hear the news. He was aware she had been dealing with a few health issues in the recent past. I was at work and heard the news that she was not well. The palace had released a statement saying that she was under medical supervision, and by then, it kind of got out that the family was on their way to Balmoral, Gardner said. Even though she was 96, even though her health had not been as good in the last few months, it came as a shock, to be honest with you. For Gardner, Queen Elizabeth II transcended her role as a British monarch, who through her dedication and unshakeable resolve to perform her duties was present, alongside key figures at almost every historical moment of importance in our time. To me, it was less a thing of the monarchy. I mean, Im not one to really at all support the idea of hereditary privilege. It was more I think that the queen herself transcended the monarchy. It was a matter of her as an individual, Gardner said. It was just a respect of her dedication to duty. She just had an unshakable resolve. I mean one of the great things about her I think is, you know, she had seen every major world crisis from the Great Depression and World War II, all the way up until COVID. Gardners fandom for Queen Elizabeth II is no secret to his work colleagues, friends, and family, who, upon hearing the news of her passing, began sending him messages of comfort and care. One of the nicest things thats happened within the last week or so was, those who do know me well knew when they heard the news that I would obviously take it hard. So, all kinds of friends and former coworkers, people I havent even talked to in years, have reached out to me through (Facebook) Messenger or called me to kind of check up on me and make sure that Im alright, Gardner said. Thats been very, very touching. For Gardner, 2019 was a special year because he wrote his first of two letters to the queen. In his first letter to Queen Elizabeth II, Gardner, who was not sure he would get a response, wrote to her about their shared love of the equestrian world and recounted his experience attending the Kentucky Derby as a child, an event that the queen was known to enjoy. I had been to the Kentucky Derby a couple of times when I was younger, and the queen has always been very interested in horses and equestrian things. So, when I wrote the first letter, I thought maybe that would be my token that might get me a response, Gardner said. I think it was November or so of that year. I got that response back. At the start of 2022, Gardner, who, besides being a big Queen Elizabeth II fan, is also a photographer, sent the queen a second letter, which included a print of one of his own photos as a gift, celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. I have been doing photography for a couple of years now, and one of my friends at work suggested that I take a canvas print of one of my pictures and send it to the queen, Gardner said. This year was her Platinum Jubilee. It was 70 years on the throne. So, I sent it for that occasion. Gardner has framed both the letters he received in response from the queens Office. From day one, when I got them, I was amazed and framed both of them. For example, ones in my office at work, the others in my home office, Gardner said. Of course, now that shes gone, theyre even more precious to me. Gardner will be taking off work Monday, to pay his respects and fully devote his attention to watching the funeral. I am actually planning on taking off work that day. And just to kind of pay my respects that way, I can fully devote my attention to watching her funeral as a final farewell to the queen, Gardner said. TAYLORSVILLE Craftmaster Furniture has named Alex Reeves president. He held the same position for the past three years at Sam Moore Furniture based in Bedford, Virginia. Reeves will be taking over for the retiring Roy Calcagne who will remain the CEO through the end of the year. Reeves is an industry veteran of 35 years and has held several executive positions with various upholstery manufacturers. He also spent 11 years with Craftmaster as the senior vice president of sales/merchandising prior to his time at Sam Moore. Reeves was born and raised in Hickory, went to Hickory High and graduated from Wake Forest. He and his wife Vickie have three adult children and will be relocating back to the Hickory area. Alex returns to Craftmaster bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to lead the company into the future. He understands the position Craftmaster holds in the marketplace as a moderate/upper moderate custom order manufacturer known for producing high quality and fashion forward products. His background in sales and merchandising will enable the company to continue to grow, Calcagne said. I am very happy to be back at Craftmaster were I spent many years leading sales and merchandising. I admire the management team and the culture that has been created and I look forward to contributing to the future growth and success of this great company, Reeves added. Craftmaster Furniture was founded in 1972 in Taylorsville, and specializes in moderately priced upholstery products made in the United States. Craftmaster offers a broad selection of upholstered products and provides custom order, with over 100 living room styles, 80 accents chairs and over 750 fabrics to choose from. Craftmaster is a subsidiary of Samson Holdings. Visit its website at www.cmfurniture.com . 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. Cabarrus College of Health Sciences will host a fall festival for the community as the culminating event in a yearlong celebration of its 80th anniversary. The festival will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the college, 401 Medical Park Drive in Concord, NC, on the campus of Atrium Health Cabarrus Sunday, Oct. 2 Candidates for the Cabarrus County Board of Education will participate in a forum sponsored by the Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society at 2:30 p.m. at Mt. Pleasant Town Hall. The forum will be moderated by The Honorable William Hamby, retired district court judge. 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. The Kannapolis African-American Museum and Cultural Center will celebrate its ninth anniversary and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 8, featuring the theme: Celebrating the Birth of an Unfolding Harvest. It will be A Night to Remember! KAA-MaCC and Friends will celebrate an anniversary that commemorates its founding and provides an opportunity to recognize the distinguished contributions of Cabarrus and Rowan county natives, their supporters and partners. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is central to collecting and preserving history. The Hall of Fame serves as a historical account of extraordinary accomplishments while also promoting the sense of community, pride of heritage and the spirit of excellence of Cabarrus and Rowan natives. Individuals from Cabarrus and Rowan counties will be recognized for their significant contributions to society (withstanding the test of time) of lasting value and impact in their respective endeavors. The 2022 inductees who will receive Lifetime Achievement awards are: Willie A. Deese (business executive); Willie Jean B. Kennedy (educator); John Black Jr. (educator); Ella Mae Small (civic/community leader); and Ernest G. Brown (business executive). Dominique Clark, Cabarrus County Communications and Outreach, will serve as the mistress of ceremony. The Rev. Dr. Sheldon R. Shipman, pastor of Greenville Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte, will be the keynote speaker. From 5-6 p.m., the venue for the VIP and general admission receptions and silent auction will be held at The Laureate Center. From 6:15-8:30 p.m., the dinner/program and induction ceremony will follow at The Laureate Center ballroom at 401 Laureate Way, Kannapolis. Donations of $100 per person include a VIP reception with honorees and special guests, silent auction, dinner and induction ceremony. Donations of $55 include a reception, silent auction, dinner and induction ceremony. Tickets are available via Eventbrite (https://bit.ly/3PzGhob) or the KAA-MaCC website (https://bit.ly/3K7Z7RA). The deadline for ticket purchases is Oct. 1. Attire for the event is black-tie optional. Opportunities for sponsorship and/or placing of advertisements in the souvenir journal are available. Details for sponsorships, advertisements, and tickets are provided at www.kaa-macc.org. Tropical Storm Madeline formed in the Pacific Ocean off the western coast of Mexico Saturday afternoon. Carrying maximum winds sustained at 45 mph, the storm was about 280 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, and 520 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, on the tip of Baja California. The outer bands of the storm are expected to interact with the remnants of Tropical Storm Lester and produce torrential downpours. More than 10 inches of rain are possible in Guerrero, Michoacan and Oaxaca. In areas of southern Nayarit and Jalisco -- including Puerto Vallarta -- residents could see heavy rains, gusty winds and waves up to 13 feet high along the coasts. Rainfall from both Lester and Madeline could lead to landslides, bring up water levels in rivers and streams, and flood low-lying areas. Residents are "urged to heed the SMN (Servicio Meteorologico Nacional) warnings and follow the guidance of state authorities," Mexico's National Water Commission said. Ships were urged to take extreme precautions due to high winds and waves off the coast. Lester has already dissipated over Mexico, but its heavy rains are expected to continue for parts of coastal southern Mexico into Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Meanwhile, a hurricane warning was issued for Puerto Rico as Tropical Storm Fiona approached Saturday, with "Life-Threatening Flooding and Mudslides" possible over the next several days, authorities said. Hurricane conditions were expected across parts of Puerto Rico Sunday and possibly in the US Virgin Islands Saturday night, according to the Hurricane Center. The-CNN-Wire & 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Automechanika Frankfurts new formats and extensive programme were very well received by international automotive professionals with 78.000 visitors from 175 countries taking part in the industrys leading platform in Frankfurt to experience products and services from workshops, industry and retail live and in person. In fact, the five days of the show saw the fullest the exhibition grounds since the restart in Frankfurt, said organisers. As many as 2,804 companies from 70 countries exhibited their products and services across 19 hall levels and in the outdoor exhibition area. Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, said: Things are clearly heading in the right direction. Together with our customers and our international partners, we are optimistic about the future: nothing can take the place of trade fairs. The strong international component amongst exhibitors from 70 countries and visitors from 175 countries alike makes it clear that the international automotive aftermarket is back in Frankfurt. Participants also took full advantage of the new networking opportunities to finally meet with one another in person and make new business contacts. The high level of visitor satisfaction of 92% clearly demonstrates that the areas of focus at this years Automechanika are exactly what the industry was looking for: increasing digitalisation, remanufacturing, alternative drive systems and electromobility in particular present automotive workshops and retailers with major challenges. For the first time, there were more than 350 events on offer, including presentations given by new market participants and free workshops for automotive professionals, a statement said. CEOs from leading key players put on a strong showing at the CEO Breakfast event sponsored by ZF Aftermarket on the first day of the trade fair. In a fireside chat format, Formula One professionals Mika Hakkinen and Mark Gallagher supplied fascinating insights for an industry that is changing faster than ever. Detlef Braun explained: In these turbulent times, the industry needs fresh insights and new ideas. After all, the goal is to ensure that it will be possible for everyone to enjoy the safest, most sustainable, climate-friendly mobility in future. Peter Wagner, Managing Director, Continental Aftermarket & Services, said: "Automechanika made two things very clear. Firstly, even in an increasingly digital world, everything comes down to people. Speaking to someone in person, visiting a stand, making your way through the exhibition halls, even shaking hands none of these things can be replaced. Secondly, the industry's transformation has continued to accelerate. Fields like digital services for workshops and alternative drive systems, for instance, are more important than ever. As a forum for promising fields like these, Automechanika will be even more important in future, because expertise is absolutely essential if workshops and dealers are to continue playing a major role. Visitors showed a great deal of interest in the new Innovation4Mobility showcase, which covered such topics as battery technology, alternative drive systems, hydrogen, solar technology, e-commerce and connected vehicles. It was striking just how many young visitors came to the trade fair to find out more about the training and career opportunities on offer in the automotive aftermarket. This year marked the first time that the recently established Talents4AA association, a non-profit organisation that aims to attract talented specialists and newcomers to the automotive aftermarket, has appeared at Automechanika Frankfurt. And their appearance was a big success: the association significantly increased its membership rolls during the five-day event. -TradeArabia News Service I share with you a piece I wrote for my blog, www.aVirtualChurch.com about care for the mentally ill. Since this piece was written, some things about serving the mental health needs of North Carolina have changed, some have not. The title of my piece was 500 Beds. Today is Monday of Holy Week 2013, a day when thoughts gather toward the coming events of the week. Two thousand years ago plus, Jesus was in Jerusalem. He had angered the religious authorities of the day angered them unto death. The powerful elite of the church were making decisions not in keeping with the call of the Christ to lay aside pomp and fringe on the garment, to seek the company of those who had nothing among them, societys castaways. Set a feast for them. Seat them at the head of the table. Give away your cloak to them, for they are the ones whom God loves most. You with your fine words and fancy robes are empty suits. Look at yourself. What do you see? The woman on the evening news was a former employee at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh. There is argument among power brokers about contracts and dirty deeds, all the time closing a facility that for decades has been home to those whom Jesus called us to love and care for. Power does bad things to people. We forget who we are and what we are called to do with what we have been given. The woman on the evening news tonight said the land was given for the mentally ill and for years had been home to those for whom answers of care were non-existent. Five hundred beds that had been shelter and a good nights rest are now lost in the fray surrounding contract disputes, who is right and who is wrong. The woman on the evening news forgot to mention that one of those beds if it had been there since the 1960s, may have been the bed my mother slept in for nearly six months. Mother was a patient at Dix, her home of last resort at a time of mental breakdown, when misdiagnosis had kept her in a dark place too long. Healing did not come to her until her months at Dix. As an eighth grader, I visited her in the McBride Building. I remember hearing the screams in the halls, seeing the bars on the windows, and watching people being escorted down the hall in straight jackets. I remember going to the Chapel on the Campus of Dix and hearing my mother play the organ there. It was part of her therapy. I do not know the name of her doctor there, though I give thanks for him often. He unlocked the mystery of Mothers illness. Hormone therapy brought her back to us for good. The woman on the evening news failed to tell the viewers that Dix Hill is sacred ground, more sacred than most people, especially those who argue about its future even know. It is holy ground on which the lost have been found, the sick have been healed, the broken have been shored up, and Christ has walked among those whom he loves most. When sacred trust is broken, where does fault lie? But assigning fault is not helpful. Each one in power, each broker, each lawyer, each lawmaker, each green visionary is called to a great consideration. I will not judge them, but they will not go unjudged. May God give us courage to do what is right on behalf of those who have no power at all. Doing right makes this Monday Holy. Amen. In 2022, Dix Park is a reality. It is a place of beauty where picnics and pictures with sunflowers are taken. But those 500 beds have not been replaced. In fact, a report from WTVD said that North Carolina has lost 900 psych beds since 2000. Today, our need for more beds and care for the mentally ill is growing, while resources are not. Emergency rooms feel the brunt of urgent mental health care needs. I remember being in the ER at Wake Med when the police and a team of docs and nurses tried to quiet and restrain a very ill person. But where does a person go when the emergency is dealt with? An article in NC Health News reports that in Avery County, there were 5,000 patient referrals received and only 11% of them could be admitted. There are reports of warehousing children in mental health crisis. And while Governor Cooper called for an increase in appropriate care options, advocates, like Dorothea Dix seem far away. She lobbied in the early 19th century for a federal asylum system. Even though she built asylums in North Carolina, New Jersey and Illinois, the federal act never passed. I remember movies about treatment of the mentally ill in America. Hopefully, they were dramatized but I have been with enough people in enough hospital and rehab settings to see some of the problem up close. Too many deal with family members in mental health crisis for us to ignore what is going on. Money wont fix everything, but we cannot strip away care and expect this problem to correct itself. Hearts of mercy are called for here. Achievers The North Carolina Black Repertory Company and Wake Forest University have announced JuCoby Johnson and Eljon Wardally as the winning playwrights of the Finding Holy Ground commissions. The project, Finding Holy Ground: Performing Visions of Race and Justice in America, is funded by a $250,000 grant received by Wake Forest from the Henry Luce Foundation and is a collaboration between Wake Forest University School of Divinity, NC Black Rep and Wake the Arts. Both playwrights will receive a $10,000 commission, developmental workshops and fully staged productions of their plays. Plays were selected based on their ability to encourage community conversations on race, justice and religion in the U.S. Playwrights submitted ideas for works that addressed topics such as homophobia, racism, white supremacy and social inequities in America. The plays will be staged in Wait Chapel during the 2024 National BlackTheatre Festival in Winston-Salem. Community events will be held to promote discussions and reflection. Awards The N.C. Division of Water Resources has honored 66 water treatment plants for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2021. The divisions Public Water Supply Section awarded the facilities the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award, which is part of a state effort to enhance the performance of existing surface water treatment facilities. For 2021, the state recognized 16 facilities with the Gold Star honor, which is an award for systems that have received the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award for 10 or more consecutive years. Local systems included: town of Boone Water Treatment Plant and town of Wilkesboro Water Filtration Plant. Awards are given each year to water systems that demonstrate outstanding turbidity removal, a key test of drinking water quality. Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by individual particles that can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. Microbes are microscopic particles that occur naturally but can include harmful bacteria and viruses. While all drinking water systems must meet strict state and federal drinking water standards, these systems met performance goals that are significantly more stringent than state and federal standards. In 2021, nearly 2.8 million North Carolina residents were served by these award-winning plants. The local award winners for 2021 are: Appalachian State University Water Treatment Plant, city of Mount Airy F.G. Doggett Plant, city of Mount Airy S.L. Spencer Plant, city of Thomasville Water Treatment Plant, Davidson Water Gregg W. Stabler Water Treatment Plant, Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority John F. Kime Water Treatment Plant, town of Boone Water Treatment Plant, town of Dobson Water Treatment Plant, town of Elkin Water Treatment Plant and town of Wilkesboro Water Filtration Plant. Grants U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the departments Economic Development Administration is awarding $3.1 million in grants to support business development and job growth in North Carolina communities impacted by the declining use of coal. S.G. Atkins Community Development Corporation in Winston-Salem will receive a $1 million grant for expansion of the Enterprise Center, to support the development of additional food-based businesses. The EDA investment will be matched with $300,000 in local funds and is expected to create 50 jobs, retain 15 jobs and generate $680,000 in private investment, according to grantee estimates. Gateway Research Park in Greensboro, will receive a $2.1 million grant to expand a manufacturing facility in support of the growth of minority-owned businesses. The EDA investment will be matched with $750,000 in local funds and is expected to create 33 jobs, retain 25 jobs and generate $3.1 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates. These projects were made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Piedmont Triad Regional Council. On the Move Klaussner Home Furnishings has hired Joseph Rosenberg as executive vice president of sales and marketing and Amy Archer as vice president of merchandising, domestic upholstery. Rosenberg began his career at Klaussner more than 30 years ago as a manufacturers representative. He moved to Lane Furniture in 2003 where he served as vice president of sales. Archer is recognized in the industry for her expertise in the merchandising and design space, most recently served as president of Creating Inspired Seating where she focused on upholstered product for domestic upholstery companies. Truliant Federal Credit Union has promoted Linell Johnson to the role of senior vice president, controller. Previously, he was vice president, controller. Buffkin/Baker, a partner-led executive search firm, has announced the addition of Megan Shepherd Berlinger as associate partner in its health care practice. Berlinger will join the health care delivery vertical, leading academic medicine searches with a focus on serving Association of American Medical Colleges institutions and health systems. Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton recently announced that John McNames will be joining the firms Winston-Salem office as counsel. He will be a member of the firms real estate finance and capital markets team. McNames joins from Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey. Carolina Eye Associates, a medical and surgical eye care center headquartered in Southern Pines, has introduced to the practice oculoplastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Leonard , a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in eye and facial plastic surgery. Leonard joins CEA at its Greensboro and Winston-Salem offices. Costs are still being tallied and Winston-Salem is considering tougher zoning regulations, more than eight months after a massive fire destroyed the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant on North Cherry Street. Lawsuits are huddling to move through the court system as people who live near the plant look for compensation for moving costs and health effects. Then there are the environmental impacts left behind in the quality of the air that people breathed and the runoff into streams. Even the city may be looking for compensation for the cost to taxpayers, including hundreds of thousands paid to people who had to evacuate. And after eight months, after probes by fire and insurance investigators, we still dont know what caused the fire that began Jan. 31. The reports may never even see the light of day because the city considers them the results of a criminal investigation, even though no cause was ever determined. By any measure, the fire was a landmark event in the citys history. Sending orange flames high into the night sky on a Monday night, the blaze forced the creation of a mile-wide evacuation zone when firefighters realized that it could set off a catastrophic explosion. The remains of the plant smoldered for days and veiled parts of the city with an acrid pall. It was a 1930s plant, and now it is a graded-off site, said Keith Huff, the director of field operations for the city. It is all gone now except for the approach road and the business center that fronts Cherry Street. Counting costs Just how much the Weaver plant fire has cost is an elusive figure. The company has divulged no information on its losses in plant and material, not to mention the costs of the cleanup. Then there are lost wages for people no longer working there. The plant was on the tax books at a value of $1.3 million, so theres that. A report later issued by the fire department pegged the loss at $1.95 million, but that doesnt take into account what it might cost to build a new plant. The city has not been much more forthcoming with its costs, thanks to the potential of litigation, city officials say. The city attorney, Angela Carmon, wont comment on whether shes been asked to look at legal action, but other Winston-Salem officials have been saying for some time that the city ought to try to recover what costs it can. I can assure you, because of whatever we find out from the investigation ... if taxpayer dollars can be recouped from any possible negligence or lack of compliance, we would do like any other organization and try to recoup that money, Winston-Salem City Council Member D.D. Adams said. City Manager Lee Garrity said hes heard similar remarks from others on the council. From early on, the direction we received from council members was that, if it was possible, they wanted to go after the responsible parties for the city and the community, Garrity said. Scott Tesh, the citys director of budget and performance management, said the city costs may go north of $500,000. The city set up a $1 million fund to reimburse people who were affected by the fire, but when the program expired at the end of June, only $241,126.12 had been paid out to 656 households an average of about $370 per household. The city said the average household income among the people who received help was about $12,800 per year. And while you might think the overtime pay for firefighters and police officers was a real killer for the city budget during the days after the fire, thats not really the case, Tesh said. With a $30 million yearly budget, Tesh said, one fire for one week in one part of the city is a small part of what it costs for the whole department. Even a couple hundred thousand dollars is not going to affect it that much, he said. If it had exploded and gone larger, it would have been a whole different ball of wax. Tesh said hes been asked to figure the fire department overtime costs nonetheless, but thats about it for city personnel. I have not been asked to cost out police, he said. Police would be even smaller (on overtime) than fire, since fire is sending out multiple people on each truck. The initial response did include 76 fire personnel responding on 19 pumpers, five ladder trucks, one rescue truck, one hazardous materials truck and other additional support units, Tesh said. When firefighters had to abandon their fight upon the discovery of a large amount of ammonium nitrate on site, they had to leave behind a lot of stuff. But not much of it was damaged, Tesh said. No apparatus was lost or damaged as a result of the incident, and the most significant equipment losses they sustained were in several rolls of hoses, Tesh said. The battalion chief estimated the replacement costs at a few thousand dollars ... it appears there was no significant lost equipment resulting from the event. The Weaver plant fire fund set up by the city didnt cover business losses, but the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust stepped up to fund that gap for small businesses, when it went into partnership with Greater Winston-Salem Inc. to pay for a grants program to pay small businesses up to $5,000 for their losses. Mark Owens, the president and chief executive of Greater Winston-Salem Inc., said in a recent email that the program had drawn more than 100 applications for help, and had distributed more than $180,000 from the $220,000 fund. We recognize the lost income from that time period can make a big impact on small business, and this grant aims to provide some relief, Owens said, adding that grant dollars are still available. To qualify, businesses must have fewer than 25 employees and be located within one mile of the plant. Suiting up Five lawsuits have been filed locally by various individuals against Winston Weaver Co., all of them alleging negligence by the company in its operations and claiming that residents suffered harm from their exposure to the smoke from the fire as well as economic costs associated with having to evacuate. One of the lawsuits is seeking class-action status for all the residents with potential legal claims against the company. While attorneys for the fertilizer company have filed a motion to deny class-action status to the claims and to dismiss the suit, attorneys for the company and the plaintiffs have agreed that a single judge should hear the cases in their early stages in the name of judicial efficiency. While every case is different, its still worthwhile to look at what happened in the Wake County town of Apex, where a chemical fire started in 2006 at a plant that handled hazardous waste. According to a report made within the federal Department of Homeland Security, firefighters in Apex were trying to find the source of a chlorine odor and a large vapor cloud, when fire burned through the roof of the hazardous waste plant and vented a large plume of vapors from the chemicals burning inside. According to the report, some 17,000 people were evacuated from their homes because of the threat from the chemical vapors. As in Winston-Salem, lawsuits were filed within days of the fire in Apex. Various legal maneuvers followed, but about two years after the fire, the plaintiffs and the company reached a settlement. The companys insurer and other defendants created a settlement fund that amounted to $7.8 million. Some 43% of the total, or $3.4 million, went to pay the legal fees and costs. The way the settlement was arranged, eligible homeowners could get up to $750 per household. Cause and effect Weeks turned into months after the Winston Weaver fire was extinguished, with no word on the suspected cause of the fire. The Journal asked the city to share its fire records in early June, citing state law on fire investigations. According to that law, fire investigators are supposed to report to the State Bureau of Investigation within one week of a fire and report the cause and origin of the fire and and the value and ownership of the property destroyed. The law goes on to say that the SBI is to keep those records open to public inspection. In June, the SBI informed a Journal reporter that no agency had submitted any reports about the Weaver fire. City Attorney Carmon said the city believed it followed the requirements of the law by inviting the SBI early on to take part in the fire investigation. SBI staff accepted the invitation and were present on day one of the investigation, Carmon wrote in an email, going on to say that the SBI was given full access to the records and did not request additional documentation. Still, in an abundance of caution, Carmon wrote, the city had more recently submitted a written statement to the SBI using the SBIs online form. While the SBI released the report the city filed with that agency, the report confirmed that investigators had determined no cause for the fire. On the larger issue of whether the fire reports are a public record, the citys lawyers and the fire department are taking the position they they could withhold the records because of the potential that the investigation may have revealed arson or other wrongdoing as the cause of the fire. Amanda Martin, the general counsel for the N.C. Press Association, disagrees with the citys interpretation of the law. Martin said that the law makes clear that fire investigations are public records. In addition to that, the criminal records section of the public records law says that the use of a public record in connection with a criminal investigation does not alter its status as a public records, Martin said. In other words, if something is a public record, it stays a public record, even if it also is implicated in a criminal investigation. Taking what amounts to the opposite tack on the question, Carmon said the fact that the investigation showed no criminal cause doesnt change its status as a criminal investigation. Its no surprise that the cause of the fire was never determined: Thats something Winston-Salem Fire Chief William Trey Mayo asserted very early on during the aftermath of the fire. Moving forward It is not for lack of trying that no voices from officers of Winston Weaver are in this story. Phone messages have been left at numbers associated with the company, and requests for interviews have been passed on through attorneys and others. The company has not responded. An N.C. Labor Department report released Aug. 1 determined that ammonium nitrate was improperly stored at the Weaver plant, and that storage bins were not adequate to keep ammonium nitrate from escaping or other substances from entering. The company was fined $5,600. Neither the state Insurance Department nor the state Building Code Council has proposed changing the regulations that shield older buildings from having to comply with current regulatory standards. But new zoning regulations are working their way through city offices that may make it impossible for Winston Weaver to rebuild on their former site, if indeed company officials have that in mind. Discussed at a recent meeting of the citys Public Works Committee, the new regulations, at least in a preliminary version, would require a factory for the production of fertilizer, chemicals, explosives or batteries to be on a site with at least 25 acres, and located at least 400 feet from the perimeter of the property. Even the parking areas for the factory would have to be at least 200 feet from the edge of the property. Additional rules would forbid any such factories from being within a mile of Salem Lake, as a way of protecting that source of drinking water. Factories would be limited to the zoning category for the heaviest industrial uses. Also, the approval process would require a public hearing before both the planning board and the city council. If Winston Weaver managed to rebuild before the city put the new rule into effect, theres nothing the city could do to stop it, said Chris Murphy, the city-county planning director. But it would be a far different plant. If it were built back today, it would have to meet todays building code and fire code and those kinds of things, he said. Anything that gets built today is going to be better than it was then. The original Winston Weaver fertilizer plant was built in 1939 and had no sprinklers or alarms. Charlotte, Fayetteville and Durham, among larger North Carolina cities, require that fertilizer manufacturing operations be located 300 to 1,500 feet from the nearest residential areas. But planners are not proposing those kinds of setback regulations for Winston-Salem, instead relying on the 400-foot setback from the plants property line. Murphy said the problem with a residential setback is that someone could, for example, build a $25 million plant that met all the requirements, only to have it become a nonconforming use if someone got approval to build housing nearby later on. That was a concern that Council Member Annette Scippio pointed to when the Public Works Committee discussed the proposed new rules at a recent meeting. I dont think it is fair to approve a neighborhood to be built where it makes the manufacturer noncompliant, she said. We should say approved neighborhoods have to be outside that boundary where the manufacturing is. Council Member Jeff MacIntosh, who chairs the Public Works Committee, said many aspects of manufacturing operations are not in the citys power to regulate. Theres a poignant moment in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, when Atticus Finch says to his daughter Scout: You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Atticus cautionary reminder is applicable to those that attacked and defended the recent remarks of Carnegie Mellon Professor Uju Anya about Queen Elizabeth II. When it was announced that the queen was gravely ill, Anya, a Nigerian-American language professor, tweeted that the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying. She added, May her pain be excruciating. Anyas remarks drew a bevy of backlash from critics, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The binary terrain that most issues are sophomorically debated in American public discourse is nothing more than a winner-take-all food fight that rarely provides definitive solutions. Im sure some would hope for Anya to be permanently excommunicated from all institutions of higher learning. Though this might quench ones visceral thirst for revenge, it negates the complexity of the issue. There is an unwritten rule that one refrain from criticizing someone who is near death or recently deceased; this is especially true for those bequeathed with celebrity status. Shortly after the assassination of President Kennedy, Malcolm X described it as a case of the chickens coming home to roost. He cited the murders that year of Medgar Evers, Congo leader Patrice Lumumba and the four girls bombed in the Birmingham church, emphasizing 1963s climate of violence. But he also added in his comments, Chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad; theyve always made me glad. The violence and the racial overtones in 1963 that Malcolm X referred to were undeniable, but his timing was poor. Nine days after America had lost its young president to violence, it was unable and unwilling to hear such a stinging critique from a man who, on the surface, appeared somewhat pleased about the news. For those holding an idyllic view of the queen, Anyas comments appeared to be crude, mean-spirited and ill-timed. Given that Nigerian independence from Britain occurred in 1960 and Ayna was born circa 1978, some offered shes decrying something that ended 18 years before she was born. Heres where we return to the words of Atticus Finch. Were all standing on different street corners, we see the same event, but our perspective differs. The public discourse can lure us into naively believing our viewpoint is the only one that matters. Anya recently responded by email to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, stating: From 1967-1970, more than 3 million civilians were massacred when the Igbo people of Nigeria tried to form the independent nation of Biafra, she wrote. Those slaughtered included members of my family. I was born in the immediate aftermath of this genocide. Walking in the shoes of Nigerians, post independence, offers a much different journey. It is easy, dare I say shortsighted, to place a statute of limitations on the effects of colonialism. Because a nation achieves independence does not mean the tenets of colonialism cease. The United States is a post-colonial enterprise. Though there were specific objections listed in the Declaration of Independence that impelled the separation, the 13 colonies did not abandon the British Empires expansionist motif. Independence does not render one free of colonialism. Westward expansion is often portrayed as the 19th century movement of settlers into the American West that began with the Louisiana Purchase. But beyond the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail, the moral justification of manifest destiny and Horace Greeleys clarion call to Go west, young man, lies the impulses of empire and the systematic appropriation of Native American lands. For many, the passing of the queen represents the loss of a monarch viewed as a stabilizing force, for others the tangible symbol of a murderous empire. The queen did not orchestrate the violence and destruction promoted by the empire over the centuries, nor did she relinquish many of the valuable spoils accumulated during those conquests. Those beholden to the nostalgia of monarchy cannot rely on the conjunction but to absolve the royal family with its acceptance of empire domination. Anyas words were inappropriate in my view. They do, however, raise larger issues that will not conclude with the passing of the queen. Thats why we need Atticus Finch to help us negotiate the absurdity. RALEIGH When pollsters ask voters to list the issues they care about most, economic concerns usually rank high on the list even when unemployment rates are relatively low. Theres a stolen base here, however. With very few exceptions, most people think a rapidly growing economy is critically important. They recognize that other social problems usually get better if jobs are plentiful and incomes are rising. Where voters differ is on how policymakers can most effectively boost growth. So including economic concerns in a list that also includes, say, education or tax relief can obscure what voters really value. Some will rank the economy as a top issue, even as theyre thinking about specific policies that, in their minds, will improve the economy. Here in North Carolina, we have for many years witnessed a robust debate about how best to enhance our states economic competitiveness and growth rates. Republicans argue that the tax reductions and regulatory relief theyve enacted were wise investments in future economic growth, in part by making it more likely that new or expanded enterprises will be in North Carolina. Democrats argue it would have been more growth-enhancing to forego the tax cuts, in favor of spending more on education and other services, as well as to forego the regulatory relief, on the grounds that employers, entrepreneurs, professionals and workers would place a higher value on the anticipated environmental or safety benefits of the regulations than on the lower costs that come from reforming or eliminating them. The two alternatives represent core philosophical differences, obviously. But that doesnt mean they arent testable propositions. Ill grade those tests in just a moment. First, though, I want to point out that while there is a gap between these two positions, its not the ideological equivalent of the Grand Canyon. North Carolina Republicans have enacted a series of state budgets that spent tens of billions of dollars a year on education, infrastructure and other government services. Theyve also implemented policy changes, such as performance pay for teachers and school choice for parents, that they believe will boost academic achievement among North Carolina students. I also assume, although Im open to evidence to the contrary, that North Carolina Democrats dont want to raise our tax and regulatory burdens to the level of, say, New York which ranks dead last in economic freedom according to indices published by the Frasier Institute and the Cato Institute. Moreover, its striking how many Democrats attack Republicans for cutting business taxes across the board while simultaneously criticizing them for failing to give large-enough tax breaks to favored corporations such as automakers or to favored industries such as movie production. I guess taxes really do matter, sometimes. Now, my report card. I keep a running tally of peer-reviewed studies examining relationships between state policy factors and growth measures such as gross state product (GSP), job creation, income gains and business starts. My database currently contains more than 1,000 such studies published since 1990. Based on the empirical evidence, North Carolina Republicans get an A. Most studies show that, after adjusting for a range of control variables, states and localities with higher degrees of economic freedom lower taxes, fewer regulations have stronger economic performance than less-free jurisdictions do. For example, a 2022 paper in the journal Small Business Economics found that, in communities that straddle state lines, entrepreneurs are more likely to start their new businesses in the lower-taxed state. How about the Democratic thesis? Ill give it a D. Most studies do show a correlation between conditions such as educational attainment or infrastructure quality and state economic growth. But they dont find a link to expenditures. Only a third of studies find that states with larger education budgets have stronger economic performance, for example. These findings suggest that state policymakers should find ways to boost economic freedom while making their education and infrastructure systems more productive. North Carolinas legislative leaders would say thats precisely what theyve been doing. The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride, (and) gives a sense of stability and continuity. Royal family website Watching thousands of Scots crowd the sidewalks of Edinburgh anxiously awaiting the arrival of the funeral procession that would bring the casket of Queen Elizabeth II to St. Giles Cathedral, I found myself becoming envious. Not of the love and respect the queens subjects obviously had for her. Not of the monarchy. I dont care enough to know enough to have an opinion on the subject. I am envious of the stabilizing role Queen Elizabeth seems to have played in the lives of her people. We are in desperate need of an equivalent stabilizing figure. The Washington Post, in announcing Queen Elizabeths death, said she was a bright but inscrutable beacon of continuity in the U.K. and a constant and reassuring figure in Britain and on the world stage as she helped lead her country through a period of profound shifts in geopolitical power and national identity. The New York Times said, Her years as sovereign were a time of upheaval, in which she sought to project the royal family as a bastion of permanence in a world of shifting values. A beacon of continuity, a constant and reassuring figure, a bastion of permanence who projects stability in a time of dramatic change. Prime ministers came and went 15 in all. Crisis followed crisis. Decade followed decade. Queen Elizabeth was the constant that ordinary people could count on Standing curbside in Edinburgh, a shop owner said, Shes the only queen Ive ever known. A Londoner at the gates of Buckingham Palace said, What I will miss is seeing her there. Mick Jagger remembered the late queen as the much beloved grandmother of the nation. Kay McClement, who lives near Balmoral Castle, thought of Queen Elizabeth in the same way: Shes just everything you would want in a mum and a grandmother. Nancy Pelosi is a mum and a grandmother, too, but those are not the first images that come to mind when I think of her. That is because Nancy Pelosi is a politician, and politicians, by virtue of their role, if not by dint of personality and character, cannot be the connecting thread between the old, broken order and a new one yet to be invented, words the London correspondent for Le Monde used to describe the queen. For a fleeting moment, standing on the rubble of the Twin Towers, George W. Bush rose above the ugliness and brought us together. Then he got us involved wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that seemed as if they would never end. We have become cynical about our own country. According to a recent NBC News poll, 58% of us believe our best days are behind us. In his inauguration speech Joe Biden said, Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this, bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. The next day ABC News and Ipsos asked Americans if they believed Biden could unite the country. Just 22% said they had a great deal of confidence that he could do it. Seventy percent of Republicans dont even believe he is the legitimately elected president. Just hours after insurrectionists trashed the Capitol and threatened the lives of politicians on both sides of the aisle, 147 Republican representatives and senators, in agreement with the aims if not the means of the insurrectionists, voted not to certify the election of Joe Biden. Trump didnt attend Bidens inauguration. Some of us were glad he wasnt there. We do not have and, given our increasingly diverse and politically polarized population, are not likely to have any time soon a national figure, whether political or nonpolitical, who can call us into a unity that is more than temporary and superficial. With no sense of continuity, stability or permanence, we careen from one election cycle to another. The bitterness, anger and suspicion engendered by the last election are carried over into the next next legislative session. Republicans and Democrats agree on one thing: Our democracy is fragile and in danger from the reckless policies of the other party. Who in America acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride, (and) gives a sense of stability and continuity? At this moment, no one. Lincoln, Nebraska, September 14, 2022 UNANIMOUS welcomes new talent to their team. The growing Lincoln-based brand alignment agency continues to expand, adding depth and skill to their already dynamic team. Cam OBrien brings a unique and artistic style to the agency, hired recently as a senior graphic designer. Before coming to UNANIMOUS, he served as a graphic designer and UI/UX Web designer. Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, OBrien earned his degree in graphic design and media arts from Southeast Community College. Scott Claypool, vice president of creative, shares, Cam is a master of many skills. He has a wide variety of talents, from illustration to custom web design. I'm thrilled to have his caliber of talent join our design team at UNANIMOUS. Patrick McCarthy also recently joined the UNANIMOUS team, filling a vital role as the lead video producer. He has broad experience and talented foresight. In his roles before joining the agency, McCarthy expanded his knowledge and refined his process in Arizona and Alaska. His methodology in filmmaking brings great value to the UNANIMOUS team. We are excited to have Patrick leading our video department. We appreciate his tremendous technical skill and collaborative approach to visual storytelling, Claypool explains. To learn more about UNANIMOUS or how to join their dynamic team, visit BeUnanimous.com. UNANIMOUS is a Lincoln, Nebraska-based agency that assists clients with branding, marketing, web design, and video production. With over 350 active clients across 15 states, the agency is known for its collaborative approach and prides itself on creating unanimous brand alignment for clients. The Fifth Act: Americas End in Afghanistan, by Elliot Ackerman, Penguin Press, 276 pages, $27. The one-year anniversary of the end of our nations longest war occurred last month. The chaotic withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan was watched by a worldwide audience aghast to see the defeat of the worlds most powerful army by a Taliban band numbering 75,000. Elliot Ackerman offers his unique perspective on the debacle in his latest book, The Fifth Act. Ackerman was a decorated Marine officer who fought in Fallujah during the war in Iraq. His perceptive book, Places and Names," was positively reviewed in this space July 14, 2019. Subsequently, he served in Afghanistan both as a Marine special ops officer leading a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force and in the CIA as part of a Counter Terrorist Pursuit Team which included Afghan forces. He left the military and the CIA to become a civilian writer in 2011. Obviously, he has first-hand knowledge of his subject. Readers should not expect a militaristic rant or a political screed like that of Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, whose 17-year military career was terminated because of a video he made critical of our precipitous withdrawal from the country. They will soon realize that Ackerman is a skilled writer able to describe his family vacation in Italy while simultaneously attempting to arrange the evacuation of frantic Afghan families being abandoned at the airport in Kabul during the final minutes before the Taliban takes over. Beginning with a quote from the ancient Roman poet Horace, which explains the books title and format as a play, the author is equally comfortable with references to The Iliad, The Godfather, The Sound and the Fury and The Princess Bride. His graphic descriptions of he battles he fought in Afghanistan crackle with intensity, and his long-distance attempts to ensure last minute access for desperate Afghans trying to exit the airport using his many military contacts are achingly suspenseful. Amazingly, our government had failed to make these plans, and private citizens like Ackerman were the Afghans only hope for rescue. The true value of this book, however, is Ackermans hard-earned credibility as an observer of our Middle East foreign policy. Beginning with George Bush and ending with Joe Biden, no administration escapes his scathing commentary. His disgust with needless wars which cannot be won is palpable. His satiric suggestion for one single war memorial in Washington, D.C., should be read along with James Reston Jr.s A Rift in the Earth, the story of the Vietnam Memorial reviewed in this space Jan. 8, 2018. His warning about the danger of politicizing our all-voluntary military and his recharacterization of Dwight Eisenhowers military-industrial complex into todays political-industrial complex are sobering. This reviewer thanked Ackerman for his military service after reading his previous book. He now deserves another thanks for his service as a civilian. The African Energy Chamber (AEC), in collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Youth Forum, will host a Youth Energy Roundtable discussion during this years edition of African Energy Week (AEW) taking place from October 18-21, 2022 in Cape Town. During the forum, discussions will largely center on the role of energy and power; kickstarting trade; and driving sustainability on the back of improved participation by the continents youth. With energy representing the backbone of every economy, prioritising the investment and development of Africas energy and power sectors is key. Currently, one of the biggest threats to the African continent is energy poverty, with 75 per cent of those without access to electricity globally living in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the continent also represents one of the richest globally in terms of energy. Over 125 billion barrels of oil and 620 trillion cubic of natural gas, coupled with abundant renewable energy resources, have well positioned the continent to make energy poverty history by 2030. As such, in order for the continent to develop, industrialize and strengthen its economies, while ensuring the population has reliable, affordable and sustainable access to electricity, capitalizing on this resource wealth, as well as the continents biggest asset: the youth, is critical. In order for the continent to develop and monetize its resources, recognizing the role the youth play as drivers will enable Africa to fast track its development. Representing one of the most capable and willing workforces globally, Africas youth is set to usher in a new era of innovation, investment and business, not just across the upstream, midstream and downstream energy industries but across every facet of the value chain. NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber (AEC) said: The African continents energy transition must speak to Africas reality and not limit the continents ability to develop and grow. Africas youth is its strongest asset, and as such, they should be front and center of every energy-related decision as well as the energy transition. For a continent rich with a variety of natural and mineral resources, and now having the tools to expand intra-African trade through the AfCFTA, ensuring youth are at the forefront of development will translate into long-term, sustainable and beneficial growth." It is in this context that we will host the Youth Energy Forum at AEW 2022 to empower the youth to seize opportunities, drive progress and lead the energy transition" he adds. -OGN Some parents and caregivers are asked "Can I stay home from school?" by children on a daily basis, but knowing what's best in each case takes knowing the child, the symptoms and the situation. Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician, explains some of things to consider before sending children to school or keeping them home. Whether physically apparent: "A fever is always a reason to keep your child home. Symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea are certainly reasons to keep your children home," Ardon says. Or more subtle signs: "I also ask parents and families just to think about their child and how they're behaving. We don't want to send our kids to school either, if they're just not going to be able to participate fully," she says. For some children, symptoms, like headaches or stomachaches, may not be something that they need to see a doctor for on an immediate basis, but could indicate something else, like anxiety. "Parents and families are always encouraged to keep an eye on the overall picture with their kids so that we can determine if there's a larger issue at play with those symptoms," Ardon says. She advises erring on the side of caution. If your child isn't feeling well, try to find the root cause before sending him or her off to school. "Be thoughtful for the families and the kids around us. So it does help our kids stay healthier overall in the school year, if we're being thoughtful about keeping our children home until they're better to help reduce the spread of infectious disease," she says. ASHLAND The last time John Edson and his friends stepped foot into the fuselage of a KC-97 tanker plane was on the eve of possible destruction. In 1962, the 98th Air Refueling Wing had been called to the tropical climes of the Azores for a temporary assignment. Along for the trans-Atlantic trip were technicians including Edson who serviced the engines of the KC-97s as part of the 98th Field Maintenance Squadron stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base. It was supposed to be a routine tour 120 days in paradise. On the way there, the crew played cards on the fuselage floor. Then came the Cuban Missile Crisis. We found ourselves sitting on a rock in the middle of the Atlantic when the whole world was in an uproar about the Russians bringing atomic weapons to Cuba, Edson said. Suddenly, the crews of the KC-97s, and the B-47s in the 98th Bomb Wing they refueled, were thrust into action. One of their tasks was to search the ocean for Soviet ships. The Cold War tensions eventually eased. The heated arms race cooled. The 35 or so technicians returned to Lincoln and then either stayed or scattered across the country to Texas and Ohio and Minnesota and beyond. They married and had kids and worked at airplane factories or grain mills. And they stayed in touch. The technicians' first reunion was in 1975, but they didn't start meeting annually until 2002. They would go to Seattle, Alaska, Colorado and Lincoln, of course. But as the years went on, the ranks dwindled. Today, there are 10 left from the 98th Field Maintenance Squadrons Reciprocating Engine Shop. And this years reunion where for the first time since that trip to the Azores 60 years ago, they stepped into the belly of a KC-97 at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum could very well be their last. Its pretty much the end of the road for us, said Chuck Dehne of Houston. But its been a good ride. 'We were all just teenagers' The Greyhound bus dropped off the young man from St. Petersburg, Florida, across the street from the Cornhusker Hotel in the October sleet. The first thought John Edson had was how he was going to get out of Lincoln. Hed been assigned to the reciprocating engine shop at the city's burgeoning Air Force Base. Edson had just graduated high school in 1960 and enlisted in the Air Force to see the world, not Nebraska. All he knew was that Lincoln was the state capital and Charles Starkweather had lived there. I thought, Im going to put in for a transfer as soon as Im eligible,' he said. Chuck Dehne was stationed on the base for three years after going to tech school in Wichita Falls, Texas. He worked mainly on the engines of H-19 helicopters that supported missile silo sites throughout the state. His eventual wife, Kathie, didnt know where Lincoln was. When I called her, I told her, Well I got my orders, Im going to Nebraska, and she said Oh, youre going overseas, he said with a laugh. But soon the unlikely band of technicians warmed up to Lincoln and each other, working on the engines of the bulky, propeller-powered KC-97s that were commissioned in the 1950s to support the 100 or so B-47 bombers stationed in Lincoln. We were all just teenagers when we came to Lincoln, Edson said. We depended on each other for virtually everything. Theyd play cards on the base at night or head downtown, drawn by the allure of O Street. G.I.s could wait at the base's main gate and in less than 10 minutes could get dropped off at Ninth and O streets and head to Golds or Miller & Paine. Wed hit places like Kings for hamburgers and Acme Chili Parlor, Edson said. Those lucky enough to have cars would take trips to Linoma Beach near Ashland or Marysville, Kansas, where they could legally sip 3.2% beer. Edson bought his own car, a 1951 Mercury, for $100 from a used car lot. Many found jobs on the side at businesses that were more than happy to hire air base personnel, like Abel Construction and U-Save gas stations. And that kid from St. Petersburg who wanted nothing more than to leave Lincoln began to call it home. "60 years after, I'm still in Lincoln," Edson said. "I'm a native Nebraskan." 'They had a big role' As the Cold War heated up, the Lincoln Air Force Base was activated in February 1954 as an extension of the Strategic Air Command in Bellevue. The first major aircraft to land on its runways was the KC-97. A descendant of the B-29 bomber, the large tanker planes part of the 98th and 307th Air Refueling Squadrons based in Lincoln could lug thousands of gallons of fuel to resupply B-47 jets mid-air. Soon, the base was buzzing with thousands of servicemen, including highly specialized technicians to service practically every facet of the planes, from the landing gear to the engines. The first members of the 98th Field Maintenance Squadron arrived in 1958, living in the barracks two to a room or off base. Perhaps the biggest role they played was in 1962, when the Soviet Union deployed ballistic missiles to Cuba. "They had a big role searching for Soviet ships, and these guys were supporting that," said Rob Branting, a Lincoln Air Force Base historian who recently wrote a book on the airfield. By the next year, the 98th Air Refueling Squadron was deactivated, but the KC-97s stayed on until 1965, according to Branting. The Air National Guard continued to fly the planes into the 1970s before the KC-97s were phased out altogether. The last of the engine shop techs left in 1964, two years before Lincoln Air Force Base was shuttered, but three of the guys Jim Finnell, George Skorohod and Edson stayed in Lincoln. Finnell, a native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, went to work for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for a time before finding a job at Gooch Milling and Elevator now ADM Milling where he stayed for 35 years. "I liked it here," Finnell said. "I never even dreamt of going back to my hometown." Most from the shop returned home or found work in other cities. Dehne went to work as a mechanic for American Airlines first in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, and then in Houston, where he still lives. But whether they stayed or left, their time on the base remained with them. "It was the place where the brotherhood was formed," Dehne said. It was also the place where the men and their spouses started families, where their children were born. "They went home to Toledo and Minneapolis, etc., but forever more on the birth certificate, it said (St. Elizabeth's) or Bryan hospital," Edson said. "And none of them have ever forgot that." 'It's been really fun' Larry Mau was the man behind the first reunion. The Toledo, Ohio, native had located a former engine shop buddy online nearly 40 years after they had all dispersed. He continued researching for a couple of years and organized the first meetup of the crew and their spouses in Lincoln in 2002. The men had gotten together in 1975 not long after the Air Force Base closed but not in the intervening years. "The conversation didn't stop for three days," Edson wrote in an editorial for the Journal Star not long after the 2002 reunion. Thus began the string of annual reunions that was only interrupted once by the pandemic in 2020. They were in Lincoln a few times. It was a central location where everyone could meet. Otherwise, they traveled to Seattle, Texas, Alaska, Colorado and Missouri. "It's been really fun," said Judi Schleicher, whose husband, Don Schleicher, served on the base. "The numbers have dwindled, of course. Many are not able to travel or have passed on, but we keep hanging in there." Last week, the remaining members of the engine shop and their spouses came to Mahoney State Park for what Edson says could be their last reunion. It was a week of sharing old stories. They made a trip to Fremont to check out some hot rods. Nearly everyone in the group is a gearhead. And Wednesday, they rolled up to the SAC Museum for a tour and a chance to step back in time. As they walked through the narrow, dark fuselage of the KC-97, they recalled that trip to the Azores in 1962. The men pointed out the hollow at the back of the plane where the boom to refuel the bombers was located. The tanks that lined the walls and the benches where they sat. It was just as they remembered it. But in the end, they weren't here for the plane. As engine techs, they rarely ever got a chance to climb aboard them anyway. They were here for each other, just as they had been on the Air Force Base. "You don't forget those people," Edson said. "They're brothers in every sense of the word." There are some encouraging signs for the retail sector in Lincoln. According to the most recent report from NAI FMA Realty, the city's retail vacancy rate was 6.6% at the end of June, the same as it was at the end of December but down from 7.1% a year ago. "The first half of 2022 was a solid one for the retail sector," NAI FMA said in the report, noting that retail occupancy levels remain healthy and rents are increasing. "More retailers are opening stores than closing them despite facing challenges of ongoing supply chain issues and recruiting and retaining staff," the report said. While many of the stores that have opened are smaller stores, such as dollar stores or vape shops, there are some large regional and national tenants planting a flag in Lincoln. Hy-Vee in April opened its Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits store in the former Bed Bath & Beyond location at 5040 N. 27th St. Burlington Stores and Sierra Trading Post have both filed building permits for stores at the former Sears store at Gateway Mall, though neither has publicly confirmed plans. In its report, NAI FMA said a store called International Fresh Market is planning to take over the former Fresh Thyme Market space at 5220 O St., although the company does not list Lincoln as one of the locations listed on its website as "coming soon." Dillards also is planning to expand into the former Younkers space at Gateway Mall, and there has been some construction activity at the new NorthStar Crossing mall in north Lincoln, though developers have yet to announce any tenants. "The future of retail looks better than it did two years ago," Sally DeLair, a commercial advisor with NAI FMA, said in the report. One area of commercial real estate that does not look better than it did two years ago, however, is the office market. According to the report, the office vacancy rate rose to 10.3% in the first quarter, which is the highest it's been since the end of 2015. The market experienced negative net absorption -- meaning the amount of new vacant space was larger than the amount of previously vacant space leased -- during the first half of the year, after also experiencing the same conditions in the last half of last year. The report noted that the lingering effects of the pandemic have caused many larger employers to reevaluate their space needs. Nowhere is that more apparent than the downtown area, where the vacancy rate is 20.7%, more than double the overall rate. That's occurring even with building's such as the Terminal Building, former LES building and Gold's building being converted into mostly residential and hotel space. "Data in this most recent report confirms the widely held belief that office demand will shift away from (downtown) and move towards the suburbs," NAI FMA's Tom Graf said in the report. "Downtown landlords will have more incentive than ever to work with community partners in keeping not just their buildings, but their submarket, relevant." While the office market continues to struggle and the retail market is seeing small improvements, the market for industrial space continues to boom. The industrial vacancy rate hit 1.3% in the first half of the year, the lowest ever recorded in Lincoln. The rate is less than half of what it was just one year ago. The market has had positive net absorption of nearly 1 million square feet of space over the past year, and though there are large industrial projects in the construction or planning stages all over the city, it may not be enough to keep up with demand. Jared Froehlich of NAI FMA said in the report that while the industrial real estate sector has seen a lot of growth over the past five years, "the lack of supply and the shifts in the economy could make sustaining this momentum a bit more challenging in the near future." Earnest Jackson is innocent and should be released from prison, say two family members of the man hes convicted of murdering. Their public support of Jackson is the latest twist in a nearly quarter-century-long saga about a North Omaha killing that gets its next chapter Monday, when the Nebraska Board of Pardons decides whether to release Jackson or keep him behind bars. Elizabeth Smith gave birth to Larry Perrys son just before Perry was shot and killed in 1999. Michael Hatcher is that son. In an interview with the Flatwater Free Press, Smith argued that the evidence proves Jackson didnt kill Perry or participate in the killing. She and Hatcher submitted written testimony supporting Jacksons immediate release testimony meant to be viewed by the Nebraska Board of Pardons before the boards three members, Gov. Pete Ricketts, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and Secretary of State Bob Evnen, decide the prisoners fate during a hearing Monday. During a phone interview Wednesday, Smith said that she was 18 and she and Perrys son Mike was just 3 months old when Perry was shot 19 times and killed during a dispute near his North Omaha home. In the 23 years since Perry died, Smith has married, moved to Council Bluffs and now raises three teenagers as a stay-at-home mom. As the years passed, she has also thought often about Sept. 1, 1999. She has talked about it with neighbors, friends and family members near the scene that night. And she said she is plagued by the constant thought that she needs to do something to help Jackson, who remains imprisoned for the killing. Because Earnest Jackson didnt kill Larry Perry, she said. He wasnt even there, she believes. It makes it a double tragedy that an innocent man is in prison, you know? Smith said. Larry wouldnt have wanted him in prison for something he didnt do. The victims family members join a growing chorus Jacksons current and former lawyers, family members, friends and two volunteer groups advocating his release who say Jackson has served 22 years for a crime he didnt commit. In the fall of 1999, after the 17-year-old Perry was killed at 46th Street and Redman Avenue during a dispute about stolen tire rims, Omaha police arrested three people for the crime Jackson, Shalamar Cooperrider and Dante Chillous. Jackson, also 17, went to trial first. Why? Because his case number happened to be the lowest, said Jeff Pickens, an Omaha attorney who represented Jackson for years, but didnt represent him during the original trial. I think his conviction was the result of bad timing, Pickens said. And because of that quirk of fate Jackson simply going to trial first I think an innocent person is in prison. The order of trials proved to matter greatly, Pickens said, because the two other men arrested for Perrys murder, still awaiting their own trials, declined to testify at Jacksons. During his trial, Jackson maintained his innocence, said that he wasnt at the scene of the crime and denied any involvement. But prosecutors in the case had an eyewitness who placed Jackson at the scene, pistol-whipping Perry during the argument, though defense lawyers questioned that testimonys accuracy. Jackson was convicted of first-degree murder, but acquitted of using a deadly weapon, meaning the jury didnt believe he pulled the trigger himself. He was sentenced to life in prison. Then things got stranger. Cooperrider stood trial next. At that trial, he outed himself as Perrys shooter, said he killed Perry in self defense and told the courtroom that the already-convicted Jackson had nothing to do with the shooting. He was acquitted. Then he took the stand at Chillous trial and repeated the same information. Chillous was acquitted, too. That left Jackson in the Nebraska State Penitentiary for being an accomplice to a murder that two subsequent juries said wasnt a murder and that the self-admitted shooter said Jackson had nothing to do with. It makes no sense, said Daniel Gutman, an Omaha attorney now representing Jackson. Its legally impossible. We need to recognize that there is no valid justification for why Earnest Jackson is sitting in a prison cell, he said. You can search and search for it, but at the end of the day, this is an injustice in our state and a guy is sitting in prison on a legally impossible sentence. Prosecutors defended the guilty verdict, both at the time and during a 2016 resentencing that happened after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a minor couldnt be sentenced to life in prison for murder. Jackson was re-sentenced to 60 to 80 years. Prosecutors have said during trials and in interviews that Jackson received a fair trial and that his jury believed the eyewitness. The Nebraska Supreme Court also upheld the conviction, ruling that Jackson wasnt eligible for a new trial because Cooperriders testimony was not newly discovered, but only newly available. Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha has twice introduced a bill that would expand the states definition of newly discovered evidence to include testimony from witnesses, like Cooperrider, who previously asserted their constitutional right to avoid testifying. Essentially, it would have allowed Jackson a chance at a new trial. In 2021, the bill tacked on as an amendment to another bill failed by a single vote. Wayne plans to file it again next session. Even if the Board of Pardons commutes Jacksons sentence on Monday, theres still more work to be done, Wayne said. A pardon is about forgiveness. My bill is about making sure our judicial system is just, Wayne said to the Legislatures Judiciary Committee in 2021. A just judicial system is about allowing someone the ability to prove their innocence rather than ask for forgiveness. Its powerful that the shooting victims son and the sons mother have submitted written testimony advocating for Jacksons release, said the state senator who represents parts of north and northwest Omaha. I think it goes to the point that our judicial system worked for everybody else involved in this matter, except for (Jackson.), Wayne said during a phone interview Wednesday. That even the alleged victims are saying it wasnt himIt shows that we still have a long way to go for justice for everybody. Jackson is eligible for a parole hearing in 2029. By that time he will be 47 years old and would have served 30 years in prison. But a group of friends, family members, lawyers and supporters who have organized into two volunteer groups, Send Earnest Home and Free Earnest Jackson, now hope that the Board of Pardons commutes Jacksons sentence and releases him after Mondays hearing. That group now publicly includes Mike Hatcher Larry Perrys son. As an adult, Hatcher requested a phone call with Jackson. He was nervous to talk to the prisoner, he wrote in a statement sent to the Board of Pardons, because he knew nothing of him beyond his conviction. Since then hes gotten to know Jackson, who graduated from college while in prison and has started an inmate mentoring program. My impression of Earnest that Ive gathered over time is that he is a remarkable man, he wrote in a two-page letter supporting Jacksons release. In an email Wednesday, spokesperson Alex Reuss declined to say whether Ricketts, one of the pardons boards three members, had read the letter, saying the governor doesnt comment on individual cases prior to pardons board hearings. In Hatchers statement, he implores the pardons board Nebraskas governor, secretary of state and attorney general to release the man convicted of murdering his father after Mondays hearing. I wont be able to come to peace with everything that has happened until he is granted freedom and mercy by the State of Nebraska, Hatcher wrote. I am speaking up and asking for a commutation of Earnests sentence because it is the right thing to do. The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. 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 such as wind turbines needed to be at least a quarter-mile from the missile silos. Earlier this year, the military changed its policy. Now turbines cant be within 2 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 2 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 County 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 2 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 gut punch. 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 2 miles away. Now you know why were pissed, right? Wind energy improving, but still lags 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 15th 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 turbines. 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, said Brady Jones, John Jones son. 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 Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. Its always a challenge to attempt listing Nebraskas firsts. In searching for Omaha Citys first Methodist churches or sermons, how far should one look geographically? Bellevue, for example, is older as a community but is now almost a seamless part of Omaha and some might even include Fort Atkinson, just to the north. Without much in the way of written records existing before the Nebraska Territory formed in 1854, many firsts are mere speculation. To that end, lets ignore possible and unrecorded Methodist sermons that might have been preached by missionaries along the various trails or at Fort Atkinson as early as 1819. A frequently quoted first Methodist sermon was delivered by Harrison Presson, undoubtedly out of doors and possibly from the back of a wagon at what would ultimately be 12th and Jackson streets on April 20 or 21, 1850, while he was on his way to the Pacific coast. It is certain that Presson later returned, becoming a member of the Nebraska Methodist Conference, and died at 96 in 1912. Mention is also made of Rev. Wm. Simpson, with the Iowa Methodist Conference, who lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1851 and reportedly crossed the Missouri River into what was then called Indian Territory to preach to settlers. This is difficult to substantiate as it was actually illegal to settle on the west side of the Missouri River until the formation of Nebraska as an official territory in 1854. Methodist minister Rev. Moses F. Shinn, who figured in Nebraska history from its earliest days, is also noted by some to have arrived in Omaha from Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1853 but Omaha did not exist in any form in 1853. On June 3, 1854, Rev. W. H. Goode was appointed as Methodist missionary to the Kansas-Nebraska Territory and in turn appointed Rev. Wm. Gage to the Nebraska Mission, who had given a sermon at Old Fort Kearny, later becoming Nebraska City, in January or February of 1853, and becomes integral to Omaha City when he was appointed the first chaplain of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature. In the summer of 1854, probably at 2 p.m. on Aug. 13, what is usually called the first true sermon in Omaha City, occurred when Methodist Rev. Peter Cooper of Council Bluffs, held a service for about 20 in the William Snowden house which also served as the St. Nicholas Hotel and was referred to as the Ferry Companys Claim House. Although Rev. Coopers service was recorded in the Omaha Arrow, another Methodist service and sermon, which is also referred to as the only sermon preached in 1854 and the first in Omaha City, was held in October of 1854 by Methodist minister Isaac F. Collins, also of Council Bluffs. Collins, who was also working at Jones Quarry, held his service at the home of Alexander Davis at Seventh (or 17th) and Jones streets. About 20, including A. D. Jones, Omaha Citys first postmaster and A. J. Poppleton, attended the service which included a hymn and sermon but no collection was taken up. In September of 1855 the First Methodist Church, which was meeting in the temporary territorial capitol on Ninth Street, was officially organized with six charter members by Rev. Isaac Collins. The Town Company, probably the ferry company, gave the Methodist church two lots at 13th and Dodge which were sold to finance the First Methodist Churchs $4,500 building which was dedicated in December of 1856 on 17th Street between Dodge and Capitol Avenue with Rev. Moses Shinn officiating. The Methodists thus may have been the first organized church in Omaha City, but the Roman Catholic Church completed the first actual church building before the Methodists. On July 13, 1856, a Methodist Sunday School was organized in the Byers/McCoy house on the southwest corner of 10th and Farnam. When the membership reached 15 that December, the Sunday School was moved and merged into the new church building. The second Methodist Church established in Omaha City was First German Methodist Episcopal Church which was organized by Rev. Jacob Feisel in 1858. Their first church building, which cost a reported $3,000, was dedicated several years later. During the 1860s the African Methodist Church, formed with five members first in a home near Ninth and Capitol, moving to a $1,000 building at 18th and Webster in 1867. In 1868 Moses Shinn established the 18th Street Methodist Episcopal Church at 23rd and Izard while First Methodist built on 17th Street between Dodge and Capitol almost immediately announcing plans for a new expensive building. In 1888 the Omaha City Directory showed seven Methodist churches, though another source lists 12, either way the largest number of congregations of any denomination belonged to the Methodists at that point in history. Today, in 2022, there are 21 Omaha Methodist churches listed by one source while another, which includes four congregations in nearby communities, shows only 12 Methodist churches within the city proper. Still, all in all, the Methodists were undoubtedly the first to hold a service in and later form a church in the fledgling Omaha City. I think we got a shot, said hunting partner Todd Mills, peering through grass on the edge of a Rainwater Basin wetland. A flock of pintails turned below the tree line and were cupping their wings in our direction. Eli, be ready, I told my 9-year-old son. Mills will make the call to shoot. But when someone shot way out of our range and not even close to their range it wasnt us. Another hunter had emptied his gun and not a single bird had fallen. We were devastated. Here are some common sense and safety rules to the marsh that should be followed. Hunting public land doesnt have to be a nightmare. First come, first served Many hunters arent fortunate enough to have private land to hunt, and they will do whatever they can to protect the places they hunt on public land. Some arrive hours before shooting time. Others spend the night in their vehicles. If youre not this person, respect the work theyve put in and either look for a different spot or ask if they have room. Its public land, so you dont have to ask, but respecting others while hunting goes a long way toward making everyones hunt a good one. On a dove hunt, my dad, Eli and I got little shooting early on a patch of public land. We switched spots and listened to hunters boom and bang for a couple of hours. From afar, it sounded like there were already more than enough hunters on this sunflower field. So, we hunted the fringe until they began walking out. One of the hunters approached us as he was leaving. You need to take your boy up to that field, he said. Its got birds all over it. We had the field to ourselves. It turned out to be one of the best shoots Ive ever been on, and we didnt pull the trigger for the first time on the opening morning of dove season until after 9 a.m. This is my dance space How much is enough room? Conservation officer Keith Jadlowki says the answer varies: I dont think you can put a set amount of distance on it, because it depends on terrain and what you are hunting. The question I always ask is, Will I mess up their hunt if Im this close? Because they beat me fair and square to that spot. If you were the early bird, leave a head lamp on so others can make a logical decision where to go. But sometimes depth perception is hard to judge in the dark. On one Rainwater Basin hunt, my hunting party began setting up decoys when I heard a hunter, whose light I had already seen, say, Guys. Youre really close. It wasnt until I heard his voice that I realized how close I was. Sorry about that, I whispered. We picked up our decoys and moved another 75 yards away, where we were able to find our own little patch of water that the teal wanted to work as well. Often, theres space for everyone. And when theres not, you can either wait out the crowd in the truck, hunt the fringe or look for another spot. My bird or yours? Those who have hunted public land have seen a bird go down and found themselves and a stranger walking toward that same downed bird. In instances when there are two hunters and one bird, smile. Tell the other guy you felt pretty good about your shot. Hell respond that he did, too. Then give him the bird and say youll take the next if it happens again. Where this situation becomes more complicated is when hunting waterfowl and birds are circling. Anyone who has hunted ducks on public land has had birds called off them and seen other hunters shoot when birds were just about to cup into your decoys. Be respectful. This can be accomplished by putting your calls in your pocket when birds are working another group, or even taking a few minutes and asking the other hunters if they want to alternate calling. For many hunters, public land is the only option they have. And when done correctly, it is a great option, with plenty of room and game for everyone and the chance for unlikely friendships to form in the likeliest of places. 1872: Nine members of the Lincoln Silver Cornet Band played a farewell concert, then turned their instruments over to the city in protest against what the musicians called a lack of courtesy and respect shown the organization. 1882: Architects were preparing to rebuild Centennial Opera House for new owner Fred Funke. 1892: Contracts were let for construction of 44 miles of the Rock Island Railroad, from Lincoln to Jansen. 1902: Gov. Ezra P. Savage said the government would try to dissolve any beef trust in the state. 1912: Progressive Party presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt campaigned in Lincoln. 1922: An ordinance proposed by Charles W. Bryan, creating a municipal coal and wood yard, was unanimously passed by the Lincoln City Council. 1932: Rep. Ruth Bryan Owen, speaking at Grand Island, advocated repeal of the 18th Amendment. The Florida congresswoman was the daughter of the late William Jennings Bryan, a strict prohibitionist. 1942: Meat prices per pound included spareribs, 19 cents; pork steak, 27 cents; bacon, 22 cents; steak, 27 cents; beef roast, 21 cents. Apples were 4 pounds for 25 cents. 1952: Thousands turned out along the Missouri Pacific between Omaha and Falls City to greet Republican presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower. 1962: The first three of 10 Army Corps of Engineers flood-control dams to be built in the Salt-Wahoo Watershed District were almost completed. They were: Antelope Creek Dam, Dam 4 near Sprague and Dam 8 near Hickman. 1972: The Rev. John J. Sullivan, formerly of Tulsa, Okla., became bishop of the Catholic Church's Grand Island Diocese. Earlier, Dr. Don W. Holter, formerly of Kansas City, Mo., became Nebraska area bishop of the United Methodist Church. Hot weather (top reading was 108 degrees at Grand Island) gave way within 36 hours to a freeze in the Chadron-Alliance Area. 1982: Nearly 25,000 people watched as a B-1A bomber landed at Offutt Air Force Base. It was the first time a B-1A had landed at the base. The Lancaster Office of Mental Retardation received a federal grant to construct 10 new group homes. 1992: Three more tenants were added to the northern half of the 80-acre site of the new Lincoln Crossing center at North 27th and Superior streets. Service Merchandise, Toys 'R' Us and PetSmart joined Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in the new shopping center. Four eastern Nebraska women, all by the name of Gladys Phillips, met in Lincoln to swap stories about the name Gladys and to look for common threads in their lives. 2002: Lincoln kicked off its first One Book--One Lincoln program with the selection of "Plainsong" by Kent Haruf. Spurred by conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, activists around the country are using laws that allow people to challenge a voters right to cast a ballot to contest the registrations of thousands of voters at a time. In Iowa, Linn County Auditor Joel Miller had handled three voter challenges over the previous 15 years. He received 119 over just two days after Doug Frank, an Ohio educator who is touring the country spreading doubts about the 2020 election, swung through the state. In Nassau County in northern Florida, two residents challenged the registrations of nearly 2,000 voters just six days before last months primary. In Georgia, activists are dropping off boxloads of challenges in the diverse and Democratic-leaning counties of the Atlanta metro area, including more than 35,000 in one county late last month. Election officials say most challenges will be irrelevant because they contest the presence on voting rolls of people who are in the process of being removed. Still, they create potentially hundreds of hours of extra work as the offices scramble to prepare for Novembers election. They at best overburden election officials in the run-up to an election, and at worse they lead to people being removed from the rolls when they shouldnt be, said Sean Morales-Doyle of The Brennan Center for Justice, which has tracked aa rise in voter challenges. The voter challenges come as activists who believe in the election lies of former President Donald Trump also have flooded election offices across the country with public records requests and threats of litigation, piling even more work on them as they ready for November. Its time-consuming for us, because we have to consult with our county attorneys about what the proper response is going to be, said Rachel Rodriguez, an elections supervisor in Dane County, Wisconsin, which includes Madison, the state capital. Michael Henrici, the Democratic commissioner of elections in New Yorks Otsego County, received a single-line email last week warning of unspecified election integrity litigation, then a follow-up complaining he hadnt responded. These arent people with specific grievances, he said. Theyre getting a form letter from someones podcast and sometimes filling in the blanks. Multiple investigations and reviews, including one by Trumps own Department of Justice, found no significant fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and courts rejected dozens of lawsuits brought by Trump and his allies. But Trump has continued to insist that widespread fraud cost him reelection. That has inspired legions of activists to become do-it-yourself election sleuths around the country. In Linn County, Iowa, which includes the city of Cedar Rapids, Miller said he and the auditors who run elections in the states other 98 counties have been deluged with both records requests and voter challenges. The whole barrage came in a two-week period, Miller said, following the tour by Frank, who uses mathematical projections to make claims of a vast conspiracy to steal the election from Trump, and its happening to auditors across the state. Election offices routinely go through their voter rolls and remove those who have moved or died. Federal law constrains how quickly they can drop voters, and conservative activists have long complained that election officials do not move swiftly enough. The recent challenges stem from activists comparing postal change-of-address and other databases to voter rolls. Election officials say this is redundant, because they already take the same steps. Sometimes the challenges come after election conspiracists go door-to-door, often in heavily minority neighborhoods, seeking evidence that votes were cast improperly in 2020. Texas heavily Democratic Harris County, which includes Houston, received nearly 5,000 challenges from a conservative group that went door-to-door checking voter addresses. The election office said it dismissed the challenges it legally had to review before the election and will finish the remainder after Nov. 8. Activists in Gwinnett County, which stretches across the increasingly Democratic northern Atlanta suburbs, spent 10 months comparing change-of-address and other databases with the countys voter rolls. They submitted eight boxes of challenges last month. About 15,000, they said, were complaints that specific voters improperly received mail ballots in 2020. Another 22,000 were for voters they contend are no longer at their registered address. There are so many challenges that election officials have yet to even count them all. But Zach Manifold, Gwinnetts election supervisor, said that, in every single mail ballot complaint the office has sampled, the voter properly received a mailed ballot. But if any of the address-challenged voters do try to cast a ballot in November, the countys elections board will need to decide whether that vote should count. Theyll only have six days to make a decision. Manifold estimated his office has a month to log and research the challenges, before mail ballots go out for the November elections: It is a tight window to get everything done, he said. Many of the large counties facing voter roll challenges are places where President Joe Biden beat Trump in 2020. Sept. 12-16 This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. To see mugshots of the accused, visit journaltimes.com/gallery. Additional information about the complaints can be found at: journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts. Mark A. Anderson, 2000 block of DeKoven Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor battery (use of a dangerous weapon), disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon), misdemeanor bail jumping. Jeaniqua T. Brumby, 1800 block of Roosevelt Avenue, Racine, disorderly conduct, misdemeanor bail jumping. Brett M. Cadd, Kansasville, Wisconsin, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), criminal damage to property (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia. Anaysia Crystal Campbell, 2000 block of Grove Avenue, Racine, possession with intent to deliver other schedule I controlled substances (between 3-10 grams). Reinaldo Cordero-Rodriguez, Madison, Wisconsin, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (5th or 6th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer), failure to install ignition interlock device, operate motor vehicle while revoked. Justan L. Duval, 5100 block of Linden Lane, Racine, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (5th or 6th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer). Herman G. Easley, 1300 block of Orchard Street, Racine, misdemeanor battery, disorderly conduct. Marketas D. Ellis, 500 block of Mulberry Lane, Racine, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), criminal damage to property (domestic abuse assessments), criminal trespass (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), attempting to flee or elude an officer, second degree recklessly endangering safety, possession of THC, possession of narcotic drugs, misdemeanor bail jumping. Larrice L. Ellison, 4000 block of Erie Street, Racine, possession of THC. Joseph A. Flowers, 400 block of 3 Mile Road, Racine, burglary of a building or dwelling, misdemeanor theft, criminal trespass, felony bail jumping. Jeffery T. Friso, 8700 block of Buckingham Drive, Sturtevant, stalking, disorderly conduct. Luis Hernandez-Castellanos, 2900 block of 16th Street, Racine, repeated sexual assault of a child. Raneesha M. Hobson, 100 block of Main Street, Racine, hit and run (injury). Cecil Jones III, 1800 block of Mead Street, Racine, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments). Brandon Joseph Karczewski, 1400 block of C West Street, Union Grove, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments, use of a dangerous weapon). Nicholas E. Larson, Silver Lake, Wisconsin, stalking, telephone harassment, disorderly conduct, misdemeanor bail jumping. Merrica Danielle McWhorter, 3300 block of 17th Street, Racine, lewd and lascivious behavior, disorderly conduct. Jay Anthony Medrano, 1800 block of Grange Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments, felony domestic abuse repeater), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments, felony domestic abuse repeater). Ashley P. Molzahn, 1100 block of Reschke Avenue, Racine, resisting an officer, obstructing an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor bail jumping. Robin D. Pitt, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, felony retail theft (intentionally take between $500-$5,000), misdemeanor bail jumping. Eduardo Reynoso, 1800 block of Summit Avenue, Racine, felony intimidation of a victim (domestic abuse assessments), felony theft of movable property (between $2,500-$5,000), misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments). John H. Richmond Jr., 3700 block of 10th Avenue, Racine, burglary of a building or dwelling, criminal damage to property, misdemeanor theft. Jordan M. Ruffin, 2200 block of Mt. Pleasant Street, Racine, possession with intent to deliver fentanyl (between 10-50 grams), possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture THC (less than or equal to 200 grams). Adam C. Smith, 800 block of Melvin Avenue, Racine, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct. Rhonda J. Stedman, Homeless, Racine, felony bail jumping, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstructing an officer. Markel N. Swan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture THC (less than or equal to 200 grams), possession of drug paraphernalia. Robert P. Tallman, 700 block of North River Road, Waterford, felony bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments), possession of methamphetamine. Carvin R. Turner, 1600 block of Packard Avenue, Racine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl (between 10-50 grams), possession with intent to deliver cocaine (between 15-40 grams). Larry D. Williams, 3200 block of Indiana Street, Racine operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (4th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer), operate motor vehicle while revoked. Dong Thap works to conserve red-headed cranes The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap is working on a plan to save red-headed cranes from extinction. Huynh Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee, has signed a document sent to the Prime Minister, seeking his approval for the import of two red-headed cranes from Laos for conservation. Illustrative image. (Photo: Tram Chim National Park ) The red-headed crane is a symbolic species of Tram Chim National Park. Bringing the birds to the park will contribute to preserving the endangered species, according to the committee. The province urged the park to develop a project to preserve and develop the endangered species on the premises of the park in 2022-2023 period. It is also asked to take measures to restore the ecological environment. Nguyen Van Lam, Director of the Tram Chim National Park, said a delegation from the province will travel to Thailand to discuss the possibility of bringing crane eggs or small red-headed cranes to the Tram Chim National Park for hatching and conservation effort. Duong Van Ni, an expert on biodiversity in the Mekong Delta, said that it might take up to 10 years to create a herd of cranes in nature. The Tram Chim National Park, which spans 7,500 hectares, is a designated wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. It is a haven for several rare bird species, including red-headed cranes which are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The birds usually arrive from Cambodia in December and stay until May. However, almost no red-headed cranes have arrived in the park in the past three years, according to the parks management board. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 KENOSHA The Kenosha Police Department is investigating a mans death that occurred Friday evening during an apparent break-in and assault. According to the department, officers conducted their investigation in the area around the 6900 block of 64th Avenue. Officers initially responded to the area around 7:20 p.m. Friday to a report of a suspicious subject who was reportedly damaging vehicles at random and attempting to enter several homes unknown to him. The intruder reportedly forced his way into one of the houses and attacked the homeowner. The homeowner fought back and the intruder was subsequently killed during the struggle. Police investigators remained on scene late Friday night. Numerous law enforcement vehicles were posted around the area during the initial investigation. On Saturday, the department reported that there were no additional injuries reported in the incident. Additional details were not released in the case, which remains an active investigation. The department has indicated there is no active threat to the community. Police have encouraged those with any information are asked to call 262-605-5203, or Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333. Similar incident It was the second such death in less than a month in the region. Early Friday, Aug. 26, a masked and possibly armed intruder, after breaking into a residence on Madisons north side, was shot to death by the resident of a duplex. Two adults and a child were in the duplex when the intruder entered, Madison police said. The deceased was later identified as James M. Turner, 35, of Madison. Two people are dead and two others were transported to a local hospital following a mass shooting that occurred at Roosevelt Road and 23rd Avenue outside the Las Margaritas bar early Sunday, according to authorities. Kenosha Police officers responded shortly before 2 a.m. in the area for a call of four shooting victims, according to Lt. Joseph Nosalik, Police Department spokesman. We had officers in the area that heard gunshots and we also received multiple 911 calls, he said. There are four victims that suffered gunshot wounds, two of those victims died...one victim died at the scene. The other victim died at the hospital. The remaining victims were transported to local hospitals for their injuries, Nosalik said. Their conditions were not immediately known. Specific victim data is not being released at this time, he said. No suspects were in custody. Police scene tape closed off a field in an alley behind 23rd Avenue and Roosevelt Road. Public access from 24th Avenue to 22nd Avenue on Roosevelt was closed for a time and the public was advised to use alternate routes for travel. While the bars open sign was still on, the doors were locked. At the corner, shards of glass accumulated near the buildings. Residents who live in the neighborhood next to the bar said they were awakened by a series of loud popping gun shots. One man who declined to give his name said he feared retaliation. He was planning to move away from the neighborhood. Theres a Dumpster on the driveway right now. Were packing up. Were out of here as soon as we find somewhere else we want to be, he said. The man said he had made the decision after the shooting that injured three people outside the bar on Aug. 20. According to a criminal complaint in the earlier shooting the three people were shot by Damon A. Blakey of Zion, Ill. following a physical altercation. The incident occurred at approximately 1:45 am and the fight reportedly began inside Las Margaritas. Blakey was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon, first-degree reckless injury with a dangerous weapon, first-degree recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by an out-of-state felon. The confrontation continued outside onto 23rd Avenue, according to the criminal complaint. Thats when Blakey allegedly opened fire, shooting a man and two women. One of the women was his girlfriend, who he allegedly shot by accident. The neighbor said it was the large pizza-sized pool of blood in our neighbors front yard that convinced him that he needed to find another place to live. What was that? Two, three weeks ago? And now this? he said. Yeah. Anyone with information on Sundays incident is encouraged to contact the Kenosha Police Detective Bureau at 262-605-5203. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may contact the Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333. This is an ongoing story. Please check back for updates. 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 Bel Air, Marylands Emmanuel Church has installed its 26th and final stained-glass window, a project that began early in the last century. The church was built in 1896, and because there was no electricity at the time, the original windows were made of yellow glass to bring in as much light as possible. Once the church had electricity, churchgoers were invited to purchase stained-glass windows to replace the original ones. Its been an incredible journey, the Rev. Canon Mark Gatza, rector, said. The windows depict Jesus, the things He did and the progression of His life. The first two windows were installed in the 1930s, created by the studio now known as Associated Crafts & Willet Hauser, originally based in Pennsylvania but now based in Minnesota. The 24 windows installed after that are all from the same studio, Gatza said, as theyve used four generations of their artists. Gatza said the studio is theologically literate in ways that other stained-glass studios are not and can pick up on the fine details in recreating a biblical scene. The final window, which was finished in July, depicts the prophet Isaiah in the Temple of Jerusalem. One of the gifts that we try to give back to Bel Air, Gatza said, is a quiet, beautiful place to sit in the middle of town to sort of meditate, pray, get away from the noise. The gradual pace of the project was due to the fact that windows were installed at the rate at which people purchased them, whether they were in dedication to a loved one or to honor an event. The average cost of a window is about $28,000, Gatza said. The fact that we were able to do this slowly but surely over time, Gatza said, is a testament to the fortitude but also to the sense that people, even if they did not have great means, still wanted to make sure that they were, in a way, investing in the church for the future. Gatza said that these windows and their many bright colors contribute to a multisensory experience of worship. This last window, as well as the three windows finished in 2019, will be consecrated in December by the Rev. Eugene Sutton, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. President Joe Bidens pick to lead the White Houses regulatory office possesses a background in environmental law, has written extensively on federal regulations and has drawn support from peers who served under Democratic and Republican administrations. Richard "Ricky" Revesz, a former dean of New York Universitys law school, may also play a prominent role in shepherding the Biden administrations policy agenda into force if Republicans take control of one or both chambers of Congress in January. Biden nominated Revesz on Aug. 2 to be administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, or OIRA, part of the White Houses budget office, moving to fill a post that has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for about two years. Its a job for someone whos kind of a wonk and is not terribly partisan. In general, that has been the case, Susan Dudley, director of the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, said in an interview. I think Ricky is a fine choice. If he gets through the Senate, Revesz will lead an office of about 45 staffers that charts much of the White Houses regulatory goals and each year reviews hundreds of federal regulations when they are proposed and in their final versions. The head of OIRA can weaken or kill regulations, as Cass Sunstein did with an EPA ozone rule in 2011, though such instances are rare. Pronounced oh-eye-ruh and often described as the most important agency youve never heard of, OIRA crunches the costs and benefits of regulations, oversees federal regulations across executive branch agencies, signs off on the collection of government information, establishes statistical practices governmentwide and coordinates federal privacy rules. When I was the administrator of OIRA, I used to say, if OIRA didnt exist, we would have to invent it, because the executive branch is so extensive and varied, Sally Katzen, who led the office during the Clinton administration, said in an interview. Ive often said it was a license to kibitz in the most significant and controversial domestic policy issues. Reveszs nomination will go before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. An aide to Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the committee chairman, said Peters looks forward to examining Reveszs background, while Emily Benavides, spokesperson for Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, the committees ranking member, said the senator will review the nomination when it comes before the committee. The committee has not set a date for a confirmation hearing. Born in Argentina, Revesz came to the U.S. when he was 17, studied at Princeton University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then Yale University, where he received his law degree before clerking for former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. After joining the NYU law school in 1985, he became its dean from 2002 to 2013 and founded a think tank housed at the school the Institute for Policy Integrity in 2008. During the Trump administration, the institute, along with other research organizations, university and advocacy groups, maintained an online database to track lawsuits over federal agencies steps to change or weaken federal regulations, dozens of which concerned environmental or energy issues. Dudley, who was an OIRA administrator during the George W. Bush administration, said environmental regulations often take up a significant portion of the offices work. With his background in environmental law and the Biden administrations efforts to unwind Trump-era rules to weaken environmental protections and write new environmental rules, Revesz seems to fit. (The EPA) is often the beat that OIRA spends the most time on anyway, but that probably is true even more in a Democratic administration, and this one in particular, Dudley said. Thats another reason why I think Rickys background in environmental law is going to be valuable. Created in 1980 and empowered by executive orders signed by presidents Ronald Reagan in 1981 and Bill Clinton in 1993, the office plays the role of an ombudsman as federal agencies write drafts of new regulations and then finalize those regulations. It does not review regulations written by independent federal commissions and agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Katzen compared the process to a professor guiding a doctoral student. Its similar to a Ph.D. faculty adviser for a students thesis. The student picks the subject matter, does the research, and writes it up, said Katzen, a law professor at NYU. The professor is experienced and knows the field well enough to be able to say, but have you considered this? or Your conclusions in this section are at odds with another section. The net result is a better finished product. DENVER As Charlie Gilmore collected his belongings Friday to leave the Denver hotel that had been a home to him and 137 other previously homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic, he pondered where he would spend the night. The 58-year-old is one of thousands of people without homes across the country who found relief in motel rooms during the pandemic, but are now facing uncertainty as the hotels close, special government funding during the pandemic dwindles and leases come to an end. Cities from Anchorage to New Orleans have ended or are winding down their hotel programs, which offered a good alternative to packed homeless shelters amid the spread of COVID-19. "Somewhere down the road here there's a bunch of cedars," said Gilmore, pointing to nearby trees while sitting atop a neon sleeping bag rated for freezing weather as Denver's winter looms. The Quality Inn in Denver where Gilmore lived was leased from the private owner by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. It provided rooms for those over 65-years-old and people at greater risk for severe COVID-19 illness during the pandemic. Opened in April 2020, FEMA funds directed through Denver to the Coalition helped keep the hotel running over the past 2 years. But the $9 million total spent on the lease and an additional $5 to $6 million in operational costs became unsustainable, said John Parvensky, president and CEO of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. "We are kind of in a Catch-22," said Parvensky, who said case management is still being provided to Quality Inn residents. "It wasn't designed to be a long-term fix." Some leaving the Quality Inn in Denver have found permanent housing, others are moving into shelters, some are back on the street, and a few are moving into temporary hotel rooms paid for by Housekeys Action Network Denver, or HAND, which started a GoFundMe page to buy camping gear and fund hotel stays. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is also pitching in. As of Sept. 12, only 57 of the inn's 138 residents had some type of temporary or long-term housing lined up, according to a letter from the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Updated numbers from the organization are not yet available. Anjanette Gallegos, 54, who sat in front of the beige Quality Inn on Friday in Denver, was waiting for a Lyft ride to move into a new apartment she had secured, but said leaving the community was bittersweet. Having couch surfed before the pandemic, having her own room was a godsend. "A home's not a home unless you can call it your own home," Gallegos said. Brett Sterba, another Quality Inn resident, said he didn't yet know where he would pitch his tent Friday night, but plans to eventually return to a Denver street corner where he twirls a sign with smiley faces for some cash. "It kind of bums me out," he said of the hotel's closure. "I thought it was going really well and it's too bad they don't have something more permanent like this." Terese Howard, an organizer for the Housekeys Action Network Denver, believes that the hotel's operations should have been extended. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless has purchased a Denver-area hotel and is in the process of acquiring a second for permanent housing as part of a wider trend across the country spurred by the success of pandemic-era programs to convert typically tourist lodgings into long-term options. Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said that while it is sad to see the temporary housing in hotels close, it provided an important blueprint for homeless advocates around the country. "It really taught us a lesson in how we could really address this problem in a way that is comprehensive and fundamental," he said. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom's "Project Homekey" program grew out of what the state called Project Roomkey an initiative that housed homeless people in hotels up and down the state. "Project Homekey," which started in June 2020, is turning vacant motels, hotels and other unused properties into permanent supportive housing. The state buys the properties, coverts them and gives them to local governments that then contract with local providers for needed services. Newsom last month announced nearly $700 million from the program for 35 new projects. That brings the total to more than 200 projects projected to create more than 12,500 permanent and interim homes. Newsom said last month that the program "is changing lives across the state" and called it "a model for the nation." Whitehead and Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said the main barrier to expanding hotel accommodations for the homeless is funding. "I would lay the blame at the feet of the federal government," said Whitehead. "We are back to business as usual, not providing enough resources for the problems." Oliva highlighted that the private rooms offered unhoused people security, privacy, and stability, and increased their likelihood of finding permanent housing. "It's got to be devastating for somebody to have gotten some measure and ability to have stability and some comfort in their lives to be exited from a program like that," she said. "It's what we didn't want to happen." I will never forget that Tuesday morning in mid-November 23 years ago. It was around 11 a.m. when the receptionist at my Cleveland newspaper office said I had an important call waiting on the phone up front. Not now, I sighed. As the newspapers senior editor, I was buried under deadlines, but she said it was urgent, so I hurried up front and picked up the phone. My cousin Jenny was calling from Middletown, Ohio, to tell me that Geoff, the husband of Jennys sister Julie, had killed himself the evening before. I began to shake. I leaned against a gray filing cabinet for support. Confusion and disbelief careened through me. Geoff? Are you sure? I hung up, still disbelieving, and staggered back to my office. I had stories to read, pages to dummy and headlines to write for the next 14 hours, so I shoved the emotional debris in a mental drawer and got back to work. Two days later, I drove to Middletown, 250 miles away, for Geoffs funeral. That black day crawled back up to the forefront in recent weeks as I researched and wrote the three-part series on suicide that started Saturday in todays Hub and continues Monday and Tuesday. This is Suicide Awareness Prevention Month, but thats not what triggered the story. Instead, it was Aravind Menon, epidemiologist for the Two Rivers Public Health Department, who told me recently that suicide is the most critical health issue right now. He was right. As I dug into the story, it exploded like thunderclouds on a steamy August afternoon. I wrote three long stories, but I barely loosened the lid of this issue. So much more remains untouched inside the jar. As I wrote those stores, I remembered Geoff. He was intelligent, fun, clever and energetic. He was born with a congenital heart condition that required open heart surgery at the age of 35 and again in his early 50s, but he kept going. He entered triathlons. He biked. He hiked. After his first heart surgery, he appeared in a national magazine and TV ads for Bufferin. He and Julie camped across the country, exploring national parks of the West. He was an ordained United Methodist minister, although on hiatus at the time of his death. He was also the mayor of Middletown. But after his second heart surgery, depression crept in like a masked intruder. His zest for adventure faded. Julie worried. Their partnership frayed. He was beyond her reach. On a November weekend of 1999, Julie flew to Florida with Jenny. When she got home, she drove into the garage and screamed. She found Jeff dead in his car from carbon monoxide poisoning. He had rolled up the car windows and turned on the engine. When I was nine years old, I was washing the supper dishes when my mother answered the phone, then cried out. A church friend had taken her life, leaving behind a devastated husband and three children who never quite recovered. Seventeen years ago, I went to Middlebury, Vermont, with the senior high youth group at my church for their summer work camp. We had just arrived in Middlebury when the teens phones began ringing. A classmate back home had taken her life. The anguish of that shadowed us all week. Dont talk about suicide, society says. We avoid it. We sidestep around it as if it were cattle dung, and we journalists are never quite sure what to do when were faced with it. Twenty years ago, my sons high school classmate attempted to take her own life. She lived, but that news blasted through our suburb like a wildfire and left parents and teens violently shaken. Yet not a word of that trauma made the newspaper. As the editor of that newspaper, I followed journalistic dictates regarding suicide and ignored the story, but the following week, I wrote a column questioning societys hush-hush dictates about suicide. Geoffs death was the exception, but only because hed been the mayor of Middletown. His death and its cause was the headline story in the Middletown Journal. Geoff didnt leave a note when he ended his life. His ashes are interred under a sprawling tree in a sleepy cemetery in Lebanon, Ohio. Questions will haunt us forever. A Ho-Chunk artist who got his start at UW-La Crosse will be remembered for generations to come. On Oct. 3, UW-L will dedicate its Center for the Arts to the late Truman Lowe, who drew international acclaim during his five-decade career and inspired thousands of aspiring artists as a professor at UW-Madison. The public ceremony will include comments from Lowes friends and family, a traditional Ho-Chunk blessing, and an unveiling of the new signage. Chancellor Joe Gow, who proposed the dedication last September, says there are many things to celebrate about Lowes life and career particularly the way he advanced Native American culture through his art. During his life, Truman Lowe fully embodied the UW-L spirit striving for excellence, honoring his culture and heritage, and leaving the world a better place than he found it, Gow says. Im proud to call Truman Lowe an alumnus of our university. I hope seeing his name on the Center for the Arts will inspire future generations to learn about his legacy and work to create their own. Lowe, who was born in Black River Falls, will be the first person of color with a UW-L building named in their honor a distinction Gow called long overdue. Lowes family members say theyre grateful the man they knew is being celebrated for his outstanding career and transformative impact on so many people. On a personal level, he was an incredibly empathetic person and always knew what to say to support someone at a pivotal moment in their life, says Tonia Lowe, Trumans daughter. Professionally, he was part of a second wave of Native artists that really helped change peoples perceptions of what Native art could be. This feels like recognition for all the work he did to open peoples minds and pave the way for the next generation. He really loved La Crosse he loved the campus, the city and the beauty of the location. It was really where he discovered art as a career, adds Nancy Lowe, Trumans wife. Seeing his name on a building would make him very, very happy and be incredibly meaningful to him. Thats what makes it so exciting for us. After earning his bachelors degree in art education in 1969, Lowe had a short stint as an art teacher at Valders High School, about 45 miles north of Milwaukee. He left to attend UW-Madison, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1973 and accepted a faculty position in 1975. He spent 30 years in the universitys Art Department, serving as chair from 1992 to 1995. Through the years, Lowe remained deeply dedicated to his craft. He was celebrated for his sculpture and large art installations, which were often constructed from natural materials and explored Ho-Chunk culture and history through a contemporary lens. His art was exhibited worldwide, including in Europe, Africa, South America and major galleries across the United States. In 1998, one of his sculptures, Bird Effigy, was selected for a yearlong exhibit at the White House. Lowe was admired not just for his creations, but also for his keen artistic eye and knowledge of the history of art. In 2000, those qualifications helped him become the curator of contemporary art for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian a position he held until 2008. As his success grew, Lowe maintained close ties to UW-L. At the peak of his career, Lowe was twice selected as a UW-L distinguished alumnus, receiving the Graff Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992 and the Parker Distinguished Multicultural Alumni Award in 1999. In 1991, Lowe displayed his art at the UW-L Art Gallery, selling prints to support the Mary H. Hebberd Endowment Fund. Lowe also served on the UW-L Foundation Board of Directors. Jo Ortel, a professor at Beloit University, met Lowe in the late 1990s, when she invited him to speak to an art history class she was teaching at UW-Madison. The pair developed a friendship, and over the years, Ortel became an expert on Lowes life and career. To her, the quality of Lowes artwork is matched only by the impact he made on thousands of students and art enthusiasts not just as an artist, but also as an educator and curator. Truman's legacy lives on in the thousands of students from all different backgrounds whom he taught, Ortel says, noting that Lowe was always mindful of significant milestones for Native America. Surely, UW-Ls decision to name its Center for the Arts in honor of a Wisconsin Ho-Chunk artist is right up there. Hes wearing a big smile somewhere. The man convicted in the 1981 murder and sexual assault of Susan Erickson is now living in the same community where the crime occurred. Terrance Shaw, 73, was released from Racine Correction Institution Sept. 7, 2021, and resides in Onalaska. He was granted parole July 30, 2021, by the Wisconsin Parole Commission. Erickson, who worked as a medical technologist in La Crosse, was found dead in her Onalaska apartment April 14, 1981. Shaw was arrested a year later after he was seen prowling in an Onalaska neighborhood. He was convicted in December 1982 and sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison. The parole decision has outraged Ericksons family. Tim Erickson was 3 years old when his mother was murdered. He said he wasnt aware that Shaw was out of prison until earlier this month. Every member of my family is shocked and hurt by the whole thing, he said. Nobody was notified when he was released. I dont think anybody in my family believed he could ever get out. Onalaska Police Chief Charles Ashbeck said the city wasnt notified about Shaws release and wasnt aware he was living in Onalaska until contacted by the Tribune. When asked whether Shaw represented a threat to the community, Ashbeck replied, That is difficult to answer ... because I dont know anything about his current health or mindset. Given his age, he is likely less of a threat, but that doesnt necessarily guarantee he isnt still a threat. The Onalaska police officer who made the arrest that led to Shaws identification as the prime murder suspect is upset that Shaw is no longer in prison. Larry Vongroven, now retired, blames Gov. Tony Evers. If I had 10 seconds with the governor, I would tell him what a troll he is, Vondgroven said. The governors office issued a statement Friday on Shaws release. The governor disagreed with decisions made by the former Parole Commission chair, and thats why he asked for the former chairs resignation, the statement read. The statement referred to the June 10 resignation of parole commission chair John Tate. He came under scrutiny after voting to parole Douglas Balsewicz, who was convicted of killing his wife in 1997. Tate complied with a request from Evers to rescind Balsewiczs parole before resigning. Shaw is required to register as a sex offender through the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry. Ashbeck said hes unaware of any other conditions that are attached to Shaws release. I dont know any of the details of what went into considering his release, Ashbeck said. I would hope (the parole commission) did a comprehensive review and determined his current threat level before granting his release. I certainly would not agree with his release if he is still a threat to our community, but that is a general opinion I would give on all inmates petitioning for parole. The Tribune submitted an open records request Sept. 12 to the parole commission for the minutes of Shaws parole hearing. The Department of Corrections responded late Friday with a statement concerning Shaws parole. Mr. Shaw was incarcerated for almost 40 years, the statement reads. His first hearing before the Parole Commission was in 1993. Mr. Shaw had 29 hearings with a parole commissioner before it was determined he had satisfied the criteria for a parole recommendation. Mr. Shaw is 73 years old with severe limitations on his mobility. The statement says the parole commission has the final say over granting paroles and that neither the governor nor any other state official has legal authority over parole decisions. Shaw had been seeking his release for several years. He argued in court that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder triggered by his military service and that the possibility of a PTSD diagnosis should have been considered at his trial. In 2010, Shaw asked La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge Ramona Gonzalez to modify his sentence and run the terms concurrently based on his PTSD claim. She denied the request. The case was later dismissed by the Court of Appeals, and the state Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The Homecoming dance at Logan High School was canceled Saturday night due to a threat. The school district sent the following letter to Logan families: Dear Logan High School students, families, and staff, Last night, we learned of an unsubstantiated threat regarding Logan High School and tonights scheduled homecoming dance. Our districts Technology Services staff working with the La Crosse Police Department have been working diligently and continue to investigate the origin of the threat. Because the investigation is ongoing, our view that the safety and well-being of our students, families, and staff is a top priority, and our understanding that time is a factor for students and families planning for this evening Ive decided to postpone the homecoming dance at this time. We had a fantastic homecoming week and a great pep rally with tremendous school spirit so I am really disappointed to have to weigh and make this decision today. I have decided to err on the side of caution. Please know that we will make every effort to find the origin of the threat and maintain the safety of our students, families, and staff. If students cannot make the yet-determined makeup date for the homecoming dance, the ticket cost will be refunded. Parents and guardians, we encourage you to have a conversation with your student and empower them if they have any information about this threat or any incident that impacts our school community to utilize; SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUThttps://speakup.widoj.gov/ or La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers at 608-784-TIPS or submit online at https://www.p3tips.com/459. You can also download the Crime Stoppers App P3 to submit a tip via your phone. Thank you everyone for your understanding and support, Wally Gnewikow, Logan High School principal. For the first time since September 2019, Fort McCoy held a Retiree Appreciation Day (RAD) for military retirees Sept. 9 at the installation and hundreds of retirees and their spouses attended. The guests for the 2022 RAD had a day filled with activities open to them as well, including a welcome from Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger as well as briefings from numerous guest speakers. This years event was also held in a new venue. In past years, it was held in building 905. This year, the event was held in building 2472 one of the newer dining facilities recently built at Fort McCoy. I thought it worked well and had plenty of space for the event, said Fort McCoy retirement services officer Brent Johnson with the Directorate of Human Resources. We found that our guests were able to find plenty of parking, and they were able to find the location. Well also take what we receive from our feedback from this event and incorporate it to make next years event even better. The ultimate goal of the Retiree Appreciation Day is to bring together those military retirees and give them an opportunity to receive some of the most up-to-date information on the benefits they are entitled to with a seminar setting followed by a retiree benefits vendor expo, Johnson said. In addition to all the activities in building 2472, RAD attendees were able to purchase discounted items during a special sidewalk sale at the Fort McCoy Commissary. Many attendees also shopped at the Fort McCoy Exchange for items and purchased lunch at the Exchange Food Court and McCoys Community Center. And at Fort McCoys Commemorative Area, which was open from noon to 4 p.m. on the afternoon of the 2022 RAD, dozens of guests visited the area. It was nice to have the visitors come by the Commemorative Area and see everything here, said public affairs specialist Kaleen Holliday with the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office. Some had last been to the Commemorative Area when they were at the last Retiree Appreciation Day and were happy to be back to see more. I also enjoyed having the retirees coming to share their stories about Fort McCoy, especially Camp McCoy or other service locations. One of those military retirees making a return trip to Fort McCoy was Charles Benbenek of Hazelhurst, Wis., who is retired from the Army. Benbenek attended the RAD and visited the Commemorative Area. I thought it was a good event, Benbenek said. I spent a lot of time here in the 70s with the 724th Engineer Battalion. We did quite a few projects around the post. Benbenek said he had last been to Fort McCoy 15 years ago so attending the RAD and visiting everything brought back plenty of memories. It was nice to come back, he said. Johnson said work and planning for the 2023 Fort McCoy RAD are already underway. More details are available by calling the Fort McCoy Soldier for Life/Retirement Services Office at 800-452-0923, or by e-mail at usarmy.mccoy.imcom-central.mbx.dhr-rso@mail.mil or brent.r.johnson6.civ@army.mil. A new documentary from NewGroup Media and the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, with portions filmed in Wisconsin, presents the riveting life of Sister Thea Bowman, an African American Catholic Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration who used her powerful gifts to educate and challenge the church and society to grow in racial inclusivity. Thea worked tirelessly to proclaim this message until her untimely death from breast cancer in 1990. Her cause for sainthood opened November 2018. The film, Going Home Like a Shooting Star: Thea Bowmans Journey to Sainthood, features interviews and commentary from Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Viterbo University staff, her family, friends and former students. Input from African American scholars, clerics and bishops will speak to the ongoing issue of systemic racism in the church and country. The program title is drawn from a quotation attributed to Sojourner Truth. When Thea was asked what she wanted said at her funeral, she answered, Just say what Sojourner Truth said: Im not going to die. Im going home like a shooting star. Going Home Like a Shooting Star includes extensive use of Bowman family photos, FSPA archival material, and footage of Thea from varied public appearances, including her famous interview with Mike Wallace on CBS 60 Minutes. The film makes a strong connection between Theas Gospel call for justice, love and unity and the current effort of Black Lives Matter activists and efforts to combat systemic racism. Many in the film cite Theas voice as an influence on their ongoing efforts to achieve social and racial justice. About FSPA Based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration are women religious engaged in furthering the work of the Catholic church and the Gospel. Their partners in ministry, including affiliates and prayer partners, join them in service of Gods mission. The sisters work in the United States and internationally in varied ministries, collaborating to minister in areas of greatest need, living the Gospel through contemplation and action. Hurricane Fiona rips through powerless Puerto Rico HAVANA (AP) Hurricane Fiona has struck Puerto Ricos southwest coast as it unleashed landslides, knocked the power grid out and ripped up asphalt from roads and flung the pieces around. Forecasters said the storm would cause catastrophic flooding and threatened to dump historic levels of rain, with up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) possible in isolated areas. Fiona on Sunday is lashing a U.S. territory that is still recovering from a string of strong earthquakes and Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that caused deaths and destruction across the island in 2017. More than 3,000 homes still have only a blue tarp as a roof. Bidens among thousands paying respects to Queen Elizabeth II LONDON (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden paid his respects at Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin as thousands of police, hundreds of British troops and an army of officials made final preparations for the queens state funeral. The funeral on Monday at Westminster Abbey will be a spectacular display of national mourning that will also be the biggest gathering of world leaders for years. People across Britain paused for a minute of silence at 8 p.m. to honor the queen. Also late Sunday, authorities closed a miles-long queue for people to see the queen lying in state. New arrivals were turned away, so that everyone in the line can file past the coffin before Monday morning, when it will be taken to Westminster Abbey for the queens funeral. Zelenskyy promises no 'lull' in taking back Ukrainian towns KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised his country Sunday there would be no letup after a series of Ukrainian victories taking cities and towns back from Russian troops. He said there would be no lull until all of Ukraine is freed. Russian shelling hit cities and towns across a wide stretch of Ukraine over the weekend. The British defense ministry warned that Russia is likely to increase attacks on civilian targets as it suffers battlefield defeats. A Vatican envoy distributing humanitarian aid was among those who came under fire. There were no injuries. And prosecutors in Kharkiv are accusing Russia of torturing civilians in one village that was recently freed. Biden: Classified documents at Mar-a-Lago raise concerns WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden says the discovery of top-secret documents at former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate raised concerns that sensitive data was compromised and calls it irresponsible. In an interview with CBS 60 Minutes that aired Sunday, Biden says he has not asked for any specifics because I dont want to get myself in the middle of whether or not the Justice Department should move or not move on certain actions they could take. The FBI served a court-authorized search warrant at Trump's Florida home on Aug. 8. Agents took about 11,000 documents, including roughly 100 with classification markings found in a storage room and an office. Biden: US would defend Taiwan against Chinese invasion BEIJING (AP) President Joe Biden says U.S. forces would defend Taiwan if China tries to invade the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. Biden's comment adds to displays of official U.S. support for the island democracy in the face of intimidation by the mainland's ruling Communist Party. Biden said yes when asked in an interview on CBS News's 60 Minutes program whether U.S. men and women would defend Taiwan" in the event of a Chinese invasion. CBS News said it was told by the White House after the interview that U.S. policy hasn't changed. Washington doesn't say whether it would send forces to defend the island. They ended wanted pregnancies. Post-Roe, they face new pain. Ashley Lefebvre hugs her unborn daughters urn each night. Sarah Halsey treasures the tiny hat worn by her baby who lived just 38 minutes. Abi Frazier lives in a new home because she couldnt bear to return to the one with the furnished nursery and empty crib. All ended wanted pregnancies because of grave fetal medical problems. Such seldom discussed abortions are different from the most common type performed early in an unwanted pregnancy. For many who have endured them, the abortion debate since Roes reversal has unleashed a torrent of pain and also brought them together to support each other, speak out and share their stories. In world beset by turbulence, nations' leaders gather at UN UNITED NATIONS (AP) World leaders are gathering at the United Nations this week under the shadow of Europes first major conflict since World War II. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the fighting it produced has sparked a global food crisis and a division among major powers not seen since the Cold War at a time of increasing international turbulence. The many facets of the war in Ukraine are expected to dominate the annual General Assembly meeting. It is taking place as many countries across the globe are also confronting inequality, an escalating climate crisis, the threat of multiple famines and increasing misinformation and hate speech. EXPLAINER: How the strong U.S. dollar can affect everyone NEW YORK (AP) The value of the U.S. dollar has been on a tear for more than a year against everything from the British pound across the Atlantic to the South Korean won across the Pacific. The dollar is hovering close to its highest level in more than two decades against a key index measuring six major currencies. Many professional investors dont expect the dollar to ease off anytime soon. Its rise makes an impact on nearly everyone, even those who will never travel beyond U.S. borders. The strength helps to limit inflation, but it can also hurt profits for many U.S. companies. First public global database of fossil fuels launches On Monday, the worlds first public database of fossil fuel production, reserves and emissions launches. Called The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels, it was developed by the groups Carbon Tracker and the Global Energy Monitor, and contains data on over 50,000 oil, gas and coal fields in 89 countries, covering 75% of global production. It shows that the United States and Russia have enough fossil fuel reserves to exhaust the worlds remaining carbon budget to stay under 1.5 degrees Celsius warming. And it shows that if burned, the worlds reserves would generate 3.5 trillion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all that's been produced since the Industrial Revolution. 5 years after Maria, reconstruction drags on in Puerto Rico LOIZA, Puerto Rico (AP) Nearly five years have passed since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of 3.2 million people. But thousands of homes and roads have yet to be fixed or rebuilt and a new storm is projected to strike on Sunday. The government has completed only 21% of more than 5,500 post-hurricane projects and some municipalities report that not a single project has begun. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says officials focused on recovery and emergency repairs for the first three years after Maria. She says reconstruction will take time because authorities want to ensure new structures can withstand stronger hurricanes. IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Margaret Tillotson is on the path to recovery. The 22-year-old Burlington woman has struggled with anorexia nervosa for years. During her lowest point, Tillotson who is 5-foot-10 said she weighed just 113 pounds. Now, her health has improved and shes back in school, thanks to what she described as a life-saving inpatient program at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for patients with eating disorders. I would not be here if this program did not exist, said Tillotson, who has been admitted to the program six times during the past three years. But after hospital officials announced plans to phase out the program later this fall, Tillotson worries about her ability to access a higher level of care if she relapses. The 13-bed inpatient unit is the only program of its kind in Iowa, and its closure could result in inequitable access to treatment, patients and health care providers say. Patients will have to go out of state, or they will not access treatment at all, said Dr. Sara Schwatken, a Fort Dodge psychologist who specializes in eating disorder treatment. The Des Moines Register reports that patients facing that possibility include people like Tillotson, who rely on Medicaid for health care coverage. The state insurance program historically has denied members coverage for care in out-of-state programs such as those in Omaha, St. Louis and the Twin Cities. The cost of care varies on the patients condition and length of stay, among other factors, but experts estimated residential care was around $1,237 a day in 2018 and 2019, according to a report from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Tillotson, who is enrolled with Iowa Total Care, said she has been denied coverage for eating disorder programs outside Iowa more times than I can count. I dont know where Im going to go, she said. My family cant afford to pay out-of-pocket for me to go out of state. University of Iowa Hospitals stopped admitting patients to the unit last week, said Dr. Peggy Nopoulos, chairperson and departmental executive officer of the department of psychiatry at UIHC. Current patients will continue in the residential program until they complete treatment and are discharged, she said. In the past fiscal year, the residential program served 125 people, Nopoulos said. The inpatient eating disorder program cares for the most severe patients whose disorder has placed them at risk either medically or psychologically. Typically, that includes patients who are experiencing life-threatening illness, such as malnourishment, and who require round-the-clock medical care and behavioral health support. Many patients with eating disorders also struggle with other mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. The 2020 report from Harvard estimates 9%, or 28.8 million, Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. The report also estimates 10,200 deaths occur each year as a direct result of eating disorders. The Eating Disorders Program at UIHC will continue to offer outpatient services and its partial hospitalization program, which includes structured therapy sessions during weekdays. Patients in need of acute care will be admitted to the hospital, officials said in a statement. Ultimately, UIHC officials made the decision to phase out the residential program because of Iowas overwhelming demand for more mental health care, Nopoulos said. According to hospital officials, the Iowa City-based health care system is seeing unprecedented numbers of people experiencing acute mental health crises arriving in our emergency department. They didnt provide exact figures. Thats compounded by the fact that Iowa ranks among the worst in the country for few inpatient mental health beds per resident, Nopoulos said. Iowa has about 24 psychiatric beds per 100,000 residents, according to a 2021 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. To help alleviate this strain, the dedicated eating disorder inpatient unit will open to patients with a wider range of acute behavioral health needs later this fall. By doing so, the hospital will be able to serve more patients each year. The average inpatient state for acute behavioral health patients is about 10 days, whereas residents in the eating disorder program typically receive treatment that lasts several months, Nopoulos said. A full 30% of our adult psychiatric beds had been dedicated to the residential inpatient care for our eating disorder program, and opening those beds to general acute care mental health will allow us to serve roughly three times as many Iowans, Nopoulos said. Only four patients remained in the inpatient program as of Sunday, April Bannister, a current patient in the unit told the Des Moines Register. Bannister, a 22-year-old from Iowa City, has been in the program seven times since February 2021. She most recently was admitted July 20 after a therapist found she had dropped weight. When hospital leadership announced in a Sept. 1 meeting they were phasing out the program, Bannister said she saw many staff members cry. Her social media post about the meeting helped generate a Change.org petition that has garnered nearly 7,500 signatures as of Monday. The petition has dozens of comments from former patients and family members of patients who have been in the program, raising alarms about the phaseout and calling on hospital leadership to save the inpatient program. One commenter, Angela Kerchner, said her daughter almost died of anorexia, adding that it is incredibly difficult to find treatment. This is a devastating loss for so many who are struggling, both patients and families, she wrote. We need more mental health treatment in Iowa, not less. The Eating Disorder Coalition of Iowa raised similar concerns in a letter to University of Iowa Hospitals last week and asked for additional information on the hospitals future steps to provide care for patients with eating disorders. In addition to advocating for in-state eating disorder treatment resources, our long-term plan is to also increase our advocacy efforts to address the appalling denial of out-of-state coverage for higher levels of care, coalition officials said in the letter provided to the Des Moines Register. We also plan to discuss concerns and encourage treatment coverage with Iowa-based insurers, starting with Iowa Medicaid plans. Bannister said she understands the hospitals decision to expand access to mental health care and supports the hospitals effort to reach more patients. But she believes the way to get more beds is not to take away the eating disorder program. She worries that eating disorder patients who cant travel out of state will cycle through the hospital without getting the intensive treatment they need. Without the therapy and the therapeutic meals, this program is nothing, Bannister said. If you take away those resources and put them in a hospital, yeah, youre medically stabilizing them, but youre not going to solve any underlying issues. People in Wisconsin and across the country want to make corporations pay their fair share. They want to improve social safety nets and strengthen unions. Why wont Congress focus on these issues? Because senators like Ron Johnson care more about their corporate donors than they do about working families. Johnson has never supported the average worker; his focus has been on securing tax breaks for the very wealthy, including himself. According to a review of campaign finance records provided to UpNorthNews, Johnson has received $77,400 over the years from people and firms engaged in outsourcing work to other states and countries. He also voted for a corporate tax giveaway that benefitted companies shipping jobs overseas, which wreaked havoc on our supply chain. Wisconsin has been hit hard by companies sending our good jobs away, so its disheartening to be represented by a senator who supports corporations instead of workers. In 2014, Johnson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that outsourcing had been quite beneficial to America. Mandela Barnes understands how important manufacturing is to Wisconsins economy. He has a plan to boost Wisconsin manufacturing, strengthen unions, and invest in local communities. As a senator, Barnes will prioritize American manufacturing and stop shipping jobs overseas, fix supply chain issues by making things at home, take on unfair trade deals, and use tax reform to help small and medium-sized manufacturers. Vote for Mandela Barnes to support Wisconsin workers. Sherri Diamon SOMERS The crowds turned out for Saturdays Oktoberfest celebration at Petrifying Springs Park Biergarten. Amid the aroma of hot pretzels and sausages, the beer and good cheer were flowing at the event at 5555 7th St., which enjoyed sunshine and plenty of people during Saturdays ceremonial keg tapping. Biergarten owner Mike Grab said he expects to go through 60 to 80 barrels of beer and 1,200 pretzels during the weekend celebration. Oktoberfest is typically a successful event for them, although they depend heavily on the weather, which was sunny by mid-afternoon Saturday. Were just happy to be partners on a community event, Grab said. Having that partnership with the county for six seasons now has been great. Everybodys really embraced it. County Executive Samantha Kerkman and other local officials were in attendance for the ceremonial Oktoberfest beer keg tapping ceremony. Kerkman spoke glowingly about the Biergarten. Its a wonderful private-public partnership, Kerkman said. Im so glad I was here to celebrate Oktoberfest with them Multiple attendees praised the work that has been done on Petrifying Springs Park and the Biergarten, with one retiree who resides in Illinois stopping Kerkman to rave about how much he enjoyed the Kenosha County park system. Waukesha residents Paul and Lori Young were both dressed in Oktoberfest outfits, as were their two corgis, Pez and Angus. They said they come to Kenosha several times a year to enjoy the parks. Good crowd, good food, Lori said. As long as it isnt flooding with rain, people will show up to Oktoberfest. The couple planned to spend the afternoon at the Biergarten, enjoying the sense of gemutlichkeit, a German term for a state of warmth, friendliness and good cheer. Kenosha and the parks have done a really great job with this biergarten, Paul said. Its a really nice job. Brian and Veronica Van Dyke, of Pleasant Prairie, also dressed in authentic German dirndl and lederhosen, said theyve been going to the beirgarten since it started in 2017. Now regulars, they said they see plenty of familiar faces. We started making friends, which is absolutely the way its supposed to be, Veronica said. It becomes a community. Guests can enjoy the food, beverages, music and fun from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, along with live music from The Brothers Quinn at 3 p.m. There will also be prizes for best dressed in Dirndl and lederhosen. For residents wishing to attend, parking on the grass is not allowed. Those attending should park in one of the designated lots within the park or the academic lots at UW-Parkside off of Highway JR. Beer drinkers can bring their own stein or rent one from the Biergarten with a $5 deposit that is refunded when the stein is returned at the end of their visit. The Biergarten accepts cash only for food and beverage purchases. Two ATMs are available on site. A bell-ringing ceremony is held on Sunday to mark the 91st anniversary of the "September 18 Incident" at the September 18 Incident History Museum in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province. [Photo/People's Daily] Air raid sirens echoed through the city of Shenyang, Liaoning province, at 9:18 am on Sunday to remember the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression 91 years ago. More than 300 people from all walks of life, including veterans, students and local residents, participated in the commemoration in front of the square of Shenyang 9.18 Historical Museum. The bell rang 14 times, representing the 14 years during which the Chinese people fought the invaders. The period has been referred as the darkest days of modern China. Shenyang, along with other 13 cities in Liaoning province, sounded the air defense alarm for three minutes. Motor vehicles, ships and trains all sounded sirens at the same time. "The alarm of bell and siren is to salute the brave struggle of that year and warn ourselves to remember the history. We bear the future of our motherland, and should cherish the peaceful life," said Wang Qiming, a local high school student. On Sept 18, 1931, members of the Japanese Kwantung Army stationed in northeastern China blew up a section of the railway near Liutiaohu and falsely accused the Chinese military of doing it. Using the incident as a pretext, the Japanese bombarded Shenyang and launched its invasion of China. "The landmark construction of our museum is called the calendar monument. The shape of the monument is a calendar broken by shells and bullets. The bullets holes on the tablet form the image of skulls, which indicates Chinese people were killed in those dark years," said Han Xiao, a commentator of "September 18" History Museum. Behind the museum, there is an railway linking Harbin with Dalian. It was part of the South Manchuria Railway, where the incident occurred 91 years ago. The museum was built in 1991 to mark the 60th anniversary of the 918 Incident. At present, it houses more than 1,000 precious historical photos and more than 3,000 sets of historical relics. Since 1995, Shenyang has been sounding an air defense alarm every year on this date. Experts say China and African nations are increasingly cooperating in space to develop different ideas for the future. Chinese astronauts are known as taikonauts. They have been carrying out space diplomacy while on a six-month mission on the Tiangong space station. The space structure is in the process of being built. Three taikonauts spoke to students from eight African countries through a video link this month. The China Mission to the African Union supported the event. Temidayo Oniosun is a Nigerian space scientist. He also supervises the website Space in Africa. This event is a reflection of the ongoing collaboration between China and African countries, he told VOA about the event. During the talk, a young Ethiopian asked what astronauts eat in space, and how they wash themselves. A Somali student wanted to know about the future of space tourism and a student from Egypt wanted to know whether it is difficult for women to become astronauts. The three taikonauts answered their questions in detail. They showed the students food they eat while in orbit. It included delicious purple rice porridge, tasty sauteed sweet corn with pine nuts, and sauteed diced beef in black pepper sauce. The taikonauts explained that because there is almost no gravity in space, it is impossible to take a shower. Chinas interests in Africa Oniosun said the joint efforts are not necessarily because China and the rest are engaging to help Africa, theyre doing so because they get economic, social and cultural capital in return. China controls more satellites than any country except the U.S. A 2020 Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies working paper said Chinas remote sensing satellite networks in Africa help to support its Belt and Road (BRI) development program. Linking partner states is one of the uses for cooperation in space, it said. At an event in Addis Ababa, the head of Chinas mission to the AU, Hu Changchun, said space was an important part of President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative. Its goal is to quickly build big projects in developing countries for roads, bridges, ports, railways and similar structures. Hu said that under the guidance of the Belt and Road Initiativespace cooperation has become a highlight of China-Africa cooperation. Africas interests in space Oniosun said the African space economy in 2021 was valued at about $19.5 billion. He said it is predicted to grow by 16 percent in the next four years. As of 2022, 13 African countries have 48 satellites. Six of them were built by China and one was built by the U.S. Experts say satellite communication is extremely important to communication in Africa. China launched Nigerias first communications satellite in 2007 and, in 2011, its second. China also launched Algerias first communication satellite in 2017. Experts say Tunisia became home to the first ground receiving station outside of China for its Beidou Satellite Navigation System in 2018. China also helped Ethiopia and Sudan launch their first satellites in 2019. More than 20 African countries now have space programs. The recent AU-China astronaut event was meant to build excitement among African youth said Julie Klinger. She is an assistant professor at the University of Delaware who spoke to VOA. Klinger said African nations are not interested in competing in a space race, military use or even human spaceflight. They are more interested in space for socio-economic development. Klinger added that climate change and environmental observation and disaster control measures are all important parts of China-Africa space cooperation. However, Klinger said China has to enter competitive bidding for space technology contracts with African governments. Honestly, they dont always win, the majority of satellite activity in particular in Africa is funded by African governments, she said. Most of the contracts are won by France. China is second. And the U.S. is fourth. The students who took part in the question-and-answer talk with the taikonauts might not be concerned about which countries African nations partner with. But some of them may one day become astronauts going to space themselves. Im Caty Weaver. Kate Bartlett reported this story for VOANEWS. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. ___________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story reflection n. something that shows the qualities, effects or existence of something else collaboration n. the act of working jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual effort tourism n. the practice of traveling for recreation saute v. to fry (food, such as small pieces of meat or vegetables) in a small amount of fat shower n. a bath in which water is showered on the body engagev. to take part in or cause to take part in something capital n. money and property remote adj. being, relating to, or involving a means of doing or using something indirectly or from a distance bidding n. an opportunity to make an offer to buy something or to provide a service for money fund v. to pay for something, to support with money __________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. A French power producer expects to its hydrogen energy power station in Namibia to produce electricity by 2024. A top company official for HDF Energy announced the plan for the southern African country recently. The hydrogen power plant in Namibia would be Africas first. The Swakopmund project is expected to cost about $181 million. Once operational, the company said, it will supply electrical power, 24 hours a day, throughout the year. It will increase the electricity supply to Namibia, which imports 40 percent of its power from neighboring South Africa. Namibia is one of the worlds sunniest and least densely populated countries. It wants to be able to use its great potential for solar and wind energy to produce green hydrogen power. And Namibia wants to become a renewable energy center in Africa. Hydrogen power is considered green when it is made with renewable power. And it is seen as an important way to reduce carbon-based fuels in the energy industry. However, the technology remains untried and costlier than other forms of power. The project will use solar panels able to produce 85 megawatts (MW) of electricity. They will power electrolyzers that produce hydrogen, which can be stored. Electrolyzers produce hydrogen by using electricity to separate hydrogen from oxygen in water. Nicolas Lecomte is HDF Energy director for southern Africa. He said, "Yearly we can produce 142 gigawatt hours, enough for 142,000 inhabitants and that is conservative." HDF Energy is also considering new projects across Africa and in other parts of the world. Lecomte told Reuters, "Soon after southern Africa, you will see HDF developing projects in east Africa. Another company is in talks with Namibias government to secure an agreement for a planned hydrogen project. Hyphen Hydrogen Energy is registered in Namibia. It is proposing a $10 billion project to produce 350,000 tons of green hydrogen a year before 2030. It will be for markets near Namibia and around the world. European Union investment European Union and Namibian officials said the EU also plans a deal with the country to support its green hydrogen industry. European nations are trying to reduce their dependence on Russian energy. The German government has already agreed to invest $41.8 million in Namibias green hydrogen plan. And Belgian and Dutch companies are also operating in the country in that field. Obeth Kandjoze is director-general of Namibias National Planning Commission. He said direct EU financial support was likely to be limited, but a financial deal could bring in other investors. Im Caty Weaver. Gregory Stachel wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Reuters. ___________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story potential n. a chance or possibility that something will happen or exist in the future megawatt n. a unit of electrical power equal to one million watts solar panel n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity gigawatt v. a unit of electrical power equal to one billion watts inhabitant n. a person or animal that lives in a particular place ___________________________________________________________________ What do you think of Sogavares actions? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. The American space agency NASA is making final preparations to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid in the worlds first planetary defense test. The mission is called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART. The DART spacecraft launched on its trip to the asteroid last November. On September 26, it will aim to strike the asteroid to see how the crash affects the space objects path. The test is designed to demonstrate a possible method for changing the direction of asteroids considered threats to Earth. The missions target will be an asteroid called Dimorphos, which is part of a two-body asteroid system. Dimorphos is a small moonlet that orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos. Didymos is about 780 meters across, while Dimorphos is 160 meters. The asteroid system does not present any danger to Earth. But NASA says it is being targeted as a more effective way to test the crash method instead of striking a single asteroid flying through space. The goal of the DART mission is to see how the spacecraft crash will re-direct the asteroids path and speed. The crash will happen about 11 million kilometers from Earth. Currently, Dimorphos completes one orbit around Didymos every 11 hours and 55 minutes. The separation between the centers of the two asteroids is 1.18 kilometers. The DART spacecraft will aim to hit Dimorphos nearly head-on. When this happens, it will shorten the time it takes the small asteroid moonlet to orbit Didymos by several minutes, NASA explains. Telescopes on Earth will measure the change in the orbital period. NASA engineers have said they are hoping for a change of at least 73 seconds for the mission to be considered a success. Earlier this month, NASA announced the DART spacecraft had gotten its first look at the asteroid system. A series of images were taken July 27 by an imaging instrument on the spacecraft. The images showed light given off by the Didymos system. NASA said at the time the images were captured, the spacecraft was about 32 million kilometers away from the two asteroids. This made it difficult to see much of the Didymos system. But after the pictures were combined and examined, the team was able to improve the image quality and identify its location. Elena Adams is the DART mission systems engineer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. She said, This first set of images is being used as a test to prove our imaging techniques. Adams added that the imaging instrument is what will guide the DART spacecraft to its asteroid target. In the final hours before the crash, the spacecraft will need to see and process images of the asteroid system as it travels by itself to the target without human involvement, NASA said. The DART operation will be captured in images taken by a CubeSat. CubeSats are small research spacecraft also known as nanosatellites. The 14-kilogram CubeSat that will capture the images is called LICIACube. It is a project of the Italian Space Agency. It was designed and built by the Italian space engineering company Argotec. LICIACube is set to be deployed from the spacecraft about 10 days before the crash. LICIACube is equipped with two separate cameras. They are designed to collect scientific data and inform the CubeSats self-guiding system. The cameras will continually capture the asteroid crash as well as the resulting effects of the operation. Elisabetta Dotto is a member of the LICIACube scientific team at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome. She said in a statement that she and other scientists are eager to receive and examine the images captured by the CubeSat. It will be so exciting to study, for the first time, the nature and structure of such weird objects as binary [near-Earth asteroids]. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from NASA and The Associated Press. Quiz - NASA Makes Final Preparations to Crash Spacecraft into Asteroid Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ____________________________________________________ Words in This Story asteroid n. a rocky object that goes around the sun like a planet mission n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task location n. the place where something happens technique n. a method eager adj. wanting to do something very much weird adj. very unusual or strange binary adj. relating to two things ________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: For 40 years, Louise Kwang believed her biological parents were dead. She had been adopted from South Korea in 1976 by a couple from Denmark. Kwang was told she had been found alone on the streets of the South Korean city of Busan as a baby. That is what she had always been told about her early life. But that understanding of her identity collapsed in 2016. The South Korean agency that processed her adoption admitted it had lied about Kwang. It said the story she was told was created to increase her chances of getting adopted. Kwang received a letter from a social worker at the Korea Social Service (KSS). The social worker provided the true story. The agency, in fact, knew about Kwangs biological parents. There is no evidence that Kwang was ever in Busan, a city several hours by car from the countrys capital, Seoul. That is where her father was living in 1976, the year of Kwangs adoption. I was not an orphan. I have never been to Busan nor at the orphanage in Busan, Kwang said recently at a news conference in Seoul. This was all a lie. A lie made up for adoption procedure. I have been made non-existent in Korea, to get me out of Korea as fast as possible. Adoptees suspect documents made up About 300 South Korean adoptees in Europe and the United States are calling for South Koreas government to investigate their adoption. The adoptees suspect their adoption procedures were based on falsified documents. Their effort marks a deepening divide between the worlds largest population of adoptees and their birth nation. The effort also comes years after the Korean children were carelessly removed from their families, a practice that was at its highest in the 1980s. The Denmark-based group representing the adoptees presented a letter this week to the office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. In the letter, the group urged him to prevent agencies from destroying records or punishing adoptees seeking information about their past. Seouls Truth and Reconciliation Commission has received 283 applications from adoptees so far. The applications describe numerous complaints about lost or false biological stories. Some adoptees say they discovered the adoption agencies changed their identities to replace other children who died, were too sick to travel, or were retaken by their Korean family before they could be sent to Western adopters. Adoptees note that such findings deepen their sense of loss. Peter Mller is a lawyer and co-founder of the Danish Korean Rights Group. He said he also plans to take legal action against two Seoul-based agencies Holt Childrens Services and KSS over their unwillingness to fully open their records to adoptees. The agencies often note privacy issues related to birth parents to explain the restricted access to records. But Mller accuses them of inventing excuses to avoid questions about their methods. Last month, his group first filed applications from 51 Danish adoptees calling for the commission to investigate their adoptions. The move received intense attention from Korean adoptees around the world, leading the group to expand its campaign to adoptees outside of Denmark. The 232 additional applications received so far included 165 cases from Denmark, 36 cases from the United States, and 31 cases combined from Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany. The commission must decide in three or four months whether to open an investigation into the applications filed by adoptees. If it does, that could possibly lead to the most far-reaching investigation into foreign adoptions in the country. Holt did not immediately answer calls for comment. Choon Hee Kim, an adoption worker who has been with the KSS since the 1970s, said the agency is willing to discuss issues surrounding its adoptions with adoptees individually but not with the media. Adoption said to be used to deepen ties with West About 200,000 South Koreans were adopted overseas during in past 60 years, mainly to white parents in the United States and Europe and mostly during the 1970s and 1980s. South Koreas then-military leaders saw adoptions as a way to reduce the number of people to feed. They also saw adoption as a way to solve the problem of unmarried mothers and to deepen ties with the democratic West. Most of the South Korean adoptees sent overseas were registered by agencies as legal orphans found abandoned on the streets. Many of the adoptees, however, often had family members who could be easily identified or found. Special laws aimed at promoting foreign adoptions permitted private agencies to avoid usual child relinquishment steps. To relinquish means to give possession of something to another person or group. These laws let the agencies more easily export huge numbers of children to the West year after year. It was not until 2013 that South Koreas government required foreign adoptions to go through family courts. That ended the long-standing policy that permitted adoption agencies to dictate when children are considered released from their families. Im Ashley Thompson. And Im Caty Weaver. The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story couple - n. two people who are married or who have a romantic or sexual relationship process - v. to deal with (something, such as an official document or request) by using a particular method or system application - n. a formal and usually written request for something (such as a job, admission to a school, a loan, etc.) orphan - n. a child whose parents are dead access - n. a way of being able to use, enter, or get near (something) procedure - n. a series of actions that are done in a certain way or order : an established or accepted way of doing something _____________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 1. Write your comment in the box. 2. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 3. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. The number of students going to college in the U.S. has dropped by over one million since the spring of 2020. At that time, COVID-19 restrictions began going into effect everywhere in the U.S. In addition, a number of U.S. states are finding they have fewer college-age young people than in the past. Maine, a state in the northeastern U.S., next to Canada, is one of those states. A decreasing number of young people and the effects of COVID-19 measures make it difficult for large state universities to keep up their student numbers. But, while universities in some states are having trouble bringing in new students, the University of Maine, in the city of Orono, is not. This is the case although Maine is far away from most other states and has 10 percent fewer state high school graduates than 10 years ago. During a time when fewer Americans are going to college, the University of Maine has been able to increase its number of undergraduate students by five percent. Why? A recent story in the publication Hechinger Report said the University of Maine is ahead of other states in recruiting and retention measures. The state is reducing the universitys cost of attendance for students who come from other states and Canada. Because of scholarships and other financial aid, many students can go to Maine for the same price as a large university in their own state. For example, the University of Maine is advertising in nearby Massachusetts. The ads say: Go to the University of Maine for the in-state cost of UMass. UMass stands for the University of Massachusetts. The university has about 12,000 students. While that seems like a lot, it is not nearly as many as big schools like Ohio State University, which has about 60,000. As a result, the school is trying to make a strong connection with both current and prospective students. University leaders say they are trying to get to know all students who visit even those who decide to go elsewhere. Chris Richards is vice president of enrollment management. He said the school needs help from everyone to recruit the next class of students, not just the people who work in the admissions office. That was the old way. That model, he said, isnt going to work anymore. One part of the new way is for university professors and researchers to make presentations about their work at nearby high schools. Another is to make visitors feel welcome. Richards described helping someone who seemed new to the school grounds find their way. People want that, Richards said. Em Jeffrey is a new student from the nearby state of New Hampshire. She said she noticed the difference between visiting Maine and visiting other schools. I definitely felt more welcomed. None of it felt forced, she said. Jerome Lucido studies college enrollment at the University of Southern Californias school of education. He said the University of Maine is on the right path. I do think there are lessons to be learned from whats going on in Maine right now, he said. Richards said his university recognized the problem about 10 years ago when the number of high school students in Maine started to fall. At one point, 80 percent of the universitys students came from Maine. Now about 40 percent come from other states. In addition, there are over 450 international students in a degree program at the University of Maine. Other international students are in the schools program for English learners. Orlina Boteva is the director of international programs. She grew up in Bulgaria and came to study at the University of Maine. She completed postgraduate degrees there and has been working with international students since 2009. She said international students who are interested in the University of Maine will have to pay a similar cost compared to students coming from other states in the U.S. But the university does offer scholarships from $5,000 up to $20,000. In addition, the university offers teaching assistant positions for graduate students. Boteva said her department does not do anything different from other schools in the northeastern U.S. to bring in international students. However, she said the universitys goal of connecting with students extends to those from outside of the U.S. University officials travel to other countries to find students and meet their families. They even made some visits last year when other universities were not sending their representatives abroad. The university also tries to make sure international students feel cared for when they come to Maine. Our population is small enough that we get to know our students. They have a really excellent experience on campusSo that experience really translates into a very high rating of the student experience on campus as an international student. As a former international student herself, Boteva said, she deeply cares about the experience students from other countries have while in Maine. She also wants students to know that it is possible to find out how to get a work visa and stay in the U.S. after finishing a study program. Boteva said the school is also paying attention to students who come from countries with economic problems. The U.S. dollar is much stronger today than it was a year ago. That means it is more costly to go to an American school. Boteva said the school will work with students who are already there but may be having trouble paying. In addition, the University of Maine just announced that it will change the cost of going to school for students who come from a country like Ukraine, which is affected by war. They will now pay the same amount as students who come from Maine. That represents a big savings. This is really the first time that we as an institution are looking at what is our mission, as an institution to support displaced students by war. She said the school is thinking about how it can help students find a pathway to education if their countries become destabilized. This year, there are eight students from Ukraine attending the University of Maine. There is no guarantee the current ideas will keep working in the future. But, Richards said he believes the university will keep working to solve the problem of decreasing student numbers. He said the leaders of the university recognize the problem. The good thing for us, he said, is that our leadership hasnt existed in a vacuum of false reality. Im Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this report for Learning English based on a story by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Quiz - The University of Maine Shows How to Increase Its Student Population Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story recruit v. to find people qualified to join a group or organization retention n. the act of keeping someone in a job or at a school scholarship n. an amount of money that is given by a school, organization or individual to a student to pay for the students studies prospective adj. possibly becoming something in the future enrollment n. the act of becoming a member or participant in something postgraduate adj. relating to school work done after receiving a college degree mission n. a task or job given to someone destabilized adj. to be affected in such a way that carrying on normally cannot be continued exist in a vacuum idiom to exist in a state unaffected by other influences; completely set apart and independent _______________________________________________________________________ We want to hear from you. Would you think about going to school in Maine? We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: Write your comment in the box. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with D on it. It is free. Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here. * The successful experience of SCO is adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. * Xi's visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries. * China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration. BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping just concluded his two-nation trip on late Friday 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. In a packed three-day schedule, Xi intensively attended nearly 30 events, featuring multilateral and bilateral agendas, and covering security and development issues. There are many highlights and fruitful results, which have strongly pushed the SCO expansion a new step forward and brought China's relations with relevant countries to a new level. Global experts, scholars and officials have spoken highly of Xi's appeal for a closer SCO community with a shared future, as well as China's initiatives and its role in the SCO community and beyond, expecting the organization to boost stability and development across the Eurasian continent. OPEN NEW STAGE OF SCO DEVELOPMENT UNDER SHANGHAI SPIRIT Since its founding in 2001, the SCO, now with eight full members, four observer countries and multiple dialogue partners, has become not only a strong pillar of global peace and development, but also a major force for international equity and justice. 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. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) In his speech at the SCO summit on Friday, Xi summarized the successful experience of the organization, namely, adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. These five points fully embody the Shanghai Spirit -- mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, he said. "We owe SCO's remarkable success to the Shanghai Spirit. And we will continue to follow its guidance as we forge ahead," Xi said. Gulru Gezer, a Turkish foreign policy advisor and former diplomat, views the Shanghai Spirit as "an example for a newer way of cooperation," which is especially important when "the world needs new patterns of relationships" in a multilateral era. As the globe is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and a new phase of uncertainty and transformation, the Shanghai Spirit could be "instrumental in building bridges between the nations and continents, fostering economic integration of the regions, and mitigating many regional and global challenges," said B. R. Deepak, chairperson of the Center for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. Under the joint efforts of Xi and the other leaders, the summit adopted more than 40 documents covering such areas as economy, finance, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges, institution building and external interactions. It 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. Of special note is that an increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family. At the summit, Iran officially became a full SCO member. China and other SCO members also started the procedure for Belarus' accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, and reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, director of the Islamabad-based Centre of South Asia and International Studies, believes that the SCO's principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party has won the hearts of many countries; and that its modern visions on politics, security, economy, and human society are pretty attractive to countries in the region and beyond. WRITE NEW CHAPTER OF CHINA-KAZAKHSTAN, CHINA-UZBEKISTAN FRIENDSHIP Back in 2013, during his Central Asia tour, Xi first put forward the Silk Road Economic Belt, a component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Kazakhstan, and made a special visit to Uzbekistan's Samarkand. The Silk Road Economic Belt has since closely connected China with the two Central Asian countries. The wind farm, with 40 wind turbines and a combined capacity of 100 megawatts, is jointly-held by China Power International Holding and Visor Kazakhstan. (Photo by Dmitry Vasilenko/Xinhua) This time, Xi paid visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which clearly reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries, as well as the close friendship and deep trust between the heads of state. During formal talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi said that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan in firmly supporting each other's development and rejuvenation, and that 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. When talking with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Xi pointed out that China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits. China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, and deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit, he said. Xi received the Order of the Golden Eagle awarded by Tokayev, and the first Order of Friendship conferred by Mirziyoyev, and signed and issued joint statements respectively with the two colleagues, comprehensively summarizing the achievements and experience accumulated during the past 30 years of diplomatic relations and drawing a blueprint for future development. Xi's visit demonstrates "the important role that Kazakhstan plays in China's foreign policy," said Gulnar Shaimergenova, director of Kazakhstan's China Studies Center, who expects the "very significant diplomatic event" to add strong impetus to the further deepening of bilateral relations. "I believe that the visit of the leader of China will be productive for the further development of bilateral relations in all areas," said former SCO Secretary-General Bolat Nurgaliyev. Azamat Seitov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan, observed that cooperation between Uzbekistan and China in investment and technology is booming, which will accelerate technological modernization and diversification of the Uzbek economy, and enhance the country's export potential. INJECT POSITIVITY INTO EURASIA'S PEACE, DEVELOPMENT In Samarkand, Xi attended bilateral meetings with 10 leaders participating in the SCO summit, and the meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia. The events play an important role in guiding the development of bilateral relations and boosting regional peace and stability. These diplomatic efforts have shown "China is willing to work with the SCO community to deepen cooperation in law enforcement, security and defense, and combatting drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and terrorism," among other fields, said Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh. Guests visit the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) International Investment and Trade Expo in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) As a positive force in the SCO, China-proposed initiatives "such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative are essential to reinforce multilateralism, international cooperation and solidarity to address global challenges and concerns for common interests," he added. In the past years, the SCO has unleashed enormous development opportunities for the region and the wider world by building up connectivity under the Belt and Road framework, advancing synergy between the initiative and development plans of regional countries. Since 2001, the combined economic size of the SCO countries has risen around 13-fold. These years, China and other member states have been using the SCO as a platform to promote the synergy between the China-proposed BRI and development strategies of other countries, said Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Turkish Center of Asia Pacific Studies. "Today, thanks to the efforts of the SCO, member countries' borders are safer and more secure, and their economies are more integrated." Calling the SCO "a role model for other regional organizations," Colakoglu said: "as one of the founding members of the SCO, China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration." In a highly interconnected world where non-traditional threats are more challenging, countries can promote peace and preserve the gains of development only through common development and cooperation, said Pramod Jaiswal, research director of Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement. Therefore, China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind is peculiarly worth appreciation, Jaiswal observed, adding that he believes China has been playing a crucial role and will encourage more participation in the cause. The climate-related stories in the Sept. 10 State Journal -- Study: Earth nearing four major tipping points and Weather extremes take toll on West -- strengthen my view that climate change deniers such as U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, shouldnt hold public office. Politicians such as Johnson, who call climate change bulls--t, urge expanded fossil fuel production and consistently oppose climate action legislation, are putting Earths future habitability at great risk. We are on a path to leave our descendants a world wracked by severe droughts, wildfires, massive floods, extreme heat and storms, widespread disease, food and water shortages, coastal cities submerged by rising seas, billions of climate migrants and governments bankrupted by the cost of these calamities. If we do that, they wont care which bathroom a transgender women should use or what schools teach about race in American history (among Johnsons top concerns). In U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes we have a talented leader who, in chairing the Governors Task Force on Climate Change, brokered agreement among businesses, farmers, environmental groups, utilities, local governments, Indian tribes and regulators on a comprehensive climate action plan. If elected to the Senate, hell bring his deep knowledge of the issue and his leadership abilities to the urgent task of saving us from climate catastrophe. Howard Landsman, Madison A review of gubernatorial candidate Ammon Bundys campaign finance report shows he paid $4,000 in campaign donations to the law firm that represented him in a criminal case. The payment, made Aug. 8 to Idaho Injury Law Group on Franklin Road in Boise, is part of the public report on the Secretary of States website. Attorney Seth Diviney, who represented Bundy in the pending criminal case until Wednesday, works at the law firm. It isnt clear what the payment was for; the finance report listed the $4,000 payment to the firm as a general operational expense. Bundys criminal trespassing charge stems from an incident when prosecutors claim he refused to leave the property outside St. Lukes Meridian Medical Center on March 12. In the incident, he is charged on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing. During a Wednesday hearing in that case, Diviney withdrew his counsel. Mr. Bundy wishes my firm no longer represent him, Diviney told Ada County Magistrate Judge Annie McDevitt in the virtual hearing. McDevitt granted Divineys motion to withdraw and set a status conference for Sept. 29. Bundy told the judge that he may hire new counsel. Idaho Reports called Divineys office twice on Wednesday afternoon and left a message but received no response. Idaho Reports also called and emailed the Bundy campaign but did not receive a response as of Thursday morning. Idaho law states that campaign donations may not be converted for personal use, meaning a contribution shall be considered to be converted to personal use if the contribution is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidates election campaign or individuals duties as a holder of public office. Chief Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck said he was unaware of any complaints made about the payment. If a complaint is filed we would try and understand. Is it coincidental? Could it be using the same attorney for something relating to the campaign? said Houck. You can expense anything during a campaign that is pertinent to the campaign or the process of campaigning. It is unclear if Divineys office did any work for Bundy outside of the criminal case. Should a complaint be filed, it would be investigated by the Secretary of State and referred to the Attorney Generals Office. Bundy, the Ammon Bundy for Governor political campaign, and supporters are also being sued by St. Lukes Health System, though Diviney is not representing Bundy or his campaign in that civil case. The health care system claims the defendants made false statements against the hospital and led protests that resulted in a temporary lockdown at one facility. The lockdown resulted in ambulances being diverted to other hospitals. It also alleges the defendants disparaged St. Lukes, its CEO Chris Roth, and a St. Lukes physician and nurse practitioner. Neither Bundy nor the Ammon Bundy for Governor campaign have participated in the litigation with St. Lukes. He has not appeared at any of the civil hearings. The next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. St. Lukes attorney Erik Stidham, of Holland and Hart LLP, confirmed with Idaho Reports on Wednesday that Bundy had not named a legal representative in the civil case. On Sept. 7, Bundy issued a 38-minute explanation on his campaign Facebook page saying is aware of the lawsuit and knowingly is not participating. Everything I said I believed, Bundy said in the video. Everything I said I believe, still today, to be absolutely accurate and true. He said he believed his campaign for governor was more important than fighting the lawsuit. Last week, a district judge sanctioned Bundy for his failure to participate and ordered he sit for a deposition in the case. One closed complaint A public record request filed Wednesday with the Secretary of States Office found the Bundy campaign did receive one complaint regarding campaign finances, but it was unrelated to the payment to the law firm. The complaint, filed Jan. 20 by Sarah Richards, alleged that Bundys campaign did not report crypto donations. That complaint is now closed. Houck said it was not a clear violation of Idaho law. The Attorney Generals spokesman Scott Graf said Thursday that his office did not receive a referral regarding the complaint. TWIN FALLS About 50 members of the Twin Falls Class of 1966 gathered at the Vietnam Memorial in City Park on Saturday to pay their respects to the Twin Falls County men who lost their lives in the war. The event was part of the 56-year reunion of the what they say is largest graduating class in Twin Falls history, and marks the seventh reunion the group has had since graduation. On Monday, Sept 12, Mayor Ruth Pierce signed a proclamation recognizing September 12-19 as The Class of 1966 Week. Let it be known that we celebrate this patriotic high school class who value the public-school education they received and continue to give back their high school today, reads the proclamation. Over the years, the class has donated substantially to the high school and community in the form of scholarships, education programming funding, and physical improvements to the grounds of Twin Falls High School. They were responsible for replacing the chain-link fencing around the parking lot boundary with the blue pipe that is there now. They also designed and paid for the Vietnam War Memorial in the entrance to the high school to honor its alumni who were killed in the war. According to reunion coordinator Jim Mottern, 23% of the Class of 66 served in the armed forces during the Vietnam War, and two classmates died there. Not all of us went to Vietnam, Mottern said. I did, and about five or six of the other guys were in the country also. To honor the memory of all who served, the Class of 66 previously donated a memorial to Twin Falls High School honoring the seven graduates of the school from all graduating classes who died in Vietnam. All that, for us, happened to pull us together, Mottern said. Class of '66 prepares Vietnam War Veterans Memorial for upcoming reunion It's been up to volunteers to contribute time, attention and care to keeping the memorial and flowerbeds in shape since 1967 Tech platforms are notoriously opaque, the White House complained last week, saying Americans deserve to know more about how online forums decide when and how to remove content from their sites. Yet the Biden administration, which routinely pressures social media companies to suppress speech it does not like, is hardly a model of transparency in this area. In a lawsuit they filed last May, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt argue that the administrations Orwellian crusade against misinformation violates the First Amendment. They are trying to find out more about this vast Censorship Enterprise across a multitude of federal agencies, and the administration is fighting them every step of the way. So far, Landry and Schmitt have identified 45 federal officials who communicate with social media platforms about curtailing misinformation. Emails obtained during discovery show those platforms are desperate to comply with the governments demands for speech restrictions, including the removal of specific messages and accounts. On July 16, 2021, President Joe Biden accused Facebook of killing people by failing to suppress misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. That same day, a senior executive at the platforms parent company emailed Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in an effort to assuage the presidents anger. Reaching out after what has transpired over the past few days following the publication of the misinformation advisory, and culminating today in the Presidents remarks about us, the Meta executive wrote. I know our teams met today to better understand the scope of what the White House expects from us on misinformation going forward. Murthy had just published an advisory in which he urged a whole-of-society effort, possibly including legal and regulatory measures, to combat the urgent threat to public health posed by health misinformation. Bidens homicide charge came the next day, and Meta was keen to address the presidents concerns by cracking down on speech that offended him. Shortly afterward, Landry and Schmitt report, the same executive sent Murthy a text message. Its not great to be accused of killing people, he said, adding that he was keen to find a way to deescalate and work together collaboratively. And so he did. Thanks again for taking the time to meet earlier today, the Meta executive said in a July 23, 2021, email to the Department of Health and Human Services. 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. The executive bragged that Meta had deleted objectionable pages, groups and Instagram accounts, taken steps to make several pages and profiles more difficult to find on our platform and expanded the group of false claims that we remove. Other messages show that Twitter was equally eager to fall in line. Social media companies have a First Amendment right to exercise editorial discretion. But thats not what is really happening when their decisions are shaped by implicit or explicit threats from the government. The White House mentioned a few of those threats last week: antitrust legislation, privacy regulation and fundamental reforms to the law that shields platforms from liability for content posted by users. Given the broad powers that the federal government has to make life difficult for social media companies, the administrations asks for stricter moderation are tantamount to commands. Federal officials expect obsequious compliance, and that is what they get. This largely surreptitious exercise in censorship by proxy, practiced by an administration that preaches transparency while practicing opacity, is especially troubling because it targets not only demonstrably false claims but also speech that the government considers misleading or contrary to the prevailing consensus. Whether the subject is the origins of COVID-19, the effectiveness of face masks or the newsworthiness of Hunter Bidens laptop, that consensus often proves to be wrong. Both publicly and behind the scenes, federal officials are subverting the free inquiry and open debate required to reveal those errors. Just like you, Ive occasionally seen the bumper sticker that says If youve eaten today, thank a farmer. Im guessing that ranchers can be safely included in this sentiment, since ranchers also produce food, but I suspect that if you call a rancher a farmer, he might have a cow. But I fear that the bulk of us, living, as we do, rather high on the hog, fail to appreciate the difference. Of the two occupations, ranchers seem to always get the better PR. Perhaps a sweaty cowboy in the saddle looks more appealing to moviegoers than a sweaty farmer in a tractor. Agriculturists would probably view this as dressing up a pig. When it comes to cowboys, I dont want to let the cat out of the bag, but it seems like women seem to get some ants in their pants whenever a hunky cowboy arrives on a movie screen, which, on a date, can quickly become the elephant in the room. If I was a farmer, just thinking about the unfairness of it all would certainly get my goat. So, sure, we all depend on farmers, but that doesnt mean teen girls put posters of Pa Kettle up in their bedrooms. Farming, by definition, is a hard row to hoe. Its true that modern farmers use computers and GPS systems to monitor their crops, which enables them to avoid the trap of counting their chickens before they hatch. Nevertheless, despite watching the weather like a hawk, seed prices or irrigation water cutbacks can make any growing season go to the dogs, which would make any farmer mad as a hornet. But getting back to movie studios and the films they produce, these days cowboys are definitely back in the saddle. How else to explain mega-hits like The Power of the Dog? Its no mystery. Studios spend a lot of time researching what we want to see. Getting their information straight from the horses mouth enables the studios to keep bringing home the bacon to their stockholders. And cowboy movies are right at the top of the anthill. But dont misunderstand me, Marvel fans. Not all cowboy movies involve Remington rifles and pushing up daisies. Han Solo is a cowboy. So is the Mandalorian. Its a genre thats as stubborn as a mule to plow under, and that means Hollywood will be making movies about cowboyswhether theyre dust junkies or space racersuntil the cows come home. Watching all those sweaty cowboys and intergalactic shoot-em-ups makes us as happy as a pig in mud. I dont want to keep beating a dead horse here, though thats exactly what the movie studios and streaming services do. Give us cowboys, from Endor to Wyoming, and were buying tickets and auto-debiting our streaming services with as much thought as a chicken with its head cut off. But tech has its limits, which is why Han Solo will never really replace the Lone Ranger. As a rule, its cheaper for Hollywood to visit Lonesome Dove than a galaxy far, far away, and gun battles on western movie sets cost considerably less than firing all phasers on the Klingons. So if you make too many of those high-tech epics, your movie studio runs the risk of having bought the farm. And when those profits drop, the chickens will come home to roost, and you, the studio head, will be escorted out of the building like a lamb to slaughter. As a result, movie makers will always be as stubborn as a mule to look their cowboys gift horse in the mouth, just to make sure the costs dont outrace the profits. And thats why you and I will be seeing those cowboy movies, in one form or another, for the rest of our lives. Well, I could talk the hind leg off a donkey on this subject, but in conclusion I just want to say that its the farmers who are getting a bad deal in all of this. Theyre the ones out sowing their wild oats. Will they ever get the respect that those dusty cowboys get? Sure they will. When pigs fly. For generations, workers have been punished by corporate bosses for watching the clock. But now, the corporate clock is watching workers! They count this as progress. Called digital productivity monitoring, its an integrated computer system including a real-time clock, camera, keyboard tracker and algorithms to provide a second-by-second record of what each employee is doing. Jeff Bezos, boss of Amazon, pioneered use of this ticking electronic eye in his monstrous warehouses, forcing hapless, low-paid pickers to sprint down cavernous stacks of consumer stuff to fill online orders, pronto beat the clock, or be fired. Terrific policy! exclaimed taskmasters at hospital chains, banks, tech giants, newspapers, colleges and other outfits employing millions of midlevel professionals. So, theyve been installing these unblinking digital snoops to watch their employees, even timing bathroom breaks and constantly eyeing each workers job performance. New software with such Orwellian names as WorkSmart and Time Doctor has been plugged in to count workers keystrokes and every 10 minutes to snap pictures of workers faces and screens, recording all on individual scoreboards. You are paid only for the minutes the computers see you in action. Bosses hail the electronic minders as Fitbits of productivity, spurring workers to keep noses to the grindstone, and instilling workplace honesty. Only... the whole scheme is dishonest. No employees worthiness can be measured in keystrokes and 10-minute snapshots! What about thinking, conferring with colleagues, listening to customers, etc.? Nope zero productivity points are awarded for that work. For example, The New York Times reports that the multibillion-dollar United Health Group marks its drug-addiction therapists idle if they are conversing offline with patients, leaving their keyboards inactive. Employees mostly call this digital management demoralizing, toxic and just wrong. But corporate investors are pouring billions into it. Which group do you trust to shape Americas workplace? What makes a newspaper great? Many say its having fearless, street-savvy reporters. Some say its having owners and top editors with the integrity to shine the light of investigative journalism on the power structures avarice and abuses. But, no, says Fred Ryan, top executive of The Washington Post. The secret to greatness, he barks to the Posts journalists, is attendance. A right-wing political functionary, Ryan was handpicked to be CEO of the legendary paper by Jeff Bezos in 2014, when the Amazon billionaire bought the Post. But under Ryans stewardship, readership is in decline, which the former staff director for Ronald Reagan blames on sluggards who dont spend enough time in the newsroom. So, hes become the hall monitor, keeping tabs each morning on which reporters come to the office, measuring their productivity by attendance. Having only been a corporate bean counter, never a journalist, Fred seems unaware that a good reporters real work is out on the beat, not sitting in front of a computer. No doubt he wouldve fired Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein for being out of the office so often to meet with Deep Throat to uncover Nixons Watergate scandal. In fairness, though, he apparently has a two-part plan to boost team spirit: (1) Eliminate 100 reporters, and (2) judge the output of the remaining staff by counting the number of video conferences they attend each week. But thats hardly the totality of Ryans journalistic innovations. The big news is that, to boost readership, hes hired not one, but two high-dollar public relations firms to create a cutting-edge branding strategy and advertising campaign for the Post. Already theyve come up with a spiffy new corporate slogan: We dont just break news. We break ground. Wow how great is that? (Never mind that some wags have changed the second line to, We break wind). When overpaid corporate boneheads like Ryan substitute slogans and computer metrics for real solutions, theyre admitting that they are the problem; they simply dont know how to motivate and manage a creative workforce. They should resign in shame. One Martinsville schoolroom is a little safer thanks to the installation of a special protective window film. On Tuesday, a crew from Clear Defense Window Film of Virginia arrived and installed the protection in one of the classrooms at Martinsville Middle School. The film is an 8-millimeter, multi-laminated plastic security laminate made of special acrylic adhesives, wrote Callie Hietala by email, the school systems communications and community outreach coordinator. It is designed to absorb and disperse impact, making it much more difficult for an intruder to enter a building or classroom via the window. Director of School Safety Compliance T.J. Slaughter wrote that the room was selected to be the first, because it presented issues that made it more vulnerable than others. The security window film that we had installed is just another layer of protection that we put in place on one of our classrooms that we had safety concerns for, wrote Slaughter by email. The film is designed to hold the glass in place if struck and delay entry in the case of an attacker. Hietala wrote that the coating was designed to first absorb the impact and then safely dispersing it. This is just one of the innovative measures and layers of security (which also include window armor, our gunshot detection system, and panic buttons) here at MCPS that operate in the background to help keep our students and staff safe without detracting or distracting from the comfort of the learning environment, Hietala wrote. Clear Defense Window Film of Virginia is based out of Roanoke and uses Llumar Magnum safety and security film. The company says on its website that the Llumar film provides an optically clear yet powerful barrier that helps hold glass in place should impact occur. Danger from windborne debris, seismic tremors, and accidental impact can be greatly reduced. The company stated that the film was also ideally suited for use in high-traffic areas with windows or other surfaces vulnerable to smash-and-grab theft or vandalism. Wrote Slaughter: We are looking to add this product in other school buildings in the near future. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain 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. That's 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 studentsor those in grades 9 through 12sleep 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 laboratory's 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. 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 eveningbetween about 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., and wake up in the early morning, around 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sufficient sleep is key to teen health, but many things prevent adolescents from getting enough of it. 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 adultif an older adult feels the signals to fall asleep around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., this won't 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 sleepa 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 timewhen clocks are set one hour ahead in the springtime. This time shiftone that could become permanent in the U.S. in 2023exposes 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 eveningincluding the light emitted by screensis highly stimulating to the brain. It inhibits the production of natural signals such as melatonin, a hormone that is produced by the brain's 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. Explore further New video explains the science behind sleepy teens This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Like more than half of Missoula residents, Mark Gibbons and his wife Pam dont own their home and instead have sent a rent check to their landlord for the past 23 years. They love their nice little house near the University of Montana, where they raised their two sons. Pam works at a local grocery store and Mark is an author and teacher. He was named Montanas Poet Laureate in 2021. So, as they near retirement age, it came as a shock when they got a call from their landlord notifying them that they were being evicted from their home after nearly a quarter of a century. The family that owns their house has decided to take advantage of record-high prices and sell. A local Realtor estimated its going to be listed for nearly $700,000, far beyond their reach. So theyve had to scramble to find another place to rent in Missoula, where median home sales prices and rents have skyrocketed in the last decade. When youve lived in a place as long as Ive lived in this place, it becomes your place, Gibbons explained, gazing at the yard where his kids used to play. You become emotionally attached. Youve got all these stories, you raise your kids here. And so its like a death in a way, or a divorce, whatever you want to call it. Its an emotional journey to get out. His sons wondered if the whole family could pitch in to buy it, but there was just no way to do it on their incomes. For now, they've found a temporary place to stay, but it's much smaller. Moving out after nearly a quarter of a century has taken a toll on Gibbons and his wife. It affects people differently, he said. I know its just knocked my wife for a loop, you know, emotionally, and its bothered me but Ive stuffed it in and replaced it with anger. And I can get pretty angry if I want about the whole Goddamned thing. So I just need to get out, and get away. Time takes care of everything. The couple owned a home in Pablo at one point, but they never felt right about buying a home in Missoula. When they first moved in, they had what they felt was a pretty good deal on rent with the owner for about $800 a month. However, the owner eventually passed away and the house was put in the possession of a trust owned by his relatives. Over the years the rent kept getting slowly increased. Gibbons would always grumble a little bit but kept paying. Still, he was blindsided by news of the sale. Now, he regrets never buying a home of his own. He didn't think it would come to this. Im not an economic wizard, obviously, he admitted. But its just the lack of decent family-sized housing. So this summer, Gibbons has been exposed to the brutal real estate and rental markets in Missoula after 23 years. He was shocked at the prices he saw for even the smallest apartments. Luckily, a friend let him rent a condo. Now Gibbons commiserates with people like his neighbor, who is also getting evicted because the house is being sold. Its just a really bad time for renters, he said. My wife and I have resources and connections in the community because weve been here so long, but a lot of people dont. Its a shit show of a problem with all the gentrification and the Airbnb world and property taxes because of the massive houses. Housing prices have soared in western Montana since the start of the pandemic, and Missoula County saw record-breaking increases. The median home sales price was $315,250 for all of 2019. That number jumped to $575,000 in June of 2022, an unprecedented 82.5% increase. We realize the numbers are grim, exclaimed Mandy Snook, the president of the Missoula Organization of Realtors, in an April 2022 meeting about the housing market. And we are not happy about the direction that they are heading. There are not enough housing units for sale or rent. We are out of balance and in a crisis. In Ravalli County, the median home sales price went from $309,000 in 2019 to $682,500 in June of 2022, according to the Missoula Organization of Realtors. Thats a whopping 120.8% increase. The story was similar in Sanders, Mineral, Lake, Granite and Flathead counties, and in fact, for almost everywhere in Montana. Local real estate agents noticed an increase in out-of-state buyers, and data showed that the percentage of all-cash buyers increased during the pandemic. Brint Wahlberg, a Missoula Realtor, noted that all-cash purchases in Missoula County have increased from 17.74% of all financing methods in 2020 to 23.52% in 2022. Thats more than one out of every five home purchases, he said. Realtors who specialize in land and ranch sales reported having their busiest years ever. The surge in demand was coupled with a lack of supply because builders have not kept pace with the number of homes that should be getting constructed just to keep up with population increases, let alone a spike in interest from out-of-staters. Were in an under-supply of about 2,400 units, according to Karen Hughes, the assistant director of Missoula Countys community and planning department. At one point in 2017, there were nine single-family homes listed for sale when the Missoula Organization of Realtors estimated about 6,000 people were looking to buy one. Realtors have been astounded at bidding wars that have drastically put upward pressure on prices, shocking both buyers and sellers. Wages have also not kept up with rising home prices. The median family income in Missoula County has risen by just 15% since 2010, while the median home sales price has increased by 180% in that time. Rent prices also surged. In 2021, average rents increased 5.6% over the year, with increases accelerating in the second half of the year. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment stood at about $1,064 per month. The average vacancy rate for the year was about 1.3%. Most experts say a healthy vacancy rate is somewhere between 5% and 8%. This is the first year that Im seeing a two-bedroom apartment in a standard multiplex go for more than $1,000, explained Paul Burow, a local Realtor and property manager. He noted that in the first quarter of 2021, the rental vacancy rate was 1.2% and the number dropped to .9% at the end of the first quarter of 2022. Some efforts to ameliorate the situation have been successful, and others have failed. In Missoula, over 400 units of income-restricted apartments are under construction, including the largest single affordable housing complex in Montana history. However, experts say hundreds, if not thousands, more are needed over the next few years. In Whitefish, the city council banned tourist rental homes in large portions of the town as prices there push out workers. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte created an affordable housing taskforce in the summer of 2022 as a response to the crisis. However, Gianforte, a Republican, also vetoed a bill passed by the Republican-controlled state Legislature that would have created state Low Income Housing Tax Credits. In his veto message, Gianforte said HB 397 would cost $45 million and would have tied Montana credits directly to the level of available federal housing credits. "Considering current and ongoing federal funding for affordable housing development and rental assistance, HB 397 is unnecessary legislation that would have an unjustified long-term fiscal impact on the state," Gianforte said. The bill was supported by several nonprofits that build low-income housing in Montana. "Since 2016, the Montana Board of Housing has denied over $310 million in federal housing tax credit requests due to lack of funding, half of which were from Montanas small towns," wrote Homeword executive director Andrea Davis in an op-ed published in newspapers across the state in May of 2021. "Montana missed the opportunity to build 2,000 new affordable apartments and create 4,000 construction jobs with over $186 million in wages." In 2021, there were 14 applications (six from small towns) for the federal tax credits totaling $81 million in construction, Davis wrote. However, she said, only $29 million in federal tax credits were awarded, which was only enough to fund 115 to 130 affordable apartments. "Montanas continued economic recovery relies on a strong workforce," Davis wrote. "A strong workforce relies on homes that workers can afford to rent." Mosquitoes need to feed on blood in order to reproduce. But how do they choose whom to feed on? boonchai wedmakawand/Moment via GettyImages Its rare to attend an outdoor party in warm weather without hearing people complain about mosquitoes. They swat away, sit in campfire smoke, cover up with blankets and eventually just give up and go indoors. On the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of people who dont seem bothered by mosquitoes in the slightest. As a medical entomologist whos worked with mosquitoes for more than 40 years, Im often asked why some people seem to be mosquito magnets while others are oblivious to these blood-feeding pests buzzing all around them. Most mosquito species, along with a host of other arthropods including ticks, fleas, bedbugs, blackflies, horseflies and biting midges require the protein in blood to develop a batch of eggs. Only the female mosquito feeds on blood. Males feed on plant nectar, which they convert to energy for flight. Blood-feeding is an incredibly important part of the mosquitos reproductive cycle. Because of this, a tremendous amount of evolutionary pressure has been placed on female mosquitoes to identify potential sources of blood, quickly and efficiently get a full blood meal, and then stealthily depart the unlucky victim. If you check some, or all, of the mosquitos search boxes, then you may find that you are a mosquito magnet. This video by Deep Look explains some of the ways mosquitoes feed on blood. Sensing CO2 and scent signals Depending on when during the day they are active, mosquitoes use sight, sound and olfactory cues to identify a potential source of blood. Most night-active species rely on olfactory or receptor cues. The most important chemical cue is the carbon dioxide that all vertebrates, including humans, release with each breath and through their skin. Mosquitoes are very sensitive to CO2 and can sense a CO2 source that is many meters away. Receptor cells on the mosquitos antennae and legs bind CO2 molecules and send an electrical signal to the brain. When more molecules hit their receptors, the higher the CO2 concentration and the closer they are to the host. However, there are many nonliving carbon dioxide sources such as cars, boats, planes and trains. To separate living from nonliving sources of CO2, mosquitoes rely on the secondary olfactory cues that living animals produce. Metabolic processes like breathing and moving generate these scent cues, including lactic acid, ammonia and fatty acids that act as additional olfactory clues that help female mosquitoes zero in on their next blood meal. So, carbon dioxide production is the first mark of a mosquito magnet. Because the production of CO2 and secondary attractants is linked to metabolic rate, the higher the metabolic rate, the more attractants are produced. Metabolic rate can be genetically determined, but it also increases as the result of physical activity. The human mosquito magnets you can spot at summer parties may have a genetically high metabolic rate or may be more physically active than other attendees. They may also be undertaking other activities that increase their metabolic rate, such as the consumption of alcohol. Increased metabolic rate is why runners attract more mosquitoes during their cooldown stretching exercises. Pregnant women, perhaps due to their increased metabolic rate, attract a disproportionately large number of mosquitoes as well. This video by Business Insider explains some of the factors that can make a mosquito magnet. Natural body odors are also important cues used by mosquitoes to select a host. For example, some species of Anopheles mosquitoes are attracted to specific components of foot odor. These mosquitoes transmit human malaria and feed indoors in the middle of the night. By feeding on a sleeping persons feet, the mosquitoes avoid the head, where most of the CO2 is produced, and reduce the chance of waking the victim. Visual cues Mosquitoes active during the day and at dawn and dusk also use visual signals to identify a host. Mosquitoes usually fly close to the ground. From this vantage point they view their potential hosts against the horizon. Dark colors stand out and light colors blend in, so the way a person is dressed will determine the number of mosquitoes they attract. Wearing lighter colors may not just help keep you cool, but will help you evade a mosquitos notice. Mosquitoes can visually detect motion, again by contrasting a silhouette against the horizon. This is why people who walk near a saltmarsh in the middle of the day after a large emergence of saltmarsh mosquitoes are inundated by mosquitoes that visually detect their presence. Psychological factors There is also a psychological component to mosquito activity. Some people simply do not notice the mosquitoes around them. A single mosquito flying around some people will elicit a strong response youve probably seen someone go nuts trying to track down the droning sound of one mosquito in order to finish off the tiny bloodsucker. Other individuals are not bothered and do not notice the mosquitoes that are attracted to them, even when the insects are feasting on their blood. Some mosquitoes specialize on feeding on parts of the body that are difficult to see and difficult to swat. For example, Aedes aegypti is a mosquito species that prefers to feed on humans, mostly around the ankles. Whether or not youre a mosquito magnet, their bites feel just as itchy! Jonathan Day does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. The handsome black horse plucked a red flower from the sand, fumbled it in his velvety lips, then held it out to the woman in a matching red dress. No, it wasn't a scene from a Disney movie, instead it was their final performance in the 2022 Montana Mustang TIP Challenge in Missoula August 26. The woman was trainer Hannah Catalino of Whitehall, and the horse a mustang named Tavo. Only about 100 days had passed since hed arrived at her ranch, a wild, untouched mustang from Idaho, yet that day he wore no halter or bridle as he walked, trotted and twirled in step beside her. Montanas first TIP Challenge invited trainers to take wild horses from untouched to safely handled within 100 days. The show, held at the Big Sky Horse Park, featured 16 trainers from youth to adult, who demonstrated their horses progress: leading, loading in a trailer, negotiating obstacles, dragging objects and crossing bridges, picking up their feet. Though the competition did not include riding, it culminated in a showy freestyle class where trainers displayed their horses skills set to music. Most of the horses were available for adoption afterward, offering the public a chance to own a piece of the Wild West, without starting out with an untouched horse. It really makes it accessible for people to get a trained horse, Catalino said. Theres a mustang out there for everyone with horse knowledge, even those with very little, who might have a mentor or someone to help them. Catalino chose Tavo, then called #3519, because the BLM had estimated his age at 9 years, and older mustangs tend not to be quickly adopted. Hed been previously turned down for adoption twice. I like the older ones, she said. I like to show people the older ones can be nice horses too. His fairytale good looks helped, too. All black, with a wide white blaze, four tall white socks, and beautiful feathering on his feet, he was a real-life Angus, Meridas mount in the Disney movie Brave. Catalino had also chosen a yearling, a rough-coated, round-bellied bay she came to call Scooby. This one came out of the box not too wild, Catalino said of Scooby. Just about anybody couldve trained him. She recommends any potential adopter seek a mentor if they have little to no horse experience, though she acknowledged often the young ones are easier to start. There are some battles that are easier to have when theyre smaller. The danger of a young one is they can be really pushy. She sets firm boundaries early, because hes not going to be this little for long. Tavo, meanwhile, needed a different set of skills. When rounded up, Tavo was a herd stallion, gelded shortly after his arrival at the Bureau of Land Management corrals. At 9 he wouldve had a family, she said. He hasnt needed or depended on anybody. When a horse like that trusts you it really makes you appreciate each try that much more, Catalino said. I have to respect him as the stallion he was, but he has to learn to respect me, that he cant push me around like a normal horse. Its really exciting to unwrap their potential. While some are easy and straightforward, Catalino said the difficult mustangs inspire her. They really force me to continue to improve my horsemanship and timing. Theyre really humbling. This wasnt Catalinos first rodeo, not by a long shot. She began training mustangs for competition 10 years ago in the youth program, after finding YouTube videos of competitions like the Extreme Mustang Makeover and the Mustang Million. Today, shes internationally recognized for her liberty training methods, teaching horses the basics of trust, respect and safe handling without using ropes, halters or bits. What I like about liberty is Im not trapping the horses, they have the option to run, she said. The competitions also appealed to her. Everybody has a pretty fair shot, Catalino said, offering inexperienced trainers the same challenge as professionals. Everyone has a hundred-day horse, not one with six years of training or anything. And then theres the timeless lure of the wild mustang. Theyre symbolic of the American West. People tend to romanticize them as these majestic, beautiful, powerful creatures, so different from domestic horses, she said. Yet not all mythologize mustangs. Some label them as useless, especially in the American West where they can compete with cattle for rangeland. They get called desert rat, jugheaded. With their poor nutrition they dont always develop well. Theyre really a mutt a mixture of all breeds. Theres this idea they look one way, but they come in all shapes and sizes. Theyre all really different. Different and charming. Both Tavo and Scooby were intended to be available for adoption, but halfway to the competition, that was proving to be harder than shed anticipated. Her father decided Scooby would make a perfect partner, so hed be staying. And as Tavo progressed, her fondness for him surprised her, she said. Im trying not to be a foster fail, its a struggle. He doesnt have to go, she said in July. I quite like him. I took it slow with him in the beginning so he wouldnt think there was a need to challenge or fight. I was understanding of that he was this proud stallion for a lot of years and I would just look for him to try, not perfection, and now hes so happy he never learned fighting is an option. Because of that relationship we built, I can now ask more and more of him. She paused in consideration. It would also make me happy if he finds a really good home, thats what makes it all worth it. The relationship between horse and human culminated on a hot Saturday in August. As music played, Catalino untied Tavos halter and let him loose into an arena filled with obstacles a plastic pool filled with toys, strips of shower curtain and chains of flowers dancing in the wind, a pedestal. When she stepped into motion, he joined her, perfectly matched. When she jogged, he stepped up into a trot; as she slowed to a stop so did he. As the music crescendoed she twirled, and the black horse, his tail streaming behind him, turned around in rhythm. Their dance won them first place overall. Not to be outdone, Scooby and his Scooby-Doo themed show took second place, not to mention the pile of ribbons each horse won under Catalinos guidance in the individual classes. But most importantly, Tavo had won her heart. A few weeks after the competition he was enjoying some earned time off, while Catalino prepared four others for competitions. "... Then I'll spend more time with him deciding if he'll stay or not," she said. "Most likely staying, but I have to think long and hard on my goals too." She expressed excitement over what a wonderful riding horse he will make, but had mixed feelings about continuing his training. Once I saddle break him Ill have a really hard time letting him go. Every Montanan wants a health care system that works for him or her. To achieve that goal, we need to believe in the people of Montanas ability to make decisions about their health care without the government sticking its nose where it doesnt belong. We need to trust medical experts, not politicians when it comes to making decisions about care. And we need to believe in the ability of market competition to provide solutions that work for everyone. In my first column, I explained how our top-down, government-mandated, one-size-fits-all health care system is broken. Insurance and health care industry subsidies offer perverse incentives that keep costs high and quality low by suppressing competition. In my second column, I discussed how direct primary care helpfully liberates patients from the health insurance industry and provides price transparency that creates affordable options without government subsidies or insurance intermediaries. Today I will detail the steps Montana can take to get the government out of the way and create a Personal Option that provides the affordable, high-quality health care everyone wants. As our friends at the Frontier Institute have pointed out, occupational licensure in medicine can be a major barrier creating unnecessary costs. Health care consumption in the U.S. is a national market; people travel all the time to get health care from other states. Would any one of the readers of this column think a doctor licensed in Idaho or Utah is any less qualified than one licensed in Montana? Arbitrary labor regulations drive up costs and provide a disincentive for doctors to move to Montana. A simple change granting licensure reciprocity would go a long way in driving up the supply of medical labor which pushes prices down. During the pandemic, emergency flexibilities afforded by the state allowed for a streamlined process for medical professionals to become licensed to practice in Montana if they had a license in good standing in another state. This was a good policy and a policy that should be made permanent after a successful demonstration of it during COVID. The legislature and governor will be considering a very common-sense piece of legislation to do just that in the next session. Another needed reform that became very clear with the COVID crisis is health care free speech. While the concepts of health care and free speech might not seem to go together at first, protections for free speech in health care are needed to allow medical experts to utilize the training they spent years obtaining to best help patients. Medical professionals can face sanctions from the government for providing the most effective information to patients about the medicines that can help them. Drugmakers can be charged with a crime for letting doctors know about safe and effective off-label uses for their products. This kind of chilled speech censorship is costing people dearly in dollars and in needless suffering, and sometimes in lives. Both state and federal governments have created mandatory licensure for these professions; it must also ensure that the coercion of this decision is not used to license important voices in our public health. After a pandemic where so many top-down institutions got major calls wrong, we need speech free from this implied threat to lose their license guaranteed. These are straightforward solutions that the state government can act on during the next session to help all Montanans. Of course, there will be fierce lobbying against these reforms by those who want to protect the status quo and their bottom line. However, I believe the governor and legislature have the will to do the right thing. GREENLAND Ex-school bus driver Michael Chick, currently detained on charges he stalked and threatened an 8-year-old Greenland child on his bus route, has been indicted on a cyberstalking charge, according to U.S. Attorney Jane Young. The 39-year-old Eliot, Maine, resident formerly employed by the First Student, was indicted by a federal grand jury, Young announced Thursday. Chick, who is being detained pending trial, had bus routes in Greenland and Rye, towns that are part of the SAU 50 school district. He was arrested on Aug. 5 on federal interstate stalking charges and was subsequently denied bail. Ex-school bus driver Michael Chick, currently detained on charges he stalked and threatened an 8-year-old Greenland child on his bus route, has been indicted on a cyberstalking charge, according to U.S. Attorney Jane Young. The former bus driver allegedly groomed a boy on his bus route by giving him gifts, though the childs family became suspicious and reported him to police and the school district, according to court documents. Despite being told by police to cease contact with the child and his family, Chick continued interacting with him, giving him multiple TracFones and instructing him to take inappropriate photographs of himself, according to authorities. What to know: What parents need to know about how predators groom kids Chick is also alleged to have placed GPS tracking devices on the parents vehicles and to have walked around the outside of the childs home at night on numerous occasions, Youngs announcement states. Michael Chick, 39, of Eliot, Maine, is facing federal interstate stalking charges. The former bus driver is additionally accused of telling the child of an criminal group called The Team that would kidnap and torture him, and physically harm members of the childs family, if he didnt comply with Chicks instructions. Previous coverage: Greenland bus driver charged with stalking boy has bail hearing. What was said in court Chick later admitted to investigators that he threatened the child on the bus and gave him three separate TracFones. Authorities searched his car and found his cell phone, a TracFone, a digital camera, duct tape, rubber gloves, candy, childrens undergarments and toys, and a magnetic GPS vehicle tracker. Story continues Investigators later claimed that surveillance cameras, TracFones, large plastic bags of childrens underwear, threatening notes and more evidence were found at Chicks residence, where he lived with his mother. Chick's request for home incarceration was denied In his bail hearing last month in Concord, Chicks public defender, Behzad Mirhashem, argued for home incarceration for Chick. That request was denied by presiding U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone. The family of the child at the center of Chicks case submitted a statement at the ex-bus drivers bail hearing, which was read aloud by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland of the prosecution. He is a predator of the worst kind, the family wrote of Chick. Protect us and protect the public by keeping him out of society. Parents look for answers: Greenland school parents demand answers following bus driver's arrest on stalking charges Weiland stated in Chicks bail hearing that the child reported having no inappropriate physical contact with Chick and denied sending any images or giving any clothing to the former bus driver. The new cyberstalking charge alleged in the indictment is an allegation. Chicks case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Greenland Police Department. Information sought by authorities on Michael Chick A hotline was created in the wake of Chicks arrest for parents to report possible additional incidents involving the bus driver. The hotline can be reached at (603) 722-1751. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Michael Chick, ex-school bus driver, faces new charge in Greenland NH New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) said on Sunday that GOP governors who are busing migrants to Democratic-led cities including his own were using the action to cover up the erosion of basic human rights. During an appearance on CNNs State of the Union, anchor Jake Tapper asked Adams if he wanted to share a message with GOP governors such as Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida, both of whom directed busing migrants to various cities in the U.S., including at least one busload of people who were dropped off at the vice presidents home. Well, I think its a message for the entire country, Adams told Tapper. You see, this is their way of covering up what many people have been really concerned about the erosion of basic human rights. Were seeing crisis calls for coordination. Adams said New York City received up to six new buses of migrants on Sunday morning, and while resources are stretched thin, he said they would continue to provide for the migrants. We received a minimum of six buses early this morning. Over 11,000 individuals, asylum-seekers and migrants have come to the city already, Adams told Tapper. It is time for us to coordinate this humanitarian crisis that our country is facing. DeSantis and Abbott, along with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) have been sending migrants to northern, Democratic-run cities, such as New York City, Washington D.C., and Chicago in protest of Bidens efforts to end Title 42, a Trump-era policy that blocked migrants from seeking asylum during the pandemic. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. DENVER, N.C. A U.S. deputy marshal assigned to the Western District of North Carolina has been charged with stealing from Walmart on five separate occasions. Robert Spangler, 47, of Denver has been charged with five counts of misdemeanor larceny, according to an arrest report from the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office. The arrest report identified Spangler as an employee of the U.S. Marshals Service. A news release from the marshals in October 2021 identified him as a deputy marshal in the Western District, which covers the western third of the state from Cherokee County to Union County, including Burke County. The criminal summonses issued against him say on five occasions from July 16 to Aug. 24, various items were taken from the Walmart on N.C. 73 in Denver. The items included: Three bottles of wine Mountain Dew A weed trimmer Paper towels A three pack of chicken A four pack of ribs A power strip A circular saw A cord reel A trash can An eight-piece chicken plate Tide Pods, twice Curtain lights Yogurt Coffee creamer The items stolen have a total value of about $556, according to the summonses. WSOCTV, the newspapers news partner, learned Walmart employees recognized Spangler because he would go out of his way to tell them he worked for the Marshals Service, according to police reports the station obtained. Reports indicated Spangler paid for some items in the self checkout but not for others. The News Herald has requested Spanglers employment records from the Marshals Service. The records werent available Friday afternoon, but a representative for the agency said they were working on the request and hoped to have information available Monday. Before working for the Marshals Service, Spangler worked at the Morganton Department of Public Safety from 2001 to 2009, according to information The News Herald obtained from the city. He resigned from the department March 2, 2009. Employment records available to the public did not indicate the reason for his resignation. Spangler, who was released on a written promise to appear for the larceny charges, was set to appear in court Friday. Its not clear when hes due back in court. More information will be published as it becomes available. Friends are remembering a longtime city councilman as a man of conviction after he died last week. Forrest Fleming, who served on the Morganton City Council from 2007 to 2019 as a council member and as mayor pro tem for some time, died Tuesday at 84 years old, according to his obituary. Fleming led a life of public service, his obituary indicated, spending more than 33 years in the Army National Guard. He worked for the state prison system as a program director at Foothills Correctional, and worked with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve after retiring from the National Guard. He also served as a volunteer firefighter in Carbon City for several years. He embarked on his city council career in 2007 until he decided to retire from the council in 2019. Fleming told The News Herald when he retired hed enjoyed his time on the council. Ive learned a lot, Ive met a lot of great people, and the city does have a lot of great people, Fleming said at his retirement. Talking about his accomplishments on the council, Fleming told the newspaper when he retired that he felt it was a privilege to be part of the construction of the Morganton Heights shopping center, and that he was excited to see what the future would hold for the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics campus here. The campus opened for its first school year last month. Morganton City Manager Sally Sandy said it was a pleasure to work with Fleming. I believe that Forrest Fleming, as a city councilman, always made decisions with what he believed was right and was not swayed otherwise, Sandy said. I think thats a testament to Forrest and to his values and to his integrity. She recalled his pleasant albeit quiet disposition, paired with a bit of a dry sense of humor. Forrest was an elected official who took seriously his service to the community, and he was proud to serve the community, Sandy said. I think he tried to do his very best to do that, and I think he was also an elected official that appreciated the city employees and recognized the employees role in the service in this community. That may have had something to do with another of Flemings past roles working at the citys water plant. Forrest was just a good man, Sandy said. She recalled a trip to Washington, D.C., city representatives took years ago where Fleming arranged a tour of the Pentagon. It was some years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and their tour of the Pentagon started where the plane hit the building. Forrest was so proud that he had been able to arrange that, and that we were able to do that, Sandy said. That is one of the coolest things Ive ever gotten to do in my life. Sandy said Fleming always did his own research and made up his own mind about everything that came before him. He was a principled man, Sandy said. Forrest genuinely wanted to do the right thing, and thats not really something you say about everybody. The same could be said of Flemings relationship with faith, said Jerry Gamble, his pastor at Mount Home Baptist Church. Fleming served the church in several capacities, from being a deacon, usher and Sunday school director. He was a very compassionate man, Gamble said. He was very concerned about other people, about what was happening to them, and even in his days of illness, when he had the physical challenge that was so great, if you met him on the street or you met him in church, you would not even recognize what he was experiencing physically. He didnt want to cry on anyones shoulder, you know? He was going to live every day the best he could, which he did. His character was as evident at church as it was behind the dais in the Council Chambers of Morganton City Hall. As his pastor, I can truthfully say he was a mans man, Gamble said. Forrest, he would express his convictions, and then he always expressed love for everybody that he came in contact with he was just all the way around a super good person, and as I said earlier, one of the finest Christian men I have ever known. Most Wanted List Those who have a new or gently used copy of any of the Top 10 Titles and would like to donate it to the library, it would be most appreciated. To date, the library has received 960 of the most wanted books. Current BCPL Top 10 Holds 1. Verity by Colleen Hoover 9 holds 2. Captive by Iris Johansen 8 holds 3. Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb 8 holds 4. Girl Forgotten by Karin Slaughter 8 holds 5. Blowback by James Patterson 6 holds 6. Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger 6 holds 7. The Ninth Month by James Patterson 6 holds 8. Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen 6 holds 9. The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain 6 holds 10. Edge of Dusk by Colleen Coble 5 holds Current New York Times Best Sellers and NC Cardinal Consortium Holds 1. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover 466 holds 2. Verity by Colleen Hoover 573 holds 3. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith 133 4. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 404 holds 5. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid 95 holds 6. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover 158 holds 7. November 9 by Colleen Hoover 57 holds 8. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 270 holds 9. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood 29 holds 10. Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen 150 holds Adult programming Valdese Plot Hounds book discussion group will meet Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. at the Valdese Public Library. We will discuss Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, by Joanna Fluke. The Burke County Public Library will be participating in Trivia at The Levee on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. at The Levee Brewery & Pub, 118 Main St. W, Valdese. Programs are for adults only. For more information call 828-764-9269. Young adult programming YAS is back! Were kicking off the week with a Game Night at the Morganton Public Library on Monday at 6 p.m., followed by a Movie Night at the Valdese Public Library at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Thursday is our monthly #YAS Anime Club at the C.B. Hildebrand Public Library at 4 p.m. with snacks and ramen provided. Saturday is our D&D @ the Library program at the Valdese Public Library at 1 p.m. Pre-registration is required to join the party. For more information or to pre-register, contact Lizzie at 828-764-9273 or by email at lizzie.whisnant@burkenc.org. Childrens programming Have you checked out the NC Kids Digital Library yet? If you are looking for a juvenile title and cant find it in the librarys digital catalog, dont forget to check the NC Kids Digital Library also! This free digital collection of e-books, audiobooks, videos and read-alongs is provided by the state of North Carolina and presents lots of exciting options for kids (and for those that are young at heart!). More information about our digital collections can be found at bcpls.org/ebooks. Libby users can add NC Kids Digital Library to your list of libraries in the program. If you need any help accessing this digital catalog, please call or stop by your local branch. Bonus tip: Following along with an audiobook while reading a book is a great way to help struggling readers develop their vocabulary and fluency. E-books @ your library There are 3,986 Burke County Public Library users registered to use the librarys digital collection available through the e-iNC consortium and NC Kids Digital Library. This digital collection includes eBooks, audiobooks, and streaming video available to Burke County Public Library cardholders. Apps are available for download for a variety of devices including Kindle, iPhone and Android phones. Go to http://omc.overdrive.com to see the apps. To access the collection and download items go to http://e-inc.lib.overdrive.com and follow the instructions to set up an account. You will need to know your library card number and your PIN. Please contact the library if you need any assistance. Find us on the web Go to www.bcpls.org for a list of programs and events. Unless noted otherwise, all library programs are free. Some programs have pre-registration and age requirements. I love history, and being a former board member of Historic Burke Foundation (HBF) connects me with some wonderful local people and stories. Several months ago, Carol Largent contacted me with an idea for an Ervin family reunion event at the historic Charles McDowell Jr. house on St. Marys Church Road. The reunion was for a large African American family with deep Burke County roots, the descendants of Annie McDowell Ervin. The Ervins have long questioned and hoped to explore possible connections between their matriarch and the Scots-Irish settlers who established the plantation at Quaker Meadows. Having been on the HBF board for several years, I knew of the organizations ongoing interest in expanding the known history of the McDowell House. Feeling sure they would be excited by the possibility of hosting the Ervin reunion event, I connected Carol with Linda Lindsey, HBF board president, and secretary Beth Spahn. After confirming a date with Linda and Beth, Carol told me, They are so excited about us coming, theyve got me excited! With several weeks of planning and coordination, around 60 Ervin family descendants convened on Saturday, Aug. 13, at the McDowell House, where they were met by six enthusiastic HBF hosts. During the morning, the Ervins and HBF hosts shared fellowship and information that expanded what they both understood about local history. Historic Burke volunteers provided tours of the house and grounds and shared stories about the Charles McDowell family. Ervin descendants provided information about the kinship between their matriarch and the McDowell County McDowells, who lived at the historic Carson House in Marion and were cousins of the Burke County McDowells. A couple of hours after the event, my cellphone erupted with texts about the day. We had a blast at the McDowell House this morning, Carol said. It was educational and enlightening from both sides! Linda described the day as very exciting and moving. I met with Carol and her cousins, Bev Feimster and Beth Davidson, at Carols home one Saturday morning to hear more. Three hours, one crash course in Ervin family genealogy and lots of snacks and laughter later, I decided to follow up with some additional research to see if I could grasp the complex McDowell lineage. Much sleuthing remains to be done, but the Ervins have determined that Annie McDowell Ervin was born in 1881. She was the daughter of William Burton Bill McDowell, of McDowell County, a white man who was a cousin of Quaker Meadows Charles McDowell. Annies mother was a Black woman named Caroline McDowell Fleming. Even though slavery had ended by the time of Annies birth, North Carolina still had anti-miscegenation laws that prohibited marriage between people of different races. Individuals could only marry within their own race, and Bill and Caroline later married other people. Three years after Annies birth, Bill married his first wife and fathered three children. His wife died, and he married again, fathering his youngest child, Cornelia McDowell Berry, in 1889. Bev remembers Mrs. Berry from Hillcrest Elementary School in the 1960s. I remember her being our substitute teacher, Bev said, and she would always ask about Grandmaw Annie, and I never understood why. Sometimes serendipity steps in and lends history hunters a helping hand. In 1982, Bev took a part-time job at Foothills Nursing Home in Morganton. Whenever she came to work, an elderly white woman who was a resident waved to her. The lady, Mrs. Eloise Alexander, asked for Bev to come see her regularly and they became friends. As they learned more about each other, Bev and Eloise uncovered a close connection. Eloise was Annies first cousin. Realizing that Bev was Annies granddaughter, Eloise explained that her father was Frank Craige McDowell, Bill McDowells brother. She also told Bev that Annies name and birth were recorded in their family Bible. While Annie was acknowledged as Bills oldest daughter by her McDowell relatives, she never explained the family connection to her descendants. Interracial relationships were not only frowned upon, but were prohibited by law in many states until the late 1960s, so people tended not to talk about them. I know theres a lot of controversy about the way things were, and some people say, Well, I dont want to talk about it, but its still history, Bev said. While the Historic Charles McDowell Jr. House wasnt Bill McDowells family home, the Burke and McDowell branches are related through a common ancestor who is yet to be conclusively identified. Carol said the Ervins enjoyed visiting the McDowell House and learning about Quaker Meadows. They were especially pleased with the engagement and interest of their young descendants. Historic Burke Foundation was equally pleased with the day. Well follow up with the family, because there is much more that can be done, Lindsey said. Beth Spahn said the Ervin reunion was one of the most exciting days she has ever spent at the McDowell House, adding, I so want to be a part of that family! Visit Burke County Notebook next week for Part 2 of the Annie McDowell Ervin family story. In late August, 14 women rolled out of a caravan of vehicles in the Russell Gates fishing access site and made their way to the bank of the Blackfoot river decked out in waders, sharing smiles and laughs along the way. After getting paired with their respective guide for the morning, they set out and dotted the river to practice their casts on moving water. The women started the weekend as strangers, but shared a common bond of previously receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. They were brought together by the annual Casting for Recovery western Montana program to build community while learning to fly fish. This group is incredible, we all often use the term magical when it comes to this dynamic of the group, said Tammera Nauts, a psychosocial facilitator for the program. It sounds so cliche, but I mean its an apt description, it really is. Casting for Recovery is a nonprofit organization that provides outdoor retreats for women with breast cancer at no cost to the participants. With over 40 retreats across the United States, theyve worked with over 10,000 women since launching in 1996. For many years, women were not encouraged to engage in physical activity after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Dr. Don McKenzie proved otherwise after his research on the impact of exercise by rowing in canoe-type crew reduced the risk of recurrence by up to 40%. There are two retreats for women in Montana, one serving western Montana and another in the southwestern region of the state. In western Montana, the retreat takes place at Lubrecht Experimental Forest and the participants spend time getting to know each other while also learning how to cast, tie knots and how to use different flies. On the last day of the retreat, the women are paired with an individual guide, referred to as a river helper, and they put their new skills together in real time. This years participants ranged in age from 30 to 80 years old, from Missoula, Hamilton, Helena and Kalispell. Some were actively receiving treatment while others were years removed. Even though theyre not going through active treatment, theyre often the ones that will say whoa, I didnt realize how much I needed to talk about what my experience was with other women who had been through it too, Nauts said. Nauts participated in the program in 2019 and has been a clinical therapist for over 30 years. A breast cancer diagnosis impacts every facet of a woman's life, including her self esteem, family, finances, employment and intimate relationships, Nauts explained. The one common factor running through the mix, no matter how long youve been out, is the isolation, Nauts said. Unless you can talk to somebody whos been through it, its really hard to talk about it. In fact, about 70% of the women who attend Casting for Recovery retreats have never been to a support group. Jan Ruff-Strait of Kalispell patiently waited for years to be picked to attend the retreat. She was both excited and anxious for the weekend. Its just like all the women that are here understand what youre going through. Its just a camaraderie that you dont have with other people, Ruff-Strait said. So loving, supportive, giving, like nothing Ive ever experienced before. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and had a recurrence in 2015. She currently has Stage IV cancer and is doing chemotherapy treatments. She had never gone fly fishing before and was the only participant to reel in a fish on the Blackfoot this year. Ive never even touched a fish before in my life and I touched one, and it was so soft, Ruff-Strait said. That was really neat, that was really exciting. Ruff-Strait was paired with river helper Geno Centofanti of Hamilton. Centofanti first began volunteering with Casting for Recovery when he lived in California in the early 2000s. At first he was nervous, what do you say to a lady that has breast cancer? Now, the retreat is something he looks forward to every year. I look forward to that, I definitely enjoy it and you know what, the little bit that I can give, hopefully it helps, Centofanti said. Thats kind of what its all about. Ruff-Strait plans to continue fly fishing in the future and encourages other women who have received a breast cancer diagnosis to look into the program. If they have the chance to do this, this is a once in a lifetime chance, Ruff-Strait said. The program, the way they have it set up, is incredible and its so individual-centered. Katie Beall of Helena was just diagnosed with breast cancer in March. She applied for the retreat after learning about it from her boyfriends family, who are big into fly fishing. Helena doesnt have any support groups and Ive been really wanting to connect with women who understand what its like to go through breast cancer, Beall said. Ive been missing community. Beall found that community she craved through Casting for Recovery. After the weekend wrapped up the women created an online group to keep in touch and plan fly fishing trips in the future. It feels like sustenance, it feels like love, it feels like a sisterhood, Beall said. This group just underscores the importance of finding a community and connecting. Its too lonely to go through if you dont have people who know exactly what youre going through. LONDON (AP) The funeral of the only monarch most Britons have known involves the biggest security operation London has ever seen. Mayor Sadiq Khan says Mondays state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II is an unprecedented" security challenge, with hundreds of thousands of people packing central London and a funeral guest list of 500 emperors, kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and other leaders from around the world. Its been decades since this many world leaders were in one place, said Khan. This is unprecedented ... in relation to the various things that were juggling. There could be bad people wanting to cause damage to individuals or to some of our world leaders, Khan told The Associated Press. So we are working incredibly hard the police, the security services and many, many others to make sure this state funeral is as successful as it can be. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the hugely complex policing operation is the biggest in the London forces history, surpassing the London 2012 Olympics. More than 10,000 police officers will be on duty Monday, with London bobbies supplemented by reinforcements from all of Britains 43 police forces. Hundreds of volunteer marshals and members of the armed forces will also act as stewards along the processional route. They are just the most visible part of a security operation that is being run from a high-tech control center near Lambeth Bridge, not far from Parliament. Street drains and garbage bins are being searched and sealed. On Monday there will be police spotters on rooftops, sniffer dogs on the streets, marine officers on the River Thames and mounted police on horseback. Flying drones over central London has been temporarily banned, and Heathrow Airport is grounding scores of flights so that aircraft noise does not disturb the funeral service. Authorities face the challenge of keeping 500 world leaders safe, without ruffling too many diplomatic feathers. Presidents, prime ministers and royalty will gather offsite before being taken by bus to the abbey though an exception is being made for U.S. President Joe Biden, who is expected to arrive in his armored limousine, known as The Beast. Another challenge is the sheer size of the crowds expected to gather around Westminster Abbey and along the route the coffin will travel after the funeral, past Buckingham Palace to Hyde Park. From there it will be taken by hearse about 20 miles (32 kilometers) to Windsor, where another 2,000 police officers will be on duty. The queen is due to be interred in St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle alongside her husband Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99. Police are deploying more than 22 miles (36 kilometers) of barriers in central London to control the crowds, and transit bosses are preparing for jam-packed stations, buses and subway trains as 1 million people flood the ceremonial heart of London. Subways will run later than normal and train companies are adding extra services to help get people home. While many will be mourning the queen, support for the monarchy is far from universal. Police have already drawn criticism for arresting several people who staged peaceful protests during events related to the queens death and the accession of King Charles III. Cundy said it had been made clear to officers that people have a right to protest. Our response here in London will be proportionate, it will be balanced, and officers will only be taking action where it is absolutely necessary, he said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said the goal was to keep the event safe, and try to do it in as unobtrusive a way as possible, because this is obviously a solemn occasion. Dean of Westminster David Hoyle, who will conduct the funeral service in the 900-year-old abbey, said preparations were going smoothly despite the occasional security-related glitch. There was a wonderful moment when I had flower arrangers waiting in the abbey, and no flowers, because, quite properly, the police didnt recognize what the van was and the flowers were sent back, he said. Follow AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii It's more critical than ever to get a flu shot this year, say Bay Area infectious disease experts. Two and a half years of the coronavirus pandemic have created conditions including lower influenza vaccination rates and less natural immunity than in the pre-pandemic period that could make the upcoming flu season one of the worst in recent years. Influenza vaccination rates in California and nationwide dipped for the 2020 to 2021 flu season compared with 2019 to 2020, which experts attribute in part to COVID-19 lockdowns or because many people delayed non-emergency medical visits, including some vaccinations. Meanwhile, widespread COVID-19 masking, which was mandatory in most Bay Area public spaces in 2020 and most of 2021, tamped down overall levels of flu transmission which means fewer people now have some recent natural immunity. "Those last couple years did not have a lot of flu," said Dr. Jeffrey Silvers, medical director of pharmacy and infection control at Sutter Health. "Last season, we had some, but we can anticipate there's a real possibility we could have a significant flu season this year and that it may be bigger than what we're used to." Silvers' take-home message: "People should get vaccinated this year. It's very important and I'd say it's more important than it's been in the last few years to be prepared." Adding to the urgency are reports from countries in the Southern Hemisphere, whose earlier flu seasons often provide clues about what lies ahead for the North. Many are reporting more severe influenza outbreaks than usual: Australia, for instance, just saw its worst flu season in five years, with cases peaking at about three times higher than average. The cases also happened roughly two months earlier than usual, according to data published in August in the medical journal the Lancet Infectious Diseases. "That often bodes a little bit worse for us if their season is more serious," said Dr. Darvin Scott Smith, an infectious diseases doctor and clinical vaccine lead for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. The good news, Silvers said, is that this year's flu vaccine is better matched than last year's to the primary strain circulating around the world, H3N2, and the few others that are emerging in some areas. And those 65 years and older the group most vulnerable to severe disease and death from flu and COVID-19 can get an "enhanced" flu shot that provides more protection than the regular shot. While enhanced versions, which either contain a higher dose than the regular shot or elements that boost immune response, have been available in previous years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for the first time recommending them for all Americans 65 and older. In California, overall flu vaccination rates fell slightly from 51% in 2019 to 2020, the most recent pre-pandemic flu season, to 49% in 2020 to 2021, according to figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nationwide, flu vaccination rates fell more, from 64% to 59%, when comparing the same periods. Data for the 2021 to 2022 flu season is not yet available. Flu shot uptake generally ranges from 40% to 60% most years. Flu season in the U.S. typically runs from October until February, and this year's is poised to follow a similar timeline. In a new wrinkle, the availability of the flu vaccine this year coincides with the majority of Americans becoming eligible for the new COVID-19 booster shot. Experts say it's reasonable though not necessary to get a flu shot and COVID-19 booster at the same time for the sake of convenience and efficiency. But doing both at once may not make sense for everyone, since the timing of the COVID-19 booster depends on when someone got the previous COVID-19 shot or infection, plus some wiggle room for personal risk appetite and behavior. "You can get the influenza vaccine and COVID booster at the same time and that's very reasonable and it's a good idea, but if people want to space it out there's nothing wrong with that," said Sutter Health's Silvers. "Whatever works for you. ... Studies show if you get the booster for COVID and the flu shot at the same time, soreness and reaction to vaccination is not much different than just getting the COVID booster alone." For most people, getting the flu shot around the end of September or in October is ideal generally by November is best, experts say. The exception, Silvers said, is pregnant women in their third trimester who should get it sooner rather than later at least two weeks before delivery so antibodies will pass over to the newborn because otherwise infants aren't eligible for flu shots until they are 6 months old. The timing, with both shots becoming available at the same time, is also raising questions about whether COVID-19 fatigue pandemic fatigue overall, or vaccine fatigue specifically may contribute to lower uptake of the flu shot. "That is a challenge," Silvers said. "Our fatigue from hearing about COVID, dealing with COVID, hearing about flu shots, and receiving immunizations in general is an important concern that I have." Anecdotally, that does not appear to be the case but because flu vaccinations are just starting, it's too early yet to know about uptake. At UCSF's drive-through and walk-in vaccine clinics in San Francisco, at least, demand for the flu shot has been higher these last few weeks than normal, said Desi Kotis, UCSF's chief pharmacy executive. At clinics in Laurel Heights and Mission Bay, people are coming in for their COVID-19 booster and getting their flu shot at the same time, she said. "I imagine we'll have a fair number of people on the fence," said Sutter's Silvers. "Hopefully before (flu) hits us locally, it will be showing up in other places, and the news will start reporting where influenza outbreaks are starting to occur so people understand it affects them and they have to get ready." Russia extradites Norwegian accused of major fraud to Norway German power producer RWE to buy clean energy company for $6.8 billion Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs start meeting in Geneva Eslami: Iran's nuclear power generation capacity is scheduled to reach 10,000 megawatts Spanish MP to Ursula von der Leyen about murder of Armenian POWs: And this is your reliable partner? Armenian FM discusses video of execution of Armenian POWs with Philip Reeker 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 The immediate reaction of the United States was to stop the violence and establish a ceasefire, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said while answering a journalist's question: What is Washington's position regarding Azerbaijan's invasion of the sovereign territory of Armenia? "The immediate response from the United States was to stop the violence and to have a ceasefire. We our delegation had been very outspoken, saying that this was initiated by Azeris and that there has to be recognition of that and how that will stop. What we have been learning on this visit is some of the some of the challenges that were presented by the so-called peace agreement coming from the conflict into resolution of the conflict in 2020 and how that maybe contributed to the violence now on the part of the Azeris. And I promised my colleagues that they have to respond to that question," she noted. US Congresswoman Jackie Speier, in turn, also mentioned that the House of Representatives has already put forward a resolution, the co-authors of which are themselves. "The House of Representatives has already introduced a resolution, co-authored by all of us here, that will say that we condemn the actions by Azerbaijan, that they must cease and desist. And we are hopeful that we will take up that resolution as soon. As to our commitment to Armenia, we will continue to support the integrity of the democracy of Armenia and the borders and resist any effort to have those borders changed," she said. US Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemns 'illegal' attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenia. "Armenia is of particular importance to us because the focus on security following the illegal and deadly attacks from Azerbaijan on Armenian territory. We strongly condemn the attacks, we and our delegation, on behalf of the Congress, which threatens prospects for much needed peace," she noted. According to her, they had a very productive meeting and reaffirmed their commitments, the commitments of the US Congress to work on security, economic, democratic issues in Armenia and the region. She noted that they have received the Armenian delegation earlier in the United States, they discussed a number of issues in the direction of security and democracy in Armenia, and today it is an honor for me to be here. The Congress of the United States played a leading role in the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and in 2019 it was passed into law and approved by President Biden last year, and this was a bipartisan law, we have been working on this issue in Congress for a long time, she added. "We discussed with pride that Congress takes in leading the way to secure formal U.S. in recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which we did with legislation in 2019 and which President Biden made official last year. We had been trying to do this in a bipartisan way, in both Houses of the Congress, for a long time. And finally we have a President who said he would sign the Armenian Genocide resolution. We thank the President for doing that and for inviting the Prime Minister to participate in the Democracy Summit this year," she added. According to Pelosi, during the meetings of the two countries, security issues are targeted and before these visits, there was an attack on Armenia's sovereignty. "Moving ahead, Armenia has always had a particular focus on security following again, we planned this trip before the assault on the border of Armenia took place. So again, when we lead [Congressional delegations], it's always about security: our security, our mutual security, regional security, global security. Armenia is of particular importance to us because the focus on security following the illegal and deadly attacks from Azerbaijan on Armenian territory. We strongly condemn the attacks, we and our delegation, on behalf of the Congress, which threatens prospects for much needed peace," she added. US Senate Speaker Nancy Pelosi and congressman Frank Pallone has spoken about providing military support to Armenia. The democracy of Armenia is something that is accepted in the democratic world and they attach great importance to the democracy of Armenia, Pelosi noted. " If I may just add to my colleagues response, Armenia the democracy in Armenia is a joy to the world. The Velvet Revolution was cheered globally. And that is something that was reinforced in the recent election, which was free and fair and recognized as such. So again, you're a good example to the transition to democracy. And we support that. As Mr. Pallone said, your interrelations with other entities is up to Armenia to decide. But from our standpoint not but and from our standpoint, this territorial, security and sovereignty of Armenia, the democracy of Armenia is of value to us in America. And in our relationships with other countries, in the mix here, we should be using our influence, our leverage, showing that Armenian democracy and sovereignty is a priority. Speaking from our side not telling Armenia what they should be doing. It is interesting that they were disappointed that they got fact-finders and not protection from that relationship. We'll see what happens, see what happens next. If I may just say, Congresswoman Speier mentioned the resolution of condemnation of Azeri invasion of Armenia. That is will be taken up soon in the Congress. I want to also add that she is leader on that with the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, who co-chaired who co-sponsored that resolution. But he was the lead sponsor on the Armenian Genocide resolution. We all take great pride in the number of Armenian Americans in our district. He claims the most, he had the resolution, I wanted to pay tribute to him," she said. Frank Pallone, the US congressman, answered the above questions and said that they understand that Armenia is part of that security organization with Russia. "We I'll speak for myself and say I dont want to speak for others I say that we understand that Armenia is part of this security arrangement with Russia. Now, we're not suggesting anything about that. What we are saying is that the United States is very concerned about Armenias security, we want to do whatever we can to be more supportive of Armenias security and that we're going to work to see what can be done by the United States to be to help with Armenias security, without reference to Russia or the Russian arrangement," he added. When asked if the US is ready to provide military support to Armenia, Pelosi said that the importance of their visit lies in the fact that they will listen and understand what they can do, what is expected of them. She noted that they talked about economic and security issues during their meeting today as well as the issue of Armenia joining the millennium challenges programs. "Well first, may I say that part of our the value of our visit and the value of our discussions is to hear what, from your perspective, from Armenias perspective, how we can be helpful. And that has been a big part of our discussions thus far. One particular thing that we predict, more related to the economy than to security except that they're all related is that the Speaker asked us to support Armenia's steps that it is taking to be part of the Millennium Challenge. And that was a very big initiative for economic growth and fairness. So we did commit that we would work to help with that. On the defense side, we are listening to rather than coming here and saying this is what we're prepared to do, were listening to what the needs are. Congresswoman Eshoo, did you want to do this first?" she wonders. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi said that the US is committed to supporting a negotiated peaceful settlement in Armenia. Her remarks came during her first visit to Armenia on Sunday at the Cafesjian art center. "And so we're here, committed, just to say America is committed to Armenias security, democracy and we stand with Armenia in a difficult time. It is a difficult time in the world. We are amidst a battle between democracy and autocracy. Armenia is a place where we can see those contrasts come into play. Again, we come at a time we didn't plan trip around what happened last week, the trip was planned before that. But it so happens that we come in time, in person strongly condemn Azerbaijans recent attacks on Armenia. Make no mistake: this assault is unacceptable and threatening prospects for the much needed peace agreement peace process to succeed," she noted. "It is a particular joy to be here as we are on the verge of Armenia Independence Day, September 21st. You know that date better than any of us. And on behalf of the United States Congress, I want you to accept our congratulations on this special day. We say that with great pride because for us, its almost like a family visit. So blessed are all of us in our districts by so many Armenian Americans. They, with great pride, are patriotic Americans. Very, very proud of their Armenian heritage. And they make that very clear to us. And we follow Armenian challenges through their eyes, and we are very proud to finally be able to pass the resolution observing the Armenian Genocide because we, at last, have a President who would sign it. Joe Biden has been a friend of Armenia. We are proud that he has signed it and was an inspiration for its passage, but also that he invited the Prime Minister of Armenia to the Democracy Summit, which was a very coveted invitation. I want you to know that," she added. She added that President Joe Biden has signed the resolution and also invited the Armenian Prime Minister to the Democracy Summit. "I want you to know that," she added. Pelosi said that the US is committed to supporting Armenia in terms of democracy. Nancy Pelosi said that her visit was planned earlier, since last week, however, it so happened that they came here at the moment when the US can personally strongly condemn the unacceptable and threatening actions of Azerbaijan, which endanger the success of the peace process. "Again, we come at a time we didn't plan trip around what happened last week, the trip was planned before that. But it so happens that we come in time, in person strongly condemn Azerbaijans recent attacks on Armenia. Make no mistake: this assault is unacceptable and threatening prospects for the much needed peace agreement peace process to succeed," Pelosi noted. "America is an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair and friend of Armenia. The United States is committed to supporting a negotiated, comprehensive and sustainable settlement, including especially those hostilities directed towards civilians," The US delegation arrived in Armenia to examine issues related to security, democracy, economy, said Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi. Her remarks came on Sunday during a speech at the Cafesjian art center. Armenia is in the middle of democracy and autocracy, she said adding that the delegation arrived in Armenia to examine issues related to security, democracy, economy. Referring to her visit to the Armenian Genocide memorial complex, Nancy Pelosi noted that what they saw today was very emotional.a "Okay, and then we go on to actually what we saw today. It was very emotional. Especially we came holding our heads up high, because we could come at a time when we had passed and the President signed the genocide the Armenian Genocide resolution. For a long time, weve been talking about it, advocating for it in our communities, in the Congress. But now, it was done. And to stand there before the flame, thinking a million and a half people and their families, some of them, the ancestors of so many Armenian Americans, too, that we keep hearing the story of that painful time. We saw the memorial it was very moving, what we saw at the museum was beautiful. It was beautiful," she said. "To heal those still open wounds, the world must acknowledge the crime for which it was: genocide. According to [the] 1948 UN Genocide Convention, genocide means acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial [or] religious group. We must work to ensure that the truth of the genocide is never covered up. And we must work to ensure that such atrocities do not happen again. We must not never forget," she added. According to her, the US efforts in the direction of the genocide must continue so that such crimes never happen. Nancy Pelosi reminded what role the US played in the process of recognizing the Armenian Genocide. "We reject efforts to enlist, engage and otherwise associate the United States with the denial of the Armenian Genocide, or any other genocide. That we encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian genocide, including the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern day crimes against humanity. With this resolution and the U.S. government's formal recognition of the genocide, we commit to affirming Armenias history, denouncing violence and bigotry and showing that such an atrocity, again, can never happen again," she added. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Nancy Pelosi in the Government. In his welcome speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan particularly said the following: Madam Speaker, dear colleagues, let me warmly welcome you to our country, our government. This is truly an unprecedented visit from the USA to Armenia, and we appreciate it. I would like to express our gratitude to you personally, Madam Speaker, for your personal efforts and contribution to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States, as well as for the efforts of your delegation. It is really highly appreciated, and even considering only that fact, all Armenians consider you a reliable friend of Armenia. But I want to continue the words of appreciation, because I also want to express gratitude for the US support for Armenian democracy, because it is also very important for us. We see the readiness of the US Government to support the democratic agenda of our country. I would like to express our devotion to the agenda of democratic reforms, despite the fact that, as you can see, it is not an easy path. One more fact that I would like to mention: We appreciate the clear position of the USA regarding Azerbaijan's aggression against Armenia. Of course, clear formulations of the US Government is appreciated, because it is very important for us. You are aware that the UN Security Council has discussed the current situation, and we hope, and this is our position, that this situation should remain on the agenda of the UN Security Council, and in this regard, of course, we rely on US support. Madam Speaker, let me once again welcome you and your delegation. I am sure that today we will be able to conduct productive negotiations. I am very happy for this opportunity." In her turn, Nancy Pelosi said, "Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, for your warm words of welcome and appreciation of the great work done by my colleagues in this delegation. Support for democracy in Armenia, the Armenian Genocide recognition resolution, countering Turkey in the Nagorno Karabakh issue, and in all other issues we are Armenia's friend. We are here with respect for your Government. Past year you had elections which were recognized as free and fair, and your wonderful victory in the light of the war and other circumstances. And the thing is, normally when we come to a country, it is to pay respect, to listen and to learn, but I can truly say that this delegation from the United States to Armenia has brought with it the love of the American people, respect for your Government and love for the people of Armenia. Thank you for your hospitality." Then the interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues related to the Armenian-American partnership, the further development of cooperation in different directions. Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized that the Armenian Government will continue consistent steps in the direction of strengthening democracy and developing democratic institutions. The Head of the Executive highly appreciated the US assistance in promoting the rich agenda of the Armenian Government's reform agenda. Nikol Pashinyan and Nancy Pelosi referred to the aggression of Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia and the need for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani units from the territory of Armenia. Issues related to the opportunities of unblocking transport infrastructure in the region, the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict were discussed. The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress assured that the American side will continue to actively contribute to the further expansion of bilateral multi-sectoral cooperation and the programs aimed at the development of democracy in Armenia. HK ready for greater cooperation with Cambodia Algernon Yau (fourth from right) was speaking at a lunch in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo courtesy of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau's Facebook. Commerce secretary Algernon Yau said on Sunday Hong Kong will surely become a main business partner with Cambodia, as they create more opportunities in the region, on the mainland and the Greater Bay Area. The minister said Hong Kong is ready for greater co-operation as the SAR is more integrated in China's strategic development, including the bay area and the Belt and Road initiatives. He cited many factors for the partnership, such as Hong Kong's free economy, simple and low tax system, infrastructure network, market-led international business environment and the territory's free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Yau made the comments during a speech in Phnom Penh to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the handover. "Under the strong support of the Central People's Government and the One Country, Two Systems principle, Hong Kong has developed into a world class city in Asia in the past 25 years," Yau said, as he concluded his trip to promote the advantages and business opportunities of the SAR. He said Hong Kong will grasp "unprecedented opportunities" together with regional partners, including Cambodia. More than 400 people were at the lunch, including the Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, Wang Wentian, and local officials. During his four-day trip to Cambodia, Yau held talks with his ASEAN counterparts to shore up support for Hong Kong's bid to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif got featured on Jimmy Fallon's talk show -- all thanks to his awkward moment during a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan recently. On Thursday, a video went viral in which Sharif and Putin are seen sitting beside each other. As the discussion is about to begin, Sharif is seen fixing his earphones but failing. He seeks help and gets it fixed. However, the Pakistan PM's struggle did not end there as the earphone fell off once again from Sharif's ear after the meeting started. Sharif's struggle with earphones triggered an inevitable laugh from Putin. Also, netizens including Fallon did not leave any chance to make fun of the Pakistan Prime Minister. An excerpt from the latest episode of Fallon's show has been doing the rounds on the internet in which he is seen mocking Sharif. "That guy is the leader of 220 Million people," Fallon quipped after showing Sharif's viral video to his audience during the episode. However, Fallon's jibe at Sharif over his awkward moment at SCO meeting did not go down well with a section of social media users. "Hey@jimmyfallon- have u talked abt the devastating floods destroying Pakistan? "A nation of 220 million people" is destroyed by climate change because of YOUR country's greed & wastefulness. If u haven't donated or raised funds for us u don't get to use us as a joke," a netizen tweeted. "Deeply offensive that@jimmyfallonchose to mock 220 million people of Pakistan for a leader allegedly put in place after US-instigated regime change, while completely ignoring the suffering caused by devastating floods & climate change. Tone-deaf much?" another user wrote. Sharif's video was initially shared by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI). Samarkand hosted the 22nd Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for its member states and Council of Heads which ended on Friday. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the SCO Summit was cancelled in the last two years. (ANI) Assam's Biswanath district police arrested 17 Bangladeshi nationals for allegedly violating visa rules on September 17. Police arrested the Bangladeshi nationals from the Baghmari area under Jinjia police station in Biswanath district which is a remote and riverine area. According to police, the Bangladeshi national group entered India using a tourist Visa, but they had carried out religious teachings and other religious activities. "We received information that 17 Bangladeshi nationals are staying at the Baghmari area under the Jinjia police station in Biswanath district for the last 2-3 days and are carrying out religious meetings, and religious activities in the area", said Navin Singh, Superintendent of Police of Biswanath district. Singh further added, "They are the members of a particular sector and their leader (Dharmaguru) is also part of this group. We first detained them and verified at the police station and found that they entered India via Cooch Behar on various dates from August". According to police the accused visited the South Salmara district of Assam and the police alerted their leader not to organize religious meetings. The accused informed the police that they would not carry out any religious meetings and would proceed to Ajmer Sharif. "But they again entered into Assam and had taken shelter at Baghmari area in Biswanath district which is a very remote and riverine area. They came on tourist visas and carried out religious teaching and other religious activities. It's a violation of Visa rules and for that reason, we have registered a case under the Foreigners' Act and arrested them and will produce them before the court," Navin Singh said. According to police, the Bangladeshi national group was led by Sayed Ashraful Alom. This group carried out similar religious meetings and other religious activities in South Salmara in the last week of August. Earlier on August 28, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel detained five Bangladeshi nationals for illegally crossing the international border in Assam's South Salmara Mankachar district on Saturday. These people crossed the international border inadvertently and were handed over to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on humanitarian grounds as a goodwill gesture, BSF said in a statement. Earlier on August 18, a similar incident was reported from the same district where two Bangladeshi nationals were sentenced to five years imprisonment. The District and Sessions court of South Salmara Mankachar district convicted two Bangladeshi nationals and sentenced them to five years imprisonment for entering India illegally. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each. The failure the payment the fine will lead to imprisonment of another six months for both. The two convicted accused have been identified as Abdul Hai and Niranjan Ghosh. District Public Prosecutor Biswajit Mahanta said, "District and Sessions Judge court convicted two accused persons namely Abdul Hai and Niranjan Ghosh both are hailing from Bangladesh and the court awarded five years of imprisonment to them." (ANI) Delhi Police busted a gang of fraudsters and arrested three people involved in cheating people worth Rs 9,85,000 by hacking into servers and payment gateways of a Nagpur-based retail company. The three arrested people have been identified as Saurabh Subhash Karnewar, Sagar Raju and Kaushal Baburao. A complaint was registered at the Cyber South Police Station by the Director of Paytel Private Limited, which works as a banking correspondent of a private bank and engages in settling transactions, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Chandan Chowdhary said .. According to the complaint, someone had changed the login ID and password of the retailer after hacking into their server and made fraudulent transactions worth Rs 9,85,000. The police registered a cheating case and filed the FIR under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and an investigation was taken up. During the investigation, it was found that Virtual Payment Network (VPN) was used for hacking purposes. The details of the IP address were obtained and the transactional details were also found. With the help of technical surveillance, the transactions were found to be belonging to four banks in Nagpur. After the location of the account holder, Nikhil Pise was zeroed down at Nagpur, the police team reached the site. After interrogation, Nikhil disclosed that his friend Saurabh Subhashrao Karnewar asked for his card and account details and he provided them. After this, a raid was conducted in the Beltarode Police Station area in Nagpur with the assistance of local police and three persons were arrested. On interrogation, Kaushal disclosed that it was his account where the cheated money was received. Further, it was found that they were in touch with one man named Ayush and a foreign national, who were actually hacking the servers of the Payment Gateways and providing them with fake SIM cards and debit cards. The details of those two were also given to the police. The police also recovered 70 SIM cards, 66 Debit cards, six mobile phones and five laptops from the possession of the three accused. (ANI) While the women of Kashmir are making their contribution in the fields of education, health, art, literature, art and technology, many women are also emerging as successful entrepreneurs. Malika Ghalib Shah is among them. Despite being a successful professional, Malika decided to develop herbal beauty products under the name "Masha By Malika" to nurture her passion. Her products like hair oil, lotions, soaps, creams and other types of cosmetics are not common but are made from pure natural herbs without any chemicals. The 29-yea-old Malika, a native of Srinagar, has completed her Masters in Law and is currently working as an assistant professor. Malika has been an LLB topper in Kashmir University, and did her LLM degree from University College London in UK through a scholarship programme. She started the business in the year 2019 with a focus on "Fitness for everyone". Although she started manufacturing herbal beauty products from her home, after a few years of increasing demand, these products are now manufactured in a small factory with the help of female employees under Malika's supervision. About 35 cosmetic items of 5 types of oils, body lotions, soaps and other types are manufactured under the name "Masha By Malika" for better care of skin, hair and body. All these herbal products are made from natural ingredients, free from chemicals, artificial colors and fragrances. The ingredients include saffron, lavender, sandalwood, honey, apricots, almonds, walnuts, special types of turmeric, pomegranates, olives and coconuts. All these things are put to use and made in a native way and are given the shape of oil, lotion, powder and soap etc. The latter is then packaged in bottles, cans and jars. The herbs used in these products are imported from outside the Kashmir Valley as well. Malika says that although 60 to 70 per cent of these cosmetic products are sold locally, many people outside Jammu and Kashmir also show interest in buying them, for which they regularly receive orders. While understanding the importance of these herbal items, many Kashmiris living abroad also take them for use. Malika does not compromise on quality. As a result, they receive daily orders from domestic and international countries. Malika has equal support from her family in turning her hobby into a business. She is not only promoting her business but also providing employment to women who are financially independent. A lot of these women belong to economically weak families. Malika is keen to expand her business into a bigger factory in the near future to manufacture more products and provide employment to more people. In today's era of technology and social media, Malika realised she can use them to reach out. For her this is an important tool for marketing, thanks to which not only products can be delivered to more people but also orders can be obtained. Jammu and Kashmir women empowerment has been strengthened after August 5, 2019 when the Central government announced its decision to bifurcate the region into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after revoking Article 370 and 35A of Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status. Since then women have taken advantage of all the opportunities that have come their way. During the last 3 years, about 4.5 lakh women have been made financially independent through self-help groups in Jammu and Kashmir. Whereas, for the first time in 70 years, the women of Jammu and Kashmir are succeeding in making their dreams a reality thanks to various government schemes. However, with dedication, courage and courage, success can be achieved in any job. With this work ethic, Malika GhalibShah is not only emerging as a successful female entrepreneur but also becoming a beacon of hope for others. --IANS tabasum/vd ( 635 Words) 2022-09-17-21:00:02 (IANS) A court in Gujarat's Mehsana on Saturday summoned Congress leader Arjun Modhwadi and veteran politician Shankersinh Vaghela on October 6 in connection with the case of the alleged financial irregularities committed by Dudhsagar Dairy Chairman Vipul Chaudhary. Public Prosecutor Vijay Barot told local media that the court has accepted his application to call Vaghela and Modhwadia as witnesses in the case and allow him to examine them. On his party, Modhwadia told IANS that he has not yet received any summons, but remembers that his and Vaghela's role is very limited, and both had recommended to the Central government to appoint Chaudhary as NDDB Chairman but nothing more than that. The case against Chaudhary is that during his tenure, he donated cattle fodder worth Rs 20 crore to drought-affected Maharashtra. As neither the Dudhsagar Dairy nor the Amul board had passed any resolution for such donation, Chaudhary was asked to repay the said amount back to the dairy from his pocket, and had instead, recovered it from Dudhsagar Dairy cooperative members. --IANS har/vd ( 187 Words) 2022-09-17-21:52:02 (IANS) Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah, on the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, presented various equipment to the specially-abled and cleaning machines to government schools and community hostels at a service program organized in Hyderabad on Saturday. Union Culture and Tourism Minister G. Kishen Reddy and many other dignitaries were also present at the event. In his address, Amit Shah said, "Today is the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has brought global pride to the Nation. Prime Minister Modi urges that every person should involve themselves in work of service in some area or the other so that crores of poor, downtrodden, backward and needy persons across the country get help and their condition is improved." The Home Minister said "Narendra Modi has devoted his entire life to helping people living in want. After coming to the government, he introduced many schemes to raise the standard of living of 60 crore poor people. Insurance of Rs 5 lakh has been given to crores of poor for home, electricity, water, toilet and cooking gas cylinders as well as for treatment in illness." The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said, "The biggest work done by Prime Minister Modi is to give a respectable name to any kind of disability caused by birth or accident. Modi has given such people the right to live with full respect by calling them Divyang. Earlier people used to look at the specially abled with compassion, but now they look at them with respect." Amit Shah said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has devised many works for the disabled. Every Rupee note has also been printed in Braille to enable the visually impaired to identify currency notes and India is the only country whose currency is also written in Braille script." He said apart from this, arrangements have been made for easy access to lifts for Specially Abled persons in government offices, as well as keeping in mind the needs of the Specially Abled in public transport. The Minister of Home and Cooperation said, "The Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of India, has provided means of assistance to crores of people to go about their lives. He said today many differently-abled have been given some such means which will help them on a daily basis and they will be able to stand with respecting society." (ANI) As Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra entered its eleventh day, party leaders led by Rahul Gandhi started the march from Alappuzha on Sunday. After completing 200 km, the Congress leaders resumed the Kerala leg of the yatra from Haripad in Alappuzha district on Sunday morning. The padyatra will take halt at Sree Kuruttu Bhagavathi Temple in Thottappally. In the evening, the yatra will take a halt at TD Medical College and Hospital, Vandanam. The Yatra is in its Kerala leg and would traverse through the state for the next 12 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. Meanwhile, Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra was mired with controversy after a video surfaced of local Congress leaders allegedly extorting donations from a vegetable vendor in Kollam, Kerala. A vegetable shopkeeper was allegedly threatened by Congress workers in Kollam for not contributing Rs 2,000 towards the collection of funds for the 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. Following this, Kerala Congress on Friday suspended three party workers. "Three party workers involved in an unacceptable incident in Kollam have been suspended with immediate effect. They do not represent our ideology and such behaviour is inexcusable. The party is crowdfunding small donations voluntarily unlike others who get corporate donations," said Kerala Congress chief K Sudhakaran in a Twitter post. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked Congress over the matter and raised serious questions on the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, calling it a goonda yatra. Speaking to ANI, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that the Congress party is engaging goons across the country in the name of Bharat Jodo Yatra.Rahul Gandhi said the yatra is a fight against exploitation. "Fair wages, protection against exploitation, medical benefits, assured pensions and social security. All this and more are what the Bharat Jodo Yatra is fighting for," said Gandhi in a Twitter post. 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. Rahul Gandhi 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. The Yatra includes Padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be later attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Notably, all the party MPs, leaders, and workers along with Rahul Gandhi are staying together. Sleeping beds, toilets, and ACs are also installed in some of the containers. During the journey, the temperature and environment will differ in many areas. The arrangements have been made keeping in view the intense heat and humidity with the change of place. The Congress suffered a debacle in the assembly polls held earlier this year and the Yatra is seen as an attempt to rally the party rank and file for the upcoming electoral battles. (ANI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved an application before the Principal District and Sessions Judge of Rouse Avenue Court urging the transfer of Satyendar Jain's money laundering proceedings to another Judge. The Principal District and Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Gupta will hear the ED's plea on September 19. The ED petition has sought the transfer of Delhi Cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain's matter to Special Judge Geetanjali Goel after raising certain contentions related to the bail arguments being examined by the court. Special judge Geetanjali Goel, in the past few hearings, had pulled up the agency over its probe in the money laundering case. The Court was presently hearing the lengthy arguments on the bail petitions of Satyendar Jain and the other two co-accused Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain in the matter. The bail hearing of the accused was at the final stage. All three persons are currently in Judicial Custody. Appealing for ED, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju on September 15, informed the court that they were moving a plea of transfer of Satyendar Jain's bail proceedings from the current court. Senior Advocate N Hariharan, appearing for Satyendar Jain, expressed his displeasure with Special Judge Geetanjali Goel and submitted, "It's really unfair. Totally uncalled for. They're preempting things. We'll oppose it tooth and nail." The ED had arrested Satyendar Jain and two others in a money laundering case based on a CBI FIR lodged against the AAP leader in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act under which he was accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him. On September 16, the ED quizzed Jain inside the Jail in relation to the Excise policy case. Special Judge Geetanjali Goel allowed the application moved by the ED seeking permission to question Satyendar Jain in the excise policy case. Recently the court also took cognisance of the Prosecution Complaint (Chargesheet) filed by the ED against Satyendar Jain, his wife and eight others including four firms in connection with the money laundering case. The ED on June 6 claimed to have seized Rs 2.85 crore in cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg from Satyendra Jain's aides during its day-long raid conducted at various places across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). During these raids, the agency also seized various incriminating documents and digital records. The ED had initiated the money-laundering investigation on the basis of a First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 24, 2017, under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Satyendar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain. (ANI) Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has promoted 64 head constables of its Animal Transport cadre to the newly created post of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) based on a Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC). "All 64 posts of Assistant Sub Inspector in the Animal Transport (AT) cadre of ITBP are newly created posts to open promotion avenues for the personnel and boost the already high morale," the ITBP said in a statement. All 64 Head Constables will now become subordinate officers (SOs), said the Central Armed Police Force, adding "all have put in 25-30 years service in ITBP". The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had notified the recruitment rules for the post of ASI/AT in July this year and this fast-track DPC has ensured that promotions are implemented without further delay. "It was one among the longest awaited and largest promotions in the history of one of the toughest cadres of ITBP Animal Transport which is deployed at remote Border Out Posts in difficult terrains in the 3,488 km mountainous borders," ITBP Spokesperson Vivek Pandey told ANI. The AT cadre is also engaged in the dogs' training including providing one of the best training in the country for K9s. The ITBP has ponies, mules and Yaks to support in logistic supplies in harsh border areas which is managed by its AT cadre officials. The DPC was headed by DIG Sudhakar Natarajan, the senior most officer of the Vet Cadre of the Force. The DPC that had two other members who scrutinised the Medical Category, Service Records for five years, mandatory courses done and integrity certificate amongst other parameters before recommending fitness for promotion. "There is no greater happiness for an officer. It is an honour to head this DPC and being bestowed with the onerous responsibility to ensure the selection and promotion of 64 personnel. There is indeed no greater joy for me than this happy duty," DIG Sudhakar Natarajan said. DPC has recommended their promotion to ASI rank in the pay matrix level-5 (Rs 29,000 - Rs 92,300). All 64 Head Constables, posted to different units, are being pipped in with their new ranks. (ANI) The Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee held an important meeting. The agenda of the meeting is an organizational election in the state unit. The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, party state in-charge PL Punia and other leaders of the state. Another resolution was also passed unanimously, in which All India Congress Committee President was authorized to constitute AICC Delegate, PCC President, Treasurer and State Executive for the state. CM Bhupesh Baghel tweeted, "The following 2 resolutions have been unanimously passed in the meeting of state Congress representatives today: 1) AICC President authorized to constitute AICC Delegate, PCC President, Treasurer and State Executive 2) Shri Rahul Gandhi to take over as the National President again." Talking to the media, CM Baghel said, "Chhattisgarh Congress Committee and Rajasthan Cong Committee has made this proposal. It has been done in 2 states but if this proposal comes from other states too, then Rahul ji should rethink this matter." (ANI) Delhi Police have registered a case against supporters of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan for obstructing the raiding party of ACB in the discharge of government work. Those involved in manhandling are being identified. Supporters of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan manhandled an Anti-Corruption Bureau official during raids at the residence of the AAP MLA in Jamia Nagar, on September 16. The Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan on Friday in connection with the Delhi Waqf Board corruption case, on the basis of the recovery of incriminating material and evidence against him during the conducted searches. A weapon was found at one of the locations. It is learnt that he could not show any license of the recovered arms (Breta pistol). The AAP MLA was arrested after the ACB raided four locations related to Khan and his business partner, from where cash and weapons were recovered. According to the officials, a total of Rs 24 lakh in cash was recovered along with two illegal weapons. The South East District Police lodged two FIRs against the AAP MLA's aides Hamid Ali and Kausar Imam Siddique, while the third one was lodged for obstructing the ACB's raid party in the discharge of government work. The ACB had summoned Khan in connection with the case which pertains to financial misappropriation and other irregularities in the functioning of the Delhi Waqf Board. As per an official statement, Khan while working as Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board illegally recruited 32 persons violating all norms and government guidelines with allegations of corruption and favouritism. The statement further said that four locations were searched based on the inputs received while questioning and on the basis of information developed by the Anti-Corruption Branch. (ANI) What's on September 19-25/2022 MUSIC & PERFORMANCES Hoi An City-Showcase Now Here After NHA Theatre Sep 23, 06 pm 09 pm AVANA Art Residence, Cua Dai, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province Registration link From the organizer: Sep 23, 06 pm 09 pmAVANA Art Residence, Cua Dai, Hoi An City, Quang Nam ProvinceFrom the organizer: Showcase Now Here After NHA Theatre is an experimental arts group project, initiated and choreographed by performance/video-art artist Tran Minh, working together with the members to build the first foundation for NHA Theatre in which there are 3 female actors and 1 music artist/sound designer working with the features of security camera equipment (CCTV) at a fashion design studio in Hoi An. Hanoi-SiaM vol. 17: Classic through the lenses Night 1: Sep 24, 8 pm Tranquil Cafe, 5 Nguyen Quang Bich Street, Hoan Kiem District Night 2: Sep 25, 8 pm Tita Art, 164A Tran Vu Street, Ba Dinh District From the organizer: As its name suggests, Neoclassical music (around 1750 1820) harks back to the structured, balanced, and moderate beauty of classic art. If you were at SiaM Vol. 2: Classical Viennese School, you probably remember the elegant and graceful melodies composed by Mozart, Haydn, and other musicians representative of this period. Refined and cultivated through discipline, their music reaches a level of beauty as close to perfection as can be, and is considered a high standard for later generations to aspire to. _____________________________________________________ EXHIBITION HCM City - Vietnamese artworks through the ages Until Oct 2, HCM City Fine Arts Museum An exhibition of 152 artworks such as ceramic pieces, art sculptures and paintings that the museum has collected and preserved for the past 35 years. The ancient artworks are shown in 49 pieces of ceramic with a variety of enamel colours and pattern designs from the 12th to the 20th century. In addition, each item serves a purpose, such as for household usage (wine jugs, tea pots), for religion (censers, incense burners), or for decoration (Nghe statue). Each of them reflects the vitality of ceramic art through the ages. The modern art artifacts include 103 works of art in sculpture, painting, and sketches, from 1939 to 2021, through notable artists of many generations, which represent a variety of art styles. Hanoi-Showcase: Meetings Opening: Sep 21, 05 pm Display: Sep 22 & 23, 08:30 am 05 pm Student Gallery, Vietnam University of Fine Arts, 42 Yet Kieu Street From the organzier: Public space is full of people and thus full of uses, demands and requirements. Accordingly, a place in the city is never a white canvas of free possibilities, but confronted with expectations and also conflicts. Over the past 6 weeks, the students of the final year of the sculpture department of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts have faced this clash of different interests in public space and developed artistic projects that deal with this complexity and bundle it into a specific quality. 9 proposals for public art in the city squares of Hoan Kiem are presented. Hanoi-Applied fine art works on display Until Sep 27 Vietnam Museum of Ethnology Featuring over 200 modern and traditional designs of applied fine art works by 138 authors throughout the country. The works are finalists selected from 538 entries to a competition launched more than four months ago which saw the participation of 183 authors from 25 localities in the country. Hanoi-Moi / Seeing New(s) SDIS 33/Handout LHumanite Until Oct 3, 07 am 05 pm Matca Space for Photography, 48 Ngoc Ha Street, Ba Dinh District From the organizer: 2021 has seen the French news agenda sandwiched between COVID lockdowns and President Macrons re-election. A Reuters report from late January to early February 2022 shows most news brands have decreased static news consumption and trust. Seeing New(s) by Phuong Hoang constructs a visual dialogue, combining images from local media and her own photographs with a touch of humour. She questions the importance of delivering messages via pictures in newsrooms when audiences are visually flooded by social media daily. Hanoi-Exhibition features dialogue between calligraphy, graffiti Until Sep 30, The Temple of Literature, An exhibition named Calligraphy Graffiti Dialogue featuring 39 works of calligraphy and graffiti by Vietnamese calligraphers and graffiti artists across the country. The works are arranged like a story about two people with different personalities and the dialogue which brings them together to empathise and share with each other. HCMC-Len Loi Exhibition Until Sep 23, 8am-5pm Gallery 1, Building 2, Level 1, Saigon South campus, RMIT University Vietnam, 702 Nguyen Van Linh Street, From the organizer: Len Loi Exhibition is a speculative spatial design project which intentionally challenges ones perception and understanding of hem (alley) in District 4, Ho Chi Minh city. Drawing from students multiple research approaches, engagement with locals and place experiences, a series of multifunctional adaptive reuse commercial spaces designed by students in Interior Stream Design Studies at RMIT University is finally ready to be showcased. HCMC-Exhibition: Illuminated Curiosities Until Dec 2022 EMASI Nam Long 147 Street No.8, Nam Long Residential area, District 7, EMASI Van Phuc 2 Street No.5, Van Phuc Residential City, Thu Duc District, From the organizer: Nguyen Art Foundation (NAF) proudly invites you to the opening of Illuminated Curiosities, a group exhibition with 26 artists featuring 46 artworks from within and outside NAFs Collection. Curated by art researcher Ace Le, with the curatorial assistance from Duong Manh Hung and Tam Nguyen, the exhibition will take place simultaneously across the campuses of EMASI Nam Long and EMASI Van Phuc, over the course of six months from May to December of 2022. Illuminated Curiosities is a collaborative effort between NAF and Lan Tinh Foundation. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Sunday alleged that the Kerala Police did not register a case in the three-year-old matter of physical attack on him because Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was involved in the matter. "If the police did not register the case, it was because of the in-charge of the Home Minister who is currently the state's Chief Minister who had specifically instructed them (police) to not to report it," governor Khan told mediapersons. "I am going to produce all the letters tomorrow which the CM wrote to me. I am not going to talk about other things where he has sought favours from me. I will only talk about what he has written, where he assured that there will be no interference in the Universities. Now there is interference and they are trying to take control of the universities," he added. Referring to the attack on him three years ago, Governor Khan alleged that the Kannur University Vice Chancellor was used to ensure his availability so that he could be attacked. This was a conspiracy, he said. "They wanted to frighten me and there is no way," he further said wondering if stopping the police personnel from acting was a part of a conspiracy or a "mere favouritism" that according to the governor is seen everywhere. "The personal staff of the ministers are entitled to a lifelong pension for two years time. This is looting. How do you expect me to remain silent if the exchequer is being looted?... All documentary evidence will be produced (to the media) tomorrow," he said. (ANI) A shocking incident of a female discovering after several years of marriage that her spouse is a female by birth surfaced in the Vadodra district of Gujrat. The marriage took place in 2014. However, the lady's husband, Dr Viraj Vardhan from Delhi refuted the allegations and said that she knew everything prior to the marriage as he had "shown" and made her aware that he had undergone Gender-reassignment surgery. He said that he also told her about the three stages that were yet to be performed. "She knew everything. She had said that she and her daughter are very much attached to you," Viraj alias Vijeta said. "I officially adopted her daughter. She had even broken the engagement demanding a house before marriage and after nine years she claims that she doesn't even know her husband's body," he said. Talking further to the media persons, Viraj said, "Since we were living in different rooms for the past year, she had installed a camera over in my room and clicked pictures. She along with her brother came to me in April this year with those pictures." Viraj, however, accepted that he was a female by birth and later trans-gendered before the marriage. The case came to light when a woman hailing from Sayajiganj lodged a complaint against her husband Viraj in the city's Gotri police station after discovering the medical reports of his surgery conducted in 2020 in Kolkata. The woman, in her complaint, had alleged that her husband was initially a female who had undergone sex-change surgery and kept the matter secret for eight years of their marriage. As per the complainant, the accused Viraj, who belonged to Delhi got married to the Vadodara-based lady, but the couple never had any "relations like that of a husband and wife". By examining the documents of surgery on the lower part of her husband's body, the complainant said that this was when she learned that her husband Viraj was originally Vijeta, and had undergone surgery on the body's upper part during the wedding. After getting a hold of the relevant facts after that, the police registered a First Information Report in the matter and brought Viraj alias Vijeta from Delhi to Vadodara. The woman's advocate Siddhartha Pawar disclosed that the couple had married after reaching out to each other through an online matrimonial site and when both the families met in Vadodara, none of the females in the accused's family had revealed the matter. The police have also registered a complaint against the accused's mother and sister for allegedly hiding the truth. "The complainant woman saw a match with Dr Viraj for herself through a matrimonial site in 2014 when she was a widow...after shifting to Delhi, the couple could not dwell on the physical relationship, when the complainant questioned her husband he dismissed the discussion and had said her that he met with an accident when he was in Russia and sometimes he used to deliver excuses of allergy in the private parts," said Abhay Soni, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vadodara. (ANI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in Bengaluru on Sunday. Kerala's state chief was felicitated by his Karnataka counterpart. Both the state chiefs held a meeting to discuss inter-state and mutual interest issues in Bengaluru. "Had a fruitful meeting with Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala. Various issues of interstate and mutual interest were discussed," tweeted CM Bommai. The Karnataka CM also later spoke to the media and said that some proposals by Kerala CM were also rejected. "Three projects proposed by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan during his visit were rejected as they fall within the scope of environmentally sensitive zones," said Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai. Earlier in the day, Karnataka CM called the Xpress clinic, a model for the entire country and added that more such clinics will be set up in different parts of the city soon. He said this while inaugurating the hi-tech diagnostic service Xpress Clinic in Malleswaram Assembly Constituency. He complimented IT Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayana for starting a model diagnostic centre with the coordination of Manipal Institutions and for providing the poor with an opportunity to get treatment at very concessional rates. "The APL cardholders will get a 30 per cent rebate and BPL card holders will be examined at a very less price. This has a most wonderful job and he has shown the use of digital technology and science," he announced. The BJP leader also praised the Prime Minister and the country's healthcare system, "The healthcare services in the country are very good and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has enabled healthcare for all through the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme. The government hospitals will benefit if this scheme is used rightly." The CM further announced that Xpress Clinics will be opened at 20 different places across the 243 wards in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits. It has been decided to open Jayadeva Hospital on all four sides of the city and it has already started in Malleswaram. In the coming days, Xpress Clinics will be opened in all 243 wards in BBMP limits. Priority will be given to improving the health system in Bengaluru. The CM said that the health services in BBMP limits will be managed through a separate system, "In Xpress clinics, 60 per cent concession will be given for BPL cardholders in government hospitals, and it will be 40 to 50 per cent for APL card holders," he added.Minister Dr Ashwath Narayana, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, BBMP Special Officer Dr Trilok Chandra and others were also present at the event. (ANI) Residents of a residential society in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to demolish their apartments claiming there were severe cracks in the buildings. Residents of KDA residency in Kanpur claimed the structures are of poor quality and low-grade materials were used in their construction. They also said that after the recent rains, the basement of the buildings got flooded and cracks appeared on the beams and walls. "Apartments were not made of the quality that was promised to us. Inferior construction material was used. The building has deteriorated and we are apprehensive about it getting collapsed. Authorities are yet to take any action," residents told ANI. Pertinent to mention last month, the 100-metre tall Supertech twin towers in Sector 93A, Noida by the administration after Supreme Court's order for flouting norms. The towers came crashing down within a span of nearly nine seconds after the use of 3,700 kg explosives. The demolition of towers, Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors), which are taller than the Qutub Minar in the national capital, was the biggest ever planned tower demolition bid. The Supreme Court had given the go-ahead for the towers' demolition, which it had set for August 21, but was extended to August 28 at the Noida Authority's request. (ANI) Former Union Minister of Law and Justice Ashwani Kumar, while supporting Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju's statement on the collegium system, has emphasized the need to review and reconsider the present collegium system. Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju, while addressing the inaugural function of the Union of India West Zone Advocate's conference in Udaipur, Rajasthan, regarding the collegium system of the country's Judiciary, had said that if any system is not working properly, then that needs a rethink. Ashwani Kumar said that the existing collegium system is not constitutional. Kumar, said, "Most political parties are unanimous on this issue and there is a dire need to review and reconsider the present collegium system." In a response to a question as to why this issue is so complicated, Kumar said, "The Supreme Court is of the opinion that if the collegium system is reconsidered or reviewed or reconsidered, then it will affect the autonomy of the Supreme Court and so on. Owing to the opinion, the Supreme Court in its judgment had set aside the preamble of the government." While emphasizing the need to reconsider the collegium system in principle, Ashwani Kumar said that the collegium system alone cannot decide that this system can lead to better appointments. The NJAC Act and the Constitutional Amendment Act came into force on April 13, 2015. But the top court on October 16, 2015, struck down the NJAC Act. (ANI) Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan on Sunday expressed deep concern over the alleged leak of 'objectionable videos' of some female students of Chandigarh University and said that the Chief Minister of Punjab should go to the University campus and enquire about the entire incident rather than just tweeting about it. Speaking to ANI Ranjeet Ranjan said, "I think the Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann should go to the university campus and meet the students, what kind of incident happened, go and talk to them. If you can't go then I will definitely go there. Strict action must be taken in this incident because this is a sensitive issue and should not be taken lightly." He also slammed the Punjab CM for just tweeting about the incident. "This is not the time to play Twitter, Twitter. This is an issue related to women and students, it is a very serious issue. On one hand, you are talking about high-level inquiry and on the other side, the Pro Vice Chancellor of the University says nothing happened. What kind of inquiry will be done like this?" he added. Amid the row over alleged objectionable videos of woman students of Chandigarh University going viral, the Chief Minister of Punjab ordered a high-level inquiry and appeal to all to avoid rumours. Massive protests were held by Chandigarh University students in Mohali on Saturday night after alleged 'leaked objectionable videos' of women students went viral. Protesting students alleged that a student made videos of girl students while taking a bath in the hostel. The video was later made viral on social media. The protesting students also claimed that after the videos went viral, girl students living in the hostel attempted suicide. However, police refuted the suicide attempts claim. Punjab Higher Education Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer ordered a thorough probe into the matter. "It is really saddening to know about the unfortunate incident at Chandigarh University. Since this matter is very sensitive, it is my request not to forward any unsubstantiated news. There is no news of suicide by any girl student. I assure justice to University students, especially girls. The DC Mohali and SSP have been ordered to conduct a thorough enquiry into the entire incident. Guilty would not be spared," said the Minister. Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has appealed to Chandigarh University students to remain calm and assured them that the guilty will not be spared. "I humbly request all the students of Chandigarh University to remain calm. No one guilty will be spared. It is a very sensitive matter and relates to the dignity of our sisters and daughters," said the Minister in a Twitter post. Punjab Higher Education Minister Gurmeet Singh meet Hayer on Sunday ordered a thorough probe into the matter. (ANI) In a major development in the case of alleged leaked objectionable videos of Chandigarh University students, a 23-year-old was detained by Shimla Police, said officials on Sunday. The accused was nabbed by a team led by Dr Monika, Superintendent of Police, Shimla. The Punjab Police is expected to arrest the person. Confirming the reports, IPS Sanjay Kundu said that the accused has been nabbed. "Chandigarh University case: Himachal Pradesh Police reacted to request of Punjab Police with sensitivity and professionalism. We nabbed the accused. Congrats to Dr Monika, SP Shimla and her team for great professional work," Tweeted Kundu. Earlier massive protests were held by Chandigarh University students in Mohali on Saturday night after alleged 'leaked objectionable videos' of women students went viral. Protesting students alleged that a student made videos of girl students while taking a bath in the hostel. The video was later made viral on social media. The protesting students also claimed that after the videos went viral, girl students living in the hostel attempted suicide. However, police refuted the suicide attempts claim. "It is a matter of videos being shot by a girl student and later circulated. FIR was registered in the matter and the accused student was arrested. No death reported related to this incident. As per medical records, no attempt (to commit suicide) was reported," said Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohali Vivek Soni on Chandigarh University row. "Forensic evidence is being collected. So far no attempt to suicide has been reported. Medical records of students have been taken on record. People should not pay attention to any rumours," he added. Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains had appealed to Chandigarh University students to remain calm and assured them that the guilty will not be spared. "I humbly request all the students of Chandigarh University to remain calm. No one guilty will be spared. It is a very sensitive matter and relates to the dignity of our sisters and daughters," said the minister in a Twitter post. Punjab State Women Commission took cognisance of the matter. (ANI) "Had a fruitful meeting with Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala. Various issues of interstate and mutual interest were discussed," tweeted CM Bommai. The Karnataka CM also later spoke to the media and said that some proposals by Kerala CM were also rejected. "Three projects proposed by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan during his visit were rejected as they fall within the scope of environmentally sensitive zones," said the Karnataka CM. Discussions were held on night curfew at National Highway 766 and also on aligning Mysore-Mallapuram Economic Corridor with the Tholpetty-Purakatiri and Sultan Batheri-Mallapuram. Both states decided to request the National Highway Authority of India for this purpose. Extending the Railway line from North Kerala to South Karnataka was also been taken up during the meeting. CM Basavaraj Bommai said during the meeting that a proposal for providing funds for Kanhangad - Panathoor- Kaniyoor Railway line has been taken seriously by the Karnataka Government by CM Basavaraj Bommai. The meeting was also attended by Karnataka Housing & Infrastructure Minister V Somanna, Kerala Chief Secretary V.P Joy, Karnataka Chief Secretary Vanditha Sharma, National Highway Authority Officers, and Karnataka Government Officials. (ANI) In a major breakthrough in the case of alleged leaked objectionable videos of Chandigarh University students, the accused has been arrested by the Punjab police, said the officials on Sunday. The arrested accused has been identified as Sunny Mehta. The Punjab Police reached Rohru Police Station in Shimla and took Mehta into custody. "Chandigarh University Case. Punjab Police reached PS Rohru in Shimla. The accused Sunny Mehta has been handed over to them. Zero tolerance to crime against women. If any collateral evidence comes our way, we will take action as per law," said Director General of Police Himachal Pradesh, Sanjay Kundu. The accused was nabbed by a team led by Dr Monika, Superintendent of Police, Shimla. "Punjab Police has arrested and has left with the accused from Rohru in case FIR no 194/22 dt 18/9/22 u/s 354C IPC, 66E IT act PS Sadar Kharad Punjab. The 23-year accused, resident of Rohru has been handed over to them," reads a statement of Shimla Police. Earlier massive protests were held by Chandigarh University students in Mohali on Saturday night after alleged 'leaked objectionable videos' of women students went viral. Protesting students alleged that a student made videos of girl students while taking a bath in the hostel. The video was later made viral on social media. The protesting students also claimed that after the videos went viral, girl students living in the hostel attempted suicide. However, police refuted the suicide attempts claim. "It is a matter of videos being shot by a girl student and later circulated. FIR was registered in the matter and the accused student was arrested. No death reported related to this incident. As per medical records, no attempt (to commit suicide) was reported," said Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohali Vivek Soni on Chandigarh University row. "Forensic evidence is being collected. So far no attempt to suicide has been reported. Medical records of students have been taken on record. People should not pay attention to any rumours," he added.Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains had appealed to Chandigarh University students to remain calm and assured them that the guilty will not be spared. "I humbly request all the students of Chandigarh University to remain calm. No one guilty will be spared. It is a very sensitive matter and relates to the dignity of our sisters and daughters," said the minister in a Twitter post. Punjab State Women Commission took cognisance of the matter. (ANI) A delegation of 17 trainee officers of Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy, Dhaka, along with the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh Dr Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur, met Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi at Raj Bhavan in Guwahati on Sunday. While interacting with the trainee officers, Governor Mukhi said that India's relationship with Bangladesh is deep-rooted, person-to-person, more of a family relationship and expressed hope that Assam will play a more important role in strengthening this tie in the days to come. "Both Assam and Bangladesh are working for mutual interest by strengthening trade, water resources and connectivity," said Mukhi. Hailing Bangladesh in its progress in garment industries, the Governor pointed out that both Assam and Bangladesh can share their expertise in exchanging their respective prosperities. The Governor also said that Assam has always been very close to Bangladesh. "Disruption of connectivity was caused because of the division of the country. After the division, a total restriction was imposed and therefore the areas particularly contiguous to the border of both India and Bangladesh could not develop. Trade and commerce did not develop because of the restrictions," he added. He further stressed that things have changed and for almost a decade the North East has been given top priority by the government of India to enhance the trade relationship of India with Bangladesh through this region. Governor Mukhi said that the medical colleges, cancer care centres, universities, IIT, IIIT, IIM and other centres for excellence in North East can contribute to expanding bilateral ties with Bangladesh. The Governor further said that greater emphasis should be put on the student exchange facilitation programmes and cultural exchanges between Assam and Bangladesh. The Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh Dr Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur also acknowledged the gesture and thanked the Governor for the interaction programme. (ANI) Photo: The Canadian Press B.C.'s chief justice was busy this past week, dismissing four separate challenges to B.C.'s vaccine passport program. Since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic in March 2020, B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry issued a number of orders designed to reduce the spread of the virus in the province, including requiring proof of vaccination to enter a number of businesses like restaurants. The so-called "vaccine passport" was in place in B.C. from September 2021 to April 2022. One of the four cases dismissed on Monday by Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson was a petition brought forward by a non-profit organization called the Canadian Society for the Advancement of Science in Public Policy, which sought to have Dr. Henry's so-called vaccine passport regime ruled unconstitutional. While the program was lifted in April of this year, Chief Justice Hinkson said it's possible the government could reinstate the order at a later date, so he chose to hear the arguments despite the issue possibly being moot. The CSASPP argued the health orders violated British Columbians Charter rights of freedom of religion, expression, assembly, association, life, liberty, security of the person and equality. The society relied on a report from Dr. Joel Kettenr, the former Chief Medical Officer of Health and Chief Public Health Officer for the Province of Manitoba from 1999 to 2012. But since the report was made after the public health orders in question, Chief Justice Hinkson said it cannot be the basis for a challenge to those [health] orders. The society's executive director Kipling Warner said he was not double vaccinated for COVID-19, and the vaccine passport program meant he could not enjoy Vivaldis Four Seasons candlelight performance, nor go to restaurants, movie theatres, yoga classes or cultural events for a period of time, Justice Hinkson states. Mr. Warner claims that this amounts to violation of his Charter rights. But Chief Justice Hinkson said the vaccine passport only restricted access to private establishments, to which there is no right to unfettered access. Ultimately, he was not convinced that Dr. Henry's orders were unreasonable. I am satisfied that the [Public Health Officer] assessed available scientific evidence to determine COVID-19 risk for gatherings in British Columbia, including epidemiological data regarding transmission of SARS-CoV-2 globally, nationally, and in British Columbia, factors leading to elevated transmission risk in religious settings, and COVID-19 epidemiology in British Columbia, Chief Justice Hinkson wrote. The PHOs orders are limited in duration and constantly revised and reassessed to respond to current scientific evidence and epidemiological conditions in British Columbia. The CSAPP is also seeking to have a class-action suit certified against the province on behalf of British Columbians who have suffered personal injury or other damages as a result of the actions of the defendants in declaring a state of emergency, with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. A certification hearing is scheduled in that matter in December of this year. With regards to Monday's decision, Warner wrote to his followers: "In a nutshell, we lost. I am sorry." In a separate decision released by Chief Justice Hinkson Monday, he dismissed a similar petition by Victoria resident Jeremy Maddock, who was unable to access restaurants when the vaccine passport order was in place. In his ruling, Chief Justice Hinkson said Maddock relied mostly on his own unqualified scientific opinion on transmissibility which questioned the impact of vaccination on transmissibility. His materials did not acknowledge or engage with the increased risk of serious illness, hospitalization, or death for unvaccinated people. A third case Chief Justice Hinkson dealt with medical exemptions for the vaccine passport program. The three petitioners in this case had either been told by their doctor not to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to a health issue, or they had bad reactions to their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and decided not to get a second dose. Leigh Anne Eliason and Dawn Slykhuis had been unable to get an exemption for the vaccine passport, while William Prendiville was able to get an official exemption, but his attempts to utilize the certificate for its intended purpose have largely been unsuccessful. None of the petitioners are challenging the general importance of receiving vaccinations, and in particular, COVID-19 vaccines, Chief Justice Hinkson noted. Their petition challenges the constitutional validity of the Orders ... as allegedly limiting their ability to exercise their rights in a free and democratic society, as they assert that they have medical restrictions and limitations that prevent their ability to receive a full course of the vaccines contemplated by the Orders. But Chief Justice Hinkson ultimately ruled the Eliason and Slykhuis hadn't exhausted all other options before taking the matter to court, as they had not yet engaged with the reconsideration process. Furthermore, he ruled that while Prendiville has encountered less than full acceptance of his temporary deferral by businesses, this is not the fault of the province. The Province cannot be held responsible for the implementation of the Orders by private businesses, nor can private businesses violate an individuals Charter rights, Chief Justice Hinkson wrote. Finally, a fourth case brought forward by the Canadian Constitution Foundation was similar to the previous one, in that the three petitioners were supportive of vaccinations in general but took issue with the vaccine passport regime's medical exemptions. As was the case with the previous matter, Chief Justice Hinkson found the three petitioners have not exhausted the remedies available to them under the legislative scheme. As such, he ruled that it was unnecessary to deal with their Charter arguments, and the petition was dismissed. The Janata Dal-United (JDU) unit of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu on Sunday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi in the presence of party chief JP Nadda and the National General Secretary BL Santhosh. 16 members of the JDU unit joined the BJP which including ex-state president of JDU. The development comes after the JDU stitched alliance with RJD and others to form the 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) government in Bihar. "Members of JDU of Daman and Diu and the entire unit of state JDU joined the BJP today against Nitish Kumar's decision to leave the BJP which had given impetus to development in Bihar and to choose the 'Bahubali', corrupt and a dynastic party," BJP said in a tweet earlier last week. Nitish Kumar is meeting the leaders of various parties across the country these days to create an atmosphere against the BJP for the 2024 general elections. However, Nitish Kumar denied speculation on his Prime Ministerial candidature, saying that "I am not even a claimant, I don't even desire it." Earlier in the first week of September, five out of six Janata Dal (United) MLAs in Manipur had joined the BJP. After Manipur JDU MLAs joined BJP, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi took a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying that states like Manipur and Arunachal have become JDU-free. Notably, a few days ago, a bulk of JDU MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh joined the saffron party and very recently 5 out of 7 MLAs from Manipur embraced the BJP. On 25 August 2022, the lone JDU MLA from Arunachal Pradesh joined the saffron party in the presence of national president JP Nadda and Arunachal CM Pema Khandu.BJP stands at 49 out of 60 Assembly seats (MLA) with the merger of lone JDU MLA Techi Kaso with BJP. Out of 9 Corporators of JDU, 8 have joined BJP; now a total number of BJP corporators is 18 out of 20.Further17 out of 18 Zilla Parishad Members (ZPM) of JDU joined BJP. Now out of 241 ZPM, BJP is with 206 ZPM.In addition, out of 119 Gram Panchayat Members (GPM) of JDU, more than 100 joined BJP and with this BJP GPM are around 6,530 out of 8,332 GPM. Notably, In the first week of August, Nitish Kumar's party had severed its ties with the BJP in Bihar and walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) alliance. (ANI) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday took a swipe at the opposition's demand for State Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar's resignation over two deaths in the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS). Bommai said that the habit of the Congress Party is to politicise everything. Two ICU patients, including a woman, were reported dead due to power failure and a defunct generator. Following the case, former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy demanded that Dr. K. Sudhakar should resign from the post of Minister on moral responsibility. Kumaraswamy addressed the media after participating in the minority convention and party joining programme organized by the secular Janata Dal in Kolar. "The government has not clarified the facts regarding the death of the two patients. If there was morality, the Health Minister should have gone to Bellary hospital first, but he did not go. The director of the hospital is saying that some people have hatched a conspiracy to give him a bad name. How long will it take to tell the truth to the people? The Health Minister should accept the moral responsibility of this," Kumaraswamy said. "The Health Minister has written a half-page article in the newspapers saying that they have made great achievements in the health sector. If you look here, the state's health condition is a testimony to the state's health status. Although it has been a long time since the incident happened, the truth has not come out till now. The reason for this is the attitude of the government. He demanded that the Health Minister should resign on moral grounds," he added. (ANI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday offered his prayers to Narmada Maiya in Balod's Sursuli village and wished for the prosperity of the state. Baghel also initiated the Deepdan ceremony and offered prayers in the Shiv temple located here. In his brief address on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that he has got an oppurtunity to visit this sacred place for the second time. "With the blessings of 'Narmada Maiya' and the people, he shall continue to do public service for the state,' Baghel said. Baghel also took blessings from Swami Atmanand Saraswati who is practising Chaturmas here and said that as long as Swamiji stays in the state, he will be given the status of state guest. "When sages and saints rigorously practice sadhana at a given place, that land becomes even more sacred, important and virtuous with divine energy. When a saint performs Chaturmas, it is a great chance to seek blessings from him in this powerful sacred time. All of you have got an opportunity to listen to Swamiji's discourse, due to which the importance of this place has increased even more," Baghel said addressing the gathering present on the occasion. The Chief Minister approved the construction of a bridge, culvert and road for better connectivity and said that these initiatives have been taken in a bid to the development and beautification of Mata Narmada Dham. (ANI) "You already own nine 'kilas' of land and your annual income is Rs 2.5 lakh, therefore you are not eligible for pension benefits," he told the woman at a Jan Samvad Programme in Sirsa town. The woman informed the Chief Minister about her three daughters and sought financial help from him. Khattar then announced to give Rs 1 lakh to the woman from his voluntary quota. He said to avail pension benefits, a beneficiary should not have land more than five 'kilas'. But in this case, as the woman owns nine 'kilas', she is not eligible for the pension benefits. During the Jan Samvad Programme, the Chief Minister heard problems of locals at Chaudhary Devi Lal University auditorium. A total of 227 complaints were heard and redressed, an official statement said. Noting ensuring a roof over every head is the utmost priority of the state government, Khattar said: "The government is working on a plan to provide 1 lakh houses." Hearing a complaint against a patwari of Rania who refused to register a 'girdawari', the Chief Minister directed officers concerned to immediately suspend the official. --IANS vg/vd ( 227 Words) 2022-09-18-19:44:04 (IANS) Uttarakhand CM PS Dhami today held back the transfer list of 74 officials made in the Urban Development Department (UDD). This transfer list was issued on September 17 with the consent of Cabinet Minister Premchand Agarwal. The Chief Minister's Office said that delays come due to technical errors in the transfers. The transfer list was issued with the consent of Urban Development Minister Premchand Agarwal, who after releasing the list had gone to Germany. The sudden transfers in huge numbers led to a stir in the power corridor. Earlier on Sunday, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office (CMO) informed that 45 arrests have been made by the Special Task Force (STF) in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSC) leak case. The CMO statement further said that the interest of the youth is paramount. The campaign against crime and corruption will continue and no guilty will be spared. Earlier on September 11, the Uttarakhand government ordered a vigilance inquiry against six people including top officials in the alleged irregularities in Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) examination. According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), after the consent of CM Dhami, orders for vigilance inquiry were issued against six people including former secretary of Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission, Santosh Badoni, former controller of examination Narayan Singh Dangi, three section officers of the commission and the owner of RMS company. The case pertains to a written exam conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) in December 2021. This was one of the major examinations conducted by the commission for 854 posts across 13 departments. However, there were widespread allegations that there were irregularities in the conduct of the test. Following these allegations, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami called for a probe and strict action against those guilty. Following this, the secretary of the commission was removed from the post. A Special Task Force (STF) was also constituted to investigate the alleged irregularities. After the question was raised on several examinations of the selection commission, the government had sought a report from the STF on the role of the commission officials in this matter, in which it came to light that the contract of the exam conducting company RMS Technosolutions ended in October 2019 itself. Despite this, not only was the work taken from the company but the payment was also made. The STF also clarified the role of the officers responsible for this. On the basis of this report, after taking approval from the CM, the Vigilance Department has issued orders for vigilance inquiry against six people, including the then Secretary of the Commission, and the Controller of Examinations. (ANI) When Florida Judge Aileen Cannon appointed Raymond J. Dearie, a former Chief Federal Judge in New York, to sort through more than 11,000 documents - including classified materials - that FBI agents seized from former president Donald Trump's Florida residence last month, jurists across both the Republican and Democrats side hailed the move. The 78-year-old Dearie, a former Chief Federal Judge in New York and the then President Ronald Reagan appointee, was described by his peer group lawyers and colleagues as an exemplary jurist who is well suited to the job of special master, having previously served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA), which oversees sensitive national security cases. The Department of Justice also said he was acceptable to them after Judge Cannon rejected two candidates proposed by them. In 2015, Dearie took the unusual step of reducing the prison sentences of three convicted Canadian terrorists, saying he had been "haunted" by the case and his growing sense that their sentences were unfair. Under federal law, Dearie had been required to sentence the men to 25-year terms for conspiring to acquire missiles on behalf of the Tamil Tigers, a rebel group fighting the government of Sri Lanka. He later cut those sentences to 15 years. While the DOJ has been hit by Florida Judge Cannon's ruling to slow down investigation into Trump's classified documents case until Dearie reviews the documents in public interest to prevent reputational harm with a possible indictment of the former President, the DOJ has continued to maintain that a special master is legally unnecessary and should not be charged with reviewing any of the 100 or so seized documents marked as classified. Appointing a special master to review these documents, prosecutors argued in numerous court filings, would slow down a criminal investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information and could pose a national security risk, according to multiple reports in the media outlets. Here's everything you need to know about Dearie and what he will be doing in this high-profile and unusual investigation. What is a special master? A special master is an impartial outside expert who can essentially be viewed as a judge's helper, said David R. Cohen, an attorney and longtime special master. In theory, the special master can help with whatever a judge needs. In this case, Cannon appointed a special master to sort through the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago on August 8 to see if any should be shielded from criminal investigators because of attorney-client or executive privileges. How did Judge Cannon choose Dearie? When Cannon granted Trump's request to appoint a special master earlier this month, she asked the Justice Department and Trump's legal team to jointly submit a list of potential candidates. In a subsequent joint filing, the Justice Department named two judges as candidates. Trump's side proposed a lawyer who is not a judge, and Dearie. Trump's lawyers then told the judge they did not believe any of the Justice Department's candidates would be suitable special masters. The Justice Department said they thought Dearie would be acceptable. Days later, Cannon named Dearie for the high-profile job. Is Dearie still working as a judge? Yes, Dearie still serves as a judge in Brooklyn federal court, albeit on senior status, which means he can take a reduced caseload if he chooses. He has also recently signalled that he plans to leave the bench. It is not immediately clear if the appointment will speed his departure from Brooklyn federal court or if court administrators will work out some other accommodation for the unusual dynamic of a judge appointing another judge a special master. What will he do as a special master in this case? The Justice Department and Trump's lawyers have held drastically different positions on what the special master should do in this case. Trump wants the special master to search through all the seized documents - including the classified ones - to see if any are protected by attorney-client or executive privileges and should not be used in the investigation. On the other side, the Justice Department has questioned whether Trump, who is no longer President, can even invoke executive privilege - a power that Presidents can assert to shield communications from courts, Congress, or the public. Either way, the Justice Department did not want classified documents to be part of the special master review, saying that privilege would not apply to them or to the unclassified documents, and that delaying investigators' access to those sensitive documents could pose national security risks. Ultimately, Cannon ruled in Trump's favour. She also denied a bid by prosecutors to allow them to use the seized material in their ongoing criminal investigation before Dearie conducts his review. How long does Dearie have to complete the job? Cannon ordered Dearie to complete his review by November 30. She said he should prioritise sorting through the classified documents, though she did not provide a timeline as to when that portion must be completed. The Justice Department had asked in a previous court filing for the review to be completed by October 17. And Trump's lawyers had said a special master would need 90 days to complete a review. Does Dearie have the necessary clearance to sift through these highly classified materials? Because Dearie previously served on the FISA court, it will probably not take much time or effort to get him authorised to review the classified material, and he may not have to travel far to look at them. New York City has a number of federal facilities in which Dearie could review highly classified material, which is important since the storage and safekeeping of such documents is the crux of the case. Can Dearie get help for his review? In theory, yes. Special masters typically have others help them review documents. But in this case, staff assistance could be complicated by the 100 classified documents, and whether any potential assistants have the necessary security clearances. It is possible that Dearie could end up reviewing that material on his own, and hiring others to help him with the non-classified documents. Now what? The Justice Department is expected to file an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta. Depending on what part of Cannon's decision the government challenges, the appeal may or may not interfere with the special master's review. Once Dearie completes his review, he would deliver his recommendations to Cannon on what documents should be shielded from investigators. It's up to Cannon to decide whether she will follow those recommendations. --IANS ash/vd ( 1107 Words) 2022-09-17-20:08:02 (IANS) European Parliament strongly condemned the recent Chinese aggressive military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, while calling for strengthened EU relations with Taipei, as per a release by the EU's law-making body. In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the Members of Parliament (MEPs) denounce China's recent and unprecedented live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, which began in August 2022 following a visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. They also demanded that the Chinese government refrain from any measures which could destabilise the Taiwan Strait and regional security. MEPs approved the text with 424 votes in favour, 14 against with 46 abstentions. It said that the rest of the EU should follow Lithuania which recently announced plans to open a trade representation office in Taipei in the autumn of 2022. EU countries who do not yet operate a trade office in Taiwan should, MEPs say, should follow Lithuania's example and strengthen their bilateral relations with Taiwan. Noting Taiwan's status as a like-minded EU partner, its strategic trade position, and the country's leading role in the global supply chain of key high-tech sectors, including for semiconductors, Parliament called on the EU to strengthen its relations with the democratically-governed island. MEPs repeated their request for the European Commission to launch, without delay, an impact assessment, public consultation and scoping exercise on a Bilateral Investment Agreement with the Taiwanese authorities. Acknowledging that the EU continues to maintain its principled 'One China' policy position as the basis for EU-China relations, MEPs reiterated their position that the status quo in the Taiwan Strait must not be changed unilaterally and they oppose the use or threat of force. The text also stressesed that "on the democratic island of Taiwan, it is up to the people to decide how they want to live". (ANI) US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will lead a congressional delegation to Armenia in the backdrop of Yerevan's recent flareup with neighbouring Azerbaijan that resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people earlier this week, media reports said. Pelosi is the highest-ranking American official to visit Armenia since it gained independence 30 years ago. The trip was seen as a political move by Pelosi ahead of the midterm elections in November, reported The New York Times. "The US Embassy in Armenia will welcome a U.S. Congressional Delegation led by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Yerevan later today," said the US Embassy in Armenia in a statement. Speaker Pelosi will engage in the strong partnership between the United States and Armenia, "rooted in shared democratic values and long-standing ties between our peoples." She will be joined by Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Frank Pallone, and, Representatives Anna Eshoo, and Jackie Speier. During the delegation's September 17-19 visit, Speaker Pelosi will meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, and other senior Armenian officials to discuss US-Armenian relations and the current security situation. Speaker Pelosi will also address the press, participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Armenian Genocide Memorial, and deliver a speech at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, which will be live-streamed. 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) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday wished the government and people of Chile on their Independence Day and expressed hope in giving impetus to "friendly" ties between the two nations. In a tweet, Jaishankar wrote, "Congratulations to FM Antonia Urrejola and the Government and people of Chile on their Independence Day. Look forward to strengthening friendly ties between our nations." India-Chile relations are characterized by warmth, friendship and commonality of views on a wide range of issues. Chile shares India's concerns over the threat of international terrorism and hasregularly condemned the acts of cross-border terrorism that India has suffered. Both countries cooperate extensively in multilateral fora and share similar views on climate change/renewable energy issues and on expansion and reforms of the UNSC. Chile articulated its support for India's claim to a permanent seat in the UNSC in a Joint Statement in April 2003 and has consistently reiterated this support since. It also signed the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement in November 2017. India and Chile have signed Agreements/MoUs covering various fields of cooperation such as Sports, S&T, Antarctica, Defence, Air Services, Agriculture, New and Renewable Energy, Education, Outer Space, Geology and Mineral Resources. Indian culture is very popular in Chile. There are a large number of local Yoga schools (Kundalini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Bikram Yoga etc.) and practitioners. There are also quite a few Chileans who have learned Indian classical dance and music, some of whom run their own schools. Bollywood music and dance are also popular. Indian cuisine is appreciated and there are many Indian restaurants in Santiago. Organisations such as ISKCON, Brahmakumari Samaj, and Art of Living are also flourishing. There are Hindu Temples in Santiago, Iquique and Punta Arenas. There is also a small but thriving community of Buddhists. (ANI) As the flood deaths continue to rise in Pakistan, a report by the Sindh health department reveals that over 90,000 people were treated for water-borne diseases in a single day in the province, media reports said. Catastrophic floods in Pakistan have taken the lives of over 1,500 people on Friday as thousands of displaced citizens in Sindh were treated for infectious and water-borne diseases. In a report issued on Friday, the Sindh Directorate General Health Services said 92,797 citizens were treated on September 15 (Thursday), reported Dawn. The report added that 17,977 cases of diarrhoea and 20,064 skin disease cases were reported on Thursday, alongside 28 cases of dengue. A total of 2.3 million patients have been treated since July 1 in the field and mobile hospitals set up in the flooded region. Further, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 22 flood-related deaths were reported in 24 hours. Since June 14, 1,508 people have died. In its daily situation report, the NDMA also said nine individuals were injured in flood-related incidents in 24 hours, taking the total to 12,758, reported Dawn. The devastating floods in Pakistan caused by record monsoon rains have swept away homes, vehicles, crops and livestock in damage estimated at USD 30 billion. The government and the United Nations have blamed climate change for the surging waters in the wake of record-breaking summer temperatures. Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto said that the problem faced by Pakistan due to climate change could be faced by some other country as well. Bhutto said big countries that have made themselves rich have to take responsibility for climate change. Referring to the impact of heavy rains in Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto said that a 100-km wide lake had been created in Sindh which has impacted inhabited areas. (ANI) Photo: The Canadian Press Thousands of migrants and their supporters were planning rallies across Canadian cities Sunday to call on Ottawa to extend permanent status to undocumented people. There will also be calls to swiftly implement an inclusive regularization program for undocumented migrants a longstanding demand that advocates say appears closer than ever to becoming a reality. Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said it's an opportune moment for Ottawa to listen to his group's calls for more access to basic rights for undocumented people in Canada. "We have a historic opportunity right now to fix a wrong that has been going on for many, many years," he said by phone before heading to a planned afternoon rally in Toronto. "We want to make sure that parliament does not in any way delay." Ottawa launched a regularization program during the COVID-19 pandemic for asylum seekers who worked in the health sector. Since then, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated interest in expanding the initiative. A mandate letter from December 2021 asked Trudeau's immigration and citizenship minister to "build on existing pilot programs to further explore ways of regularizing status for undocumented workers who are contributing to Canadian communities." Hussan said the program should include all undocumented people and argued it should be a focus for the government as parliament prepares to return next week. "Prime Minister Trudeau has already indicated that he wants to do the right thing. The question now is, only, will everyone be included," Hussan said. "We believe that equality is equality, any exclusion is discrimination, so each and every migrant worker or refugee, student and undocumented person should be included." Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of an expanded regularization program for undocumented workers. Hussan said he expects thousands of people will be in attendance at the rallies and marches planned in 13 cities including Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, Fredericton and St. John's, N.L. Similar days of national protest have been held on the issue of migrant status, but Hussan said Sunday's event is expected to be larger as momentum for the cause has grown in recent years. That's partly due to a growing number of undocumented people who are organizing for more rights, he said, as well as a renewed spotlight placed on inequalities they faced in essential jobs during the pandemic. He said calls for status and regularization would give undocumented working people in Canada rights to advocate for better work, study and living conditions, as well as to access universal health-care. The measures would also give people more labour mobility and improve work conditions, he said. Caroline Michael, an undocumented health-care worker in Toronto, joined calls for permanent status in a news conference hosted by the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change earlier this week. She shared challenges she's faced as a refugee looking to remain in Canada, being denied various applications and asked to pay for health-care services. She said her struggles have affected her mental health but she is not able to take time off from the hospital where she works due to her status. "I feel mentally trapped ... I am held bound like someone in a prison," she said. She called on parliament to extend status to all migrants, including herself and others who have been working on the frontlines during COVID-19. "Myself and others were out during all the waves of the pandemic and were still working for the development of Canada. But we are not robots. We are humans, we are all human beings." Mainland China has reported its first case of monkeypox in the western megacity of Chongqing in a traveller who arrived in the city from overseas, media reports said. The traveller arrived in China at an unspecified date, Wall Street Journal reported citing the Chongqing health commission. The traveller exhibited a rash and other symptoms while being quarantined in line with COVID-19 controls, a practice that affects anyone arriving from overseas, WSJ added. The monkeypox case was confirmed once the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed test results. As per the report, the traveller is receiving treatment at a designated hospital and is in stable condition. As a cautionary measure, anyone who had come into close contact with the traveller was put under medical observation. "The case was quarantined and controlled immediately after entering Chongqing, and there was no social activity," the health commission's statement said, citing health experts. The Chongqing case comes after Hong Kong reported its first case of monkeypox last week, a 30-year-old man who arrived from the Philippines after travelling to the U.S. and Canada, the city's health authorities said. As soon as the news of the first monkeypox case came out, a hashtag related to the Chongqing case gained more than 120 million views in less than an hour on the Chinese social-media platform Weibo. Just like China's stern zero-COVID policy hashtags, this monkeypox case became the top-trending topic on the site in a short duration of time. China has tried to contain the Covid-19 outbreaks by implementing extreme measures such as lockdowns and mass testing. Many residents throughout the country, from the eastern province of Shandong to the western region of Xinjiang, have recently pleaded for help online, saying they were running low on daily necessities, such as baby formula, food and medicine, amid stay-at-home orders, reported WSJ. The media portal while quoting analysts said that as Chinese President Xi Jinping eyes his third term in power, it is unlikely that the government will ease Covid-control restrictions. China has reported around 1,000 new local Covid-19 cases a day over the past week, including asymptomatic cases. (ANI) Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will appoint a new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in November and will also visit China, media reports said. The Defence Minister made these remarks while addressing a press conference where he also chided the country's former Prime Minister Imran Khan for attempting to make the appointment of army chief controversial and damaging the interests of Pakistan just for power, reported Daily Pakistan. Pakistan's current Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa is going to retire this year as his extension for three years ends in November. Minister Khawaja Asif also said that Shehbaz Sharif will visit China in the first week of November on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jingping. He apprised the media personnel that the invitation was extended by Xi during a meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the SCO meeting. Additionally, the defence minister said Russian President Vladimir Putin has also invited Sharif to visit Moscow and that this visit will also take place. Khawaja Asif said that Russia has shown a willingness to export wheat and gas to Pakistan, Daily Pakistan reported citing the state broadcaster. The devastating floods in Pakistan caused by record monsoon rains have swept away homes, vehicles, crops and livestock in damage estimated at USD 30 billion. The government and the United Nations have blamed climate change for the surging waters in the wake of record-breaking summer temperatures. Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto said that the problem faced by Pakistan due to climate change could be faced by some other country as well. Bhutto said big countries that have made themselves rich have to take responsibility for climate change. Referring to the impact of heavy rains in Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto said that a 100-km wide lake had been created in Sindh which has impacted inhabited areas. (ANI) A new threat has emerged for Taiwan's military which faces Chinese civilian trolling through drones. They are flying drones over a military site on a nearby Taiwan-controlled island, Kinmen. The 15-second video clip is among a number of videos that have popped up recently on the Chinese social media site Weibo and show what appear to be civilian-grade drones trolling Taiwan's military. The island's military later confirmed these mysterious menaces are indeed civilian drones from mainland China, reported CNN. The videos show detailed, drones'-eye footage of military installations and personnel on Taiwan's outlying Kinmen islands. The drone incursions come amid increased tensions following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, a self-governing democracy of nearly 24 million people, in August, reported CNN. That trip angered China's ruling Communist Party -- which views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having governed it -- and it responded by launching unprecedented military drills around the island, sending warplanes across the Taiwan Strait and firing missiles over the main island. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has claimed the drone incursions are the latest ratcheting up of this pressure; a new front in China's "grey-zone" warfare tactics to intimidate the island. On September 1, after warning it would exercise its rights to self-defence, Taiwan shot down a drone for the first time. Accompanied by soundtracks ranging from ballads to dance music and plenty of emojis, the clips seem designed to highlight the unpreparedness of Taiwan's troops. One video captures the moment four soldiers from Taiwan realize they are being watched by a drone that's hovering in the sky above their guard post. Caught off guard, they respond by throwing stones at the intruding drone, which zooms in so close you can make out the faces of individual soldiers. Video footage of these bizarre encounters has gone viral on Chinese social media and is attracting hundreds of comments mocking Taiwan's military. The clips seem to expose a stunning vulnerability: the ability of Chinese drones to photograph restricted military sites in Taiwan at any time, reported CNN. Analysts say the footage being beamed across the internet -- showing military sites and personnel in fine detail for all the world to see -- is at best embarrassing for Taiwan and at worst, outright dangerous. Meanwhile, Beijing has brushed off the drone incursions as "no big deal." Questioned about civilian-grade drones flying in the Kinmen area, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently responded: "Chinese drones flying over China's territory -- what's there to be surprised at?" Fuelling suspicions, China hasn't removed the videos from its otherwise highly-censored internet or prevented the drones from travelling through its own highly controlled airspace, reported CNN. Isabel Hilton, an international journalist and longtime China watcher, said it was impossible to know who was piloting the drones -- and that was precisely what made them so well-suited to "deniable harassment." The machines appear to be civilian models, but could "be operated by anybody, including the military," said Hilton, the founder of China Dialogue, suggesting that "government agencies in the guise of a popular movement" could be behind the controls, reported CNN. Hilton drew a parallel to events in the South China Sea, where China has been accused of using a maritime militia to enforce its territorial claims by swarming disputed areas with hundreds of what are ostensibly civilian fishing boats. "This is all very demoralizing for Taiwanese, and it's kept at a level designed not to let Taiwan relax, not to let Taiwan forget the threat," Hilton said. Taiwan has faced the threat of invasion ever since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's defeated Nationalists fled there to set up a new government, having been chased out of the mainland by Mao Zedong's Communist Party. More than 70 years later, the Communist Party continues to view Taiwan as something akin to a breakaway province that must be "reunified" with the mainland at all costs -- and it has made clear it is prepared to use force, if necessary, to fulfill that objective. If China were to invade, the Kinmen islands -- most of which have been controlled by Taiwan since the end of the war -- would make a tempting first target. Lying just a few miles from the mainland Chinese city of Xiamen -- and hundreds of miles from Taiwan's capital Taipei -- they are acutely vulnerable, reported CNN. For Taiwan, the problem is that the nature of that invading force is changing. The Kinmen islands' proximity to the mainland puts them well within the range of commercially available drones, which are cheap and plentiful in China, home to the world's second-largest market for the machines and no shortage of potential operators among its population of 1.4 billion. Shortly after the series of drone incursions, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence announced that the island would deploy a new anti-drone system at military bases beginning next year. It also announced plans to boost its overall defence budget to a record USD 19.4 billion, a 13.9 per cent increase over 2022. Taiwan, meanwhile, appears to have realized that ignoring drones and their mystery operators is not an option. Within days of shooting down its first drone, it released a series of pictures to the media showcasing its shiny new anti-drone weapons. It appeared to be sending its own propaganda message: next time the drones come calling, it will be ready. (ANI) The protests against China's 'Hunger Genocide' in East Turkestan continue despite the clampdown in the name of controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. The Islamist groups and the local Turkish populace are supporting Uyghur movement against the atrocities of China, local media reported. Following the Friday prayers on Sept 16, at the Fatih Mosque, Istanbul, hundreds of people marched in support of their Muslim Uyghur brothers and sisters under the banner 'We will not leave East Turkestan unclaimed'. Leading the protest, the head of Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir's Turkiye media office, Mahmut Kar read out a press statement and said, "Will you sacrifice Muslims to politics by using the economic agreements you made with China as an excuse...Will you ignore the lord's reckoning for the cheap loans you took from China....the oppressed people living in East Turkestan and Uyghur refugees here are waiting for your help...from whom should the Uyghurs seek help, not from you?...from the UN or NATO....are you not ashamed at all..... because you condemned the Uyghur people to this despair." Mahmut Kar, in his press statement also underlined the Chinese atrocities which have been taking place in East Turkestan, unabated. In his statement, Mahmut Kar also highlighted that China is prosecuting Muslims in their own homes citing the Covid-19 pandemic and the doors of houses are closed by welding on the pretext of quarantine. In the cities of East Turkestan like Gulca (Ili Kazakh Prefecture), Muslims cannot get essential supplies. The Chinese regime is deliberately depriving Muslims of food, leaving them to die, reported local media. Mahmut challenged and said, "O invading Chinese regime! O infidel China! We are calling you from the lands of Turkiye which have been the centre of the Caliphate for many years....you will never extinguish the light of Islam...when the Rashid Caliph takes the head of Muslims....you will encounter such an army...neither the Great Wall of China nor the large population can save you." A similar protest and press statement was reported after the Friday prayer at Ankara Hacibayram Mosque where several thousand Uyghur Muslims uprooted from their homeland presently live in Turkiye. Notably, the proscribed Hizb Ut Tahrir is a pan-Islamist organisation that aims to implement Sharia globally. Despite being banned by several governments, Hizb Ut Tahrir is active in several western countries and Central-Asian countries. Earlier this month, Muslims including Uyghurs participated in a huge prayer event in Kucucekmece Fatih Mosque in Istanbul to pray for their unprotected brothers and sisters facing the 'hunger genocide' in China. (ANI) Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the residents continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing economic crisis as the prices of vegetables have tripled over the last few weeks making it tough for common Afghans to afford food stuff on daily basis. "The government should control the prices and set a price cap for them," said a resident of Kabul, Mujtaba, reported Khaama Press. Highlighting the rising costs of vegetables and daily essentials in Kabul, the residents asked the Islamic Emirate to put a cap on the price. "The prices of vegetables have soared. It is hard for us to purchase it because there is no job," said another resident, Shah Hussain. According to the vendors in Kabul, the primary reason behind the increase in vegetable prices in local markets are floods and the subsequent damage to farmlands because of the natural disaster, TOLOnews reported. "It is because of the drought. Some parts of the country have faced floods, so farming is low this year and the prices are high," said Ahmad Shah, a vendor. The increase in prices comes as Pakistan recently increased the imports of vegetables from Afghanistan while decreasing its tariffs on imported vegetables to zero per cent, according to TOLOnews. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Child malnutrition is also increasing. In June 2021, 30,000 children were treated for severe acute malnutrition in Afghanistan; in June 2022, 57,000 children were admitted which is a 90 per cent increase. Children are obliged to work to support their families instead of going to school which is the safest place they could be. In the last 12 months, schools-based health and nutrition services have reached 272,386 adolescent girls with iron and folic acid supplements. Over half of the country's population now live below the poverty line. Nearly 23 million people are food insecure, many of them severely so, and more than two million children are suffering from malnutrition. (ANI) Amid a continued surge in killings in Panjshir province of Afghanistan, former president Hamid Karzai slammed the Taliban for clashes in the region between the National Resistant Forces (NRF) and Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and said it is about time that the bloodshed must stop. Hamid Karzai, the former president published a statement recently and broke his silence about the clashes between the Taliban and National Resistance Forces (NRF), according to Khaama Press. "The bitter past experience has clearly indicated that bloodshed and war is never the solution, but it brings further ruin and destruction", former President Hamid Karzai has said on his Facebook page. Karzai's statement comes as a 3-day discussion kicked off amongst politicians from Afghanistan in Vienna on September 15. Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front said that Afghanistan issues could only be solved through political decision makings, Khamma Press reported. The Participating members of the Vienna meeting are the leader of the National Resistance Front (NRF) Ahmad Massoud, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta, women's rights activist and former member of Afghan Delegation for Peace Negotiation, Fawzia Kofi, and former Afghan Ambassador to Norway, Shukria Barekzai, amongst many. As per Khaama Press, the plight of Afghans, the economic system's breakdown, the deprivation of education for girls, restrictions on the media's activities, and the escalation of terrorist groups' activities under Taliban rule were key points of discussion at the UN office. According to international assessments, Afghanistan now has the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity, with more than 23 million in need of assistance, and approximately 95 per cent of the population having insufficient food consumption. More than 24.4 million people need humanitarian aid in Afghanistan--an increase from 18.4 million in 2021, according to a report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).The report states that the Taliban takeover of the country and the resulting cut in international assistance has led to a worsening humanitarian crisis and approximately 70 per cent of the Afghans are unable to provide for their basic needs on a daily basis. (ANI) Powerful typhoon Nanmadol approaching southwestern Japan is disrupting transportation services across wide areas of the country. Weather officials have issued an emergency warning for violent winds, high waves and storm surges for Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan, reported NHK. They said that a powerful typhoon could trigger the kind of disaster that is seen only once in a few decades. Officials say maximum winds of up to 180 kilometres per hour will lash northern and southern Kyushu, as well as the Amami Islands with peak gusts reaching 252 kilometres per hour. Southern Kyushu could get as much as 600 millimetres of rain in the 24-hour period through Monday morning. The agency also warns that as the typhoon is large, rain and winds could intensify even in areas far from it. Heavy precipitation is expected in western and some parts of eastern Japan through Monday. The typhoon will head northeast and travel across Japan's main island of Honshu through Tuesday, according to public broadcaster NHK-World Japan. About two million people in southwestern Japan have been ordered to evacuate ahead of a powerful typhoon forecast to hit the region on Sunday. As of 11 am, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways had cancelled more than 500 flights for the day. Japan Airlines plans to cancel 376 flights and All Nippon Airways will cut 19. Other airlines are also cancelling services through Monday, mainly on routes serving airports in the Kyushu and Shikoku regions. Bullet train services are also being affected. As of 1:30 pm, the operator of the Kyushu Shinkansen has suspended all services for Sunday and Monday, reported NHK. The typhoon is forecast to hit southern Kyushu, one of Japan's southwest islands, specifically within Kagoshima Prefecture. "Weather officials have issued an emergency warning for violent winds, high waves and a storm surge for Kagoshima Prefecture," NHK reported. Residents in 965,000 households have been ordered to evacuate across the seaside cities of Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Amakusa. A level five alert, the highest on Japan's disaster warning scale, was issued to more than 14,000 people in the city of Nishinoomote on Kyushu island, NHK reported. "There is a possibility that it will be recorded heavy rain and an emergency heavy rain warning will be announced," said Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA). "The highest level of vigilance is required for rising water levels and flooding of rivers, landslide disasters, and flooding of lowlands." Ryuta Kurora, a JMA official, warned Saturday that strong winds could cause houses to collapse. Kurora urged residents to evacuate before the storm hit to escape the risk of landslides and flooding. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have already cancelled at least 335 flights that were scheduled to depart from or arrive at airports in Japan on Sunday, according to NHK. "The eye of Typhoon Nanmadol is clearly visible in satellite images. The typhoon has developed rapidly since Friday night," NHK reported. (ANI) With a total of USD 968 million in loans in four months of 2022, India has emerged as Sri Lanka's largest bilateral lender, overtaking China in the process, a media report said. In the past five years from 2017-2021, China has been the largest bilateral lender to Sri Lanka as China disbursed USD 947 million, out of which USD 809 million was obtained as market borrowings from the China Development Bank, Daily Financial Times (FT) reported citing public finance.lk. It said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been the largest multilateral lender in the past five years and disbursed funds amounting to USD 610 million in 2021. India has disbursed USD 377 million and ADB has disbursed USD 360 million, which account for 76 per cent of the total disbursements in the first four months of 2022, according to Daily FT. Meanwhile, at a UNGA Annual Joint Debate on the Reports of Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj said that India had provided nearly USD 4 billion in food and financial assistance to Sri Lanka. "In our immediate neighbourhood, we are continuing to help our good friend and neighbour Sri Lanka to ensure food security by providing nearly USD 4 billion in food and financial assistance during the past few months," Kamboj said. On August 22, India handed over 21,000 tonnes of fertilizer to the crisis-ridden neighbour Sri Lanka. "Adding to the fragrance of friendship and cooperation. High Commissioner formally handed over 21,000 tonnes of fertilizer supplied under India's special support to the people of Sri Lanka," tweeted the High Commission of India in Colombo, Sri Lanka. "This follows 44,000 tonnes supplied last month under Indian support totalling about USD 4 billion in 2022. The fertilizer will contribute to food security and support the farmers of Sri Lanka. It demonstrates benefits to the people from close ties with #India and mutual trust and goodwill between #India and #Sri Lanka," added the High Commission of India. India has been at forefront of extending economic assistance to Sri Lanka as per their requirements and is one of the countries that have provided the maximum amount of assistance in time of need. Since the beginning of 2022, Sri Lanka has experienced an escalating economic crisis and the government has defaulted on its foreign loans. Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of the people in the island nation. The economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sri Lanka is also facing a foreign exchange shortage, which has, incidentally, affected its capacity to import food and fuel, leading to power cuts in the country. The shortage of essential goods forced Sri Lanka to seek assistance from friendly countries. (ANI) Austrian parliamentarian Gudrun Kugler has announced to organise an event on Thursday to address the situation of Uyghurs in China, local media reported. The situation of Uyghurs in China has been bleak under the Chinese communist party (CCP)'s rule and continues to escalate, despite wide protest and criticism on international platforms. Uyghurs community have been holding protests, rallies and sit-ins against China's atrocities and cruel behaviours toward minorities. In line, the event announced by Kugler will be addressed by former interned "star witness" Sayragul Sauytbay and the world Uyghur President Dolkun Isa among others, to report the issue. As per local media reports, the former interned "star witness" Sayragul Sauytbay and the world Uyghur President, Dolkun Isa will report on the situation of the Uyghurs in China, in the event set to be held in the Burg pavilion in Vienna at 6 pm on September 22. Sayraqul Sauytbay from the Xinjiang region is a doctor, who had to do forced labour as a teacher in a camp. Sauytbay's personal story is exemplary for thousands of fates in Xinjiang. In the event, she will report as a "star witness" about systematic human rights violations, torture and murder of countless members of the Muslim Uyghur minority and other minorities. Alexandra Cavelius, the journalist and co-author of the books "The Crown Witness and the China Protocols" and Dolkun Isa, President of the World Uyghur Congress, their main exile organization would also be participating in this event and speak on the human rights violations of China. The situation of Uyghurs in China has been bleak under the Chinese communist party (CCP)'s rule and continues to escalate. Numerous Uyghur intellectuals were detained in China as part of a repression campaign targeting predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities that started in 2016, and has only escalated lately. A recent report by the United States, which revealed China's human rights violation in the Xinjiang region, said that "allegations of patterns of torture, or ill-treatment, including forced medical treatment and adverse conditions of detention, are credible, as are allegations of individual incidents of sexual and gender-based violence." Former UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet released the report which said that Uyghurs in the Chinese province of Xinjiang and other predominantly Muslim groups were routinely placed in reeducation camps where they were subjected to torture, rape, forced labour, and abortion. Recently, on Wednesday, the Uyghur community in Austria held a protest against the genocide of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in China on the pretext of controlling the Covid-19 pandemic by forcing a lockdown in areas of East Turkestan and imprisoning people inside homes without food and medical aid. According to local media reports, several protestors carrying pictures of the Uyghurs who were killed by the Chinese government took out a rally from Christian-Broda-Platz to Heldenplatz in Vienna. A large number of Uyghurs participated in this demonstration and raised slogans against the human rights violations and genocide by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese government, on the pretext of the COVID lockdown, trapped residents in their homes leaving them to starve. Hundreds of viral videos and other posts on social media from East Turkistan show families across East Turkistan suffering starvation after being locked up in their homes for weeks. Videos show the Uyghurs pleading with the Chinese government to let them out and bring them food to feed their starving children. They even include young children who are starving or have died due to hunger or high fever but did not get access to food or medicine, local media reported. The contemporary situations of East Turkistan are that East Turkistan people are suffering from massacres, genocide and other human rights violations for more than 70 years under Chinese autocracy. Since 2014, the Chinese government, under the administration of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping, has pursued policies that incarcerated more than one million Muslims (the majority of Uyghurs) in internment camps without any legal process. This is the largest detention of ethnic and religious minorities since World War II. However, China publicly denies that it has committed human rights abuses in Xinjiang. (ANI) The Election Commission of Pakistan on Saturday served a notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province chief minister Mahmood Khan for violating the code of conduct for the by-polls in the province and warned of stern action if the violation continues. The notice was served by the District Monitoring Office (DMO), Charsadda town to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Mahmood Khan and other ministers for misusing the official helicopter and resources of the state for a rally of PTI chief Imran Khan, who was one of the candidates in the by-polls, The News International reported. The ECP directed KP chief minister and Imran Khan to appear before the DMO on September 20 to explain their position. This comes as Imran Khan, along with the KP government officials, addressed a rally in Charsadda where by-polls are being held on October 16 and Imran Khan himself is a candidate, The News International reported. According to the ECP, as per the election code of conduct, state machinery cannot be used for any political activity in an area where elections are being held. Besides, the president, PM, CM, governor, speaker, cabinet members or any public office holder shall not attend a political rally or use official resources in favour of any candidate in an area where the election schedule has been announced. Pakistan ECP spokesperson Haroon Shinwari said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and his cabinet members were continuously violating the code of conduct and the ECP took notice of it. He explained that they were misusing the government machinery and helicopter indiscriminately for election rallies. In line, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and his cabinet members may face ECP action on September 19 over alleged violations of the code of conduct and misusing the KP government helicopter for public meetings, The News International reported. Earlier, on Thursday, the ECP had slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 each on former prime minister Imran Khan as well as chief minister and cabinet members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for violating the code of conduct for the upcoming by-polls by attending a political rally in Peshawar and using state resources for it. The district monitoring officer, Peshawar had served notices on Imran Khan, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and other cabinet members. An official of the ECP said that the DMO while terming their reply not satisfactory, imposed fines of Rs50,000 each on Imran Khan, CM Mahmood Khan, provincial cabinet members Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Ishtiaq Marwat, Shaukat Yousufzai, Kamran Bangash, Anwar Zeb, Muhammad Iqbal, adviser to the CM Khaliqur Rehman and Wazir Zada. With regard to by-polls, the commission summoned a special meeting at its Central Secretariat at 2:00 pm to take up the alleged code of conduct violations. The decision to summon the ECP meeting was taken when video clips showing Imran Khan, who reached Charsadda and addressed a public rally after using the KP government's helicopter, took rounds on social media. The viral video shows a PDA truck-mounted hydraulic hoist being used for attaching the PTI flags to poles. An official said that despite notices and imposing fines, the ministers continue to violate the rules, due to which, the local officials will have no option but to write to the ECP to ban the use of helicopters by the CM till the polling day, The News International reported. Such continued violations can also result in initiating disqualification proceedings against the candidate, said the official. (ANI) Photo: Darren Stone, Times Colonist Lawyer Rajinder Sahota: "If you're going to inherit the privileges, you inherit the debts." Eileen Ramirez says she will not be observing the National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. She has too many other lives to mourn. On the day of her funeral, I will proudly wear my orange shirt, says the Cowichan Tribes member, who has been busy preparing her food truck, Dont Bannock Food Concession, for events around the Island marking National Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30. For her, the extensive media coverage of the Queens death has highlighted the dwindling acknowledgement of the unmarked graves discovered at former residential schools. To think of all the deaths, all the young First Nations people that lost their lives in residential schools, she said. They are still finding bodies. All these bodies are children that never made it home. And then the Queen dies and thats when you make it a holiday? Its like slap in the face. Ramirez says she sees the Queens death as a huge loss to her family, but shes not mourning her as a monarch. The Queen may not have been involved with the institutions where Indigenous children faced disease, abuse and death just like she did not personally set up colonial regimes in Africa, Asia and North America, or develop the policy that led to Indias partition. But for some including Ramirez the Queen, as Britains head of state, is a symbol of those actions and their lasting impacts. Rajinder Sahota, a Victoria lawyer with a Sikh Punjabi background, says he was shocked at the quick embrace of a new sovereign. Its difficult to look in the historical record and find crimes of a historical nature that are worse than those perpetrated on behalf of king and country, he said. I do ascribe to the principle that, if youre going to inherit the privileges, you inherit the debts. Sahotas great-grandfather, alongside his siblings, fought in the resistance to British occupation and colonization of India. His family was near Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 when British troops fired on a crowd of unarmed Indians some of whom were protesting ongoing British occupation. An estimated 379 people were killed in what would become known as the Amritsar Massacre. Its just one story of the death, division and destruction left by British Imperialism, some of which occurred during Queen Elizabeth IIs reign, Sahota says. British and Commonwealth forces fought the anti-colonial Malayan National Liberation Army from 1948 to 1960, thousands died during the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya in the early 1950s, and British troops fired on Catholic civil rights demonstrators in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s. Sahota notes that the Royal Family has refused to take responsibility for the Crowns role in residential schools or rescind the Doctrine of Discovery, the framework used to justify European imperial colonialism around the world. Shes had plenty of opportunities, but here she is, actively doubling down on historic crimes and ignoring them and refusing to do whats right, he says, adding the attitude extends to the money, artifacts and cultural items taken by the monarchy throughout its history. CNN reported Thursday that with the Queens death, South Africans are demanding the return of the Great Star of Africa, or Cullinan I, a diamond mined in their country in 1905 and given to the Royal Family by colonial authorities. Some Indians have also called on the Royal Family to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond, given to the Queen of England in 1849 when the British annexed Punjab, through what the Smithsonian Magazine reported as the forced signing of the Treaty of Lahore. This is the height of racism, this is the height of theft, this is the height of barbarism, Sahota says. And yet we dont look or think about any of that because we do not accept a very simple principle in our society here we focus with laser-like precision on the crimes of the other, but we cannot even bring ourselves to question our own history and our own crimes. Black and brown and Indigenous people throughout the world, they dont forget this history. Sarah Hunt or T?ali?ilaogwa, an assistant professor of Indigenous political ecology at the University of Victoria, says Indigenous people have been in mourning for more than 150 years. The building of empire in the name of the Crown has been at the expense of Indigenous people, she says. The quality of life we experience every day as Indigenous people is because of that expansion of empire. Its not just the theft of our lands, but also the intergenerational impacts of vast amounts of loss of life. That includes missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, that includes the deaths of children at residential schools. For Hunt, who is Kwakwakawakw and Dzawadaenuxw, the response to the Queens death shows there is work to do in developing the truth in truth and reconciliation. To me, this shows that those truths are not fully understood because if they were, I think we would have a different sentiment around what this signifies, she says. How do we both mourn the loss of this monarch and at the same time, say that were in a time of reconciliation? I think that shows we have a lot of work to do with fully grasping the truth of colonialism. The present expenditures of the Pakistan government had gone up to nearly PKR 1.1 trillion, indicating that the funds had turned irrelevant, local media reported. During the July-August period of the current fiscal year, over 71 per cent of the current expenses were on the head of two accounts, one is the interest payments on loans and the second one was defence, The Express Tribune reported. After the expenditure went over the budget, the Pakistani government is left with very little to spend on the welfare and development of the country. However, Pakistan has assured the International Monetary Fund that if monthly fiscal operations data indicate that spending is running higher than the first quarter and subsequent target; this will trigger immediate remedial action to put in place the contingency revenue measures. The initial trend indicates that even if the floods had not struck Pakistan, it was impossible to achieve the primary budget surplus target of PKR 153 billion the government agreed with the IMF. The early data compiled by the Ministry of Finance showed that during the first two months of the fiscal year, the current expenditures amounted to PKR 1.09 trillion, which was equal to 12.5 per cent of the annual allocations. The current expenditures were also PKR 43 billion or 4.1 per cent higher than the previous fiscal year, reported The Express Tribune. A major chunk -over PKR 580 billion -was spent on the mere debt servicing of the previously obtained loans. The spending on debt was PKR 156 billion or 37 per cent higher than the previous fiscal year. It was an alarming trend, which suggests that Pakistan can no more spend on anything except servicing its debt or paying for the salaries of the armed forces and civilian employees. Another chunk of PKR 191 billion was spent on defence - PKR 28 billion or 17 per cent more than the previous fiscal year. In comparison to the cumulative spending on debt and defence, development expenditure is mere or little as it amounted to only PKR 28 billion, which is PKR 35 billion or 56 per cent less than the previous fiscal year. The PKR 773 billion spending was 46 per cent or PKR 245 billion more than the net income of the federal government during the July-August period, according to The Express Tribune. (ANI) KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2022, 21:34 Serhii Haidai, the Head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration, reported that approximately 200 occupiers were killed as a result of an explosion in the occupied Svatove on the night of 17 September. Source: Haidai during a 24/7 national joint newscast Quote: "Tonight [17 September] in Svatove there was an explosion at the former bus station, which was turned into a hotel. Approximately 200 Russian soldiers were killed there." Details: Haidai also reported that the Russians were withdrawing their troops to the rear line and preparing for defence. "But warehouses also explode, and they may have certain problems with ammunition," he noted. The Head of the Oblast Military Administration also reported that the occupiers are "very actively jamming all communications, both mobile and the Internet, and are conducting thorough inspections of the local population." Background: On 18 September, Serhii Haidai, the Head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration (OMA), reported that explosions occurred at a hotel in the temporarily occupied town of Svatove, where the Russian military personnel were staying. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Become our patron, support our work! Two Democratic New Hampshire state representative races on the Seacoast are among 10 primary contests statewide heading for a recount Monday in Concord, according to the secretary of state's recount agenda. One recount challenge is from a Portsmouth incumbent who has served for more than 20 years. Here's a look at the two local recounts coming out of Tuesday's statewide primary: Robin Vogt vs Jackie Jacqueline Cali-Pitts Rockingham County District 21 (Newington, Portsmouth Ward 1 1 seat): Robin Vogt is being challenged in a recount by incumbent Democratic state Rep. Jackie Jacqueline Cali-Pitts, who was first elected to the New Hampshire House in 1998. Vogt's victory came by a 274-265 vote in the Sept. 13 primary, according to the initial results. Robin Vogt, was declared the winner in Rockingham 21 state representative race. His opponent, Jackie Cali-Pitts, has requested a recount The candidates tied 46-46 in Newington with Portsmouth Ward 1 voters giving Vogt the margin of victory. The winner of the recount will be uncontested in the Nov. 8 general election. Republicans don't have a candidate on the ballot in the heavily Democratic district. Portsmouth resident and Democratic state Rep. Jackie Cali-Pitts. Rep. Tim Horrigan vs Peyton McManus Strafford District 10 (Durham 4 seats): The recount here will be for the fourth and final Democratic nomination. Incumbent state Rep. Tim Horrigan (900 votes) is being challenged by Peyton McManus (892), according to initial results. Tim Horrigan The top three finishers in the Demcratic primary were incumbent Rep. Cam Kenney (1,343), newcomer Loren Selig (1,159) and incumbent Rep. Marjorie Smith (1,085). That trio will be joined on the general election ballot by either Horrigan or Smith after the recount in a town that is a longtime Democratic stronghold. Peyton McManus, District 10 Strafford, requested a recount of his state representative race The Republican challengers are Bonnie McDermott, Jennifer Betts Olszewski, Tyanne Sylvestre and Clifford E. Zetterstrom. 2022 election in NH: Here's who Seacoast voters will see on ballots in November and UNH expert's analysis 2022 NH primary: Here's all the results from across the state Story continues What the candidates are saying McManus said he's unsure a recount will change anything but with a margin of defeat of just eight votes, he wants to be sure. "When you get into a campaign, you give it your all, 100%," McManus said. "You see all the support you get, and I am doing this for my supporters, and to see this through to the end." Horrigan, too, said he does not think the outcome will change. In Portsmouth: Historic downtown mansion getting big upgrade. Here's what it will look like. Vogt said he was surprised by the recount request, though he won by just nine votes. "It's interesting there is a recount as she said goodbye at the Statehouse on Thursday," Vogt said of Cali-Pitts. "But recounts are common in tight races. I will go into this confident I will still be the winner in the end." Cali-Pitts said she just wants to be sure. "Yes, I did request a recount because there was less than 10-vote difference," she said. "I also am very concerned by the paperwork required of poll workers and the amount of time required at the polls. This is a problem one that was created by a solution in search of a problem. Our poll workers are dedicated and honest, but nevertheless human and too many hours can lead to honest mistakes." New Hampshire: State approves electricity bill aid as price surges: Here's income rules, how to apply This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Jackie Cali-Pitts, Durham candidate, calls for recount in NH primary Four people were found dead after three separate shooting incidents overnight across the Valley, according to Phoenix police. Four people were found dead after three separate shooting incidents overnight across the Valley, according to Phoenix police. Police are currently investigating each incident. More information is to be released Sunday, according to the Phoenix Police Department. Man found dead under bridge in central Phoenix Around 2:30 a.m., Phoenix police received a call about a man shot underneath a bridge. Phoenix police discovered the body of a man with a gunshot wound early Sunday morning under a bridge at 2000 E. McDowell Road. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. 19-year-old man found dead in car On Saturday, around 11 p.m., police received a call about a car that had struck a dirt mound and had a person slumped over inside. When officers arrived in the 3400 block of South 85th Avenue, they discovered the body of 19-year-old Joshua Fletcher inside of the car with a gunshot wound. He died from his injuries on the scene, according to Phoenix police. Man and woman found dead in Phoenix home Police found a man and woman in the back of a home in the 2600 block of North 53rd Avenue suffering from gunshot wounds. They died from their injuries on scene, police said. Anyone with information about any of these cases was asked to contact the Phoenix Police Department or Silent Witness (480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish speakers) if they wish to remain anonymous. Reach breaking news intern Ellie Willard at ellie.willard@gannett.com or on Twitter @EllieWillardAZ. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 separate overnight Phoenix shootings leave 4 dead Three people were shot during a large teen party at a rental home near Houston, according to Texas police. Around 200 people were gathered most of them teenagers when gunfire erupted Saturday night, Sept. 17, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet. The celebration was a homecoming after-party, KPRC reported. Deputies responded to the short-term rental address and found three victims, two teens and one adult, Gonzalez said. One suspect is accused of opening fire, but they escaped the scene in a vehicle and have not been found. Gonzalez didnt say what may have motivated the shooting. A 16 and 17-year-old are in stable condition, Gonzalez said. The age and condition of the third victim is unknown, as they also left before deputies arrived. Earlier reports mistakenly said the home was an Airbnb. An investigation is underway and anyone with information is asked to contact the Harris County Sheriffs Office at 713-221-6000. Football coach shot breaking up fight at high school, CA cops say. Enough is enough Dad grabs shotgun to break up chaotic party by 200 teens on his Ohio property, cops say Noise complaint about quinceanera celebration leads to police joining the NC party President Joe Biden may have broken royal protocol by leaving his sunglasses on when he met Queen Elizabeth. Richard Pohle-WPA Pool/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years before her death at 96 years old. During her time on the throne, the Queen met every US president except for Lyndon B. Johnson. Presidential visits don't always go smoothly, with occasional protocol mistakes and private spats. When President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy, visited Buckingham Palace in 1961, tensions brewed between the first lady and Queen Elizabeth. Prince Philip, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth, and President John F. Kennedy in 1961. SeM/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth was reportedly jealous of the fawning attention that Jackie Kennedy received. Further drama ensued when Kennedy invited her twice-divorced brother-in-law and sister to a state dinner. The Queen initially denied their entry, causing diplomats to step in and negotiate, according to the Washington Post. The Queen relented, but left her sister Princess Margaret and her aunt Princess Marina off the guest list since Kennedy wanted to be photographed with them. "The queen's resentment was real," Kitty Kelly wrote in her book "The Royals." A fictionalized version of the tense visit was portrayed on the second season of Netflix's "The Crown." President Jimmy Carter broke royal protocol by kissing the Queen Mother on the lips during his visit in 1977. President Jimmy Carter speaks with the Queen and the Queen Mother as Prince Philip and Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti look on. PA Images via Getty Images "I took a sharp step backwards not quite far enough," the Queen Mother is said to have remarked after the encounter, according to BBC. Michelle Obama caused a stir when she put her arm around Queen Elizabeth during her and President Barack Obama's first visit to Buckingham Palace in 2009. Michelle Obama with Queen Elizabeth. AP/AP Michelle Obama wrote in her memoir, "Becoming," that when she met Queen Elizabeth in 2009, they bonded over both wearing uncomfortable high heels. "Forget that she sometimes wore a diamond crown and that I'd flown to London on a presidential jet; we were two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes," she wrote. "I then did what's instinctive to me anytime I feel connected to a new person, which is to express my feelings outwardly. I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder." Story continues She didn't realize until later that she had committed "what would be deemed as an epic faux pas," as one isn't supposed to touch the Queen. "If I hadn't done the proper thing at Buckingham Palace, I had at least done the human thing," she wrote. "I daresay the Queen was okay with it, too, because when I touched her, she only pulled closer, resting a gloved hand lightly on the small of my back." President Donald Trump appeared to break royal protocol several times while visiting Windsor Castle in 2018. Trump appeared to break royal protocol by walking in front of the Queen. AP Bowing or curtsying isn't necessary when greeting a royal, but the royal family's official website says that "many people wish to observe the traditional forms." Trump broke from tradition by opting for a handshake instead of a bow. Trump also walked in front of the Queen and appeared to cut her off, which is considered a breach of royal protocol, according to The New York Times. Some theorized that Queen Elizabeth's choice of brooches may have sent subtle messages about her opinion of Trump. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump with Queen Elizabeth in 2018. Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images On the first day of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump's visit to the UK in 2018, Queen Elizabeth wore a brooch given to her by Barack and Michelle Obama. When she actually met with Trump, she wore a brooch that her mother wore to her father's funeral, which some thought could be a subtle sign of the Queen's opinion of the president. Queen Elizabeth's tiara also caused speculation that she shaded President Donald Trump on his second visit to the UK. Queen Elizabeth with Donald Trump during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019. DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth wore her Burmese Ruby Tiara to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace held in the Trumps' honor. The tiara contains 96 rubies that were given to the Queen as a gift from the people of Burma (also known as Myanmar). The Queen's choice of the tiara, which is said to be a "symbol of protection against illness and evil," sparked theories among some Twitter users that she wore it purposely to dine with Trump. At the state banquet, Trump appeared to touch Queen Elizabeth's back. President Donald Trump appeared to touch Queen Elizabeth. USA Today/Youtube/INSIDER About 14 and a half minutes into a USA Today livestream of the event, it looked like Trump lightly touched the Queen's back as she rose from her seat, which would have been a breach of royal protocol. Royal protocol dictates that one must not touch the Queen unless she offers her hand first. The Trump White House did not respond to a request for comment. President Joe Biden may have broken royal protocol by leaving his sunglasses on when he met the Queen during his first visit overseas trip as president. President Joe and first lady Dr. Jill Biden with Queen Elizabeth in 2021. Pool / Samir Hussein / Contributor The Queen welcomed the Bidens to Windsor Castle on Sunday. Biden kept his sunglasses on throughout the beginning of the visit, only taking them off halfway through the playing of the national anthem during a ceremony at the castle's quadrangle. The royal family website does not specifically state that sunglasses cannot be worn during a meeting with the Queen, but a former palace employee told Newsweek that the glasses break tradition. "If you're meeting the Queen face-to-face, there's no sunglasses or anything like that at all because eye contact is quite important with any introduction," Grant Harrold, who served as a royal butler to Prince Charles, told Newsweek. The White House and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Biden may have also broken an unspoken royal rule by revealing what he and the Queen spoke about, but she may have approved it to make a political point. President Joe Biden and Jill Biden meet the Queen at Windsor Castle. CHRIS JACKSON Biden said that Queen Elizabeth asked him about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, "She wanted to know what the two leaders that I the one I'm about to meet with, Mr. Putin and she wanted to know about Xi Jinping," without going into detail. There is no strict rule about revealing what the Queen says to you, but it goes against established convention to do so, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Insider's Mia Jankowicz. However, Fitzwilliams floated a theory that Biden's comments may have been "cleared and arranged in advance," he said, to give royal weight to the G7's democratic values. The Queen never comments on political matters, but this move could have allowed Biden "to indicate the Queen had concerns" about threats to democracy, Fitzwilliam said. Read the original article on Insider When Julia Charleston's son Robert Howland went missing, they found whipped cream chargers all over his home, revealing a severe addiction. Courtesy of Julia Charleston. Julia Charleston's son, a veteran, went missing for 63 days after he developed a nitrous oxide addiction. Following her son's death, Charleston said she wants to warn others about the addictive nature of nitrous oxide. Some states are regulating whipped cream chargers to prevent people from using them to get high. Before Julia Charleston walked into her missing son's house, she could tell something was wrong. Her son, 34-year-old Robert Howland, had vanished days prior, along with his truck and his 9mm Glock. Howland had abandoned his dog without food or water, and days-old snow in the driveway showed he hadn't been home for some time. When she and her family entered through the front door, they found "a horrific scene." "We found his home littered with hundreds of empty nitrous oxide tanks," Charleston told Insider. Two months later, Charleston would be notified by police that her son's body was found. His death was ruled a suicide. Julia Charleston with her son, Robert Howland. Julia Charleston with her son, Robert Howland.Courtesy of Julia Charleston. Howland, a veteran who served two tours in Iraq, lived alone in Michigan while his mother lived in Alabama. He was going back to school and finally had a flourishing relationship with his family. Charleston believed he was healthy after struggling with substance abuse in the past, but she had no idea about his addiction to nitrous oxide. While nitrous oxide gas, also known as laughing gas, has practical medical uses in dentistry and childbirth, it has a long history of being used by partygoers who huff it from a dispenser or inhale it from a balloon. Charleston, who has advocated for stricter regulations of nitrous oxide, blames the easy access to nitrous oxide for her son's death. "I believe in my whole heart that Rob, that my son did not kill himself. That the nitrous drove him there, that he didn't have any choice," she said. 'I can quit anytime I want to' A photo of Howland's home littered with whipped cream chargers. Courtesy of Julia Charleston. Charleston said she had no reason to believe her son would harm himself. Story continues "I never thought he would take his life because he promised me that he wouldn't, and I believed him. So I just thought he ran away from the nitrous he got help," she told Insider. In the months before Howland was reported missing, he had become paranoid and "just kept pulling further and further away from me," said Charleston, who works at a Christian addiction recovery facility. Howland occasionally talked about running away from his life and starting over, and Charleston tried to convince him to enroll in a recovery program close to her in Alabama. "He just insisted that he was going to be okay, and he even told me, 'I can quit anytime I want to.' Now, again, I didn't know about the nitrous. I thought we were talking about Adderall or something else, maybe marijuana," Charleston said. Her last contact with her son was in March during an agitated phone call. He wasn't making sense, so she told him to get some sleep, and they would talk more in the morning, Charleston said. They didn't. Later, she saw an email from Howland in which he said he was going out of his mind but that he loved her and the rest of his family. In the following days, Charleston tried to contact Howland several times but received no response, so she called a friend of Howland's to do a wellness check. It was then that Howland's friend discovered his abandoned home with dozens of nitrous oxide tanks strewn about. Charleston called Howland's father, who resides in Michigan, to check the house as well, and he sent photos of the scene to her. They filed a missing person report, and Charleston drove up with her daughter to help in the search. "I walked in the house, and the pictures didn't do it justice," Charleston said. "Just those nitrous tanks all over the place." A missing persons case report from the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office described Howland's home as "in a state of disarray" with his front door ajar and a "multitude of nitrous oxide canisters on the living room floor consistent with a person addicted to huffing nitrous oxide." Authorities couldn't locate Howland's phone because it was turned off, according to the case report. They put out a statewide lookout order for Howland and his truck. But after more than a month of searching, they told Charleston they had to scale back their efforts. 'Empty canisters on neighborhood streets' Whipped cream chargers, or nitrous oxide chargers, come in a variety of sizes from 8g canisters to 580g tanks. Annick Vanderschelden Photography/Getty Images The "tanks" found in Howland's home were nitrogen dioxide chargers typically used for whipped cream. They come in a variety of sizes from 8g canisters to 580g tanks. The chargers found in Howland's home were from a company called Goo Sticks, which sells the cream dispensers on Amazon. According to the product description, they're "filled with 8 grams 100% pure culinary-grade nitrous oxide" to "create fresh and delectable whipped cream on top of favorite recipes." But while the product, which is listed in a variety of flavors, boasts of enabling buyers to make whipped cream "much easier at home," customers' comments and reviews show how the chargers are likely being used beyond their advertised purpose. "This is good nitrous but I got the mango flavored one and I would never know it if they didn't put a pic of it on the can. Tastes like air to me," one customer shared before adding, "after about 5 balloons it started tasting like delicious mangos." Goo Sticks did not respond to Insider's request for comment. Nitrous oxide chargers, or whipped cream chargers, were recently restricted to shoppers ages 21 and up in New York state in an attempt to keep teenagers from getting high from them, Insider previously reported. The state lawmaker who sponsored the legislation said it came after "complaints about empty canisters on neighborhood streets," which he said were "indicative of a significant nitrous oxide abuse problem." According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, "because intoxication lasts only a few minutes, users try to prolong the high by continuing to inhale repeatedly over the course of several hours, which is a very dangerous practice" that can lead to loss of consciousness or death. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that about 100-200 people die per year in the US due to inhalant abuse. Doctors from the UK have issued warnings about the rising prevalence of spinal cord and nerve damage associated with nitrous oxide use as almost 9% of young adults in England and Wales reported taking nitrous oxide in 2019-2020. 'I want nitrous off the market' Charleston with her son. Courtesy of Julia Charleston. On May 11, two months after her last phone call with her son, Charleston was informed that authorities found Howland's body in his truck in a parking lot in New Baltimore, about 45 minutes from his house in Clyde Township. Police determined he died by suicide on the night of his disappearance in March. Charleston said her son's addiction to nitrous oxide became so severe that it drove him to suicide. "Rob had ordered a lot of the stuff off of Amazon, and off of the manufacturer website, you can order as much as you want and have it shipped right to your house. There's no age limit. Anybody can get their hands on it," she told Insider. Charleston, who started a Facebook group called Moms Against Nitrous Oxide, said she has made calls to state and national lawmakers petitioning for stricter nitrous oxide regulations. "I want nitrous off the market, and if it can't be off the market, then I want regulations. And if it can't be regulated, then I want a warning label that this stuff could cause death," Charleston said. "I'm just so desperate to get the stuff off the market and to protect families from having to go through 63 days of hell only to find out their loved one died the night that they went missing." When he was going back to school, Howland wanted to study psychiatry and help other veterans struggling with addiction and mental illness. Charleston said it is now her job to "make a change" in the regulations of nitrous oxide and carry his mission onward that way. "I believe that this is my next steps in what I'm supposed to do, and I'm supposed to pursue this in order to honor Rob," Charleston said. "I have to honor him, and otherwise his death will just be in vain, and I can't let that happen." Read the original article on Insider Seven-year-old Tariq became known on the internet as the "Corn Kid" after he gave an interview explaining why he loves the vegetable. Recess Therapy via YouTube A seven-year-old boy named Tariq has become known as the "Corn Kid" all over the internet. Tariq spoke about how much he loves corn in an interview on a web series called "Recess Therapy." The show's creator told Insider how Tariq's interview went unexpectedly beyond his expectations. A seven-year-old boy named Tariq became one of the most talked about kids on the internet when he launched into an impassioned discussion about why he loves corn. In the video, posted on August 4 by an Instagram-based childrens' interview show called "Recess Therapy," Tariq described corn as a "big lump with knobs," saying, "I can't imagine a more beautiful thing," before smiling and inviting viewers to "have a corntastic day." The internet quickly fell in love with Tariq's enthusiasm and witty remarks about the vegetable, causing the video to go hugely viral overnight on Instagram, where it currently has 27 million views on "Recess Therapy's" page. A musicalized version of the audio then blew up on TikTok, where it's been used in over 900,000 videos. Tariq is now a full-blown internet megastar, giving interviews with US talk shows and news organizations, while also getting the chance to meet and film with America's biggest YouTuber MrBeast. His family also set up a temporary account for him on Cameo a platform where celebrities record personalized messages to fans in exchange for a fee with prices starting at $145, according to Bloomberg. To top it all off, Tariq was honored with the title of "Corn-bassador" in the state of South Dakota. Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the host of "Recess Therapy," told Insider he discovered Tariq when he was filming interviews in Brooklyn, New York for his show, which revolves around asking young children for their opinions on various topics. He had no idea that his innocuous questions would propel Tariq to such an explosive level of fame. Story continues The 'Corn Kid' became a viral hit at a moment the video's creator least expected Shapiro-Barnum told Insider he usually picks a specific theme for each of his "Recess Therapy" episodes, such as asking kids to explain complex concepts like love. He said his filming crew stumbled across Tariq on a summer day just before he was about to go on a week-long vacation. "We were really wiped out because it was so hot. And we didn't know if we had it in ourselves to do a full episode that day, so we thought, 'What if we just like play it really loosey-goosey and just ask kids what their favorite things are?'" As he was looking around for kids to interview, he spotted Tariq, who was eating corn at the time, so he asked the seven-year-old for his opinion on the vegetable. According to Shapiro-Barnum, Tariq was very forthcoming with his answers from the get-go. "He just launched himself into this whole video that we now know and love. It really came out of nowhere," he said. Tariq offered an extensive explanation of how corn "tasted good" and when he "tried it with butter everything changed." Shapiro-Barnum went on to ask Tariq what other things he liked, at which point Tariq listed a few games he enjoyed, before quickly circling back to discuss his love of corn again. "It's corn!" he screamed, before the video cut to a clip of him biting into the vegetable. After filming the interview, Shapiro-Barnum, who said he was amused by Tariq's answers and thought they would make good material for his show, flew Madrid on vacation, where he didn't have phone service. When he found WiFi in a coffee shop, he posted Tariq's interview on his show's social media accounts. The next time he found an internet connection a few days later, he said his phone "exploded" with messages and notifications as the video went viral on Instagram. He spent the rest of his trip wondering whether he should come home early. "It was a funny mix of me truly trying to take time off and really being absorbed in what was going on with the video. I care so deeply about how the videos are doing so it is impossible for me to fully disconnect from them, especially when they are being circulated as much as this one," he told Insider. Going viral has allowed both 'Recess Therapy' and Tariq to have a moment in the spotlight Tariq's interview blew up on TikTok when a band called The Gregory Brothers, who specialize in comedy music, turned soundbites from the clip into a full-length song, which they posted on YouTube and TikTok in late August. TikTok users began creating dances and comedic videos involving ears of corn as the song became more and more well-known. Soon, brands were using the sound to promote their own products, by captioning their videos, "For me, I really like corn," (a phrase said by Tariq in the interview) and replacing the word "corn" with the name of the company's product. Celebrities including Kevin Bacon and Ashley Tisdale also made use of the audio by singing along to the song on their accounts. Shapiro-Barnum has had several brushes with virality in the past, for example, when his interview with a young girl gushing about an upcoming "My Little Pony" movie became a viral TikTok sound back in April, or when a young boy telling him about his love of komodo dragons went viral on Twitter and TikTok. The Gregory Brothers gave "Recess Therapy" full credits underneath their now-viral remix of Tariq's interview, but that hasn't always been the case. "I think it's really easy for original content to get lost in the shuffle and for something to become a trend while becoming divorced from where it originally came," he told Insider. Most of all, Shapiro-Barnum is happy that his interview was able to give Tariq new opportunities for exposure, telling Insider he feels like a "proud mom" who helped facilitate his big break. "It brings me so much joy that this interview took off in such a large way," he said, adding, "Tariq's family have also handled it all with so much grace. They've really given him a good few weeks of unadulterated freedom with exploring all of the joys and benefits of going viral." For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here. Read the original article on Insider Queen Signing Photograph Tim Graham / Getty Images For 70 years, Adele Hankey, 96, of North Dakota, and the late Queen Elizabeth II exchanged letters, KFYR reported. The letter exchanges began in 1953 when Hankey sent the Queen a letter to which she responded. The two women share the same birthday, and the letter exchanges have been a birthday tradition. For the past 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II exchanged letters with a woman she had never met in person who lives in Park River, North Dakota. Adele Hankey, 96, born April 21, 1926, shared the same birthday as the late Queen of England, KFYR reported. Hankey sent the first letter in 1953 when Elizabeth was crowned. Since then the late Queen sent Hankey handwritten birthday letters each year, making it a birthday tradition, according to the outlet. "I could have jumped out of my shoes," Hankey told the outlet. "I asked her for a hat. I was hoping she would send me one. But she sent a lovely picture on her birthday." Hankey told the outlet that the two never met but shared a passion for cooking. "The recipes the queen liked were with marmalade. And so do I. How about that?" Hankey said. Hankey told the outlet that she will miss the communication between her and her friend, the late Queen of England. "Oh absolutely. You miss your pen pals," said Hankey told the outlet. Read the original article on Insider KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) Pitt junior running back Israel Abanikanda carried the ball 31 times for 131 yards and a touchdown to lead the No. 23 Panthers to a 34-13 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday. Pitt (2-1) was without its top two quarterbacks for the nonconference contest, but third-string signal caller Nate Yarnell was efficient under center, going 9-for-12 passing for 179 yards and a touchdown. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Yarnell began the week as the teams fourth-string quarterback before earning start. Hes so calm in the huddle and I thought he looked comfortable out there the whole time, Narduzzi said. I dont think he was nervous, not one bit. Not even close, which was shocking, because I was damn nervous. Western Michigan (1-2) had its opportunities, with a 31-yard double pass from receiver Anthony Sambucci to receiver A.J. Abbott for a touchdown that cut Pitt's lead to 20-13 heading into the fourth quarter. Pitt responded on its next drive when Yarnell found sophomore receiver Konata Mumpfield for a 6-yard touchdown reception to give the Panthers a two-score cushion. Redshirt junior running back Daniel Carter would ice the game with 3:03 to play in the fourth quarter when he plunged in for a 4-yard touchdown run. The Broncos kept out of the endzone thanks to an aggressive Pitt secondary that finished the game with three interceptions, one returned for a score by redshirt senior cornerback Marquis Williams and two by redshirt senior safety Erick Harlett II. Harletts second interception came in the endzone as Western Michigan was threatening to tie the game deep in Panther territory late in the third quarter. I was trying to get the coverage called out to my cornerback, we were on the side where the Pitt fans were and it was kind of loud, Harlett said. Then shoot, I just made a play. Western Michigan freshman kicker Palmer Domschke helped keep the game competitive by connecting on field goals of 32 and 40 yards to trim the Panthers halftime lead to 13-6. Story continues Pitt dominated time of possession in the game, possessing the ball 38 minutes and 36 seconds compared to 21:24 for Western Michigan. You could tell by the first drive, they were going to eat the clock, Western Michigan coach Tim Lester said. I think we had three plays in the first quarter. It was going to be a premium on the plays we had. And you cant turn the ball over. They turned it over three times last year, and we beat them. And we turned it over three times this year, and they beat us. Along with Abanikanda, Pitt was led offensively by senior receiver Jared Wayne with three receptions for 94 yards, while senior running back Vincent Davis added 11 carries for 83 yards. INJURY REPORT Pitt: USC transfer quarterback Kedon Slovis did not play after suffering an injury in the Panthers 34-27 overtime loss to Tennessee. His primary backup, redshirt senior Nick Patti, also sat out against the Broncos after injuring his ankle in the second half against the Vols. Western Michigan: Western Michigan was without starting defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (lower leg) and starting cornerback DaShon Bussell (knee). THE TAKEAWAY Pittsburgh: The Panthers came into Kalamazoo with revenge on their mind. In the first meeting between the schools last season, Western Michigan pulled off a 44-41win, essentially spoiling Pitt's chances of making the College Football Playoff. Western Michigan: The Broncos kept the game close against a ranked opponent until the final minutes of the contest, but redshirt junior quarterback Jack Salopek struggled in his third career start, throwing three costly interceptions while finishing 6 of 18 passing for 99 yards. POLL IMPLICATIONS Pitt: The Panthers couldnt afford a loss to a Group of Five opponent if they wanted to remain in the Top 25. Even playing with a third-string quarterback, they earned a comfortable margin of victory. UP NEXT Pitt: The Panthers welcome Rhode Island on Sept. 24 for their first-ever meeting. Western Michigan: The Broncos visit San Jose State on Sept. 24. Western Michigan defeated the Spartans last season, 23-3. ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the APs college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2 Migrants outside Harris' residence. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images A second busload of migrants sent from Texas showed up outside Vice President Kamala Harris' Washington, D.C. home on Saturday, as southern Gov. Greg Abbott (R) continued his controversial protest of Biden administration immigration policies, the Texas Tribune reports. The Texas leader has been busing migrants to D.C. (and other more northern, liberal cities) since the spring, but has this week been targeting Harris specifically after she described the southern border as secure during an appearance on Meet the Press. On Thursday, for instance, he sent two buses full of 100 some migrants to her home at the Naval Observatory. "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," the governor said this week, per the Tribune. "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.'" The group of approximately 50, mostly Venezuelan migrants that arrived Saturday also included a one-month old baby, The Guardian notes. Other GOP leaders, meanwhile, have taken to following Abbott's lead: On Wednesday, for example, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) flew migrants from Florida to Martha's Vineyard, a stunt that sparked almost-immediate backlash. You may also like Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans gets a key boost in the 2023 Best Picture race Stray kitten inspires company to redesign its packaging for the better 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Steve Bannon's indictment L.A. County sheriff's deputies escort Supervisor Sheila Kuehl from her Santa Monica home Wednesday after serving her with an early-morning search warrant. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) When I heard that a swarm of Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies executed early-morning searches at the homes of L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Patti Giggans, executive director of one of the oldest anti-domestic-violence groups in the country, I realized county Sheriff Alex Villanueva has gone off the deep end. Does our embattled lawman really think such a transparent attempt to intimidate his critics is going to rescue his sagging bid for reelection in November? (NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW he trumpeted on his Instagram feed under a photo of Kuehl with her hands up as deputies escorted her from her house.) If I were his opponent as retired Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna is Id be doing handsprings. Kuehl and Giggans, who have been friends for decades, are vociferous critics of Villanueva. Kuehl has called for him to be fired, as has Giggans, whom Kuehl appointed to the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission at its inception in 2016. And now, they find they are targets of a criminal investigation by the sheriffs mysterious public corruption unit, which seems to exist only to harass and intimidate his detractors. Hes only targeting political enemies, George Gascon, the county district attorney, told my colleague Alene Tchekmedyian last year after the sheriff tried to enlist him in his first failed vendetta against Kuehl and Giggans. It was obvious that was not the kind of work I wanted to engage in, so we declined. Last week, Gascon said he would not support or defend the latest round of search warrants in court. The sheriff would have us believe that Kuehl improperly steered a small, no-bid contract to Giggans nonprofit group, Peace Over Violence, to pay for the creation of a sexual assault hotline for people who use public transportation. And that Giggans bribed Kuehl with campaign donations to get the contract. Kuehl said she didnt even know about the contract until she was invited to a news conference where it was announced. Story continues Thursday, on Fox 11 News, Villanueva said money used to fund the hotline was embezzled. Reporter Phil Shuman pointedly asked the sheriff why he was on TV talking about the probe since he said he had recused himself from the investigation. How did this absurd situation come about? Several years ago, the county's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly known as Metro, learned in surveys that a disturbingly high percentage of female riders reported being sexually harassed on its trains and buses. In 2014, nearly a quarter of passengers said they had experienced some form of unwanted sexual behavior. Nearly a third said they had stopped using public transportation because they felt unsafe. Metro approached Giggans, who founded Peace Over Violence, which works to end sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence. Could her group help Metro develop a plan to improve the situation? They sought us out, Giggans told me Friday morning. We are well known in the field. With an initial contract, Peace Over Violence developed a publicity campaign called "Off Limits," as in, sexual harassment is off limits at Metro. Metro then decided it wanted to provide a dedicated hotline. Victims could report harassment and let Metro security know where it was occurring and receive referrals for counseling and other resources. After the first year, Metro decided to extend the sole source contract and budgeted $160,000 per year for Peace Over Violence, which has an annual budget of about $5.5 million, most of which comes from government grants. According to Giggans, the hotline never got enough exposure on trains and buses, which she blamed on the Metro project manager, Jennifer Loew, who had initially been very supportive of the collaboration. We know hotlines, said Giggans, who founded one of the first domestic abuse hotlines in the country. You have got to get the number out there, you have got to saturate the trains. She never did. Instead, Loew became a critic. She divided the number of calls to the hotline by its annual cost and decided that the hotline cost $8,000 per call, a waste of money, she felt, at a time when Metro was facing a big deficit. Our answer is that is not a lot of money to service someone who has been raped or sexually harassed, said Giggans. If you want to argue with us about that, go ahead. Loew also made many complaints of misconduct against Metro and filed a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the agency, which her husband, Adam Loew, told me had been settled late last year for $625,000 plus some back pay. The contract for the Off Limits hotline ended last year, Giggans said. These days, the San Gabriel Valley-based nonprofit Project Sister Family Services is handling calls. And there is a text line that goes directly to Metros Transit Security Department. In the meantime, the sheriff has custody of Peace Over Violences server, which has hampered the groups ability to serve its clients. Deputies rifled through Giggans drawers and closets on Wednesday and impounded her car. And now Im pissed, she said, in a comment caught by TV cameras as she watched the car being towed. This is out of control, she told me. I am not going to back down. I have work to do. Among her upcoming tasks: On Friday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Civilian Oversight Commission has scheduled "a special hearing on deputy gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department" to highlight its report on a problem that has plagued the department for decades. You can watch it online or attend in person at Loyola Marymount University. Villanueva has claimed that the gangs "do not exist." I am not sure what else you would call groups of law enforcement officers who dub themselves the Banditos, the Grim Reapers or Vikings, have themselves inked with matching tattoos and engage in what many describe as lawless behavior. Then again, reality is not our sheriff's strong suit. @AbcarianLAT This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Jessica Garvin was a career-driven newlywed when she found out she was pregnant, news she wasnt excited to hear. I felt like I had to choose between success in my professional life and success as a mother, and I never wanted to choose between the two, said Garvin, who is now a Republican state senator from Duncan. With strong family support, access to quality health care and the chance to take maternity leave at work, Garvin gave birth to a son, who is now 11. Postpartum depression was another challenge she was able to address with family support and mental health care, things that are often out of reach for many women across the state. Abortion wasnt an option for me because I had that (support) around me, Garvin said. But if I didnt have that support system, I might also have had the word abortion in my vocabulary, which is why I understand why people who feel like they cant do it on their own are maybe looking at abortion. Federal protections on abortion ended this year when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, opening the door for Oklahomas Republican majority to outlaw abortion procedures. Opponents of the abortion ban saw it as the removal of a personal right, but also a further strain on a local health care system that has some of the nations worst outcomes for children and new mothers. Abortion-rights supporters at the Engage the Rage rally at the Oklahoma Capitol on June 25, 2022. But both abortion rights advocates and those who support a ban say the coming months will be a critical time for lawmakers to take steps to expand pre- and postnatal health care services, especially if the number of unplanned pregnancies increases. "I don't think there has been a more important time to tackle this issue because we were already in a maternal health crisis in Oklahoma," said Erin Coppenbarger, a maternal infant health initiatives manager for the March of Dimes, a nationwide organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed multiple anti-abortion bills this year, agrees that the state's focus should turn toward improving supportive services, whether it be adoption, health care or counseling. Story continues "From the moment life begins at conception is when we have a responsibility as human beings to do everything we can to protect that babys life and the life of the mother," Stitt said after signing an anti-abortion bill this year. Governor's task force recommends expanding Medicaid coverage Gov. Kevin Stitt walks into a news conference about SCOTUS ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade in the Blue Room at the Capitol on June 24, 2022. Last week, a governor-created task force that is studying ways to improve support for new mothers recommended the state expand its Medicaid program. Oklahoma has the lowest income cap in the nation for Medicaid pregnancy coverage, which is currently limited to pregnant women with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. The task force recommended an increase to 205% of the federal poverty level in order to expand coverage for nearly 2,500 more women, according to state estimates. More:Stitt launches task force aimed at supporting families through pregnancies in post-Roe era The task force also recommended extending postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months. Stitt said he supports both recommendations, which will require approval from the federal government. I guess you could phrase it as a silver lining (of the abortion ban), but we should have been doing this stuff regardless, said Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, speaking about the two Medicaid expansion recommendations. Hicks, who supports abortion rights, authored a bill in 2020 that would have expanded postnatal care to a full year. Her bill never received a hearing. Sen. Carri Hicks speaks at the state Capitol on March 10, 2022. Im actually really excited (about these proposals) because its what I wanted to see two years ago, Hicks said. The question in the back of my head is how many more families could we have helped if we did this sooner, because the opportunity has been there. The ability to expand Oklahomas Medicaid program, which is called SoonerCare, is made possible because of federal laws that were often criticized by state Republican leaders. Last years American Rescue Plan, a legislative package signed by President Joe Biden, allowed states to expand postpartum coverage up to a year, which at least 36 states already have chosen to do, according to Kaiser Health News. Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, one of former President Barack Obamas signature policies, has also helped improve birth outcomes in many states, according to a 2020 study from the Columbia University School of Social Work. More:While it did improve some, Oklahoma still ranks low for child well-being in new report While state officials had long rejected expansion, Oklahoma voters in 2020 approved a state question to expand Medicaid. "When voters passed expansion, they were showing our state leaders that Oklahomans see the value of Medicaid and see the value in increasing our support for our neighbors, so (state leaders) are really following the lead of Oklahomans," said Emma Morris, a health care analyst at the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Raising the income level cap for pregnant women to qualify for SoonerCare would bring Oklahoma in line with many neighboring states, including Texas, which already has a 203% cap, according to data from the Oklahoma Policy Institute. At 70%, Oklahoma has the lowest rate of health insurance coverage for expecting mothers in the nation, according to a 2020 report from the March of Dimes. Coppenbarger, who works for the March of Dimes, said both expansion proposals will save the lives of thousands of women, especially those who develop pregnancy-related health complications several months after giving birth. "I don't even know where the 60-day window came from, but 50% of deaths occur beyond the 60-day period," Coppenbarger said. Lawmakers likely to discuss crisis centers, contraception and other issues next session Garvin, the state senator from Duncan, said she hopes to see a continued effort next legislative session for expanded health care for women and children. She plans to file bills that would ensure a woman's access to contraception. I am looking at codifying the right to birth control, to say, No, you can't have an abortion, but also, Yes, you can have contraception,' Garvin said. I just want women to feel safe knowing they can have access to birth control and never have to worry if their doctor is going to give them birth control or not. However, Garvin realizes any effort will be met with concern over spending more money. Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan. When I talked (last year) about providing tampons, I would have some (lawmakers) say, Oh it's just another expensive social program, Garvin said. But the reality is when you provide tampons and pads to women, you are going to see an increase in that cost, but how many people are we going to keep out of the hospital because they don't have an infection? That saves us money in the long run. The two Medicaid expansion proposals will cost $12.3 million annually, with the federal government picking up about two-thirds of the cost. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority plans to use cash reserves to cover the additional cost this fiscal year, and "will work with the Legislature to identify a sustainable funding source for FY 2024 and beyond," said Melissa Richey, a spokesperson for the agency. Republican lawmakers also have said they want to increase funding for crisis pregnancy centers, controversial organizations that the state has struggled to effectively send money to in recent years. Exterior of the Oklahoma State Department of Health building in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Pregnancy Care Network, which is an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit that won a contract with the Oklahoma State Department of Health in 2020 to disburse state funds to multiple centers across the state, originally pledged to funnel $1.6 million to numerous centers across the state. But a Health Department audit this year found it had only dispersed about 6% of its projection, spending three times as much on its own salaries than on pregnancy centers. The level of performance to date is concerning as well as the limited number of women actually being served, the audit said. More:Oklahoma anti-abortion program pledged to help 9,300 women. It spent more on salaries than aid In recent months, the nonprofit has been sending more state money to crisis pregnancy centers, according to records obtained by The Oklahoman. In June, $91,000 was sent to seven different crisis pregnancy centers. Crisis pregnancy centers, which are often associated with religious organizations and are against abortion, have been found by some to provide misinformation about abortion procedures in an effort to steer women toward continuing with their pregnancy. Demonstrators gather May 3, 2022, at the Oklahoma state Capitol to protest as the U.S. Supreme Court appeared poised to overturn longstanding abortion protections. Hicks, the Democratic state senator from Oklahoma City, said the state's focus should be on health care funding and state-based programs. Im hopeful that we are going to see some policies that can improve care, but I am concerned in the short term that we just made things worse (by outlawing abortion), Hicks said. While Hicks hopes to see more proposals this legislative session that seek to improve health care, she also worries about bills that might seek to limit contraception and continue to make it harder for schools to weigh in on topics like sexual education, topics some lawmakers already have brought up on the campaign trail this election year. "It's about improving access to health care, but it is also about increasing financial independence and economic independence for women, and better education in schools," Hicks said. "We know the things that work, and if we are serious about the life of the mother, then we need to do all these things right now." Oklahoma state government reporting is supported in part by a grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation. To support work like this, consider purchasing a digital subscription to the Oklahoman today. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma abortion ban brings need for improved maternal care South Dakota Board of Education Standards The South Dakota Board of Education Standards meets at 9 a.m. Monday at the Dakota Event Center, 720 S. Lamont St., in Aberdeen to discuss career and technical education content standards, and social studies content standards. This is the first of four public hearings regarding these standards. Aberdeen City Council Meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the city council chambers at the Municipal Building, 123 S. Lincoln St. Agenda items of note: Second reading and consider adoption of the 2023 budget. Public hearing for the city's five-year capital improvement plan. Consider an amended contract with the Department of Transportation for Ride Line with reduction in federal funding. For a full city agenda, visit aberdeen.sd.us/AgendaCenter. Brown County Commission Meets at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday in the commission chambers of the Brown County Courthouse Annex, 25 Market St. Agenda items of note: Department update from Brown County Chief Deputy Dave Lunzman as well as updates drone and the dive team. Discuss opioid settlement memorandum of understanding. Consider approval of union contract. For a full county agenda, visit brown.sd.us/node/454. Brown County zoning and planning commissions Meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the basement of the Brown County courthouse Annex, 25 Market St. Agenda items of note include: Consider conditional use permits for 105 392nd Ave.; 1216 396th Ave.; and 38284 134th St. Consider rezoning requests for 37905, 37908, 37911 and 37918 Marquette Drive; 2801, 2955, 2975, 3051, 3059 and 3135 N. Roosevelt St.; and 13026 407th Ave. Consider plats at (38635 129th St.; 13026 407th Ave.; and 379995 & 379999 N Shore Drive. Aberdeen Planning Commission Meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the city council chambers at the Municipal Building, 123 S. Lincoln St. Agenda items of note include: Plats for 120 N. State St.; 802 S. 12th St.; 409 S. Arch St., 812, 816, 822 and 902 N. High St.; 1801 and 1805 Eisenhower Circle; 610 Sixth Ave. S.W.; 513, 517 and 523 Frist Ave. S.E. ,10 S. State St. and 414 Railroad Ave. S.E.; and 610 S. 16th St. Rezone 110 Second Ave. N.E.; and 1801 Eisenhower Circle. Discuss project plan for TIF 36. This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Agendas for the week of Sept. 19 LONDON (Reuters) - Camilla, wife of the Britain's new King Charles and now queen consort, said the smile of the late Queen Elizabeth was "unforgettable" in a message of tribute to the late monarch released on Sunday. "She's been part of our lives for ever. I'm 75 now and I can't remember anyone except the Queen being there," Camilla said of Elizabeth's death on Sept. 8 aged 96. "It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman. There weren't women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one so I think she carved her own role," she added in the tribute which was recorded as part of a package in the last three months. Charles has delivered a number of personal messages about his late mother, expressing how he would miss his "darling mama". "She's got those wonderful blue eyes, that when she smiles they light up her whole face. I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable," Camilla said in the message. Camilla, Charles's second wife, has grown in popularity since she wed the new king back in 2005, having previously being lambasted and blamed by the press and many Britons for causing the break-up of his first marriage to the late Princess Diana. Her rehabilitation was complete when in February Queen Elizabeth marked 70 years on the throne by giving her blessing to Camilla taking the title queen consort, saying it was her "sincere wish" that she did so. (Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton and Alison Williams) Market forces rained on the parade of Computacenter plc (LON:CCC) shareholders today, when the analysts downgraded their forecasts for this year. There was a fairly draconian cut to their revenue estimates, perhaps an implicit admission that previous forecasts were much too optimistic. Following the latest downgrade, the current consensus, from the seven analysts covering Computacenter, is for revenues of UK5.9b in 2022, which would reflect a considerable 17% reduction in Computacenter's sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to be UK1.58, roughly flat on the last 12 months. Before this latest update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of UK7.2b and earnings per share (EPS) of UK1.59 in 2022. Indeed we can see that the consensus opinion has undergone some fundamental changes following the recent consensus updates, with a substantial drop in revenues and some minor tweaks to earnings numbers. See our latest analysis for Computacenter The consensus has reconfirmed its price target of UK30.28, showing that the analysts don't expect weaker sales expectationsthis year to have a material impact on Computacenter's market value. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. The most optimistic Computacenter analyst has a price target of UK36.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at UK25.90. These price targets show that analysts do have some differing views on the business, but the estimates do not vary enough to suggest to us that some are betting on wild success or utter failure. One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with a forecast 30% annualised revenue decline to the end of 2022. That is a notable change from historical growth of 13% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 16% per year. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Computacenter is expected to lag the wider industry. Story continues The Bottom Line The most obvious conclusion from this consensus update is that there's been no major change in the business' prospects in recent times, with analysts holding earnings per share steady, in line with previous estimates. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. Often, one downgrade can set off a daisy-chain of cuts, especially if an industry is in decline. So we wouldn't be surprised if the market became a lot more cautious on Computacenter after today. Even so, the longer term trajectory of the business is much more important for the value creation of shareholders. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Computacenter going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here. Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks that insiders are buying. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty/cngcoins.com/ Filipovic et al. In 1054, the people of Earth were treated to an uncommon sight. A strange light exploded and lit up the sky. For no fewer than 23 days the explosioncaused by a star running out of fuel and blowing upwas visible in the sky. For several hundred nights after the event the supernova remained visible in the sky. Stargazers around the world commented on the extraordinary celestial event, but Europe fell strangely silent. As far as contemporary historians were concerned, it never happened. Some have speculated that it was deliberately erased from history for religious reasons. But perhaps some hint of the censored event slipped through the cracks. A team of scholars claim to have discovered evidence of the mysterious event hidden in the symbols on a limited-edition gold coin. The supernova event known as SN 1054 made proverbial headlines around the world. The first naked-eye sighting during the daytime was recorded on July 4, 1054, in East Asia. By mid-August the brightness of the explosion began to sharply decline, with the last nighttime sighting recorded on April 6, 1056. Astronomers in China, Korean, and Japan commented on the star and scholars have connected Native American paintings from Arizona, an Anasazi petroglyph from New Mexico, and Aboriginal oral traditions to the event. But in Europe, most agree, the archival evidence is negligible. The celebrated astrologer Ibn Butlan, who was in Constantinople during the explosion, only reported it once he had left his well-compensated position and returned to Cairo. Part of the reason for Europes silence on this event, scholars have speculated, was the theological problems that astrology and the star represents. Europe was not always silent on astrological eventsSN 1006 was recorded in numerous documentsbut clearly there was something different about this potential portent. Perhaps the solution lies in the complicated political and religious situation of the time. July 1054 was a busy time for European Christians. The church was torn apart by the Great Schism between Eastern and Western Churches (what are, today, known as the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches). The schism, which was centuries in the making, is usually dated to July 16, 1054, when three papal legates excommunicated the Eastern Patriarch Michael Cerularius. The timing of the excommunication corresponds to the period when the supernova would have been most visible in the morning sky. Story continues In a recently published article in the European Journal of Science and Theology, and reported on by Livescience, an international team of scholars examined a set of small coins minted during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX. Most of the coins show the head of the emperor accompanied by a single bright star, but one set shows him flanked by two. The emperors head they argue, represents the sun. The eastern star is a reference to Venus (or the Morning Star) and the second star is a cipher for the supernova. Going further, they suggest that subsequent minting of this two-starred limited-edition coin may actually show the stars light waning over time. The studys authors explore the possibility that the double-starred coin represents a cryptic interpretation on the Great Schism. Perhaps, they suggest, the eastern star represents the stable and well-known Venus and the Eastern Orthodox Church, while the western star represents the short-lived new star and the fading Western Catholic church. Thats a strong message that would not have gone over well with Church leaders in the West. There was, thus, a need for discretion. While, as Collins, Claspy, and Martin noted in an earlier study, this [kind of] argument is largely circumstantial, it does provide a basis for understanding the lack of subsequent reference to the supernova of A.D. 1054 in the largely clerical European literature of the time. There are other explanations for the iconography on the coins. In the eastern part of the Roman empire there was a long tradition that placed stars on either side of the emperors image. As such, its possible that the stars have nothing to do with the supernova. But its not necessary to choose between these two options. Its possible that those responsible for minting the coins found an acceptable way to articulate their interest in the celestial event. By utilizing traditional iconography the coin-maker may have struck upon a hidden way of commemorating the appearance of SN 1054. While ciphers and hidden symbols may sound like the stuff of conspiracy theories, adapting the dominant cultural script is one way in which people could express themselves and push back against structures of power without putting themselves at risk. Because they are shaped by cultural conventions, these acts of self-expression could fly under the radar. Take, for example, the rebranding of the sacred mescaline containing plant huachuma with the more religious name San Pedro. The psychoactive cactus, which was used in Moche and Chavin indigenous culture, was renamed for the Roman Catholic Saint to make the use of the plant more acceptable to ecclesiastical authorities. The name also makes a veiled cryptic reference to Peters role as the holder of the keys of heaven and the plants psychoactive properties. Alternatively, a late fifth- or early sixth-century baptistery in Ravenna, Italy, which depicts a heretical Jesus. Known as the Arian Baptistery, the artwork in the mosaic shows a young, clean-shaven Jesus being baptized in the River Jordan. Many scholars maintain that this reflects the non-Trinitarian now-heretical views of the Arians, who saw Jesus as inferior to God-the-Father. Though the reference is subtle, the fact that the octagonal baptistery was commissioned by the Arian and Gothic King Theodoric the Great means that there is not much debate about the identification. Though Theodoric was both powerful and openly Arian, the gilded mosaic was not recrafted or censored later on. Like the renaming of the huachuma plant, its an example of how unorthodox practices or perspectives can hide in plain sight if they are presented in familiar terms. Perhaps the small limited-edition coins of Constantine IXs reign do a similar kind of work. A clever astronomer, artisanal worker, or both could have used the cipher to record an otherwise censored celestial event. If you believe that there are Freemason symbols hidden on U.S. currency then none of this should seem far-fetched. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Photograph: Ron Schloerb/AP Attorneys representing Venezuelan asylum seekers flown thousands of miles to an affluent holiday island in Massachusetts at the behest of Republican governors have formally requested authorities open a criminal investigation, claiming the victims were induced to board airplanes and cross state lines under false pretences. Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), a Boston-based group representing 30 of the 48 people flown from Texas to Marthas Vineyard on Wednesday, said: Individuals, working in concert with state officials, including the Florida governor, made numerous false promises [to the migrants] including of work opportunities, schooling for their children, and immigration assistance in order to induce them to travel. According to LCR, which is providing pro bono legal assistance to the asylum seekers, the Venezuelans were duped in what was essentially a coordinated political stunt targeting vulnerable people based on their race and country of origin. Those flown to the holiday island included women and children as young as two years old. LCR has written to the US attorney Rachael Rollins and the Massachusetts attorney general, Maura Healey, requesting they open criminal investigations, as we strongly believe that criminal laws were broken by the perpetrators of this stunt. In a statement, LCR said: This cowardly political stunt has placed our clients in peril. Upon arrival, numerous individuals had to be rushed to the hospital, in need of medical care. Some now have immigration hearings as early as Monday thousands of miles away. It was only when the plane was midair that people were told they were heading to Marthas Vineyard and not Boston, according to LCR. Floridas governor, Ron DeSantis, has denied that the migrants were duped, claiming that they signed waivers knowing where they were going. The political fallout may bring unintended consequences for DeSantis as Florida is home to the largest Venezuelan diaspora outside the country. The Venezuelan population in the US has more than doubled in the past decade amid an unprecedented exodus caused by the countrys economic and political crises, which have driven out millions of people from the once stable and prosperous South American country. Story continues Local Venezuelan advocates and community leaders denounced DeSantis over the weekend, accusing the governor of playing political games. The Marthas Vineyard case is part of a series of legally and ethically controversial moves by southern border state Republican governors to transport migrants and asylum seekers to so-called liberal cities to supposedly embarrass the Biden administration in the run-up to the midterm elections. The governors of Texas, Arizona and Florida, who say they are protesting against what they describe as the failure by the federal government to secure the border, have spent millions of taxpayer dollars including funds allocated for Covid relief in bussing thousands of migrants and refugees to Washington DC, New York and Chicago. On Saturday, about 50 migrants, including a one-month-old baby, were sent in a bus from Texas to the Washington home of the vice-president, Kamala Harris. The strategy, which has been condemned by the White House, Democratic officials, immigration lawyers and rights groups, has caused further stress and upheaval for many of the migrants and refugees, who are often trying to reunite with relatives while their legal asylum claims are processed in court. A protest is planned for Sunday, when activists from the countrys oldest and largest Latino civil rights group, the League of United Latin American Citizens (Lulac), plan to make a human chain in order to physically stop further buses departing Eagle Pass, Texas. Lulac is going to counter the anti-migrant political hate speech, lies and misinformation recruiters are using to entice men, women and children in despair, said Domingo Garcia, the groups national president. Governors Abbott, DeSantis, and others are toying with them like political pinatas with no concern for their wellbeing. Lulac is planning similar actions across the border, as part of a nationwide education campaign called Bust the Buses. This is a new threat in addition to the cartels and extreme weather so we need to be on the ground spreading the word so migrants know that there are rogue agents of the state trying to scam them, Carlos A Martinez, Lulacs social media manager, told the Guardian en route to Eagle Pass. On Sunday Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate judiciary committee, criticized the southern Republican governors for using migrants for political purposes. It is pathetic that these governors are taking advantage of these helpless people, he said. Its always the kids that end up being the victims. An attorneys group that says it represents more than 30 migrants flown to Marthas Vineyard last week called on state and federal prosecutors on Saturday to open criminal investigations into the relocations. Lawyers for Civil Rights sent letters to the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts and the states attorney general alleging the flights, organized by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), deprived the migrantss liberty through deception, arguing they boarded the planes and cross state lines under false pretenses. While we are working to protect our clients rights in immigration proceedings and exploring remedies for civil rights violations, we also strongly believe that criminal laws were broken by the perpetrators of this stunt, both letters state. We therefore ask that you open a criminal investigation into this matter. The letters were signed by Lawyers for Civil Rightss executive director, Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, and the groups litigation director, Oren Sellstrom. DeSantis organized two flights with nearly 50 migrants that landed in Marthas Vineyard on Wednesday, the latest Republican governor to relocate migrants in protest of President Bidens immigration policies. The migrants have since been moved to Joint Base Cape Cod. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has sent thousands of migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago in recent months, while Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) has bused nearly 2,000 migrants to D.C. Espinoza-Madrigal and Sellstrom alleged in the letters that individuals working with DeSantiss office made false promises to the migrants, including work opportunities, schooling and immigration assistance, calling the relocations a shameful political stunt. The letters allege many had been instructed they were traveling to Boston only to be told they were going to Marthas Vineyard once the flight was in mid-air. Some are missing their immigration hearings and check-ins, according to the letter. Story continues The perpetrators targeted our clients based on race and national origin in order to make the political point they wanted, Espinoza-Madrigal and Sellstrom wrote. They preyed on the vulnerability of our clients many of whom had suffered deep trauma in their home countries and on their journeys to the United States and exploited this vulnerability to win trust through false promises. The Hill has reached out to DeSantiss office for comment. Massachusetts state Sen. Julian Cyr (D), who represents Marthas Vineyard, told The Hill last week that the migrants were approached by a woman named Perla who misled them into boarding the flights. These actions were coordinated and orchestrated, the letters state. Many of our clients were put up in hotels paid for by those making the false representations until flights could be coordinated and there were enough people to fill the planes. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A 30-year old Atwater man was arrested on suspicion of stalking a woman, according to Merced County sheriffs deputies. Deputies were dispatched early Saturday to a residence on Plainsburg Road in Planada for a report of a man harassing a woman, according to a social media post by the Merced County Sheriffs Office. The man was reportedly banging on the windows of the home and acting violently and the victim was scared for her life. Deputies were unable to locate the suspect when they arrived. However, a couple of hours later, the Sheriffs Office received a call that the suspect was back at the home. A deputy arrived and located a vehicle a short distance away. There he found a man who fit the description of the suspect, sleeping in the front seat. The suspect was identified as Fernando Gaxiola-Gonzalez. After talking with him, authorities said, deputies determined that he was the man harassing the victim. Gaxiola-Gonzales was booked at the Merced County Jail. His bond was set at $150,000, according to jail records. Actor Ian Holm was known for films like "Lord of the Rings," "The Fifth Element," "Alien" and "Henry V." He was nominated for an Oscar for 1981's "Chariots of Fire." (Clarence Williams / Los Angeles Times) Ian Holm, the classically trained Shakespearean actor best known to film audiences for his performances in films including the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, Chariots of Fire and Alien, has died. He was 88. His agent confirmed the death to the Guardian newspaper in England: It is with great sadness that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88. He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer, adding that his illness was Parkinsons related. Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely. Advertisement Holm, who was celebrated for interpretations of most of the Shakespeare canon, including a towering King Lear, also excelled onstage in the original production of Harold Pinters The Homecoming, which he also brought to Broadway. He began working in films only midway through his career, debuting with an adaptation of his stage performance in A Midsummer Nights Dream in 1968. In later years, however, he worked increasingly in movies and more selectively onstage, appearing in high-profile films such as Alien, The Fifth Element, Lord of the Rings pics The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King and Hobbit movies An Unexpected Journey and The Battle of the Five Armies. Advertisement But his finest work was contained in independently made productions like Oscar best picture Chariots of Fire, which brought him a nomination as best supporting actor in 1982; The Madness of King George; Joe Goulds Secret; Big Night; and The Sweet Hereafter. He also worked regularly on British television series such as The Borrowers, Bells, Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill, We the Accused and Game Set and Match. Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins admires the ring he found -- as related in J.R.R. Tolkien's book, "The Hobbit" -- in a scene from the movie "The Fellowship of the Ring." (New Line Productions Inc.) Holm was remarkably versatile and, despite his short stature, rarely limited in his selection of roles. He was very much an actors actor, too chameleon-like to have a strong star impact. In 1998, he received his knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to drama. Holm had been working as an actor for decades when he first achieved mainstream notice for his work as an android in 1979s Alien and as the Olympic trainer Sam Mussabini in 1981s Chariots of Fire. Over the next decade the roles became larger and more distinctive, including Napoleon in Time Bandits, Polonius in Zeffirellis Hamlet alongside Mel Gibson, Captain Fluellen in Kenneth Branaghs Henry V, as well as turns in Dreamchild, Brazil, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, Wetherby, Dance With a Stranger and Woody Allens Another Woman. During the 90s he had meaty starring roles in Steven Soderberghs Kafka and David Cronenbergs Naked Lunch as well as in Nicholas Hytners The Madness of King George, Branaghs Frankenstein and The Fifth Element. Holm turned in several outstanding performances in top independent movies including Stanley Tuccis Big Night and Joe Goulds Secret and, especially, in Atom Egoyans The Sweet Hereafter, where his performance as the pained lawyer futilely seeking redress in the wake of a Canadian towns tragedy was bottomless with its subtlety, Roger Ebert said. He worked for Cronenberg again but was wasted in eXistenZ. Advertisement Ian Holm, right, in a scene from the 1979 film, "Alien," with Yaphet Kotto and Sigourney Weaver. (Robert Penn / 20th Century Fox) The actor, who cut his teeth in the theater, still did stagework occasionally. Holm starred as Astrov in Uncle Vanya in 1979 and as King Lear in 1997. The latter brought him an Olivier award as best actor, and he repeated both performances on television, winning an Emmy for Lear in 1999. In 1993, he starred in a production of Pinters Moonlight onstage with wife Penelope Wilton. He returned to the role of Napoleon in 2001 film The Emperors Clothes. (He had first played Bonaparte in the 1972 TV series Napoleon and Me, then comically in Time Bandits.) In a generally negative review of the film, the New York Times said, In a sly, deadpan performance, Mr. Holm does his best to realize the movies gentle comic vision. In his 70s Holm continued to show up in high-profile films none more high profile than the Lord of the Rings movies, in which he played Bilbo Baggins. He was a sadistic doctor in the Hughes brothers From Hell, with Johnny Depp, and played meteorologists in Roland Emmerichs disaster epic The Day After Tomorrow and Martin Scorseses The Aviator. But he was also one of the starring voices in the stylish animated film noir sci-fier Renaissance and the delightful animated feature Ratatouille. Holm made some other interesting choices in the 2000s, appearing in the indie comedy Strangers With Candy; as an outrageous psychoanalyst in The Treatment; and as David Ben Gurion, the first president of Israel, in Elie Chouraquis O Jerusalem. He returned to the role of Bilbo Baggins for two Hobbit films, An Unexpected Journey and The Battle of the Five Armies. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 131 Dawn Wells, who starred as good girl Mary Ann in the popular 1960s sitcom Gilligans Island, died Dec. 30, 2020, of causes related to COVID-19. She was 82. (AP ) Ian Holm Cuthbert was born in Goodmayes, England, and entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1950, leaving in 1953 to do his military service. The following year he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-on-Avon and made his debut as a spear carrier in Othello. Holm made his West End debut in 1956s Love Affair and toured Europe with Laurence Olivier in Titus Andronicus, rejoining the RSC in 1957 and breaking out in 1959 with his celebrated Puck in A Midsummer Nights Dream and as the Fool in King Lear. He remained with the RSC until 1967, appearing in starring roles in The Tempest (as Ariel), Richard III, Henry V and Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. Advertisement In 1965 he appeared to great acclaim as Lenny in the original production of Pinters The Homecoming; he won a Tony when he repeated the role on Broadway in 1967 and played the role again in Pinters 1973 bigscreen adaptation. In 1968 he made his film debut in The Bofors Gun, a British film that brought him a BAFTA Award for supporting actor. Thereafter, he appeared more regularly in movies and on television than onstage. Over the next few years he had supporting roles in A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Fixer, Oh! What a Lovely War, Nicholas and Alexandra and as King John in Robin and Marian. Other assignments included Young Winston, Juggernaut, Shout at the Devil and, for television, Les Miserables, The Man in the Iron Mask, All Quiet on the Western Front and Jesus of Nazareth. For the American miniseries Holocaust and Inside the Third Reich, he played Heinrich Himmler and Joseph Goebbels, respectively. He won a second Emmy in 2001 for his roguish work opposite Judi Dench in HBO telepic The Last of the Blonde Bombshells. With wife Wilton he appeared in The Borrowers and The Return of the Borrowers for Brit TV, and he was one of an all-star cast of voices that contributed to the live-action version of Animal Farm that aired on TNT in the U.S. Holm also did a considerable amount of voiceover and narration work. He narrated the documentaries Stalin, Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen and Hiroshima: The Decision to Drop the Bomb; The Seas of Zanzibar and Skin Deep, both for the Discovery Channel; and Holocaust on Trial for PBS. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned Azerbaijan's attacks on Armenia as "illegal" during a Sunday press conference alongside Armenian officials. Pelosi led a Congressional delegation to the region this weekend, days after roughly 200 troops were killed in clashes between the two countries. The conflict centers around the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is ethnically Armenian but legally belongs to Azerbaijan, a situation that has resulted in decades of violence. Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to a ceasefire days before Pelosi's arrival. "Our meeting, again, had a particular importance to us because of the focus on security following the illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on the Armenian territory," Pelosi said Sunday. AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA FIGHTING LEAVES 99 DEAD, PUTIN LOOKS TO 'DE-ESCALATE' CONFLICT "We strongly condemn those attacks, we in our delegation on behalf of Congress, which threatens prospects for a much-needed peace agreement," she added, saying the conflict "was initiated by the Azeris, and there has to be recognition of that." Pelosi's delegation includes Reps. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Frank Pallone Jr. ,D-NJ. Their trip was planned prior to the attacks. Speier and Eshoo are both Armenian American. Russian officials attempted to negotiate a ceasefire between the two countries early last week, but the agreement was broken in less than a day. Russia sought to take the lead in peacekeeping efforts due to the proximity of the conflict to its borders. IRAN TO JOIN RUSSIA, CHINA-LED GROUP IN BID TO DODGE WESTERN SANCTIONS: REPORT "It is difficult to overestimate the role of the Russian Federation, the role of Putin personally," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters last week, according to Reuters. "The president naturally is making every effort to help de-escalate tensions at the border." Pelosi' statement in Armenia is likely to be taken as a rebuke of Russia's ongoing efforts. Story continues The Azeri government hit back at Pelosi's condemnation on Sunday, brushing it off as "Armenian propaganda." "The unsubstantiated and unfair accusations levelled by Pelosi against Azerbaijan are unacceptable," the Azeri foreign ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters. "This is a serious blow to the efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan," the statement continued. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) on Sunday announced she tested positive for COVID-19 and will work remotely from quarantine. Baldwin, who is vaccinated and boosted, said in a Twitter post announcing the positive test that she is only experiencing minor symptoms. Baldwin adds to the count of Democratic senators testing positive for the virus after the Senate returned from its August recess. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) missed a week of votes while isolating in India after testing positive during an eight-day economic delegation to the country. Baldwin hit the ground running after the recess as the Democrats lead negotiator on a bill to protect same-sex marriage. The Respect for Marriage Act was expected to come to the Senate floor next week, but Baldwin said Thursday that its now on hold until after the midterms. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. OGDEN, Utah (AP) Bronson Barron threw for 386 yards with four touchdown passes and Weber State rolled to a 44-14 victory over Utah Tech on Saturday night to remain undefeated. Damon Bankston had 161 yards rushing on 15 carries and a touchdown for Weber State (3-0). Barron completed 25 of 33 passes without an interception. Ty MacPherson made three touchdown catches finished with 140 yards receiving. Jacob Sharp had seven receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. Barron had three of his four TD passes in the first quarter, two to MacPherson and one to Sharp, and Weber State went on to lead 24-14 at halftime. MacPherson added a 17-yard touchdown catch and Kyle Thompson made two of his three field goals in the third quarter to put the Wildcats up 37-14. Utah Tech's fourth turnover of the game set up Bankston's 6-yard touchdown run two plays later in the fourth quarter. Kobe Tracy threw a pair of touchdown passes and was 20-of-47 passing for 225 yards for the Trailblazers (1-2). Joey Hobert had nine receptions for 114 yards that included a 37-yard touchdown catch. ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the APs college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25 Joe Biden. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images President Biden arrived in London late Saturday night ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral Monday, BBC News reports. The president, one of roughly 500 heads of states and foreign dignitaries heading to town for the services, is on Sunday expected to sign the official condolence book and appear at a Buckingham Palace reception hosted by King Charles III. Other funeral invitees include usual suspects like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron, but also controversial figures like Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the latter of which is sending Vice President Wang Qishan in his place. The crown prince is also no longer expected to attend. Following the queen's death earlier this month, Biden directed all American flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of her burial. You may also like Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans gets a key boost in the 2023 Best Picture race Stray kitten inspires company to redesign its packaging for the better 5 scathingly funny cartoons about Steve Bannon's indictment Joe Biden paid tribute to the Queen on the eve of her state funeral and compared her to his late mother, despite the fact that she reportedly hated the English. The president appeared on a balcony overlooking the late monarchs coffin at Westminster Hall, before signing a book of condolence on Sunday. Mr Biden said of Queen Elizabeth: She was the same in person as her image: decent, honorable and all about service. Our hearts go out to the royal family. Mr Biden was then asked why he has previously said that the Queen reminds him of his mother, Catherine Finnegan, who was known as Jean and was of Irish descent. The president told reporters that it was just because of the way she touched when she leaned over. She had that look like are you okay, anything I can do for you, anything you need? But also, make sure you do what youre supposed to do. The comparison between the two women is an awkward one, as it has previously been reported that Ms Finnegan disliked the English so much that she once refused to sleep in a bed that the Queen had slept in. President Biden signs a book of condolence at Lancaster House in London (AP) Georgia Pritchett, a writer and co-producer on the TV comedy Veep, wrote in her autobiography My Mess is a Bit of a Life that she met Mr Biden in the White House when he was Barack Obamas vice-president. She wrote that she had been talking to the then vice-president about a trip to Ukraine, which was quickly shut down by his advisers. He changed the subject to how much his mother hated the English. His parents were Irish and she had written several poems about her hatred of the English. He went off to find them and returned with hundreds of poems describing how God must smite the English and rain blood on our heads, she wrote, according to The Guardian. Then-President elect Barack Obama stands on stage with Vice-President elect Joe Biden and his mother Jean in Chicago in November 2008 (Getty Images) And she went on to say how Mr Biden had described how his mother had an issue while staying at a hotel in the UK whereto Queen had previously stayed. She was so appalled that she slept on the floor all night, rather than risk sleeping on a bed that the Queen had slept on, Ms Pritchett wrote. Mr Bidens mother died in 2010 and lived with him after his father died in 2002. President Biden approved Puerto Ricos emergency declaration on Sunday, just before Fiona strengthened into a hurricane as it approached the island. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued hurricane warnings for Puerto Rico as heavy rains from the storm reach the island. Heavy rains from Fiona will continue across Puerto Rico through tonight and occur over the Dominican Republic later today into Monday, NWS said in an advisory. These rainfall amounts will produce life-threatening flash floods and urban flooding across Puerto Rico and portions of the eastern Dominican Republic, along with mudslides and landslides in areas of higher terrain. The agency predicted a storm surge of up to three feet along Puerto Ricos coast and more than 20 inches of rain for some parts of the island. Biden earlier on Sunday declared an emergency on the island, freeing up federal resources to support the local response to the hurricane. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials traveled to Puerto Rico to assist local officials. Thank you @POTUS for a swift approval of an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, tweeted FEMA spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg. This will allow @fema to respond and support the island as they experience the extreme weather impacts of Tropical Storm #Fiona. The federal government will fund 75 percent of its emergency protective measures and direct assistance. At this time everyone must be in a safe place. No one should be outside, tweeted Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Ricos governor. San Juans airport canceled all flights on Sunday as the storm began pummeling the island. Its time to take action and be concerned, said Nino Correa, Puerto Ricos emergency management commissioner. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Michael Holden, Jeff Mason and Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden paid emotional tribute to Queen Elizabeth on the eve of her state funeral on Sunday, saying Britain and the world had been lucky to have such a dignified and dedicated servant on the throne for 70 years. Biden, among scores of dignitaries and royals from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas who have arrived in London for Monday's funeral, said the queen's death at 96 years of age had left a giant hole on the global stage. "To all the people of England, all the people in United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you," Biden said after he signed a book of condolence and visited her lying-in-state in Westminster. "You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years, we all were. The world's better for her." He said he had consoled the queen's heir, King Charles, that the queen would be "with him every step of the way, every minute, every moment and that's a reassuring notion". Hundreds of thousands of people have descended on London to bid farewell to Britain's longest-reigning monarch, with people from all walks of life from around the country and overseas queuing for hours to file past her coffin. Biden followed other world leaders in appearing on a balcony overlooking the coffin in the historic Westminster Hall, making a sign of the cross and placing his hand on his heart in reverence. French President Emmanuel Macron also appeared on the balcony. The U.S. president later joined Charles and other leaders for an evening reception ahead of the state funeral https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/plans-queen-elizabeths-state-funeral-2022-09-15. Biden was one of 14 U.S. presidents https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/queen-elizabeths-reign-featured-enchiladas-with-reagan-dancing-with-ford-2022-09-12 in office during the queen's reign, of which Elizabeth met all except Lyndon Johnson, starting with Harry Truman in 1951 when still a princess. Story continues He will join presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens and sultans representing nearly 200 countries and territories at the funeral. Macron was seen walking near the River Thames earlier on Sunday, mingling with those gathered in the streets around parliament. Liz Truss, who the queen appointed as Britain's prime minister two days before her death, took the opportunity to meet with leaders from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada and Poland over the weekend. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, however, is no longer expected, according to a British government source. Inviting the man Western leaders believe ordered the murder in 2018 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been controversial. He has denied any role in the killing. Britain has invited https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/world-leaders-come-london-queen-elizabeths-funeral-2022-09-12 heads of state or ambassadors from any country with which it has full diplomatic relations, but it is up to those nations who they send. The change was made by Saudi Arabia, the source added. 'LOVE FOR A SON' For all the high ceremony and careful diplomacy of the funeral, for the queen's family it is also when they will bid farewell to a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Prince Andrew https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/disgraced-prince-andrew-back-spotlight-still-out-cold-2022-09-15, the queen's second son, paid tribute to "Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty" on Sunday, reflecting the roles he said Elizabeth fulfilled during her reign. Andrew has fallen from grace, stripped of the "His Royal Highness" title and removed from royal duties after a scandal over his friendship with late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, and a related sex assault allegation. Andrew, Duke of York, has not been charged with any criminal offence and has denied wrongdoing. He paid to settle a U.S. civil court case. On Saturday, his two daughters joined the queen's other six grandchildren, including Charles' sons Princes William and Harry, at a vigil around her coffin. Camilla https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/rottweiler-queen-consort-camillas-rise-shadow-diana-2022-09-08, wife of the new king and now Queen Consort, said the smile of the late queen was "unforgettable", in her own tribute https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/i-will-always-remember-queen-elizabeths-smile-camilla-pays-tribute-2022-09-18 on Sunday. CLAMOURING CROWDS Transport for London said it expected one million people in central London for Monday's funeral. The period of mourning has already drawn hundreds of thousands of people to central London, many clamouring to view floral tributes and feel the atmosphere. The government advised against travelling to join the queue to see the coffin before it closes later on Sunday. Such has been the desire to pay tribute to the popular monarch, the only one most Britons have known since her accession in 1952, that tens of thousands have waited patiently for hours alongside the Thames to spend a few brief seconds at the side of her coffin. Many have wept, said a prayer, bowed their head or dropped to their knees. Dignitaries have also taken their place on the balcony to view her lying-in-state, with leaders from Canada, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago and elsewhere having paid their respects. Gary Thompson, 54, from London said: "When you're here, it's overwhelming." New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the "sheer silence" was one of the things that made the lying-in-state so moving, adding she had shared her moment on Friday with people who had queued for 20 hours or longer. "The queen was here for her people and now her people are there for her," she told the BBC on Sunday. Prince William joined his father Charles to speak to mourners waiting in line on Saturday. "She wouldn't believe all this, she really wouldn't," he said. MOMENT OF REFLECTION Britain has hosted a series of carefully choreographed ceremonies in the 10 days that have followed Elizabeth's death, reflecting the traditions and pageantry of a royal family whose lineage stretches back almost 1,000 years. A minute of national silence was held at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Sunday, marked by the striking of Big Ben, which towers over Westminster Hall. London's police force has described the funeral ceremony as the biggest security operation it has ever undertaken. Members of the public were camping out to secure positions on the procession route and near Westminster Abbey, the site of coronations, weddings and burials of English and then British kings and queens since William I in 1066. Britain has not held a state funeral on the scale planned for the queen since that for World War Two leader Winston Churchill in 1965. (Additional reporting by William James, Kate Holton and Paul Sandle; Editing by Frances Kerry and Janet Lawrence) President Biden said in a new interview that he told Chinese President Xi Jinping that it would be a gigantic mistake to violate sanctions against Russia around the time that Moscow began its war in Ukraine. Biden called Xi earlier this year after the latter met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing during the Olympics, Biden told Scott Pelley, according to excerpts from an interview with CBSs 60 Minutes set to air Sunday night. I said, If you think that Americans and others will continue to invest in China based on your violating the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia, I think youre making a gigantic mistake, but thats your decision to make, Biden said. The call was not to threaten the Chinese president, but to warn about the repercussions of breaking the sanctions, Biden noted. Thus far, theres no indication theyve put forward weapons or other things that Russia has wanted, Biden said of China. The U.S. has slapped escalating sanctions on Russia in response to Moscows aggression against Ukraine, including a ban on Russian energy imports and blacklisting Putin and his family and allies. US relations with China are also fraught, amid tensions around Taiwans independence and Chinas treatment of its Uyghur ethnic minority. Putin said Friday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan said that he and Xi have discussed what we should do in the current conditions to efficiently counter unlawful restrictions from the West, according to The Associated Press. But Biden in his 60 Minutes interview dismissed suggestions that warming relations between Xi and Putin could herald a new, more complicated Cold War. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Biden has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin not to change the face of war by using tactical nuclear or chemical weapons amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Dont. Dont. Dont. You will change the face of war unlike anything since World War II, Biden told Scott Pelley on CBSs 60 Minutes when asked what he would tell the Russian president if he was considering using the weapons of mass destruction. If Russia does use the weapons, Biden said, itll be consequential. Theyll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been. The president declined to specify what the U.S. response would be, but said it will hinge on the extent of what they do. The conflict has stoked international concern about the potential use of nuclear weapons during war, particularly as Russia looks to halt recent Ukrainian gains. Russian military forces occupy the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest plant in Europe, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the country of nuclear terror. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in August that humanity is one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation as conflict with nuclear undertones grows in Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere. Biden last month discussed nuclear concerns with European leaders and talked about Zaporizhzhya with Zelensky. Now, more than half a year into the war, Ukraine has intensified its counteroffensive and pushed Russian forces to retreat from some occupied areas. Frustration with the war has grown in Russia as Ukraine takes back territory. Russian municipal deputies last week signed a petition calling for Putin to resign, and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov called Russias recent retreat in Ukraine astounding. Ukraines top prosecutor said on CBSs Face the Nation Sunday that the Office of the Prosecutor General has documented 34,000 potential war crimes throughout the conflict and is readying a case on genocide against Russia. The rest of Bidens 60 Minutes interview, his first with the show as president, is set to air in full Sunday night. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. LONDON President Joe Biden paid his respects at Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin on Sunday as thousands of police, hundreds of British troops and an army of officials made final preparations for the queens state funeral a spectacular display of national mourning that will also be the biggest gathering of world leaders for years. Biden and first lady Jill Biden were among thousands of mourners from locals and tourists to royals and world leaders to pay their respects at Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state. The president made the sign of the cross and put his hand to his heart as he stood quietly near the casket in the ornate 900-year-old hall with his wife and U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley. Biden then signed the official condolence book and attended a reception Sunday at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III. He is one of 500 world leaders and royals invited to the queens state funeral Monday at Westminster Abbey, along with hundreds of British charity workers. Biden called Queen Elizabeth II decent and honorable and all about service as he signed the condolence book, saying his heart went out to the royal family. Queen Elizabeth lived her life for the people, Jill Biden wrote in a book for spouses and ambassadors. She served with wisdom and grace. We will never forget her warmth, kindness and the conversations we shared. As the dignitaries poured in, the clock was ticking down for those seeking a place in the longest queue many have ever seen to file past the queens coffin. The miles-long queue is expected to be closed to new arrivals later Sunday so that everyone now in the line can view the coffin before Monday morning, when it will be taken to Westminster Abbey for the queens funeral. Family by family, thousands of people kept joining the line around the clock, braving chilly overnight temperatures and waits of up to 17 hours in a queue that stretched for over five miles. Lauren Wilson, a 36-year-old student, was in the much shorter queue for people with mobility issues. She said she wanted to experience in person the coffin lying in state. Story continues The world is in such a weird place and then this happened. It feels more momentous, she said. She worried that the pageantry surrounding Elizabeths death deprives the queens relatives of the ability to come to terms with their loss. The family are not allowed to grieve. I find it quite heartbreaking, she said. The queens eight grandchildren, led by heir to the throne Prince William, circled the coffin and stood with their heads bowed during a silent vigil on Saturday evening. Among the foreign leaders in London was New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who told the BBC she was humbled to represent her nation at the funeral and to witness the national outpouring of grief and respect for the late queen. The thing that I will take away from this period is just the beauty of the publics response, the kindness that you see from members of the public, the patience, the camaraderie. That has been, for me, the most moving tribute of all, has been the public response of the British people, she said. People across the U.K. will also pause Sunday evening for a nationwide minute of silence to remember the queen, who died Sept. 8 at 96 after 70 years on the throne. Monday has been declared a public holiday, and the funeral will be broadcast to a huge television audience worldwide and screened to crowds in parks and public spaces across the country. Police officers from around the country will be on duty as part of the biggest one-day policing operation in Londons history. Crowds also gathered Sunday near Windsor Castle, where the queen will be laid to rest at a private family ceremony on Monday evening. Steve Beeson came with his family of three and a bouquet of flowers he had purchased for the queen. She has been a constant steadying of the reins for the country through all of these really rough times, the least we can do is come and say Thank you, he said. LONDON Events surrounding Queen Elizabeth IIs state funeral on Monday cap 10 days of national mourning and are expected to be watched by hundreds of thousands of people packed onto the streets of London and millions around the world. Those are just a few of the staggering array of numbers generated by the death of the 96-year-old monarch after a 70-year-reign. Here are some figures that have swirled around London and the rest of the United Kingdom in the aftermath of death on Sept. 8 at her summer retreat in Scotland of the only monarch most Britons have ever known. Advertisement 2,000 Dignitaries and guests in Westminster Abbey for the the state funeral, ranging from King Charles III and other royals to world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden to members of the British public who helped battle the COVID-19 pandemic. 800 Guests at a committal service later in the day at St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle. Advertisement 5,949 Queen Elizabeth II 's grandchildren, clockwise from foreground centre, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, Peter Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Princess Eugenie, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, not seen, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and Zara Tindall take part in a vigil of the Queen's grandchildren, as they stand by the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on Sept. 17, 2022. (Yui Mok/AP) Military personnel deployed throughout the meticulously choreographed operation that began with the queens death on Sept. 8 at her Balmoral Estate in the Scottish Highlands. That number comprises 4,416 from the army, 847 from the navy and 686 from the air force. In addition, around 175 armed forces personnel from Commonwealth nations have been involved. 1,650 At least that number of military personnel will be involved in the pomp-filled procession of the queens coffin from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch after her funeral. A further 1,000 will line the streets along the procession route When the coffin reaches Windsor, 410 military personnel will take part in the procession, 480 will line streets, 150 will be in a guard of honor and line steps and 130 more will fulfil other ceremonial duties. 142 Royal Navy ratings who will pull the state gun carriage carrying the queens coffin on Monday when it leaves the Houses of Parliament for her funeral. More than 10,000 Police officers. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the hugely complex policing operation is the biggest in the London forces history, surpassing the London 2012 Olympics which saw up to 10,000 police officers on duty per day. 22 People arrive at the end of the queue to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II lying in state on Sept. 18, 2022. (James Manning/AP) Miles (36 kilometers) of barriers erected in central London alone to control crowds and keep key areas around the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace secure. 1 million The number of people London transport authorities expect to visit the capital on Monday. Around 250 extra rail services will run to move people in and out of the city. 5 Miles (8 kilometers) of people lining up to file past the queens coffin in Westminster Hall. The mammoth queue stretched back from the Houses of Parliament along the south bank of the River Thames to Southwark Park. The number of people in the queue is unlikely to be known until after the lying-in-state closes early on Monday. 125 Movie theaters that will open their doors to broadcast Mondays funeral live. Advertisement 2,868 A ray of sun shines on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre on Sept. 17, 2022. (Carl Court/AP) Diamonds, along with 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and 4 rubies, sparkle in the Imperial State Crown that rested on the queens coffin as it lay in state. 2 Minutes of silence at the end of the funeral at Westminster Abbey. 1 Coffin. The silent eye in the days-long storm of pomp, pageantry and protection is a single, flag-draped oak coffin carrying the only monarch most Britons have ever known. Former President Bill Clinton attempted to be diplomatic Sunday when discussing the death last week of Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel who led the investigation into him during his presidency. "I read the obituary, and I realized that his family loved him, and I think thats something to be grateful for," he said speaking in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS." "When your life is over, that's all there is to say," he added. The Starr investigation began in August 1994 as an effort to sort out a complicated Arkansas land deal known as Whitewater, and its connection to Bill and Hillary Clinton. In the course of the investigation, an affair between Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky became public knowledge, leading to Clinton's impeachment in 1998 and an unsuccessful attempt by congressional Republicans to remove him from office. Starr, 76, died last week in Houston after what was described by his family as a long hospitalization combating an undisclosed illness. After his years as special counsel, Starr served as president of Baylor University he stepped down in 2016 after revelations of a sexual assault scandal on campus and joined President Donald Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial. "I have nothing to say. Except Im glad he died with the love of his family," Clinton said of Starr. Former President Clinton on Sunday offered a brief reaction to the death of Ken Starr, the independent counsel whose Whitewater investigation ultimately led to Clintons impeachment. Well, I read the obituary, and I realized that his family loved him, and I think thats something to be grateful for, and when your life is over, thats all there is to say, Clinton said during an appearance on CNNs Fareed Zakaria GPS. But I was taught not to talk about the people that I have nothing to say, he continued. Starr died on Tuesday at the age of 76 in Houston from surgery complications. He reportedly had been in the hospital for months leading up to his death. We are deeply saddened with the loss of our dear and loving father and grandfather, whom we admired for his prodigious work ethic, but who always put his family first, Starrs son, Randall Starr, said in the obituary. Starr in the first Bush administration served as the U.S. solicitor general, arguing dozens of cases before the Supreme Court. He previously served as a federal appeals judge and a senior post in the Justice Department. But Starr gained fame for leading the Whitewater investigation during Clintons presidency. The investigation began with a probe of the Clintons real estate investments but eventually expanded to include the former presidents affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Lewinsky on Tuesday responded to Starrs death on Twitter. As Im sure many can understand, my thoughts about Ken Starr bring up complicated feelings but of more importance, is that I imagine its a painful loss for those who love him, Lewinsky wrote shortly after the news of Starrs death broke. The Starr Report, which he gave to Congress in September 1998, asserted that Clinton lied to the public and Congress about the relationship. Clinton was later impeached, though was ultimately acquitted in the Senate. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Andrew Body threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half as Texas Southern cruised to a 24-0 victory over Southern on Saturday. Body's 9-yard touchdown pass to AJ Bennett capped a 10-play, 65-yard game-opening drive for Texas Southern (1-2, 1-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference). LaDarius Owens added a 1-yard TD run late in the first quarter, and Body threw a 53-yard score to Derek Morton just before halftime. Body completed 16 of 22 passes for 186 yards. Morton made four catches for 91 yards. Besean McCray was 18-of-30 passing with three interceptions for Southern (1-2, 0-1). Cedrick Williams, Perry Wells and Charles George Jr. each made an interception. It was the second straight win for Texas Southern in the series, both at Choctaw Stadium, after the Tigers ended a nine-game losing streak. ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the APs college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25 BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro has taken his reelection campaign on the road, delivering an open-air campaign speech Sunday in London, where he had come to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Allies hope Bolsonaro's four-day foreign trip will sway some voters and give him an image of gravitas after almost four years of rifts with other world leaders while providing material for TV ads. Bolsonaro trails former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in opinion polls, with the other candidates far back. The leftist da Silva, who governed from 2003 to 2010, is hoping to win 50% of the votes Oct. 2 and avoid a runoff against the incumbent. Speaking to about 200 supporters gathered outside the Brazilian Embassy in London, Bolsonaro insisted the polls were wrong and that he could win outright in the first round. Our flag will always be in these colors green and yellow. Our motto is God, nation, family and freedom, the right-wing leader said from an embassy balcony. He later visited Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro and evangelical pastor Silas Malafaia. Bolsonaro declared three days of national mourning in Brazil after the death of Britain's 96-year-old monarch and the funeral will be Bolsonaro's first official visit to the United Kingdom. He met the new monarch, King Charles III, during a trip to Japan in 2019. At the time, Bolsonaro described Charles, a keen environmentalist, as "a person who, like the rest of the world, is wrong about the Amazon." Bolsonaro's administration is frequently accused by environmentalists of not working to put a halt to deforestation in the Amazon region and ignoring environmental crimes there. Bolsonaro was expected to meet the king again on Sunday at a reception at Buckingham Palace. At least some Brazilians criticized his use of a funeral trip for politicking. It is an absolute disgrace for Brazil, said lawmaker Joice Hasselmann, a former Bolsonaro backer, on her social media channels. He transformed the queens funeral into a rally. Story continues Following the funeral, Bolsonaro was to travel to New York to maintain the tradition of Brazilian presidents being the first to speak at the assembly. According to Brazils Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bolsonaros speech in New York will probably have an electoral approach as well as elements suggested by Brazil's diplomatic team. Hes head of state and government, but also a candidate for reelection. This separation is necessary, but not always perfect, said Brazil's U.N. ambassador, Paulino Neto. Bolsonaro himself made clear the ties between the election and his foray abroad while speaking at a campaign rally Friday in the southern state of Parana. He told supporters that he should pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth to represent Brazil. And each and every day, Brazil interacts and integrates with other countries around the world. Brazil is a fantastic country, everybody wants to do business with us, he said. Oliver Stuenkel, a foreign affairs professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Sao Paulo, said Bolsonaro wants to show voters he is not isolated from international leaders. And he said Bolsonaro's conservative base, which includes monarchists, will be happy to see him at the royal funeral. What Bolsonaro wants is to ... show he can assure some stability and predictability in terms of values, and respond to the criticism saying he is isolated in the world, Stuenkel said. And New York will give him a global stage. He will secure headlines for a couple of days. ____ Savarese reported from Sao Paulo. Alla Pugacheva, 22 Mar 11 One of Russia's most popular singers, Alla Pugacheva, has called on the Russian authorities to declare her a "foreign agent", in solidarity with her strongly anti-war husband Maxim Galkin. A showbiz star too, he was labelled a "foreign agent" on Friday after condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine. On social media Pugacheva called her husband "a true incorruptible Russian patriot, who wants... an end to our lads dying for illusory aims". She has been a big star for decades. She said the Kremlin's "illusory aims" in Ukraine "make our country a pariah and the lives of our citizens extremely difficult". Galkin, a comedian, TV presenter and singer, wanted "prosperity for his motherland, peace, free speech", she added. The label "foreign agent" has been applied by the Russian government to various media organisations, campaign groups and individuals openly critical of Kremlin policies. Megastar speaks out Analysis box by Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor Alla Pugacheva has been a musical megastar here for decades. First, in the Soviet Union, where she began her career in the 1960s; then, after the fall of the USSR, in Russia. She is a hugely popular and well-respected artist, which makes her public comments about Russia's offensive in Ukraine big news. Her assertion that "our lads are dying for illusory aims that make our country a pariah and the lives of our citizens extremely difficult" is likely to infuriate the Kremlin. It remains to be seen whether it will have any effect on Russian public opinion over what the Kremlin still calls its "special military operation". Pugacheva and Galkin went to Israel in late March, a month after the Russian invasion, and Pugacheva returned to Russia late last month with her children. In early September President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of Galkin: "Our paths have clearly diverged - he has made very bad statements." Story continues Galkin condemned Russian troops' alleged atrocities and said there could be no justification for the Ukraine invasion. President Putin greeted Alla Pugacheva in the Kremlin in December 2014 Artemy Troitsky, a leading figure in Russian music who left the country in 2014 because of his opposition to Vladimir Putin and now lives in Estonia, told the BBC Pugacheva's intervention was significant. "Alla Pugacheva is the biggest pop star in Russia in the past almost 50 years," he said. "Her fame is monumental and she's a legendary figure. I think this is something that many people have expected her to do some time ago because her husband, Maxim Galkin, he's made his anti-war statements already many times and several months ago. "I think this is her first ever strong political statement and this in itself, of course, is quite shocking for the people in Russia. I think she's not the only one who may turn the public opinion. The obvious wrongdoings of the Russian army and the offensive of the Ukrainian army and the worsening economic situation and so on, all those factors they work against Putin and against the war. "But I think that morally and emotionally this statement of Alla Pugacheva is maybe one of the most strong efforts in these directions." Russia says it is fighting neo-Nazis in Ukraine - a claim widely dismissed - and that it is threatened by the Nato alliance's strong relations with Ukraine. Since the invasion on 24 February, the UN has recorded at least 5,718 civilian deaths, with 8,199 injured, and more than seven million Ukrainians have been recorded as refugees across Europe. The actual civilian death toll is believed to be thousands higher. Tens of thousands of combatants have been killed or injured. Russia, a global energy supplier, is locked in an economic struggle with the West which imposed sweeping sanctions in response to the invasion. Lawyers representing migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard called for the federal government and the state of Massachusetts to open criminal probes into Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday. Lawyers for Civil Rights, a legal organization representing roughly 30 of the Martha's Vineyard migrants, says DeSantis and those working with him "induced" migrants to board the planes under "false pretenses." Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist joined the call during a Thursday appearance on CNN, saying that "laws may have been broken." "It was only when the flight was in midair that they were informed they would be flown to Marthas Vineyard, rather than to Boston as many had been told," the lawyers wrote in a letter to Massachusetts law enforcement, according to Axios. "Once the planes landed, those who had induced our clients to travel under these false pretenses disappeared, leaving our clients to learn that the offers of assistance had all been a ruse to exploit them for political purposes," the lawyers added. BIDEN SAYS REPUBLICANS ARE 'PLAYING POLITICS' AFTER TRANSPORTING MIGRANTS TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD, VP'S HOME Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces a lawsuit against the Biden administration over the delay of an application to import cheaper medications from Canada. Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images CHARLIE CRIST'S RUNNING MATE PREVIOUSLY SAID CUBANS 'MOURN' FIDEL CASTRO'S DEATH Crist said the Department of Justice should "absolutely" look into the program. "This is a humane an inhumane, rather injustice that's being done to human beings," Crist told CNN. "Is this the way to treat our fellow men and women? Of course not." "And, you know, laws may have been broken in the process of this," Crist added, saying he will file a Freedom of Information Act request to find out "what happened here." DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. DeSantis and Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have for months sent buses of migrants to Democratic strongholds across the country. The pair argue that Democrats far from the border aren't taking the immigration crisis seriously. The program has primarily targeted Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York City some of the nation's most powerful cities and also self-described sanctuary cities. "If you have folks that are inclined to think Florida is a good place, our message to them is we are not a sanctuary state, and it's better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and, yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures," DeSantis said of the program Thursday. Abortion rights protesters gather around the stairs of the Florida Supreme Court to condemn a leaked ruling that suggests the U.S. Supreme Court may be poised to overturn the landmark Roe V. Wade decision. The protest drew multiple speakers ranging from Florida State students to local officials speaking to the crowd of about 300. Every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person's private life This is not an abstract, generic statement of principle. The above passage has lived in Floridas Constitution since 1980 when we, the voters, put it there. Florida is one of only a handful of states with an explicit, constitutional right to privacy, and since 1989, the Florida Supreme Court has held that this clear, broad, and powerful clause protects Floridians access to abortion. I agree. I respect the rights of women to make their own personal health care decisions, and Ill stand up to anyone trying to take them away, like Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody. These two are in court right now trying to rip the freedom over your own body out of the Florida Constitution. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds up a 15-week abortion ban law after signing it, Thursday, April 14, 2022, in Kissimmee, Fla. The move comes amid a growing conservative push to restrict abortion ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could limit access to the procedure nationwide. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Despite the oath he swore to uphold the Florida Constitution, DeSantis signed an unconstitutional abortion ban into law, and hes hoping the court hes packed will overturn precedent and rewrite settled law. When I used to be a Republican and served as your governor, judicial nominees touted their restraint. Conservative meant deferring to precedent, norms, decency, and most of all freedom. Whatever happened to that? Perhaps emboldened by the radical, right-wing majority on the United States Supreme Court, judges across the nation are taking an ax to established law. Thats why DeSantis signs laws he knows are unconstitutional restricting freedom of speech, free enterprise, and the freedom over your own body. He wants his activist judges to rewrite laws and the constitution. Just like they did with Roe v. Wade. DeSantis signature abortion ban does not even include exceptions for rape or incest. Thats not just unconstitutional. Thats barbaric. What is wrong with this guy? Democrat Charlie Crist has resigned his seat in Congress to focus on bid to unseat Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis I dont get mad often, but there are two things that get me frustrated unfairness and arrogance. DeSantis taking away your freedom with his abortion ban has both in spades. Story continues Who does he think he is telling the women of Florida what to do with their bodies? I got news for you, Ron. Floridians value their freedom. Freedom is not playing dress-up in a fighter jet or picking fights with public health officials. Freedom means trusting your fellow citizens with their own choices even if you dont like them. Theres a lot of power in the governors office. Trust me, I know. Ive been there. Thats why it breaks my heart to see DeSantis use that power to take away yours. Its not just your reproductive freedom. He bullies kids for wearing a mask. He penalizes private companies that dare oppose him. He attacks teachers and students. And he restricts and suppresses Black voters rights. With his attorney general in court trying to rip reproductive freedom out of the Florida Constitution, it is clear that if he wins re-election, DeSantis will ban abortion entirely no exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the woman. He thinks politicians like him should be able to impose a government mandate over what women can and cannot do with their own bodies. I do not want to live in a state where someone who is raped will be forced by the government to bear a child no matter how young she is. For decades, politicians have warned that your freedom over your own body is on the ballot in the election. I dont think any of us could have ever imagined how true this would be. Freedom is literally on the ballot. Choice is literally on the ballot. If Im honored to serve as your governor again, I will sign an Executive Order on Day 1 protecting and affirming your freedom you had under Roe v. Wade. I will veto anything the legislature sends me to restrict your reproductive freedom, as I did before. And I will appoint judges who believe in fairness, dignity, and freedom. However you feel on the issue of abortion, the vast majority of Floridians agree that you, not the government, should have the final say over your own body. The women of Florida and the men who love and respect them are going to vote for their freedom like never before. We reject abortion banning politicians like Ron DeSantis and Ashley Moody, and when we defeat them, every Floridian will once again have the right to be let alone and free from government intrusion into their private life. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist is the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida. (Candidates running for public office are allowed one published opinion column before Nov. 8, 2022.) JOIN THE CONVERSATION Send letters to the editor (up to 200 words) or Your Turn columns (about 500 words) to letters@tallahassee.com. Please include your address for verification purposes only, and if you send a Your Turn, also include a photo and 1-2 line bio of yourself. You can also submit anonymous Zing!s at Tallahassee.com/Zing. Submissions are published on a space-available basis. All submissions may be edited for content, clarity and length, and may also be published by any part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Charlie Crist: Women's freedom is the top issue in the governor's race By Vitalii Hnidyi BALAKLIIA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Joy, trepidation and grief flickered across the face of Nataliia Yelistratova as she sat next to her husband on a special train back to their home town of Balakliia that Ukraine recaptured last week after six months of Russian occupation. The town - which had a population of 27,000 before the war - is one of key urban outposts that Ukraine recaptured in northeastern Kharkiv region in early September after a sudden collapse of one of Russia's principal front lines. Smiling, Yelistratova said: "The weather is great because we're going home. My mood is great, were so happy right now." No sooner had she said this that, she began to cry. "Im being overwhelmed by my emotions. We havent been at home for five months. I really want to see what is there and what has happened," she said and turned to assure her husband: "Im not crying, Im fine." Yelistratova was travelling the 80 km (50 miles) from Kharkiv with her husband and daughter on one of the special trains laid on for residents of the town wishing to return. Engine driver Maksym Kharchenko said the train on the Kharkiv-Balakliia route used to link Kyiv's airport with the city centre, but since the war had stopped all air traffic, it could be redeployed to Kharkiv. "The train was launched on Sept. 14. And already on the first train, there were people travelling forth and back to Balakliia," he said. "They went there to see what had happened to their homes, to check whether they're destroyed or not." As the train cut through misty woodland and passed destroyed buildings, most of the passengers sat in sombre silence. BACK HOME BUT STILL SCARED Once in Balakliia, Yelsitratova and her family walked through the battle-scarred town to their apartment block which appeared to have minor damage from shelling. A neighbouring block's windows and balconies were smashed and the facade pockmarked by shrapnel. Story continues "Its as if were in Chornobyl. Nature has taken over," said her daughter, Olena Miroshnichenko. "No-one did anything, for half a year, nobody trimmed the grass and bushes. Everything is overgrown." Once back in their apartment, the family began to inspect the damage. Within minutes, Yelistratova had found a piece of shrapnel in a wall. "Its scary," she said. "Ive still kept this feeling, that any moment a shell could explode or an airplane could fly over. Im still scared to be here." (Reporting by Vitalii Hnidyi and Felix Hoske; Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) Oleksandr Syrskyi (right) led the defense of Kyiv. In the photo, he is in March 2022 in the village of Moschun, which became a turning point in the battle for the capital In both cases, the merits of Syrsky, along with a number of other commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, have been officially recognized by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Pedantic and thoughtful, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky is one of those experienced officers who prepare for all unforeseen circumstances, The Washington Post recently wrote about him. Read also: Ukraine's President Zelensky, Commander-in-chief Zaluzhny land on Time 100 influencers list Even to those scenarios that he himself considers extremely unlikely. NV explains the story of a Ukrainian military leader who has been leading the defense of Ukraine from Russian invaders at various levels for more than eight years, and who is being observed with increasing attention by the world press. The Oscar of military glory belongs to them: Syrsky as a co-author of Ukraines new victories in the east The Colonel-General who gives hope to Ukrainians is how journalists from the German newspaper Spiegel described the 57-year-old Syrsky, in their recent article about him. On Sept. 9, in the midst of Ukraine's rapid offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine named him as one of Ukraines leading lights of victory on every axis - "The Atlantes who hold the operation on their shoulders, referring to the ancient Greek legend of the god responsible for carrying the planet on his shoulders. There are no main or secondary actors in our struggle, wrote Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar. Ukrainians together write the lines of the history of our Great Liberation War. And yet there is a special category for masters of their craft. The Oscar of military glory belongs to them. This is about our command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the commanders who today in the east and south of the country are accurately and purposefully beating the Russian invaders. Among these figures, Malyar listed four people who are characterized by "authority, charisma and non-standard approach in the preparation for hostilities": Story continues Read also: General Zaluzhny proves best choice for Armed Forces, president and nation Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhny Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Shaptala The commander of the defense operation in the east of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi The commander of the defense operation in southern Ukraine Andriy Kovalchuk The day after this publication, on Sept. 10, the Ministry of Defense published a video in which Syrsky participated in a flag-raising ceremony in the liberated town of Balakliya, and congratulated Ukrainian soldiers on the liberation of the first large settlement during the operation in Kharkiv Oblast. I am sure that this is not the last city (to be liberated): we have Kupyansk ahead of us, which is already half taken by our troops, ahead of Izyum and many others, Syrsky said even before these cities were actually liberated. Spiegel noted that he celebrated the liberation of Balakliya "without pomp and euphoria, but with pride and relief." On Sept. 14, Syrsky, together with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attended a similar ceremony in Izyum. Meanwhile, international media outlets have begun to report that the 57-year-old military leader is allegedly one of the people who proposed key ideas for the Kharkiv Oblast breakout. It is said that Colonel-General Syrsky had a plan to distract the Russians with a long-announced major offensive in the south in Kherson Oblast in the hope that they would withdraw troops from the eastern front, writes Spiegel, while noting at the same time that this information is unconfirmed. Read also: Ukraines General Staff explains reasons behind Russian invaders refusal to fight in Ukraine Allegedly, it was Syrsky who identified a weak spot in the Russian defenses near Balakliya. This narrative has also spread into Ukrainian media, partially thanks to a post made by political strategist Oleksiy Holubotsky - who is previously known for doing "PR for a number of politicians." Holubotsky also said in a Facebook post that Syrsky allegedly needed to convince other military leaders that the plan was viable. However, the Ministry of Defense has made it clear that such statements are nothing more than unfounded rumors. I see that some authors on social networks are writing about the details of planning military operations and making decisions as if they also have access [to state secrets] and as if they have the legal permission to distribute it, Deputy Minister Malyar wrote on Sept 15. Of course, I would contact law enforcement agencies to find the person who leaks these state secrets. But so far they write only fiction and gossip. So far, no one has told opinion leaders and Telegram channels how it was in reality, and this is good. The editor-in-chief of Censor.NET, Yurii Butusov, when commenting on the successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast to Radio NV, suggested that this offensive operation was a collective decision. The skill of Ukrainian command should be noted, he said, recalling the strategic significance and scale of the operation. "The key contribution was made by Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhny. Because without his initiative, without his actions, all this would be basically impossible. According to him, Oleksander Syrsky most likely carried out the operational management of the operation. Valery Zaluzhnyi (first on the left) and Oleksandr Syrskyi (second on the left) at exercises, February 2020 Press service of the Operational Command North Syrsky is the commander of the defense forces, Butusov explained. He is a well-known person and one of the leaders of our army. [] If we judge by the result, then this is a very high level of management. Undoubtedly, this is a masterful operation. Reforming the army and eight years of command in the ATO/JFO: the biography of Oleksander Syrsky Oleksander Syrsky received his first military education back in Soviet times in Moscow, where in 1982 he graduated from the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School. Spiegel called this detail of his biography "one of the bitter ironies of the present war". Syrsky has been serving Ukraine since the first years of its independence. Already in 1996, the future commander of the Ground Forces graduated from the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in 2005 - the National Defense Academy of Ukraine, receiving the highest marks in both universities. Throughout the years, Syrsky was gradually entrusted with increasingly large-scale and responsible tasks: he went from a platoon commander to one of the key figures in the course of the ATO / JFO, and then to overall ground commander during the course of the full-scale Russian war. In the 1990s, Syrsky commanded one of the brigades of the 6th Division of the National Guard of Ukraine in Chuhuiv. Later he became the commander of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade in Bila Tserkva. Shortly before the Revolution of Dignity, it was Syrsky at that time was already the first deputy head of the Main Command Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who was one of the key figures involved in deepening NATO-Ukraine cooperation, and in overseeing the militarys upcoming reforms. He was involved in the development of a strategy for the transition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the standards of the Alliance. After the flight of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych from Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and Russia's invasion of Donbas in early 2014, Syrsky took up the position of chief of staff of the Antiterrorist Operation (ATO) what the Ukrainian government called the front line against the Donbas puppet authorities. Read also: Ukraines Armed Forces to transition from Soviet weapons to NATO equipment, says Commander-in-chief Zaluzhnyi Even then, the general had the opportunity to study the enemy in combat conditions: Syrsky was one of the key Ukrainian commanders during the most difficult battles for the Debaltseve bridgehead in January-February 2015. At that time, according to the Defense Express news outlet, he led Ukrainian units during the fighting in Vuhlehirsk, the village of Ridkodub and during the attempt to recapture Lohvynove, and also coordinated the Bars group, which covered the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the city of Debaltseve itself. For participation in those battles, Syrsky was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky 3rd degree. He later received the rank of lieutenant general. Syrsky was actively involved in the defense of Ukraine from Russian invaders not only during the period of the most heated battles, but throughout the eight years before the full-scale invasion. In 2016-2019, he was the head of several high-level departments, including the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (twice in different periods) and the commander of the Anti-Terrorist Operation and the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts (May-August 2019). In May-August 2019, Sirskyi (far left) served as the commander of the Joint Forces Operation. Joint Forces Operations press service Three years ago, on Aug. 5, 2019, Syrsky was appointed commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He still holds this position, and in this role, the Colonel-General met the day of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. AS the head of the Ground Forces, Syrsky continued reforms that eventually helped the Ukrainian army to be more flexible on the battlefield and go ahead in its development much further than their Russian counterparts. Among these reforms has been the transformation of military command and control bodies in the Ground Forces. There has been a separation of the functions of formation, training, development of troops, technical equipment and comprehensive support from the functions of management and control, Defense Express explained back in 2020 in one of its articles about Syrsky. This is fundamentally different from what was envisaged by the Soviet command and control system, which until recently guided the Ukrainian army. With this distribution, when everyone specializes in specific things, you can achieve much more efficiency at each of these levels. The starting point is saving the lives of the defenders of Ukraine: quotes from Oleksander Syrsky about the war and the Armed Forces of Ukraine Although international media outlets often refer to Syrsky as a non-public military leader who rarely communicates with the media, even before the Russian invasion in February, the Colonel-General repeatedly shared his vision of the development of the military and the situation at the front with the Ukrainian military and defense publications. From several interviews of Syrsky in recent years (with Army FM, Army Inform, as well as a series of interviews for Defense Express), we have collected a number of his most iconic quotes. All of these statements were made before February 2022. September 11, 2022: Oleksandr Syrskyi (right) awards Ukrainian servicemen-tankers who took part in the liberation of the territories of Ukraine Ground troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine / Facebook Combat training is the basis of the combat capability of the troops [] It was the experience gained during the confrontation with the Russian aggressor that allowed us to look at combat training in a more practical way and work out a new system that would allow us to quickly rethink acquired combat experience and implement it in training. For me, as the commander of the Ground Forces, the extreme importance of the information component in a hybrid war is more than obvious [] We are constantly developing the information warfare system itself, and have created a permanent structure of information monitoring and counteraction. This is the most important direction, along with the training of troops. Donbas is used by the invaders as a testing ground for testing the capabilities of modern Russian weapons and military equipment. [on the ATO/JFO period] The Armed Forces of Ukraine are among the few armies in the world that have successful experience in confronting the army of a nuclear state. Keep in mind that we operate in a field where the most modern means of reconnaissance are used, REM and EW, communications, UAVs, armored vehicles, high-precision equipment and others. With this in mind, we must constantly improve further - improve our knowledge, skills and abilities of our fighters, the coherence of crews, units and formations, as well as saturate combat units with modern weapons and military equipment. We must oppose the qualitative and technological advantage to the enemy, taking as a starting point the maximum preservation of the lives of the defenders of Ukraine. "Our soldiers are capable of performing any tasks in any conditions and situations. I really often go to positions, platoon strongholds, and observation posts. Firstly, I want to see the real state [of affairs] with my own eyes. Secondly, in communication with our military personnel, I see their mood, their needs, and I have the opportunity to provide for them faster. Thirdly, I feel that this is necessary for our fighters. The human factor always plays a major role in the implementation of any tasks. And at that time [during the defense of the Debaltsevo bridgehead] it was also of great importance for us, because it was the readiness of our personnel to carry out tasks in the face of such tough opposition from the enemy, in the face of constant shelling, that determined whether we were able to complete the tasks or not." Ukrainians know the price of peace, because they have repeatedly known the horror of war on their land, most often in those times when they were divided, or they forgot about the deceit of enemies and the instructions of their ancestors. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine (Bloomberg) -- Chinas doubling down on its zero-tolerance stance toward Covid-19 is draining local-government coffers, posing a fresh threat to the economy and bond investors. Most Read from Bloomberg Jilin province, in the northeast of the country, has warned of increasingly outstanding conflicts between spending and income. Finances at almost half of of its 60 county and district level governments are so tight they are exposed to operational risks, the provincial finance department said in its first-half budget execution report released last month. All 31 provincial regions in China -- with the exception of Shanghai -- logged a deficit in the first seven months of the year. Authorities handed out trillions of yuan in tax breaks to support businesses amid the economic slowdown, as well as covered the cost of Covid Zero policies, such as mass-testing and restricting the movement of residents. Plunging land sales are adding to the squeeze by cutting a key funding source. Pressure on local government finances is likely to intensify as the Communist Party steps up Covid-fighting efforts before the twice-a-decade congress. Health officials this month announced a raft of measures that will be in place until the end of October, including asking local governments to test residents regularly, regardless of infection levels. Lockdowns are happening with rising frequency, with Chengdu, the countrys sixth-largest city with 21 million people, being one of the most recent. The result is municipal governments are seeking to cut spending where they can. Government employees in coastal regions have had their income slashed as bonuses and subsidies were scrapped, according to local media reports. Covid testing providers are finding it increasingly hard to get paid for their services, with some warning of the growing risk of bad debt. Story continues Fragile Economy If fiscal income cant rebound in the second half of the year, spending must be reduced as the budget deficit cant be exceeded, said Ding Shuang, chief economist for Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered Plc. Slower fiscal spending than in the first half of the year would certainly be a drag on the economy. Constraints on provincial spending could impede stimulus efforts for an economy thats struggling amid the Covid restrictions and property weakness. Official data Friday showed a slight improvement in the economys recovery, although it remains fragile and susceptible to lockdowns and turmoil in the housing market. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economists say a massive stimulus package after next months party congress is unlikely, and Beijings unconventional efforts to beef up incentives this year could limit the scope of future supportive policies. The unique pattern of fiscal policy this year has strong implications for policy making next year, and could significantly affect the funding conditions for the government and corporate sectors in 2023, the economists including Lisheng Wang wrote in a note released Monday. The situation at Changtai district in Zhangzhou city, Fujian province, underscores the challenges. The district spent 32 million yuan ($4.6 million) on Covid measures in the first half of 2022, 5.6 million yuan more than what was budgeted at the start of the year, according to official figures. Income from sales of land for commercial and residential development was zero in the same period. In order to cut spending in other areas, the district stopped giving some bonuses to officials, the statement said. A yearlong slump in the property market is denting demand for real estate. Nationwide, land sale revenue plummeted 29% from a year earlier to 3.4 trillion yuan in the first eight months, according to the Ministry of Finance. Tax revenues are also being squeezed. Provinces granted 2.2 trillion yuan in tax rebates this year through the end of August, a third more than was planned for the whole year. They were also tasked with cutting taxes by another 1 trillion yuan for the whole year. While local authorities are able to raise funds via bond sales, theyve used up most of this years quota -- which is set by the central government. Provinces have sold a total of 4.25 trillion yuan of bonds this year, or about 87% of annual amount permitted. Of that, more than 80% are so-called special bonds, which are mostly used for infrastructure spending rather than general purposes. Central Support To aid lower-level governments in particular, Beijing boosted payments to the authorities by 18% to 9.8 trillion yuan, but about 93% of the funds had been allocated by the end of June, the ministry has said. Such support is being countered by the slowdown in the economy. The stop-start approach to Covid is suppressing domestic spending at the same time as external demand diminishes. The consensus in a Bloomberg survey is for the economy to expand 3.5% this year, which would be the second-weakest annual reading in more than four decades. Forecasters at Morgan Stanley and Barclays Plc are among those predicting even slower growth as risks mount into year-end. Lower-tier areas in particular are struggling. Gushan township in Jiangyin city, Jiangsu province, had no income at all under the government-managed fund budget in the first six months of the year, according to its budget execution report for the period. The pressure on preventing and resolving local government debt risks has grown further, the Gushan government said in the report. Uncertainties in achieving this years revenue target are increasing while tax breaks and Covid spending are pulling down income, it said. Local authorities may turn to alternative measures to raise revenue, such as boosting fines. A vegetable vendor in Yulin, Shaanxi province, was fined 66,000 yuan for selling substandard celery worth 20 yuan, state broadcaster Central China Television reported earlier this month. Debt Concerns Theres also concern financial stress may impact the ability of local government financing vehicles to meet their debt obligations. LGFVs are companies that build infrastructure on behalf of such governments and their borrowing is implicitly backed by the authorities. LGFVs problems are set to worsen since their government owners wont be able to mobilize as much resources to support the vehicles in servicing debt, said S&P Global credit analyst Laura Li in a note dated Sept. 5. Support from the central government means provinces wont run out of money, but they will need to tighten their belts, said Luo Zhiheng, chief economist at Yuekai Securities Co. The more lower-tier the government is, the more serious the imbalance between income and spending gets, Luo said. (Updates with comment from economist.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. A sign along North Blain Road marks the border of a conservation easement boundary land in Madison Township about 100 miles south of Champaign. Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey's father, mother and sister have received millions of dollars from the federal and state government for this vast wetlands area, including during the administration of his Democratic opponent, Gov. J.B. Pritzker. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey regularly rails against government spending while accusing Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker of trying to solve the states problems merely by tossing money into the four winds. Thats all we ever hear for solutions in Illinois more money, more spending, Bailey said at a campaign appearance earlier this month. That more money and more spending never comes with more accountability and more transparency. Thats all this mans done, is continue to spend and waste taxpayers money. Advertisement But absent from Baileys criticism is recognition that his father, mother and sister have benefited from two transactions over the last two decades worth more than $8 million in federal and state funds tied to a sprawling spread of property the trio owned in southern Illinois, including $4.32 million from, oddly enough, the Pritzker administration, according to records obtained by the Tribune. In the little-noticed transaction in 2021, Pritzkers Department of Natural Resources bought from the Baileys more than 2,290 acres of mostly wetland about 100 miles south of Urbana-Champaign. The land is slated to become a public recreation and hunting area, according to state officials and financial records. Advertisement Beyond the proceeds for selling the land, Baileys relatives also collected sizable federal government payments tied to most of that same property. They entered a contract to receive $3.74 million through a 2005 federal wetlands easement that required them to preserve the land as a natural habitat, according to local, state and federal records. The two multimillion-dollar transactions provide the public with the latest example of the intersection between state Sen. Baileys family and funding from governments that Bailey often decries as being too big and undisciplined with spending. Bailey, a downstate farmer and lawmaker, and his relatives also have collected millions of dollars in COVID-related assistance and federal farming subsidies over the years for their farms and other businesses. The Bailey family incomes are dwarfed by the billions of dollars amassed by entrepreneur and Hyatt Hotel heir Pritzker, a portion of which the Tribune previously found was held in several secret offshore shell companies. But the revelations about the June 2021 state land deal and the federal easement funds provide a broader picture of the extended Bailey family finances. Bailey last week released a portion of his federal income tax returns for the past five years. While the returns detail his income for those years, it does not account for the thousands of acres of downstate farmland that his business, Bailey Family Farm LLC, owns and farms or other assets. Pritzker has offered a similar glimpse of his massive financial wealth by releasing just the same initial pages of his personal income tax returns. A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the agency found no records to indicate the lawmaker contacted administration officials about his relatives land deal. Although the sale of the land to the state didnt benefit Darren Bailey directly, the purchase took place while he was minority spokesperson for the state Senates Agriculture Committee. Previously, as a state representative, Bailey served on House panels that dealt with farming, environmental and conservation issues. Bailey declined to be interviewed for this story. In response to several questions from the Tribune about the state purchase of land owned by family members, a campaign spokesman said in an emailed statement that the senator had nothing to do with the state purchase in any capacity. The statement also indicated the purchase didnt conflict with Baileys stances as a candidate for governor. It noted Baileys plan to implement zero-based budgeting for state government is just the requirement for the state agencies to justify their spending each year rather than getting automatic increases, and that such a policy would not have an impact on the federal funds in a grant program such as the one the state used to buy the land. Advertisement Darren has made his spending priorities clear, the statement said. The GOP candidate for governor did not answer other written questions, including how he balances his philosophy that government spends too much with the state buying his familys land. Still, the oddness of a sitting governors administration engaging in such a major deal with his campaign rivals family is viewed as an unusual political juxtaposition, even among veteran state officials. This is a new one on me, said Brent Manning, who was DNR director under Republican Govs. Jim Edgar and George Ryan. Ive never heard of this before. In addition to the transaction involving Baileys father, mother and sister, it also involved his uncle, Don Bailey, a broker who says he served as a mediator on the deal. In an interview with the Tribune, Don Bailey also said his nephew absolutely was not involved in any part of the transaction, nor was he involved in any discussions with DNR officials. He was scared to death to get close because of his state and political positions, Don Bailey said. Advertisement DNRs land purchases generally come down to agency priorities and what land is available, but like many issues in government the final decisions about how to spend public dollars often spark criticism and raise questions about regional needs. A Don Bailey flyer marketed the land as a sportsman paradise loaded with ducks, turkey, deer and other wildlife. And in a statement to the Tribune, the Illinois DNR said the property is a beautiful piece of ground thats benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of restoration under the federal wetlands easement program, making it essentially a turnkey site. But Jennifer Walling, executive director of the private Illinois Environmental Council, toured the site from several angles just before Labor Day and said it is clearly not ready for the public. She said she could not drive down one of the dirt roads leading to a main part of the site because there was a roughly foot-deep, water-filled pothole the length of several cars blocking her way. A sign stating the land was private property with a federal conservation easement was on the same post as another sign stating it represented a DNR boundary. Walling said she would prefer to see the state develop a broader strategy to address and promote recreation, outdoor tourism and climate adaptation. Im definitely disappointed that theyre prioritizing something like this when places like Chicago and surrounding suburbs have a really huge lack of natural areas, said Walling, a veteran environmentalist who was unaware of the land purchase before the Tribune spoke with her. There are zero state parks and natural areas that you can reach by public transit or by Amtrak successfully. Don Bailey had a different take about the public money spent on the site: I get aggravated about some of the monies down here sometimes, but then I tell myself, Well, theyre going to spend it. If it wasnt spent here, it would be spent in Chicago. Advertisement DNRs plans call for opening the site as the Fox Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area in the fall of 2023, well past the Nov. 8 Pritzker-Bailey general election. Long courtship The story of how the Bailey trio cut deals worth more than $8 million with the federal and state governments dates back to 1998, when a good portion of the land was acquired by some of Sen. Baileys relatives from the Centralia Foundation, a group supporting that communitys activities and student scholarships, local records showed. How much the Bailey family paid for the property that stretches across the northeast corner of Wayne County and the southwest corner of Richland County remains somewhat in dispute. Messages were left for the relatives of Darren Bailey but only Don Bailey responded. Richland County records show a land transaction that cost the Baileys $533,600, and Wayne County tax stamps indicate a roughly $387,000 land sale, though it is unclear if there is any overlap in the total dollar amounts listed with the two counties. Centralia Foundation Chair William Sprehe, following a brief review of the nonprofits records, said the tally of the two figures together roughly $920,000 was damn close to the amount needed to help fund a teen recreation center in Centralia in the late 1990s, a move that followed the wishes of anonymous donors who gave the foundation a gift of land. Don Bailey estimated the price likely would have been closer to $2.4 million and recalled family members dealing with a private landholder rather than the foundation. But he acknowledged a purchase could have been quite possible through the Centralia Foundation after the original owner donated the land to the group. Advertisement Either way, Sprehe said the recreational center could not have been built without the money it received from the Baileys and, while the Baileys did well in getting government funds, he doesnt regret the foundations sale. Officials said they became aware of the property as far back as 2000, when state conservation representatives were contacted while Republican George Ryan was governor. By 2005, the Baileys entered into an agreement for a permanent federal easement to preserve the habitat in exchange for $3.74 million, a move that would keep the easement in place when the state or any future owner would purchase the ground, records showed. In 2007, DNR officials under Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich heard a pitch for a much bigger tract than what was eventually acquired, but state officials rejected the purchase due to funding constraints, records showed. A "no hunting, no trespassing" sign along North Blain Road marks the border of a wetland easement boundary once owned by the Bailey family. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) Under Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, DNR officials said, the agency renewed its interest and called the propertys listing agent, who by then was Don Bailey, to confirm the land was still available. They called up one day, Don Bailey said of DNR officials, and said, Were ready to write the contract, and I said, Well, OK. So we wrote the contract, and my brother accepted the terms. It took another year and a half to get the funding. Wayne Rosenthal, the DNR director under Rauner, said he did not think there was anything political surrounding the land sale, but that it was the No. 1 parcel the agencys team of reviewers sought for that southeast area of the state, part of DNRs mission to provide opportunities for people to get in the outdoors. Advertisement The Don Bailey flyer, pulled from DNRs files, priced the ground at $2,100 an acre, but an appraiser later pegged it at $2,000, state records showed. A DNR technical reviewer called the amount both credible and supportable, but a spokeswoman said the final price was slightly less. Federal officials, given the U.S. government would pick up a third of the costs, reviewed the deal and signed off, as did the Illinois attorney general. The state took out an option on the land in 2020 under the Pritzker administration, but the final purchase came four months after Sen. Bailey of Xenia declared he would join the race to defeat Pritzker. Advertisement To buy the property, the state used more than $3 million in federal funds and paid the rest with such proceeds as the sale of wildlife habit and migratory waterfowl stamps purchased by Illinois outdoorsmen, according to state officials. Political doubts The senators parents doubted the sale would go through, given that the governor is a Democrat, Don Bailey said, but he said DNR officials finally assured him they wanted the ground and had the money to buy it. Me and my brother both, the seller, thought theres no way in Gods green earth that this is going to happen, Don Bailey said. I mean, we were shocked totally when it went ahead and closed. Don Bailey said his nephew also had doubts the sale would go through. He said he occasionally mentioned developments to his nephew, the senator, even though he steered clear of the deal. Don Bailey described how Sen. Bailey may have been somewhat torn over the balance between his familys desires and his political life. He didnt want it to happen I mean, he wanted his dad to be able to do it, but the timing of it, he really didnt truly, he would have been happier if it did not happen, said Don Bailey, referring to his nephews life in politics. I mean, it was OK with him that it did. But he would have been just as happy if it had not happened. Advertisement A sign marks the border of a conservation easement boundary land in Madison Township in southern Illinois. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune) When state DNR officials finalized the purchase last year, the overwhelming majority of the states payments $4,041,066 went to the senators parents, Bill L. and Norma Jean Bailey, along with an additional $118,934 for Bill Bailey individually for a separate piece of property, according to state records. The final $160,000 went to their daughter, Ann Nicole Bailey-Hout, comptroller records showed. Illinois has a poor track record for setting aside wetlands, having lost 90% of the states original habitat and ranking low among states in preserving the settings that prevent flooding, reduce sedimentation in waterways and support wildlife. It is with that backdrop that DNR officials maintained the land was an acquisition priority for at least two decades. An annual report the state submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the fall of 2021 described shallow wetlands, emerging reforested areas and mature forest. The state explained in records to federal officials that the Bailey property purchase uniquely meets all the criteria of Illinois priorities in programs to bolster wetlands, wildlife, hunting and opportunities for viewing nature on public land in areas where opportunities currently do not exist. Advertisement Before the site opens, DNR said, the agency plans to construct parking lots on the land. All but one, roughly 60-acre tract falls under the federal easement, which remained intact when the state took over. The special wetland designation requires federal approval of an overall management plan before DNR said it can move forward. Bailey money The Bailey family is familiar with how to tap into federal programs, based on records kept by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose funders include the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation. The senators parents have received about $5.6 million in federal farm subsidies from 1995 to mid-2020, and his sister, Ann Nicole Bailey-Hout, received more than $2.1 million, according to EWGs data. Sen. Bailey and his wife, Cindy, collected more than $3.5 million in federal farm subsidies during the same period, EWG reported. Advertisement During the primary campaign, the Tribune reported that, on Feb. 26, 2021, Darren Bailey received one of his payments from the federal governments coronavirus business relief Paycheck Protection Program under the Small Business Administration $231,475 to support 11 jobs on his family farm. Less than a month later, he reported a personal loan of $150,000 to his campaign, listing Self-Employed (Bailey Family Farms) as his employer on state campaign finance disclosures. A database produced by investigative news agency ProPublica showed Bailey-related entities received hundreds of thousands of dollars more in federal aid, including PPP loans for a Christian school and coronavirus food assistance compensation for farmers that went to Bailey Family Farm. As was the case with most PPP loans, the loans were forgiven. Despite Sen. Baileys criticism of government handouts, free stuff and socialism, his campaign has defended Bailey Family Farm, saying it abided by the rules and took part in federal programs just like other businesses in Illinois. Advertisement I, to this day, am proud that I was involved with it, proud that it came through, said Don Bailey of the land sale. But Im still a little amazed that it did happen and it did revive my belief in mankind and in politicians that some things that are right do happen. rlong@chicagotribune.com Twitter @RayLong Authorities have apprehended the 69-year-old man accused of robbing a Monroe County Community Credit Union branch in Temperance. On Saturday, investigators with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office received a tip on the suspect's identity that led them to a home in Toledo, Ohio where - according to a press release issued by the sheriff's office - the suspect and the vehicle he allegedly used in the robbery were located. The man, whose identity is being withheld until he is formally charged and arraigned in 1st District Court in Monroe, was taken into custody without incident and lodged in the Lucas County Jail pending an extradition hearing. "The sheriff's office commends the collective investigative efforts of Deputies Brian Rachuba, Danny Greenwood, Douglas Moore, and Lance Shields, along with Detectives Bob Blair and Josh Motylinski," the sheriff's office said in a press release. "The sheriff's office also thanks the citizens who provided information on the identity of the suspect. The sheriff's office was assisted by the Lucas County Sheriff's Office." The original incident occurred at approximately 5:40 p.m. Friday night, at the credit union branch located at 7408 Lewis Ave. in Temperance. The suspect allegedly entered the branch, demanded and received an undisclosed amount of money, then fled in a dark-colored Chrysler with obstructed plates. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau at 734-240-7530. This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Credit union robbery suspect arrested in Toledo The White House-brokered agreement to avert a railroad strike has the potential to fall apart, threatening widespread economic disruption right before the midterm elections. Rail workers are set to vote on the tentative deal reached between unions and railroads Thursday morning. If any of the 12 rail unions fail to ratify a new contract, nearly 125,000 rail workers could be headed for a strike. The agreement would mandate two-person crews, cap health care costs and allow workers to take time off for medical appointments or other scheduled events without being penalized, all key concessions won by unions. The deal also provides 24 percent raises over five years, back pay and cash bonuses, similar terms to those offered by the White House-appointed presidential emergency board (PEB) last month. But nearly 36 hours after the agreement was announced, rail workers said they still didnt have concrete details on sick leave and voluntarily assigned days off. Thats raised some doubts about just how strong the new contract language is. Ron Kaminkow, an organizer at Railroad Workers United, which represents rank-and-file railroaders, said that theres a lot of anger, confusion and hostility toward the new agreement, which many workers feel is intentionally vague. Workers are pissed off and this time we actually have a lot of leverage, said a locomotive engineer at Norfolk Southern who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. I know Im not going to accept anything less than what we deserve. The two largest rail unions warned during negotiations that their members wouldnt approve a contract that doesnt quell outrage over unpredictable scheduling, unsafe working conditions and a lack of sick leave. For the strike threat to end, workers would need to feel that the proposed contract is far stronger than the deal offered by the PEB. A survey of rail workers at the SMART Transportation Division found that nearly 8 in 10 would have voted to reject that contract. Story continues Another dilemma is that the tentative agreement reached Thursday only applies to SMART and the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the two largest rail unions, but not the other unions that agreed to contracts based on the less worker-friendly PEB guidance. Those include nearly 5,000 rail workers at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who voted to reject the PEB contract and authorize a strike last week. The union said it would resume negotiations this week and hold off on a strike until at least Sept. 29. Vote counting is certain to drag into October, potentially setting up a key deadline at the height of election season. Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois, predicted that the deal will ultimately pass but with a sizeable number of no votes. I would be surprised if the bargaining committee misread what the rank and file would support. That doesnt mean that it will pass with supermajorities, Bruno said. That will signal a level of continuing grievance on the part of the membership. It wouldnt surprise me if a fairly substantial number of members voted no in part because of how genuinely abused they feel. Bruno also said that the fact that sick leave and voluntarily assigned days off are the sticking points and not wages may inspire more no votes from workers. Usually, theres a way to kind of figure out money, he said. Its very often issues that go to respect and go to treatment, working autonomy, worker ability to have some control over their life. I think it reflects just how much power employers can have, even under a collective bargaining agreement. A strike would shut down the U.S. railroad system, which carries nearly one-third of the nations freight, shutting down large portions of the economy. Enormous amounts of food, fuel and other key commodities would have no way to reach their destination. The potential of further disruption to the nations fragile supply chain came at a terrible time for Democrats looking to hold onto their majority in Congress in the upcoming midterms. Theres a sense of dread among some rail workers that Congress, not workers, will ultimately decide on the next rail contract if they vote down the newest agreement. Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a GOP resolution that would have forced unions to accept the PEB terms, arguing that negotiators should be given more time. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that Democrats were ready with a resolution to block a railroad shutdown if negotiations collapsed. She didnt indicate whether the bill would impose a new contract, appoint arbitrators or simply prevent a walkout. Thankfully this action may not be necessary, Pelosi said in a statement. If the negotiations collapse, it could bode poorly for Biden, who often touts that he is the most pro-union president in U.S. history. Bidens call into negotiations at 9 p.m. on Thursday to say a shutdown of railways was unacceptable came just hours before the tentative deal was struck. Hes received credit from both sides of the talks. This is an important test for the Biden administrations commitmentsnot just to labor unions but to protecting middle-class jobs and workers, said Gordon Lafer, co-director of the Labor Education & Research Center at the University of Oregon. If the companys position is essentially that it wants to keep workers on impossible schedules that take a toll on their health, family life and emotional well-being, just in order to not lessen what are already healthy profits, I think thats exactly the kind of problem that Biden has promised to solve, he added. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. PureWow One of the most highly-anticipated films of 2022 was Blondea Netflix drama based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same name, which tells a fictionalized version of Marilyn Monroe's life and stars Ana de Armas (Knives Out) in the lead role. And although the film met a mixed reception (including from PureWow) upon its release, it still managed to sit strong at the number-one spot on Netflix's most-watched movies list from the day it premiered. That was, until a new movie just overtook it. Th In the spring of 1962, David Harris, a short-order cook from Little Rock, Ark., arrived in Hyannis, Mass., a small but tony vacation village located on Cape Cod, best known then and now as the location of the Kennedy familys summer compound. Harris, who was Black, traveled to Hyannis in search of work, with funding and encouragement from Little Rocks White Citizens Council, one of many local organizations comprised of middle-class white professionals who, while dedicated to the preservation of segregation, styled themselves as the respectable, moderate alternative to the Ku Klux Klan. Earlier that year, council members in New Orleans and Little Rock dreamed up a public relations stunt: They would offer Black Southerners bus fare and relocation costs to undertake Reverse Freedom Rides to Northern cities, where, they told their victims, good jobs and housing awaited them. The idea was to embarrass and expose the hypocrisy of Northern liberals who cheered the real Freedom Rides, but whom, they suspected, would blanch at receiving thousands of Black transplants in their own communities. Harris was just the first of roughly 100 Black Southerners whom the councils shipped to Hyannis. In this particular case, the Citizens Council had a specific target in mind: Edward M. Kennedy, the presidents younger brother, who was campaigning for a seat in the United States Senate. President Kennedys brother assured you a grand reception to Massachusetts, the councils leadership assured them. Good jobs, housing, etc. are promised. Kennedy, a summer resident of Hyannis, called the segregationists bluff: He organized a reception for Harris, comprised of local residents who extended a warm welcome. The story of the Reverse Freedom Rides assumed new meaning this week when persons seemingly associated with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised a group of Venezuelan asylum seekers that good jobs and housing, as well as expedited work permits, awaited them in Boston. The migrants were transported instead, without their knowledge, to Marthas Vineyard, in an attempt to surprise and expose the hypocrisy of liberals who oppose the Republican Partys hard-line immigration stance. Story continues The ploy didnt work out exactly as planned. Residents of the small island warmly embraced the asylum seekers, much as the citizens of Hyannis welcomed David Harris some 60 years earlier. The two stories share some similar characteristics. In both cases, elected officials attempted to to pin their critics in a corner. In neither case did the ploy immediately succeed, though todays story has yet to play out. In mid-1961, the Congress of Racial Equality organized a series of Freedom Rides in which interracial groups rode Greyhound buses through Southern states in an effort to test the efficacy of the Supreme Courts ban on segregated facilities serving interstate travel. The Freedom Riders famously encountered frequent and brutal backlash from local residents and law enforcement officials, who deployed terrorism and illegal arrests and imprisonment. The Freedom Rides, still in force a year later, proved a costly embarrassment to Southern elected officials and business leaders, who saw the regions violent lawlessness splashed across papers around the world. The Freedom Rides came at a moment when Southern violence, generally, threatened to become a drag on the regions economic prospects and posed a political conundrum for the administration in Washington, which competed with the Soviet Union for the loyalty of former colonial subjects in Asia and Africa, most of them non-white. When an angry mob held a group of Black worshipers hostage inside the First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., the columnist Murray Kempton captured popular opinion in the North and beyond when he caustically remarked, These are proud, brave and faithful people and some of them even found time to worry about the wives of pillars of the White Citizens Councils who were in danger of having to cook their own breakfasts in the morning. The white South had a PR problem. Enter George Singlemann, a member of the Greater New Orleans Citizens Council and aide to Leander Perez, the citys leading segregationist a man so extreme in his anti-Black and antisemitic prejudices that the local Catholic bishop excommunicated him. Singlemanns idea was simple: White liberals in the North, he maintained, were hypocrites, and their hypocrisy should be exposed. Safe in their white urban and suburban enclaves, they could look down their noses at Southern segregationists because they didnt have to live, work and go to school with African Americans. By busing thousands of Black Southerners to Northern communities, the Citizens Council could bring the civil rights movement home to the North. Northern whites, he surmised, were no more interested in sharing their towns and suburbs with Black people than were Southern whites. It was with this sentiment in mind that the Mississippi House of Representatives passed a nonbinding resolution that proposed to redistribute dissatisfied Negro population to other areas where the political leadership constantly clamors for equal rights for all persons without regard to the constitution, judicial precedent and rights of the states. Throughout the South, Citizens Councils as far and wide as Macon, Ga., and Selma, Ala., Shreveport, La., and Jackson, Miss., lied with impunity, assuring Black residents that jobs and housing awaited them in their new home states. This was never the case, particularly on Cape Cod, where the off-season unemployment rate normally hovered near 20 percent. One man whom the Citizens Council had explicitly promised a job and home on the Cape told reporters that he felt hoodwinked. Id like to get my hands on those two men who shot me full of baloney about coming up here, he fumed. In the end analysis, the plan proved too clever by half. White political and business leaders never fully committed to funding it and were divided on the question of its efficacy. In a decade when approximately 400 Black Southerners migrated daily to the North, voluntarily and on their own steam, in search of a more hospitable political and economic environment, the Reverse Freedom Rides ultimately resettled about 200 people over the course of one year. Some white mayors in the North complained that their communities already suffered high unemployment and a housing crunch, perhaps proving Singlemanns point. But for the most part, Northerners pointed to the Reverse Freedom Rides as yet another example of the Souths deplorability. It was a cheap trafficking in human misery on the part of Southern racists, the New York Times editorialized. The governor of Ohio likened it to Hitler and his Nazis forcing Jews out of Germany. Northern senators denounced the White Citizens Councils as cruel and callous, and demonstrating a shameful lack of judgement. When asked to weigh in, President John F. Kennedy, normally restrained in his condemnation of the white South, responded that its a rather cheap exercise. Even many white Southern civic leaders joined the chorus of criticism. The Richmond Times-Dispatch rued that we shall be open to the imputation that we are not concerned with human problems, but rather with propaganda. In Little Rock, the Arkansas Gazette argued that the scheme had never been condoned by the better thinking people here and argued that these people Black community members are our responsibility, unless they choose to leave on their own initiative. In New Orleans, a popular radio program denounced the campaign as sick sensationalism bordering on moronic. Short-lived and ultimately a failure, the Reverse Freedom Rides did little to boost the Souths reputation and, at least on the margins, probably caused it more harm. The irony, of course, was that the White Citizens Council didnt really need to pull a cheap stunt. The North already had a large Black population, one that had been growing in leaps and bounds since the start of World War II. To be sure, in the North, Black people could vote and build political power. But a complex thicket of discrimination in housing, jobs, credit, banking and policing and in the provision of public services such as education and infrastructure rendered Black people second-class citizens in most Northern localities. By the mid-1960s, urban unrest and contests over school and housing desegregation would lay bare these inequalities. Singlemann wasnt wrong, per se, when he observed a certain comfortable hypocrisy on the part of Northern liberals. He was just moronic in the way he went about trying to expose it. As was the case 60 years ago, last week, politicians used a group of vulnerable people to change the subject to shift the political debate to more comfortable ground. Are many people who reside far from the border hypocrites on the question of immigration? Probably, in some ways. Large numbers of immigrants live in blue cities and states, many of them undocumented, and the citizens who live in these places benefit from cheap labor and services. Whether in Massachusetts or Florida, undocumented residents face profound challenges and disadvantages, even as they constitute a critical part of the regional economy. But thats not quite the point. Neither was it the point in 1962. The Reverse Freedom Rides were not a constructive attempt to address a broad political and social problem. They were, as President Kennedy said, a rather cheap exercise. SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2022, 07:33 On the night of 17-18 September, Russians opened fire on the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, using Grad multiple launch rocket systems (MLRSs) and heavy artillery, injuring three people. Source: Valentyn Reznichenko, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration Details: In particular, Nikopol itself was set on fire twice. Around midnight, almost 30 Russian shells flew there. Three people were injured: a 49-year-old woman and two men aged 26 and 82. The Russian attack hit a kindergarten, several shops, a hairdresser and the building of the local administration. A fire broke out in the local market, but firefighters have already extinguished the flames. Several dozen high-rise and private buildings, cars, several farm buildings, gas pipelines and power lines were damaged in the city. There were no casualties in the Marhanets hromada. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin accused the Republican governors of Florida, Texas and Arizona of using undocumented migrants as political pawns before he again called the action of transporting migrants to Chicago and other major cities "inhumane." Durbin, a Democrat, acknowledged to reporters that the U.S. has a "serious national problem" when it comes to immigration, according to a video tweeted by The Hill on Sunday morning, but said that the governors who sponsor actions such as busing migrants to other cities does not reflect well on them. "There is no question that the governors of Arizona, Florida and Texas are using migrants as pawns in their political campaigns," Durbin said, without mentioning the governors by name. "Theres just no doubt about it." "The fact that they would turn them lose in the city of Chicago, for example, without any warning whatsoever," Durbin said. "Families with small children were literally dumped at the train station in Chicago by the governor of Texas." FACING HISTORIC BIDEN-ERA BORDER CRISIS, GOP GOVERNORS GO ON THE OFFENSIVE Without mentioning Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey by name, Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused the governors of using migrants as political pawns. Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File Durbin already blasted Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday for sending buses of undocumented migrants to Chicago and other major American cities, calling the act "cruel and inhumane." Three buses carrying migrants are reported to have arrived in Chicago in recent weeks. Abbott and Republican Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona, which, like Texas, shares a border with Mexico, has sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., in recent months. Meanwhile, Fox News Digital exclusively reported on Wednesday that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two planes carrying 50 illegal immigrants to Marthas Vineyard. Republican governors have continued to blame the Biden administrations border policies for creating an influx of migrants crossing into the country at the southern border. The two buses of migrants from Texas that arrived early Thursday outside Vice President Kamala Harris residence at the United States Naval Observatory carried more than 100 migrants from Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. Story continues A bus from Texas carrying migrants arrived in New York City earlier this month. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images "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," Abbott said. Fox News Greg Norman and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday expressed worry that a bill codifying same-sex marriage protections would not pass if the GOP flips the Senate in November. I am worried about that, Durbin told moderator Chuck Todd on NBCs Meet the Press when asked about the bills prognosis under Republican control. The House in July passed a bill that would require states to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other states. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and other Democrats have since attempted to find 10 Republican votes needed for the bill to overcome a legislative filibuster in the Senate. Baldwin announced last week that negotiators would punt the bill until after the November midterms, when Republicans hope to break Democratss razor-thin majority and flip the chamber. The winners of those contests will take office in January. My North Star on this issue is Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Durbin said on NBC. She has led the bipartisan effort, and she believes this is the right way to deal with it. I defer to her. The bill so far has garnered support from a few Republican senators, like Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Rob Portman (Ohio). Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) had suggested the bill would be much more likely to receive greater Republican support if a vote is held after Election Day. Negotiators also worked to amend the bill to gain additional GOP support, including changes clarifying religious liberty protections. Democrats have looked to pass the bill after the Supreme Court in June struck down Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion in the case urging the court to review decisions based on the concept of substantive due process, a legal framework based on the 14th Amendment that led to decisions like Obergefell v. Hodges, which protected same-sex marriages nationwide. This is a serious issue, just like the Dobbs decision, Durbin told Todd. Clarence Thomas made it clear that hes going to move toward overthrow the Supreme Court case related to gay rights in this country. We better take him seriously. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A bomb threat temporarily evacuated Emory Universitys campus in Oxford on Sunday, according to Emory police. The university tweeted at 11:29 a.m. that everyone in Jolley Residential Center buildings was evacuated as a precautionary measure. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] UPDATE: All clear issued at Oxford. No device was found. Students can return to the Jolley Residential Center buildings. Emory University (@EmoryUniversity) September 18, 2022 The evacuation only lasted about 40 minutes before university police announced there was no bomb device found. TRENDING STORIES: Emory University evacuated the Jolley Residential Center (JRC) on the Oxford College campus at 10:05 a.m., Sunday after learning of a bomb threat. Emory Police and other law enforcement officials conducted a thorough search and determined there was no threat to the community. Emory issued an all clear at 12:04 p.m., and students were allowed to return to the residence halls, the university said in a statement to Channel 2. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] EnerSys (NYSE:ENS), is not the largest company out there, but it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the NYSE over the last few months, increasing to US$72.03 at one point, and dropping to the lows of US$57.26. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether EnerSys' current trading price of US$62.30 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at EnerSyss outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. See our latest analysis for EnerSys What's The Opportunity In EnerSys? The share price seems sensible at the moment according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 19.34x is currently trading slightly below its industry peers ratio of 20.06x, which means if you buy EnerSys today, youd be paying a decent price for it. And if you believe EnerSys should be trading in this range, then there isnt much room for the share price to grow beyond the levels of other industry peers over the long-term. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that EnerSyss share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility. What kind of growth will EnerSys generate? Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by 45% over the next year, the near-term future seems bright for EnerSys. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Story continues What This Means For You Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in ENSs positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at ENS? Will you have enough confidence to invest in the company should the price drop below the industry PE ratio? Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on ENS, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the optimistic forecast is encouraging for ENS, which means its worth further examining other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop. With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of EnerSys. If you are no longer interested in EnerSys, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Mel Washburn, 77, and his wife, Pam, 75, are seen inside their Lincoln Park apartment on Sept. 7, 2022. Now both retired, Washburn and his wife want to expand their social network and continue living independently in their own home. Technology has been key in accomplishing those goals. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) Mel Washburn is a former firefighter, professor and litigation attorney. Whether fighting fires in a building, a classroom, or the courtroom, he realized once he retired that 90% of his social life had revolved around work. Washburn, 77, knew he needed to find a way to build a social network in retirement. Washburn also knew that he and his wife, Pam, 75, wanted to continue living independently in their own home. Advertisement He quickly learned that technology could play a vital role in accomplishing both goals. Early members of The Village Chicago, a membership-based organization whose purpose is to connect and improve the quality of life of Chicagoans over 50, the Washburns now socialize through both in-person and Zoom events. And they rely on technology to maintain a safe environment at home. Advertisement The Washburns are part of a growing demographic. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050 more than 2 billion people will be 60 and older. The United States is also changing. According to Rodney Harrell, vice president of family, home and community for AARP, In 2034, we will have more folks over 50 than under 18 for the first time. Illinois, where 16.6% of folks are 65 and older, is no exception. A vast majority of folks want to stay in their home as they age, Harrell said. And technology, increasingly, is making that possible, from touchless faucets to voice-controlled lights. However, as Harrell points out, only 1% of homes have features that folks need to age in place. Felice Eckhouse, founder of Elderspaces, a Chicago business that helps clients design and modify homes so that they can age in place, attributes this gap to designs that havent adapted much since World War II. Its a ying yang thats out of whack. We need a space were not retrofitting before you can get to the gadgets, Eckhouse said. Pam Washburn looks on as her husband, Mel, uses his phone in their Lincoln Park apartment on Sept. 7, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) But Harrell sees potential for technology to bridge some of this gap. What we (at AARP) focus on are the changes that can be made in the home regardless of medical conditions. Technology cant do everything but plays an amazing role, he said. Even in the home, Eckhouse said, The smartphone is the driver behind a lot of digital resources, from hearing aids to security systems, lighting systems, door entry, to appliances in the kitchen. Smartphones also offer basic help with everyday tasks and communication. I still use technology in all the normal ways. If I need to look up something, I look it up online, Mel Washburn said. I would have a severe case of boredom without my phone: news, books, calling people. Advertisement His wife, Pam, who lives with multiple sclerosis, relies heavily on her smartphone as a daily communication tool. Getting started Identifying tech solutions for folks who live in an ill-suited home may feel like a chicken-and-egg problem. This is because a lot of technology demands high-speed internet, which is not universal, notes Laurie Orlov, principal analyst for Aging and Health Technology Watch, an industry research firm. Once internet service is place, however, Orlov said a vast range of options, such as voice-based technologies, motion-detecting cameras and sensors can be used for predictive analytics to identify a potential problem and make the world as safe as possible. But not everyone is tech savvy. Mel Washburn remembers dictaphones and secretary pools, but he also experienced evolving technology over 28 years as a partner in a large law firm. Not everyone is as comfortable embracing new devices. Mel Washburn works on his computer at home on Sept. 7, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) Orlov disputes the common misconception that baby boomers are more at ease with technology than their previous generation. Although they develop some comfort, baby boomers want to keep what they have, while the tech industry forces change. Phones are a prime example. Advertisement Most people arent updating their phones as fast as the updates are coming, Orlov said. Eventually, this leads to disabled, older devices, like phones that worked on 3G networks but no longer run on 5G. As a result, Baby boomers will be just as frustrated (as the generation before), she said. No one-size-fits-all solution Still, whether its free tablets through an Illinois Department of Aging program or using Zoom for The Village Chicagos movie club, technology can support seniors aging in place in a number of different ways. Tech can be a potential great enhancer of the features in homes and address some of the gaps, Harrell said. Tech doesnt end with touchless faucets, activity monitors and voice-controlled lights to address low-vision issues and prevent falls. Theres a burgeoning tech in sensors that understand behaviors, such as when someone has gotten out of bed, Harrell said. Even Alexa can be used for more than turning on lights, notes Jim Rosenthal, CEO of Caring.com, a free information resource for seniors and their families. It can be taken much farther to cameras, microphones and the ability to see everything thats going on to know that a parent is fine. Mel Washburn looks over his schedule on his computer at home on Sept. 7, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune) Technology doesnt have to be complicated, either. Patricia Greenberg, owner of The Fitness Gourmet and author of the book Eat Well, Live Well, Age Well, said she loves apps like Noom and MyFitnessPal that help seniors track their personal nutrition and exercise routines. These are simply another way technology can help seniors maintain healthy, independent lives. Finding answers Sorting through all of the apps and technologies available can be dizzying, but organizations like Village Chicago can help. And resources like AARP, Caring.com and the Illinois Assistive Technology Program, which provides free information and help with technology, offer critical information. For Illinois residents, the Illinois Department of Aging offers a senior help line (1-800-252-8966). Advertisement Amy Lulich, senior policy adviser at the Illinois Department of Aging, says, This help line is not only where someone can get an assessment of what they might need to continue living in their home, but also learn what assistance they may be eligible to receive. This might include Illinois Care Connections, which provides free iPads, tablets and Wi-Fi hot spots for qualifying individuals, through the Illinois Assistive Technology Program. The IATP also runs other programs and demonstrations of assisted technology. Because public programs like the assistive technology program may be restricted in who they can serve, the Illinois Senior Help Line is a useful starting point. What works for one person may not work for another. In some cases, technology isnt always the best solution, said Rosenthal, of Caring.com. The problem we face now, according to Willie Gunther, IATPs executive director, is that seniors need to be educated on whats possible and as soon as possible before it becomes an emergency. Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. Eritrean authorities have called on their armed forces to mobilise in response to the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, the British and Canadian governments said. The return to combat last month shattered a March truce and dashed hopes of peacefully resolving the nearly two-year war between Ethiopian authorities and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Tigrayan authorities have since expressed readiness to hold talks led by the African Union, but the Ethiopian government has not responded publicly to the overtures, other than saying it remains "committed" to the AU-led peace process. Both sides have accused the other of firing first, and fighting has spread from around southern Tigray to other fronts farther north and west, while also drawing in Eritrean troops who backed Ethiopian forces during the early phase of the war. In travel advisories published late Friday, the Canadian and British governments warned their nationals in Eritrea to limit their movements following the mobilisation call. "Local authorities have issued a general call for mobilization of armed forces in response to the conflict in northern Ethiopia," the Canadian government said. "Additional security measures could be imposed on short notice across the country," it said. The British advisory said the Eritrean announcement was made on Wednesday. "You should be extra vigilant at this time," the advisory said. Eritrea, which is one of the world's most closed states, has not commented on the reports. Since the latest clashes broke out, Tigray has been bombed several times, with an official at Ayder Referral Hospital, the region's biggest, saying that 16 people had died in air strikes. AFP was not able to independently verify the claims. Access to northern Ethiopia is severely restricted and Tigray has been under a communications blackout for more than a year. The TPLF ruled Ethiopia for decades before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018. Story continues Abiy's government has declared the TPLF a terrorist group, and considers its claim to authority in Tigray illegitimate. Abiy -- a Nobel Peace Prize laureate -- sent troops into Tigray in November 2020 to topple the TPLF, in response to what he said were attacks on federal army camps. But the TPLF recaptured most of Tigray in a surprise comeback in June 2021. It then expanded into the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara before the fighting reached a stalemate. str-amu/rox BRUSSELS (AP) The European Unions executive branch recommended Sunday that the bloc suspend around 7.5 billion euros (dollars) in funding to Hungary over concerns about democratic backsliding and the possible mismanagement of EU money. The European Commission, which proposes the bloc's laws and ensures that they are respected, said it was acting to ensure the protection of the EU budget and the financial interests of the EU against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary. EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that despite measures Hungary has proposed to address the deficiencies, the commission is recommending the suspension of funds amounting to an estimated amount of 7.5 billion euros. The money would come from cohesion funds granted to Hungary. This envelope of money, one of the biggest slices of the bloc's budget, helps countries to bring their economies and infrastructure up to EU standards. EU countries pay around 1% of their gross national income into the budget. Hungary is slated to receive at least 50 billion euros in all from the 2021-27 budget, according to commission estimates. Any action to suspend the funds must be approved by the EU member countries, and this requires a qualified majority, which amounts to 55% of the 27 members representing at least 65% of the total EU population. They have one month to decide whether to freeze Hungary's funds, but can in exceptional circumstances extend that period to two months. The commission is recommending that the member countries take until Nov. 19 to allow Hungary more time to address the concerns. The commission has for nearly a decade accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of dismantling democratic institutions, taking control of the media and infringing on minority rights. Orban, who has been in office since 2010, denies the accusations. Speaking after a meeting of EU commissioners in Brussels, which unanimously endorsed the move, Hahn welcomed Hungarys offer to fix the problem, saying that its proposed remedial action goes in the right direction. Story continues He said the measures could address some of the commissions concerns if they are followed up, and properly acted upon. But he said that a risk for the budget at this stage remains, therefore we cannot conclude that the EU budget is sufficiently protected. The commissions fears focus on public procurement purchases by the state of goods and services or for the execution of projects using EU funds. Critics say the awarding of such contracts have allowed Orbans government to channel large sums of EU money into the businesses of politically connected insiders. A senior EU official pointed to systematic and systemic irregularities, deficiencies and weaknesses in public procurement related to very high rates of single bidding. Officials estimate that around half of Hungarys public tenders are granted after single bidder processes. The commission also has serious concerns regarding the detection, prevention and correction of conflicts of interest, as well as about a number of public interest trusts which manage significant funds, and notably in the area of education. Hungarian media has reported that Orban's nationalist government is set to announce new legislation as soon as Monday. EU lawmakers expressed concern last week that this may just be a ploy to gain time. In a resolution on Thursday, the lawmakers said that Hungarys nationalist government is deliberately trying to undermine the blocs democratic values. They said that the government in Budapest which Orban characterizes as an illiberal democracy has become a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy. In part, they blame EU member countries for this, for turning a blind eye to possible abuses. The French Greens parliamentarian who chaperoned the resolution through the assembly, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, said that for the first time, an EU institution is stating the sad truth, that Hungary is no longer a democracy. The case, launched by the commission against Hungary in April, is a fresh step in the use of a new mechanism allowing the EU to take action to protect its budget. It does not target member countries for general breaches of EU law. The mechanism is seen as the EUs most potent weapon to prevent a worsening anti-democratic drift in some countries. Commission officials have said that Hungary has consistently failed to implement EU recommendations for more than 10 years. TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Samson Evans had never run for 100 yards in a game at Eastern Michigan. He went way beyond that Saturday night. Two years ago, if you had told me Id have a game like this I dont know if I would have believed you, Evans said after carrying 35 times for 257 yards to lift the Eagles past Arizona State 30-21. The O-line blocked phenomenally, there was a play where the receivers were blocking really well, the quarterback, everybody doing their job and I just capitalized on it. Evans had 96 yards by halftime as the Eagles (2-1) never trailed in posting the Mid-American Conference's first victory over a Pac-12 team. Samsons the real deal, he runs really hard. We really believe in him, Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said. We didnt run the ball particularly well in the first couple weeks and I think our guys wanted to prove that we can. Eastern Michigan scored on four of its five first-half possessions, with only an interception stopping the Eastern offense. Arizona State (1-2), meanwhile, didnt get a first down until late in the first quarter, when they were already behind 10-0. Xazavian Valladays 44-yard touchdown run with 10:48 to play cut Eastern Michigans lead to 27-21 early in the fourth quarter. But Evans ran 32 yards on third-and-1 to give the Eagles a first down at the ASU 34. Evans carried on seven consecutive plays on the drive, which led to Jesus Gomezs third field goal, a 20-yarder to make it 30-21 with 4:24 to go. A fumble on ASU's next drive finished it off. Taylor Powell started at quarterback for the Eagles and completed 10 of 14 before being replaced by Austin Smith in the second quarter. The Eagles scored on their opening drive on Gomezs 27-yard field goal. Jaylon Jacksons 4-yard touchdown run capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils went three-and-out in their first two series. The Sun Devils defense stepped in to help. Kejuan Markham intercepted Powells pass at midfield and returned it to the Eagles 22. Story continues A personal foul on the first play gave ASU its initial first down of the game at the EMU 7 as time ran down in the first quarter. The Sun Devils scored on the first play of the second period when Emory Jones connected with Andre Johnson for a 3-yard touchdown. But the Eagles went on another long drive, capped by Smiths 6-yard TD pass to Hassan Beydoun. ASU responded with its best drive of the half, going 75 yards in 11 play and Jones, finding no one open, scrambled 3 yards for the score to make it 17-14. Smith stayed in at QB, completing a third-down pass for 42 yards to Tanner Knue. That set up Evans' 3-yard TD run. The Eagles ran for 154 yards and threw for 153 before halftime and had 47 plays to Arizona States 23. They converted nine times in 10 third-down chances in the first half 10 of 15 for the game and did not punt until early in the fourth quarter. Sun Devils coach Herm Edwards was as usual direct after the game. It boiled down to one thing we couldnt stop them from running the football, Edwards said. They physically got after us, on both sides of the ball. We gotta find a way to fix it. POWERING UP Saturdays win is EMU's fourth over a Power 5 conference team under Creighton. The Eagles beat Rutgers in 2017, Purdue in 2018 and Illinois in 2019. THE TAKEAWAY Eastern Michigan: Smith, the backup QB, ran for 60 yards and threw for 60 in the first half, proving to be a solid alternative for Powell, who was bothered by a shoulder injury and didn't return after the second quarter. Creighton said he didn't expect to be out long. Arizona State: After a slow start, Valladay ran for 127 yards his third straight game over 100. He was held to 16 yards in the first half. UP NEXT Eastern Michigan: Hosts Buffalo in the Eagles MAC opener on Saturday. Arizona State: Opens Pac-12 play against Utah Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium. ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the APs college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2 Vieiras goal wrapped up an impressive win for the Gunners (AFP via Getty Images) Arsenal climbed back to the top of the Premier League and avenged last years humbling at Brentford with a clinical 3-0 victory. The Gunners were back at the scene of their dismal opening-day defeat last season which pre-empted their worst start to a campaign for 67 years. But they are a different animal this term and proved it with an organised, inventive display and three well-taken goals from William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira. Such was Arsenals dominance that Mikel Arteta could even afford to give 15-year-old midfielder Ethan Nwaneri a late run-out as a substitute, making him the Premier Leagues youngest player. Brentford have put four past Manchester United and five past Leeds at the Gtech Community Stadium in recent weeks, but they could not lay a glove on Arsenal with England new boy Ivan Toney an isolated presence in attack. Gabriel Martinelli had already passed up a good chance when the Gunners took the lead in the 18th minute, Salibas glancing header from Bukayo Sakas corner bouncing off the inside of the far post. Bees keeper David Raya tried to scoop it out but the ball was well over the line and referee David Cootes watch buzzed to indicate a goal. (Getty Images) Ten minutes later Jesus doubled the lead with another header, this time from a neat chip into the box from Granit Xhaka. Saka should have made it three moments later after a defensive mix-up but the England winger blazed his shot over. The second half began in a similar vein and when Saka laid the ball off to Vieira 25 yards out, the Portugal midfielder - on his first Premier League start since his 34million switch from Porto - took aim and curled a superb finish in off the post. (Getty Images) Toneys only real chance came with a free-kick, from around the range in which he fired home the second goal of his hat-trick against Leeds. This time the 26-year-old flicked the ball up before taking aim and sent his shot narrowly over the crossbar. Having set two goals up, Saka fancied one himself but he was denied from the edge of the box by a flying save from Raya. Toney had tweeted nice kickabout with the boys in the aftermath of last seasons win, a message which infuriated Arteta. The Arsenal fans were quick to remind the striker, ending the match with a rendition of Ivan Toney, a stroll in the park while celebrating heading into the international break on top of the league. A large fire broke out in a cluster of palm trees next to the famed Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as concertgoers left a Sound of Music sing-along. Social media video showed firefighters rushing to extinguish the blaze near the venue, and Los Angeles Fire Department asked California Highway Patrol to shut down one lane of traffic. LAFD wrote on Twitter that no one was injured by the fire and that the fire only involved vegetation. That somewhat stubborn fire near the @HollywoodBowl, our 1,423rd emergency of the day, thankfully involves only vegetation, and has not risen to the level of issuing an @LAFD ALERT, LAFD tweeted. The cause of the fire was not revealed. Leaving the @HollywoodBowl after Sing Along Sound of Music and a small cluster of palm trees was on fire. It burned quickly and was barely embers by the time people reached their cars in stacked parking. While this was happening, the exiting crowd sang Do Re Mi in the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/xmO79yIVUV Tara Lynn Wagner (@TaraLynnWagner) September 18, 2022 Leaving the Hollywood Bowl after Sing Along Sound of Music and a small cluster of palm trees was on fire, wrote journalist Tara Lynn Wagner on Twitter, It burned quickly and was barely embers by the time people reached their cars in stacked parking. While this was happening, the exiting crowd sang Do Re Mi in the tunnel. fire outside the Hollywood Bowl right now as we are all leaving the Sound of Music sing along it came out of nowhere - it wasnt burning as we were walking out that literally just combusted pic.twitter.com/JWMxagRPys thesocialjusticeunicorn (@ScotyAppleseed) September 18, 2022 Another Twitter user added: Fire outside the Hollywood Bowl right now as we are all leaving the Sound of Music sing along it came out of nowhere it wasnt burning as we were walking out that literally just combusted. Taylor Rains/Insider Private charter company Volato has ordered four Gulfstream G280 business aircraft that cost $25 million each. The plane, which will charter for $6,550 per hour, will complement the operator's fleet of four-seater HondaJets. Volato's G280 will seat up to 10 passengers and feature single beds, a large lavatory, and a dining room. Private charter company Volato is betting big on Gulfstream. The Gulfstream G280. Abby Wallace/Insider. On Thursday, the Atlanta-based company announced a firm order for four Gulfstream G280 aircraft. The fractional price for the super mid-sized plane was $25 million. Outside the Gulfstream G280. Abby Wallace/Insider. Source: Volato Volato is a young company, having just launched revenue operations in August 2021 with four HondaJets, which can seat up to five people. Flying on Volato's $5 million HondaJet. Taylor Rains/Insider But, the company is quickly expanding its national presence to become a popular choice for deep-pocket travelers. Since 2021, the company has added seven more HondaJets and an operational base in California. Flying on Volato's $5 million HondaJet. Taylor Rains/Insider "We currently have more demand than inventory to support," Volato CEO Matt Liotta told Insider. A Volato HondaJet Elite. Thomas Pallini/Insider As it grows, Liotta said the company needed options for customers that could provide more capacity or range. A Volato HondaJet Elite engine. Thomas Pallini/Insider Currently, larger parties will convoy with two HondaJets carrying up to ten passengers in total. But, the G280 will fill that gap. G280. Taylor Rains/Insider "We weren't very happy with the offerings available for six or eight passengers, so we decided to push ourselves to go even bigger and found that 10 was the right size aircraft for us," Liotta told Insider. Inside a Gulfstream G280 on display in Switzerland. Abby Wallace/Insider. According to Liotta, one reason Volato chose the G280 is because it can seat ten people without couches, or divans as they are referred to in the industry. A divan onboard a VistaJet Bombardier Global 7500 jet. Thomas Pallini/Insider "As a passenger, I don't like the divans," he explained. "I think everybody wants real seats. I also find that when you're fitted sideways, your feet are in the aisle and it's just awkward as people walk by." Gulfstream jets can be equipped with divans, like this G650ER. Taylor Rains/Insider With the G280, Volato will still lack a middle option that could carry up to six or eight people. But, Liotta told Insider that Honda's planned plane, the HondaJet 2600, "would be a great fit" if it existed today. Story continues HondaJet 2600 Honda Aircraft Company Honda revealed its concept for the world's first light aircraft capable of nonstop transcontinental travel across the US meet HondaJet 2600 "We can't be all things to everybody," he said. "We want to pick the things we're going to do really exceptionally well and focus on that." A Volato HondaJet Elite. Thomas Pallini/Insider Volato's business model allows travelers to own a fraction of its planes or charter on-demand. Customers can buy a share of a plane from 1/8th ownership in the G280, or 1/16 in the HondaJet. They can also own up to 100%. Flying on Volato's $5 million HondaJet. Taylor Rains/Insider Those with fractional ownership of the HondaJet will pay $3,200 per hour, plus fuel, instead of the regular $4,000 on-demand rate. This provides tax benefits and revenue benefits when rented out to non-owners. Flying on Volato's $5 million HondaJet. Taylor Rains/Insider There is also no annual hourly commitment, which differs from companies like NetJets. A NetJets' Embraer Phenom 300E. Embraer Executive Jets The same model will be applied to the G280. Currently, there is no pricing for on-demand customers, according to Volato, but fractional owners can charter the jet for $6,550, plus fuel. Taylor Rains/Insider Moreover, G280 owners will get guaranteed flights on the HondaJet and pay a lesser hourly rate, Liotta told Insider. Taylor Rains/Insider I took a demo flight on the G280 to see what it would be like to fly as a Volato customer here's what is was like. Taylor Rains/Insider Powered by two Honeywell HTF7250G turbofan engines, the G280 is a mid-ranged aircraft that can fly up to 6,667 kilometers, or 4,143 miles, with an endurance of eight hours. Taylor Rains/Insider This means it can fly nonstop between any city pair in the US, and Volato will staff a flight attendant onboard every charter flight. Flight attendant jumpseat. Taylor Rains/Insider The HondaJet, by comparison, can fly up to three hours and would need to make a fuel stop on longer routes, according to Liotta. Flying on Volato's $5 million HondaJet. Taylor Rains/Insider The demo plane had 10 large leather loungers in two living spaces, including a meeting or conference area Taylor Rains/Insider and a dining area. Taylor Rains/Insider The seats can swivel, or be converted into a bed. In total, the plane can sleep up to five people, with three single beds and one double bed available. Taylor Rains/Insider Trying out the seats, I found them extremely spacious and liked that I could stretch my legs without touching the person in front of me's foot. Moreover, the cabin height is 6'1", so most passengers should be able to stand fully upright. Taylor Rains/Insider Between each set of seats is a retractable table, which is perfect for working or eating. Taylor Rains/Insider In the middle of the set of four chairs is a dining table for meals. The plane comes stocked with chinaware and drinks to prepare breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Taylor Rains/Insider Onboard, Volato will have snacks and drinks available, but customers will cater their food to be prepared en route. Taylor Rains/Insider The meals are prepped in the galley, which is located in the front of the plane. Taylor Rains/Insider Here, there is a sink According to Gulfstream, the G280 is the only aircraft in its class to offer a sink in the galley. Taylor Rains/Insider a convection oven Tay a coffee maker Taylor Rains/Insider glasses Taylor Rains/Insider a refrigerator Taylor Rains/Insider and plenty of storage. Taylor Rains/Insider In the back of the plane is a cargo area Taylor Rains/Insider and a spacious lavatory. The room had a toilet with a window above Taylor Rains/Insider a sink and counter space Taylor Rains/Insider a touchscreen pad to control the lights or call the flight attendant Taylor Rains/Insider and a cabinet full of toiletries. Taylor Rains/Insider The lavatory and galley are separated from the main cabin by sliding doors. Taylor Rains/Insider While the engines and design of the jet made takeoff extremely quiet, the cabin was even quieter with the doors closed. It was a peaceful ride and I had no issue conversing with others. Taylor Rains/Insider Other features of the jet were adjustable window shades Taylor Rains/Insider several power ports and outlets throughout the cabin and at every seat Taylor Rains/Insider ...TVs that display a view of outside the aircraft... Taylor Rains/Insider and a cabin control app available on smartphones. This allows travelers to adjust the lighting and temperature, among other things, using their phone. Taylor Rains/Insider The company also has iPhones equipped with the app stored at every seat that passengers can use instead. Gulfstream In the cockpit is PlaneView280 technology, which "is designed to augment situational awareness, reduce workload and boost pilot efficiency," according to Gulfstream. Taylor Rains/Insider Source: Gulfstream Volato's G280s will always have two pilots onboard. According to Liotta, his HondaJet pilots are the highest paid in the world. A Volato HondaJet Elite. Thomas Pallini/Insider Overall, I was impressed with Gulfstream's G280 product, and think it will offer a comfortable ride for Volato customers. Taylor Rains/Insider Read the original article on Business Insider Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Sunday that the Biden administration has been unfairly perceived as lax when it comes to the ongoing migrant border crisis. This administration, I believe, unfairly, is perceived as lax on border enforcement. In fact, we are sending back over 100,000 people a month and have been for the last two years, over 2 million people, Johnson told CBSs Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan. The lesson I learned managing this issue is youve got to repeat yourself maybe 25 times before anybody will listen to you, he added. Johnson, who served in the Obama administration, said despite the notion shared by Republicans that the Biden administration supports an open border policy and is unregulated, the U.S. in fact has been sending migrants back to the southern border via expulsion or deportation and that the issue has expanded regions since he served as secretary. We were dealing principally with the Northern Triangle countries Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. This problem has become hemispheric. In addition to those countries, you now have Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela who are not cooperating with us, Johnson told Brennan. Their countries are literally imploding and there is migration to the north and the south, Johnson added. Our Border Patrol capabilities, our resources are bigger than they were eight, seven years ago when I was in office. But they do struggle to keep up with this crisis. Johnsons remarks come as GOP Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas) and Ron DeSantis of Florida sent buses and planes filled with migrants to Marthas Vineyard and the residence of Vice President Harris last week. DeSantis and Abbott, along with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) have been sending migrants to northern, Democratic-run cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago throughout the summer in protest of Bidens efforts to end Title 42, a Trump-era policy that blocked migrants from seeking asylum. Johnson also said that he believed the GOP governors migrant initiative is a political stunt. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said the potential for a second Trump administration "frightens me." Berman said Trump would repeat "all of the dangerous and outrageous things he did as president" in a second term. The former US attorney added that it is unlikely that Trump will be indicted on any charges before the midterms. A former US Attorney said the thought of former President Donald Trump being re-elected "frightens me." Trump has teased a 2024 run but appears to be holding his announcement until after the midterms in November. Meanwhile, he continues to repeat disproven claims that the 2020 election was stolen. On NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman said Trump's potential second term would be "dangerous." "I shudder to think about it. The prospect of a second Trump administration frightens me," Berman said. "All of the dangerous and outrageous things he did as president will be repeated if there's a second administration, except this time, he's going to be more successful in doing that." Berman added: "And remember, when he was president, he always knew he had to stand for reelection. If there's a second administration, he'll be free of those concerns." Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 18, 2022 After his Mar-A-Lago property was raided for a slew of confidential documents, Trump said on Truth Social that the raid was "one of the most egregious assaults on democracy in the history of our Country," according to The New York Times. At a rally in Youngstown, Ohio this weekend, Trump decried the "unprecedented weaponization of the Justice Department and the FBI," NBC reported. Berman who volunteered for the Trump campaign in 2016, per NBC expressed frustration about Trump's criticisms of the Justice Department. "Trump is trying to portray himself somehow as the victim of a politicized Department of Justice," Berman said. "It was under Trump and under Barr that the politicization of the Department of Justice actually occurred. There's no evidence supporting that he was victimized." Story continues Berman added that it's unlikely that the raid will lead to any indictments of Trump before the midterms. "I don't think anything dramatic should be expected prior to the election," Berman said. Read the original article on Business Insider PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right Rassemblement National leader Marine Le Pen said on Sunday that her party will vote against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms and against the 2023 budget. "We will oppose Emmanuel Macron's pension reform plans that are unfair and will divide (the country)," Le Pen told a party meeting in Cap d'Agde in southern France. Macron wants to start implementing the reforms, which mainly consist of a progressive rise to 65 of the legal retirement age, next summer. France's far right scored a historic success in legislative elections in June, increasing its lawmakers to 89, from eight in the previous legislature, and cementing the party's rise from fringe to mainstream opposition. With the June election, the Rassemblement National has become the second biggest party in parliament, denying Macron's centrists the absolute majority that would have helped ease through his reforms. The 2023 budget is due to be debated in coming weeks. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) Brandon Mehring, of Orland Hills, stands with his mother, Jo Ann OToole, of New Lenox. The 28-year-old survived a devastating diagnosis as a teenager, and now is able to work with Christ hospital and other Advocate sites "because they saved my life when I was 17," he said. (Mehring family photo / HANDOUT) Jo Ann OToole remembers vividly the moment a doctor told her to take her 17-year-old son home and make him comfortable because there was nothing they could do for him. It was like the bottom of my life fell out, and as a mom, our job is to fix everything and there was frantic, exhausting panic, she recalled. I couldnt do it. It was a terrible feeling. I never felt so lost in my life. Advertisement Despite being told back then that he had only weeks left to live, Brandon Mehring, now 28, survived and recently celebrated his fifth anniversary of working for the hospital system that saved his life. The life-altering moment came after Mehring noticed red dots all over his hands and wrist while scanning something at his cashiers station at Menards in Oak Lawn. He had graduated from high school and was working there to fill time. Advertisement It was like someone poked me with a red pen, he said. I quickly realized they were all over my body. I felt no symptoms, just dots over all my body. They werent itchy so I thought I should check into them. My mom said they looked odd we should get them checked out. Once they saw a doctor, the situation turned serious in almost the blink of an eye, Mehring said, noting the physician eventually asked his parents to step into the hall. He didnt close the door. I remember hearing the conversation that wasnt meant for my ears, Mehring said. Unbelievably, he heard the doctor say, I recommend taking your son home and making him as comfortable as possible. Apparently, it had been determined there was nothing they could do for the teen. But his mom wasnt willing to give up on her son. I collected myself and said everything was going to be fine, OToole recalled. We had to believe in a higher power and we had to think everything would be OK and theres an answer to everything. Advertisement An ambulance took him to Advocate Childrens Hospital in Oak Lawn. He recalled how he was trying to prepare for his fate but was feeling nervous and upset. His father, Kip Mehring of Oak Lawn, said he was shaken by the situation. When I first heard what it was and how serious it was, your first thought is denial, not believing it can happen. OToole recalled the surreal experience of arriving at the hospital after calling her sons good friends to tell them the terrible news while driving behind the ambulance. When we arrived there were two nurses there. I never got their names, but there was an aura a glow around the two of them and I just felt like everything was going to be OK even though I was losing perspective over everything, she said. Advertisement At the hospital, Dr. Joseph Canner provided the answers the family needed to hear. For the first time I actually got some information on what was going on with me, Mehring said. According to this pediatric oncologist, I had a rare blood disorder titled ITP, which stands for immune thrombocytopenia. Treatment for the condition was receiving an intravenous infusion, which was not without risk. Within the first five minutes of the treatment, he could go into cardiac arrest, OToole said. He had two treatments. The outlook didnt improve right after the second treatment. Advertisement I took a walk down the hall and slid down with exhaustion. The same nurses from the first day literally sat down with me and asked me if I was OK, she said. She replied No, so the nurses asked if she wanted them to pray with her. We held hands and prayed, crying my eyes out. They helped me up and they said Go talk to your son. OToole is eternally grateful for what she called the angels at the hospital. They were priceless to me and Ill never forget them. I might not know their names, but I pray for their being, she said. Their staff was amazing. People like you would not imagine. ... It was that kindness that surrounded you like a hug. Somebody would always appear and rejuvenate you for a few moments. They made a very trying time in my life bearable with beautiful people. Every moment, every experience, every event that happened was etched in my soul. Advertisement Mehring said the positivity and kindness was crucial to his survival. The clinical component of health care is not the only one that matters. There needs to be focus on the clinical components and mental components I thought Christ did a great job keeping the physical and mental focus a priority. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Another critical factor in his recovery was support from his two best friends, Angelo Buscemi and Mike Lannoni. Eventually he overcame the condition and is now considered to be in remission, although it could someday come back. Advertisement I would say it gave me a new passion for life. And due to my feeling of being lucky, it developed a passion in me to want to pay it forward to make a difference in the life of patients and staff at Christ Hospital, he said. Mehring recently marked his fifth anniversary as an Advocate team member, working as a field operations adviser for the south Chicago region. Advocate Christ is one of the hospitals he works with, although he mainly supports all of the outpatient clinics in Oak Lawn and the south Chicago area ensuring that the patients in our area have access to critical health services that impact their lives for the better along with ensuring our organization maintains high levels of quality and safety. About two years ago he moved to Orland Hills from Oak Lawn, and about six months later he married his wife, Courtney. Their son just turned 1 earlier this month. Because of the efforts of the wonderful care Christ Hospital provided me, I was able to do that, he shared. Following Brandons remission, Kip Mehring knew his son would be OK. I never really worried about him. He was aggressive and determined to make a difference, he said. He loves his job and hes happy. He doesnt want to coast in a job. He wants to keep moving up in Advocate to progress, advance and make a difference. Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. A bloody scene Saturday in central Fresno ended with a Fresno County Sheriffs deputy shooting and killing a man who was carrying a brick or rock and allegedly using it as a weapon, according to the sheriffs office. It happened around 5:20 p.m. after deputies were dispatched to a home on the 2100 block of Mayfair Drive, just east of the intersection of First Street and McKinley Avenue. The unincorporated area known as the Mayfair District is a county island surrounded by the city. Lt. Arley Terrence said calls came in that a family disturbance had occurred and people were injured. It was later determined that two people were seriously injured, bleeding profusely and possibly stabbed with windows shattered and blood visible both inside and outside of the house, the apparent result of a large fight in front of the home involving as many as eight people. Deputies encountered the person they believed was responsible for injuring the two victims. Deputies shouted multiple commands for the man to drop a large rock or brick that was in his hand, Terrance said. When the suspect refused to comply, one of the deputies opened fire, killing the man, sheriffs spokesman Tony Botti announced. Deputies attempted to perform life-saving measures at the scene before the man was taken to Community Regional Medical Center via ambulance. The man, whose age and identity were not immediately released, died at the hospital. How many times the deputy shot the man was not immediately known as the sheriffs office continued its investigation. Terrence said family members at the scene were cooperating in the investigation. It was not immediately known what led up to the fight or why the two victims one was a man, the other a woman were targeted. No law enforcement personnel were hurt during the encounter, according to the sheriffs office. Theyre two relatively young and very high-profile governors of large states who have knack for grabbing national attention and firing up the bases of the respective political parties. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida are once again in the spotlight this weekend, sparking more speculation about their 2024 intentions. DeSantis, whose popularity has soared among conservatives in Florida and across the country the past two and a half years, courtesy of his forceful pushback against coronavirus pandemic restrictions and his aggressive actions as a culture wars warrior, sparked a new controversy earlier this week by flying Venezuelan migrants to the progressive bastion of Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts. While igniting outrage among Democrats, the calculated move spotlighted the combustible issue of illegal immigration and border security, which fires up the GOP base but also connects with independent voters who may be frustrated with the Biden administration efforts in handling the surge in border crossings into the U.S. over the past year and a half. GAVIN NEWSOM CHALLENGES RON DESANTIS TO A DEBATE File photos of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California (left) and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida (right) Getty Newsom, who asked the Justice Department to investigate both DeSantis and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas whos transported migrants to progressive cities such as New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C. accuses the conservative governors of using the migrants as "political pawns." On Friday, Newsom challenged DeSantis to a debate, which triggered a war of words on Twitter between the Newsom and DeSantis camps. Newsom has been as crafty in recent months as DeSantis in grabbing national attention, trolling both the Florida governor and Abbott with ads in their states. And this past week, Newsom captured the spotlight once again by putting up billboards in several red states where abortion is now restricted, highlighting that California is a haven for legalized abortion. The move further bolstered his push as a champion for reproductive rights, which is a top issue with many in his partys base in the wake of Junes move by the Supreme Courts conservative majority to up end the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling. Story continues DESANTIS FLIES MIGRANTS TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD While the 2024 presidential election may end up being a rematch of the 2020 contest between President Biden and former President Trump, if the two 70-somethings dont end up running, DeSantis, Newsom, and others in the next generation are using creative ways to raise their national profiles. "Traditionally, with the run-up to midterm elections, political eyes turn to the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire for signs of presidential candidate activity. And while those visits are happening, a new trend is emerging among those who are looking at potential runs that is nationalizing their potential candidacies," veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance noted. "Both Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis have taken to the national airwaves with their brands of politics on the issue of immigration. It's smart and, perhaps most importantly, it's free air-time that's designed to appeal to the bases of their parties. And, it's working," added Lesperance, who is vice president of academic affairs at the New Hampshire based New England College. "The nationalization of our presidential primary process has begun. Newsom and DeSantis are first in. Others will follow." As he runs for re-election in November, DeSantis is once again on the campaign on Sunday outside of Florida. DeSantis will be in Kansas and Wisconsin, headlining rallies for those states GOP gubernatorial nominees -Derek Schmidt and Tim Michels that were organized by the conservative group Turning Point Action. "Governor DeSantis is Americas Governor and one of the most popular leaders in the country. He has become the model for a new conservative movement that is willing to stand on principle and to actually fight on behalf of the values of his voters," Turning Point Action founder and president Charlie Kirk said in a statement. The swing follows a similar one last month, when DeSantis traveled to Arizona to campaign with gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and Senate nominee Blake Masters, to Pennsylvania to stump with gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, and to Ohio to team up with Senate nominee JD Vance. Lake, Masters, Mastriano, Vance, Schmidt and Michels all won their Republican nominations thanks in part to crucial endorsements by Trump. IF TRUMP ENDORSED NOMINEES LOSE IN NOVEMBER, DOES HE TAKE A 2024 HIT? The DeSantis trips are definitely being noticed by the former president. "Trump blew a gasket" when DeSantis teamed up with Lake, a source in the former presidents political orbit told Fox News. And the teaming up of DeSantis and Kirk whos a Trump ally and very close with Donald Trump Jr. is also "not going unnoticed," the source added. While in the Badger State on Sunday, DeSantis is also expected to meet with billionaire Wisconsin based businesswoman and GOP mega donor Diane Hendricks, according to a veteran GOP consultant who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely. "This is not about helping other candidates, its about helping Ron DeSantis," the consultant charged. "This is all Ron laying the groundwork" for 2024. DeSantis political team declined to confirm or deny the governors meeting with Hendricks. Trump was also on the trail this weekend, holding a large rally in Ohio on behalf of Vance. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returns this week to New Hampshire, the state that for a centurys held the first primary in the race for the White House. Pompeo on Tuesday will headline the latest edition of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics "Politics and Eggs." The speaking series at St. Anselm College, just west of Manchester, has been a must-stop for nearly a quarter-century for actual and potential White House hopefuls of both major parties. The West Point graduate and Army armor and calvary officer stationed in West Germany during the Cold War who was later elected to Congress from Kansas before serving as CIA director and Americas top diplomat in former President Trumps administration, has also made numerous stops the past year and a half in Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada, the other three early voting states in the Republican presidential nominating calendar. Pompeo, a Fox News contributor, has repeatedly said that hell make a decision on 2024 following the November midterm elections. But this past week, speaking to the Navy Seal Foundation Midwest Evening of Tribute in Chicago, Pompeo revealed more about his potential White House run. "Weve got a team in Iowa, a team in New Hampshire and South Carolina. And thats not random. We are doing the things one would do to get ready," Pompeo shared. And taking a friendly jab his former boss, Pompeo joked that "unlike others, if I go down an escalator, no one will notice." Pompeo was refering to Trumps famous ride down an escalator at Trump Tower in New York City in 2015 as he announced his White House run. Former Vice President Mike Pence returned to New Hampshire on Wednesday evening, to headline a fundraiser for former Army Gen. Don Bolduc, who hours earlier narrowly won the Republican Senate nomination in the key general battleground state. PENCE'S 2022 MISSION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE Bolduc will face former governor and first-term Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in November's midterm elections in a Senate race that may determine if the GOP wins back the chambers majority. "Now is the time for us to unite and come together as a party in New Hampshire, come together as a party all across this country and do what needs to be done. And Im here to tell you I know we will," Pence emphasized as he spoke following a just concluded 2022 primary season that experience plenty of turbulent Republican nomination battles. The trip by Pence, who appears to be moving towards launching a 2024 presidential campaign, was his second this summer and fifth over the past year and a half to New Hampshire. During his last visit to the Granite State, he headlined "Politics and Eggs." And two days after his August stop in New Hampshire, Pence made a busy two-day swing through Iowa, whose caucuses have led off the presidential nominating calendar for half a century. The former vice presidents itinerary included another must-stop for White House hopefuls: a visit to the Iowa State Fair. Term-limited Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland has also made trips to New Hampshire and Iowa this summer, but this past week he was far from the campaign trail. Hogan, whos mulling a White House bid of his own, was in South Korea, where he gave a keynote speech at the Jeju Forum of Peace and Prosperity, an international summit that includes numerous heads of state and former Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Former President Bill Clinton and the late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev have also previously spoken to the forum. The Maryland governor urged the world to "stand united behind the enduring value of freedom and democracy" at such a "pivotal moment" in history. "Many of the other great leaders, like [former President] Reagan, that brought about the peaceful end of the Cold War are no longer with us, and the task of ensuring peace and prosperity in our time now falls to the world leaders here today at the Jeju Forum," he emphasized in his address. Salman al-Nabahin cleaning the mosaic floor discovered on his farm in Gaza A Palestinian farmer has discovered an ornate Byzantine floor mosaic while trying to plant an olive tree on his land in the Gaza Strip. Salman al-Nabahin said he and his son had been digging into the ground when they unearthed the relic. They later uncovered several more sections depicting colourful animals and birds. Experts have called it one of the greatest archaeological treasures ever found in Gaza. Mr Nabahin told Reuters news agency he had realised the mosaic belonged to the Byzantine era after searching on the internet. The Byzantine Empire was the eastern half of the Roman Empire, which can be traced back to 330 AD, and survived for more than a thousand years. "I see it as a treasure, dearer than a treasure. It is a Palestinian legacy," Mr Nabahim said. Salman al-Nabahin cleaning the mosaic floor discovered on his farm in Gaza Salman al-Nabahib and his son clean another part of the mosaic in Gaza Salman al-Nabahin cleaning the mosaic floor discovered on his farm in Gaza Archaeologist Rene Elter, from the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, told the Associated Press the mosaic was "exceptional". "These are the most beautiful mosaic floors discovered in Gaza, both in terms of the quality of the graphic representation and the complexity of the geometry," he said. "Never have mosaic floors of this finesse, this precision in the graphics and richness of the colours been discovered in the Gaza Strip." The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said international experts were being brought in to complete the site's excavation. The Gaza Strip was once a bustling trade route for civilisations. It is rich with antiquities. You may also be interested in: In this handout photo illustration provided by the John Innes Centre UK, purple tomatoes are seen on October 27, 2008 in Norwich, United Kingdom. Scientists from the John Innes Centre, UK have genetically engineered tomatoes to contain very high levels of the cancer-fighting antioxident "anthocyanins", which as a result have turned the usually red fruit into a deep purple (Photo by John Innes Centre UK via Getty Images) A new genetically-modified purple tomato may hit America's markets soon. The fruit received approval from the USDA earlier this month. It was "modified to alter its color and enhance its nutritional quality," the USDA said. A new genetically modified purple tomato may soon be spotted in grocery stores across the country by next year after recent approval from the United States Department of Agriculture, CNN reported. The fruit, which scientists said last longer than your average tomato and is healthier "was modified to alter its color and enhance its nutritional quality," the USDA said in a press release earlier this month. "From a plant pest risk perspective, this plant may be safely grown and used in breeding in the United States," the department added. The purple colors come from increasing the levels of what scientists believe is a cancer-fighting antioxidant known as anthocyanins, which turns the usually red fruit into a deep purple, according to the John Innes Centre UK. Other fruits and vegetables such as regular tomatoes, red onions and acai are said to provide the benefits of anthocyanins. A group of scientists one being biochemist and professor Cathie Martin produced tomato-tasting fruit to have high levels of the antioxidant, giving American consumers a kind of superfruit, CNN reported. According to The Sainsbury Laboratory, Martin was able to develop the tomato "by engineering a precise genetic 'on switch,' derived from an edible flower," back in 2008. The fruit now needs to get the green light from the Food and Drug Administration for distribution, per CNN. However, there have been critics who have raised concerns that genetically-modified foods may have negative health effects, Insider previously reported. However, major agencies, such as the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency, tightly regulate GMO foods. Story continues Norfolk Plant Sciences, a company established by Martin and Jonathan Jones, is set to initiate tests next year to see which consumers are attracted to the purple tomatoes, per CNN. "It's very abstract, hard to understand," Nathan Pumplin, CEO of Norfolk US-based commercial business, told the outlet. "But a purple tomato you either choose or choose not to consume." Read the original article on Insider Gerwyn Price became a two-time champion at the World Series of Darts Finals (Steven Paston/PA) (PA Archive) Gerwyn Price held his nerve in a last-leg decider against Dirk van Duijvenbode to win the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. Price nudged 4-2 ahead after the first break of throw in Sundays final but the world number one then lost three legs in a row to his Dutch opponent, to the delight of a partisan crowd. Three ton-plus finishes in the space of four legs lifted Price into a 9-8 lead although Van Duijvenbode hit back with an 11-dart leg before moving 10-9 ahead and on the brink of his first major win. PRICE IS THE CHAMPION! GERWYN PRICE WINS THE WORLD SERIES OF DARTS FINALS! The world number one reigns supreme in Amsterdam, defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode in a dramatic deciding leg! WOW #WSODFinals pic.twitter.com/d9UNJN2bNH PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) September 18, 2022 But Price, the 2020 champion, levelled matters and then claimed victory with a 14-dart leg, taking out 90 to seal an 11-10 victory as he finished with a 100.14 average in the showpiece. Price, who defeated Joe Cullen 10-8 in the quarter-final and James Wade 11-9 in the semis earlier in the day, said on www.pdc.tv: Im thrilled to get over the line. Dirk played fantastic but I think I played a little bit better. I made it really difficult for myself. There were two or three legs where I missed doubles, I probably could have been 7-3 up. I knew from there on in it was going to be a tough battle. But I dug in there right until the end. I gave myself a chance in the last-leg decider and scraped over the line. Ive got a little bit more composure and experience than Dirk had in that leg and thats all that counted. Eliminating cash bail in Illinois is setting the state on a path to resemble a horror movie, Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell argues. As Chicago, the countrys third-largest city, continues to face a rampant crime wave, the state is preparing for the 2021 SAFE-T Act to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. As a result of the bills elimination of cash bail, Caldwell said in a New York Post op-ed that one of Americas most violent cities will begin to operate like the fictional cities in "The Purge" movie series, in which citizens are given one night a year when they are allowed to commit any crime they want, without repercussion. Caldwell's younger brother, Christian, was shot and killed in Chicago earlier this year. He was 18 years old. In July, Cook County Crime Stoppers offered up a reward of $15,000 for information leading to arrests in Christian's killing. Christian was out with friends on June 24 when he was shot. Two other victims, a 31-year-old male and 25-year-old female were also shot and injured in the same shooting. Christian didn't know the other victims. Almost three months later, police have still not identified any suspects in Christian's killing. "It's been two months of hell," Caldwell told Fox News Digital on the two-month anniversary of Christian's death. "As I think about it and reflect, I'm about to be in tears. I still can't believe my little brother was murdered. I think about him every day. I get calls from family members who just call me to cry on a regular basis." CHICAGO POLICE ORDERED TO LET SUSPECT VEHICLE GET AWAY AFTER CAUGHT-ON-CAMERA GUNPOINT ROBBERY, REPORTS SAY Caldwell is concerned about more than just eliminating cash bail for violent offenders though. "To make matters worse, offenders released on electronic monitoring devices must be in violation of their parole for 48 hours before it will be considered a crime," he wrote. "In the states largest county Cook County, which encompasses Chicago at any given time, there are more than 3,000 people wearing ankle monitors. This includes about 100 who have been charged with murder." Story continues Local law enforcement officials are concerned about the law too. Officials in Orland Park, Illinois, a village about an hour outside of Chicago, adopted a resolution this month demanding state legislators work to fix problems in the SAFE-T Act, including "Unreasonably limiting police officer discretion to make arrests. Imposing unreasonable police certification and decertification standards. And violating victims rights as outlined in Illinois law." Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a rally at Federal Building Plaza on April 27, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images Illinois J.B. Pritzker is running for re-election in November and Republicans have been wielding the SAFE-T Act as evidence the one-term governor is soft on crime . "Illinois officials responsible for this law will have the blood of every innocent victim on their hands unless they reverse course before Jan. 1," Caldwell wrote. "The people most at risk are the very black and brown people they claim to support. But these will be the first victims of the criminals when they are set free." Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this report Giphy is making good use of its stodgy reputation. Meta acquired the companyknown for its library of GIFs and video clipsfor $400 million in May 2020. But last November, the U.K.s Competition and Markets Authority ordered Metaowner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsAppto sell Giphy. Appealing the antitrust decision in filings submitted last month, Giphy argued that GIF usage has seen an overall decline and waning interest among users and content partners, with fewer uploads on its platform in recent years. The company also called its platform out of fashion, arguing younger users consider it cringe and more suited for baby boomers. Its a hard argument to make when Meta paid so much for the company. At the time of the purchase, Meta said the GIFs would help users have more entertaining conversations on its platforms. The watchdog argued last November, however, that it was protecting millions of social media users and promoting competition and innovation in digital advertising. It said the acquisition removed Giphy as a potential challenger in the display advertising market, about half of which Facebook/Meta already controlled. Whats more, it said that with the deal Meta was denying or limiting other platforms access to Giphy GIFs, driving more traffic to [Meta-owned] sitesFacebook, WhatsApp and Instagramwhich already account for 73% of user time spent on social media in the UK. It said Meta was also changing the terms of access by, for example, requiring TikTok, Twitter and Snapchat to provide more user data in order to access Giphy GIFs. The watchdog acknowledged that the GIF format was invented in the 1980s, a fact that would seem to further support Giphys argument of being outdated. But it also noted: The onset of social media provided an opportunity to reimagine the GIF as a part of modern internet culture. The main GIF libraries that are used today were launched less than ten years ago, and the popularity of GIFs has grown enormously since then. Every day, millions of users in the UK post content that includes a GIF. Story continues As for why a British regulator is ordering around companies based in the United States, the agency explained, the important question is whether the merger may have an impact on competition in the U.K. For Meta, its already been a rough year, with a falling share price and shrinking profits. This month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company axed its Responsible Innovation team, tasked with addressing ethical concerns about its products. Just last year, Margaret Stewart, a vice president who established the team, wrote that she was optimistic the group would help Meta proactively surface and address potential harms to society in all that we build. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Google has asked the Federal Election Commission to rule on its request to make it easier for political candidates to reach potential donors with email solicitations. Jaap Arriens/Getty Images Google said it made a "human error" after accidentally sending a blogger almost $250,000. Sam Curry, a blogger and security engineer, said he waited almost a month to hear back from Google. He still had the money about three weeks after first contacting Google. Google accidentally sent a quarter of a million dollars to a blogger and security engineer, who says he waited almost a month to hear back from the company. Sam Curry tweeted on Wednesday that the tech giant had "randomly" transferred him $249,999 alongside a screenshot. "It's OK if you don't want it back," Curry said in the tweet, adding that it had been over three weeks since he received the money and was given a support ticket when he contacted Google. Curry said he did not spend the money and kept it for when the company would inevitably ask for it back. To avoid paying tax on the money, he may need to transfer it to another account, he told NPR news. The security engineer, who gets paid to look for vulnerabilities in companies' software, told NPR news that he carries out "bug bounty hunting" work for organizations including Google. However, he did not see a connection between his work for Google and the transfer. He still had the money as of Thursday. "Our team recently made a payment to the wrong party as the result of human error," a Google spokesperson told NPR in a statement. "We appreciate that it was quickly communicated to us by the impacted partner, and we are working to correct it." Google's spokesperson also told NPR that it planned to get the money back. A similar incident was reported last month when Crypto.com, a cryptocurrency exchange, accidentally transferred over $10 million to a woman instead of $100. However, it took the company seven months to spot the error, by which time she had spent or transferred large sums. Google and Sam Curry did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Colorado Republican Senate nominee Joe ODea said on Sunday he wont back down from his belief that abortions should be legal during the first five months of pregnancy. Im not going to change, ODea said on NBCs Meet the Press. Im an independent thinker. I am who I am, and you get what you get, and thats how Ill vote, he told moderator Chuck Todd. ODea is challenging incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) in what is expected to be a close race. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as lean Democrat. The Colorado Republican is portraying himself as a moderate to voters, bucking his party by supporting legal abortion and believing President Biden won the 2020 election fairly. ODea told Todd he believes abortion should be legal for the first five months of pregnancy, with further exceptions for cases of rape, incest or medical necessity. And that decision should also be a womans decision with her doctor, ODea said. But I dont believe in late-term abortion on demand. ODea said a bipartisan bill introduced by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that aims to codify abortion protections is on the right track. The bill, with prevents states from enacting laws that impose an undue burden on access to pre-viability abortions while also allowing some reasonable limits on those performed post-viability, is an attempt to find middle ground on abortion rights after separate legislation failed twice on the Senate floor. But the bill has been met with criticism from some progressives, who believe the bill does not go far enough. Shes got some traction, ODea said of the bill on NBC. I think that bill could pass. Theres a couple things Id like to see in it. Parental notification is something that we have in Colorado. I think that would be [a] good add to that bill. Those attempts come as most Republicans look to restrict legal abortion after the Supreme Court in June struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade case that enshrined the constitutional right to abortion in 1973. Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country have passed bills banning abortion, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) last week introduced a bill banning abortion nationwide after 15 weeks of pregnancy but its unlikely to have the votes to pass. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. Sarah Silbiger-Pool/Getty Images GOP Sen. Mike Rounds doesn't support Lindsey Graham's 15-week abortion ban. "I think right now we should allow the states to explore the different possibilities," Rounds said. Rounds told CNN that Congress telling the states what to do "is not the right direction to go." GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota doesn't support his colleague Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham's proposed national ban on abortion after 15 weeks adding mounting Republican opposition to the measure. "No, I think right now we should allow the states to explore the different possibilities about the appropriate way to handle this," Rounds said while appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "Here in South Dakota, we have one that I actually signed into law when I was governor back in...2006." Rounds said the states "will come up with a whole lot of different ideas on how to appropriately discuss abortion in general" and will, eventually, "come to a consensus about the issue." "But at this point, to have Congress step in and tell all the states that we know better than them how to handle this is not the right direction to go," Rounds told CNN's Jake Tapper. Over a dozen Republican-controlled states, including South Dakota, have enacted near-total abortion bans since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in late June. The Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health ended nearly 50 years of federal protections for first-trimester abortions and sent the issue back to the states. But some, like Graham, want to go further. Graham's bill would prohibit abortion procedures nationwide after 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. Rounds and 44 of his Republican colleagues previously supported and cosponsored a previous iteration of Graham's bill, introduced in January 2021 before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Story continues But several Senate Republicans were caught off guard by Graham introducing a 15-week abortion ban just weeks before the 2022 midterms. Republicans, amid the mounting electoral backlash to overturning Roe, have largely sought to shift the focus back to the Biden administration's policies on immigration and the economy. Graham defended his bill against charges it "handed the left a box of grenades" while appearing on Fox News Sunday. "I'm pro-life even in an election year," Graham told Fox News' Shannon Bream. "And to those who suggest that being pro-life is losing politics, I reject that." Read the original article on Business Insider Tanzania's Zanzibar awards medals to Chinese medical team for service Xinhua) 16:05, September 11, 2022 DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi on Saturday awarded 21 members of the Chinese medical team with medals for their one-year stellar medical services in the Zanzibar archipelago. "We have every reason to convey our appreciation and gratitude for the great job you have done to make sure that the general public of Zanzibar got the best medical services in the past one year of your services," Mwinyi told the Chinese medical team when he bade them farewell at Zanzibar State House. He said the Chinese medical team did more than treat people. The team also provided medical equipment and medicines and trained local medical staff. President Mwinyi thanked China for dispatching medical teams here, saying the Chinese medical teams have helped strengthen the country's health system and save hundreds of lives. Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, Zanzibar's Minister for Health and Zhang Ming, the acting Consul General of China in Zanzibar, also attended the event. Since its arrival last September, the 31st Chinese Medical Team to Zanzibar has offered medical services to more than 6,000 patients during its one-year stay. (Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji) Kaylah Gonzalez, a 14-year-old South Elgin High School freshman who's been undergoing cancer treatment for two and a half years, reacts to news that she was named an Advocate All-Star and awarded a free trip to see the Chicago Bears take on Packers game in Green Bay, Wisconsin. - Original Credit: (Advocate Health / HANDOUT) As Kaylah Gonzalez got off the school bus Wednesday afternoon, she wondered why there were so many people gathered outside her South Elgin home. Then Chicago Bears mascot Staley Da Bear walked across the lawn to greet her with a hug. Staley surprised the 14-year-old with an all-expenses-paid trip this weekend to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and tickets to see the Bears/Packers game Sunday night at Lambeau Field. Advertisement The surprise was crazy, said Kaylah, whos a big Bears fan like her dad, Luis. Im just ready to go to a game. Ive never been to a game so Im excited, the South Elgin High School freshman said. Advertisement Kaylah Gonzalez, 14, was surprised by a visit Wednesday from Staley Da Bear at her South Elgin home. The Chicago Bears mascot came bearing gifts, including a gift for her entire family -- a weekend trip to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to see the Bears take on the Packers to celebrate the end of Kaylah's cancer treatments. (Advocate Health / HANDOUT) Kaylah was recommended for the trip by her doctor at Advocate Childrens Hospital, whose parent company, Advocate Health, is partnering with the Bears on the surprise. The teen will undergo her last chemotherapy session in November after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia two and a half years ago. Its been a long journey for her, during which she lost her hair twice and developed kidney stones, her family said. Whenever I see Kaylah, I can always count on her to give me a smile, Dr. Daniel Choi, pediatric hematology/oncology at Advocate Childrens Hospital, said in a news release. Whether she feels great or terrible from her chemotherapy, she always gives you a smile. It speaks volumes about her amazing spirit and the loved ones she is surrounded by. It always brightens my day to see that smile, he said. The Gonzalez family of South Elgin celebrates after learning they will be headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin, this weekend to see the Chicago Bears play the Packers. The gift was from Advocate Health, which wanted to help 14-year-old Kaylah Gonzalez celebrate the end of her chemotherapy treatments for cancer. (Advocate Health / HANDOUT) Patients who are chosen as Advocate All-Stars are presented with a trip to a Bears game, said Cristina Enea, a spokeswoman for Advocate Health. This is a good opportunity for her to have joy after her long (cancer) journey, Enea said. Its also a chance for her family, whove been on that journey as well, to relax and celebrate the end of Kaylahs treatment, she said. Cancer is horrible, and no child should have to endure it, her mother, Damaris Gonzalez, said. Shes a warrior, she said. Gonzalez said shes tried to be strong for her only daughter, but Kaylah saw her crying one time. She said, Mom, why are you crying? God has healed me. Theres nothing to worry about. I got this, her mom said. Advertisement Kaylah is very strong, Luis Gonzalez said, and that strength has helped the family. As she nears the end of her treatment, we are going to see a miracle, he said. God answers prayers. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. The Gophers football team completed the preseason ahem, nonconference portion of its schedule on Saturday. Minnesota cruised to a 49-7 win over Colorado at Huntington Bank Stadium to move to 3-0 going into the Big Ten slate. With a 38-0 win over New Mexico State and a 62-10 victory over Western Illinois, Minnesota outscored those three by a combined 149-17. Those 149 points register as the fourth-highest total through a seasons opening three games in program history, and two of those were in the early 1900s, when the U was demolishing a few poor Minnesota high schools. The third was in 1916 versus three colleges in the Dakotas. Colorado was, in theory, supposed to be a stiffer test given their status as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. It didnt matter; Saturdays game was about as one-sided as possible. After calling the first two wins workmanlike, Fleck described Saturday as surgical. The biggest downside Saturday was clear: Top receiver Chris Autman-Bell left the game in the second quarter with an apparent right leg injury. He looked distraught as he needed help getting into the locker room at the half and didnt return. Head coach P.J. Fleck did not have a definitive update on Autman-Bell postgame. Former Gophers and current Buffaloes offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr., who was not being retained last November, couldnt get anything going against his former employer. U defensive coordinator Joe Rossi did not let him get comfortable with an aggressive play call out of the gate. Rossi dialed up a cornerback blitz on the first play. Terell Smith came off the edge for a blindside strip sack of J.T. Shrout, and it was recovered by Jalen Logan-Redding. We knew we were going to come out and attack; that was part of our game-plan, linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin said. We talked all week about how we needed to get more takeaways. For the first two things to go our way that quickly just shows how prepared we were for this football game. Story continues After scoring on the opening drive, Minnesotas offense took the turnover and quickly added another touchdown for a 14-0 lead. It was the start of a long day for the Buffaloes. Sanfords offense, which was 125th in the country in total yards through two games, didnt break the shutout Saturday until Gophers backups were in the game in the fourth quarter. Colorados rushing defense was even worse. They entered Week 3 at 131st in the nation, dead last, with 355 rushing yards allowed per game. They gave up 334 on Saturday. Mo Ibrahim had 202 yards on 23 carries for a nearly nine yard average and three touchdowns, which were all scored in the first half. With seven TDs in the first three games, he moves into a tie with Darrell Thompson career record of 40 rushing scores. Hes a big part of Minnesota history, Ibrahim said of Thompson, a star in the late 1980s. Just to be tied up with him is just amazing. It says a lot about my team, getting me in the end zone. Ibrahim didnt know postgame exactly how many times had scored, turning to quarterback Morgan at the podium. What did I have two? Given how lopsided the entire game was Saturday, Ibrahaim could be forgiven for losing count. Related Articles Does the September share price for Grafton Group plc (LON:GFTU) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for Grafton Group Step By Step Through The Calculation We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK147.2m UK144.0m UK142.5m UK141.8m UK141.7m UK142.0m UK142.6m UK143.5m UK144.5m UK145.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x8 Analyst x7 Est @ -1.1% Est @ -0.49% Est @ -0.06% Est @ 0.23% Est @ 0.44% Est @ 0.59% Est @ 0.69% Est @ 0.76% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 7.4% UK137 UK125 UK115 UK107 UK99.3 UK92.7 UK86.7 UK81.2 UK76.2 UK71.5 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK991m Story continues The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (0.9%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.4%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032 (1 + g) (r g) = UK146m (1 + 0.9%) (7.4% 0.9%) = UK2.3b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK2.3b ( 1 + 7.4%)10= UK1.1b The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK2.1b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK7.4, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 20% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent. dcf Important Assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Grafton Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.4%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.268. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Next Steps: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Grafton Group, there are three important items you should assess: Risks: You should be aware of the 2 warning signs for Grafton Group (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) we've uncovered before considering an investment in the company. Future Earnings: How does GFTU's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every British stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Join A Paid User Research Session Youll receive a US$30 Amazon Gift card for 1 hour of your time while helping us build better investing tools for the individual investors like yourself. Sign up here Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday expressed confidence that the public would support his 15-week federal abortion ban proposal but acknowledged it does not have the votes to pass the Senate. Im pro-life, even in an election year, Graham told Fox News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream. I am confident the American people would accept a national ban on abortion at 15 weeks, Graham said. And to those who suggest that being pro-life is losing politics, I reject that. The South Carolina Republican on Tuesday introduced a bill that would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide, carving out exceptions for rape, incest and when the mothers life is in danger. The move has attracted criticism from some in his own party, who expressed a desire to leave abortion legislation to states after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in June. Bream asked Graham about comments he made two days after the decision, in which the South Carolina Republican said that Americans should let every state do it the way they would like on abortion restrictions. Heres what Dobbs says: elected officials can make the decision, state or federal. Im not inconsistent, Graham said when Bream pressed him on his June comments. Graham called the suggestion he has flipped his position ridiculous, noting he has introduced a 20-week abortion ban multiple times in the Senate and other related bills. But he acknowledged that we will not pass them all when it comes to abortion bills. I will not sit on the sidelines and watch this nation become China when it comes to aborting babies up to the moment of birth, he said. I reject that. I will continue to introduce legislation at the national level setting a minimum standard at 15 weeks. Despite general agreement among Republican lawmakers on tightening abortion restrictions at the state level, Grahams proposal has been met with some GOP opposition. The bills introduction comes less than two months before the midterm elections, and Republicans are hoping to flip control of Congress. Story continues Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping the abortion ruling can energize liberal voters in races this fall to maintain their razor-thin majorities. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnnell (R-Ky.) told reporters last week that his caucus is not eager to debate the legislation. I think most of the members of my conference prefer that this be dealt with at the state level, McConnell said. Asked if Grahams bill is sanctioned by the leadership, Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) similarly said no. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Duncan Watson, who voiced Charlie Brown, lives in New Hampshire and signed autographs at the event. KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2022, 18:58 In Kursk and Nizhny Novgorod Oblasts of the Russian Federation, after a week of training, people who were allegedly recruited to the units of material and technical support and protection of important objects are sent to the war in Ukraine. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 18:00 on 18 September Quote: "Due to the lack of human resources to send to the war in Ukraine, measures of so-called internal self-mobilisation are being conducted on the territory of the Russian Federation. In Kursk Oblast, [recruitment is being conducted] under the guise of recruiting candidates for logistics units, and in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, in particular, employees of the Atom Okhrana organisation [Departmental Security Service of Rosatom], [are] allegedly [being recruited] for the units of protection of important facilities. Candidates who have signed the contract undergo a one-week marksmanship training course and are immediately sent to the combat zone to replenish the military force." Details: The General Staff also reported that in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast, in particular in the Bilovodsk district, a new recruitment for the so-called "units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs" has been announced, since after significant losses in the battles, most of the full-time employees have run away or deserted to the territory of the Russian Federation. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Become our patron, support our work! Halle Bailey's 'Little Mermaid' is part of a long history of mermaids of color Halle Bailey as Ariel in "The Little Mermaid." Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney, Walt Disney Studios Disney dropped the teaser trailer for its live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid." Actor Halle Bailey, who is playing the titular character, has received racist backlash as a result of her casting. Bailey follows a long history of mermaids of color from different cultures. When Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid," she was confronted with racist backlash. The #NotMyAriel hashtag gained traction when her casting was first announced. Some people felt that the role should have gone to a white actress, since the heroine in Disney's 1989 animated film had fair skin, and the original fairy tale was written by Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish author. The backlash reemerged when Disney released its teaser trailer in September. But Bailey follows a long lineage of mermaids from different cultures with centuries-old histories. "The idea of aquatic spirits and mermaids is not one that Hans Christian Andersen came up with. He popularized this particular story, but the concept predates his story," Khytie Brown, assistant professor of African diaspora religions at the University of Texas at Austin, said. "It's just one iteration of the story, which points to the overall historical problem of European representations becoming the dominant representation." From alluring sirens to grotesque sea creatures, here are the mermaids prevalent in seven different cultures. Mami Wata, West Africa A chromolithograph rendering of Mami Wata from the 1880s. Wikimedia Commons Mami Wata, or "Mother Water," has been celebrated throughout much of Africa for centuries. Depictions of the goddess have been influenced by representations of indigenous African water spirits, European mermaids, Hindu gods, and Christian and Muslim saints. The water spirit is often portrayed as a beautiful woman with a fish tail and curly Black hair, a large snake a symbol of divinity wrapped around her body. At once seductive and dangerous, Mami Wata can shapeshift, disguising herself as human to wander busy markets or bars, according to African lore. She is also paradoxically ascribed powers of both illness and healing, lust and fertility. Story continues People from various coastal African regions, including Benin, Ghana, and Togo, worship Mami Wata as the most prominent water deity. A formal priesthood dedicated to the goddess officiates ceremonies, maintains shrines, and conducts healing rituals. La Sirene, Haiti La Sirene by Haitian artist Andre Pierre. Andre Pierre La Sirene literally "the mermaid" in French is the Haitian incarnation of water spirits from the African diaspora, drawing on the traditional mythology of Mami Wata. Depicted as a beautiful, classical mermaid with dark skin, she often holds a mirror that serves as a portal between realms and a source of occult knowledge. Although she can bring love, romance, and success, the mermaid has a dark side, according to Haitian legends. Like the sirens of Greek mythology, La Sirene uses her alluring singing to enchant mortals who offend her and drag them into the depths of the ocean. She is also said to kidnap babies to raise in her underwater lair. La Sirene is part of the Haitian Vodou religion, which was formed by the African diaspora during the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to 19th centuries. The mermaid of the Karoo, South Africa Rock paintings of Karoo mermaids in South Africa. Paul Bruins More than 250 million years ago, Karoo, now a vast semi-desert area in South Africa, was once a vast ocean. When the oceans receded, they left behind a fertile valley with mountain springs, rock pools, and underground caverns, where the mermaid of the Karoo is said to reside, according to African mythology. The Karoo was once home to the indigenous Khoisan people, and rock paintings from that era show fish-tailed creatures. However, climate change and the arrival of Dutch settlers in the mid-1600s drove the Khoisan out of their land. Some locals have ascribed responsibility for rain, floods, and droughts to the mermaid of Karoo. Ningyo, Japan A woodblock-printed flier from 1805, claiming a ningyo was caught in Toyama Bay, Japan. Public domain The earliest records of the Japanese ningyo, which translates to "human fish," date back to the fifth century BCE. With the head of a human and body of a fish, the ningyo are often described not as beautiful, but grotesque creatures with claws, a monkey's mouth and fish-like teeth. Ningyo flesh was believed to have special powers, including eternal youth for anyone who eats it. The Yao Bikuni legend tells the story of a young priestess who unknowingly ate ningyo meat and lived 800 years. Fascination with the ningyo reemerged this year when scientists began to investigate the origins of a 300-year-old "mermaid" mummy found in Japan. A similar mummy, which also has the head of a monkey and the tail of a fish, resides in the British Museum. Iara, Brazil An official commemorative stamp by the Brazilian post office in 1974 shows Iara. Public domain Iara, the mother of the waters, is a figure from indigenous Brazilian mythology. Originally a water snake, she metamorphosed into a beautiful woman with green hair and copper-colored skin who lured men to her underwater palace. Some locals believe she is responsible for the accidents and disappearances of men of the Amazon, according to historians. According to oral tradition, Iara was a beautiful indigenous woman who was skilled in warfare, earning the respect and admiration from her tribe and her father, the chief. Her brothers, who grew envious of her, decided to murder her at night, but Iara defended herself, accidentally killing them. She escaped to the woods but was drowned in the river by members of her tribe, ultimately turning into a mermaid bent on revenge on all men. Sedna, North America A sculpture of Sedna in the National Museum of Finland. Wikimedia Commons The legend of Sedna, the sea goddess, is one of the most widespread Inuit myths. Although varying versions of the myth offer different reasons behind her death, from rejecting marriage proposals to a shameful pregnancy, it's commonly believed that Sedna's father takes her to sea in his kayak and throws her overboard, chopping off her fingers and leaving her to sink into the underworld. In some tellings, Sedna's fingers become the ocean's first sea creatures. Inuit shamans will sing to appease the goddess, who is said to control all sea animals, to release her bounty for fishermen and their families. Read the original article on Insider Orlando, Florida, United States - (NewMediaWire) - September 17, 2022 - AI Smart Drive is heralding a new day in the car rental industry, allowing self-driving cars to be fully integrated into existing car rental services. With increased interest in car rentals, Hugh Chambers, also known as The Growr, have jumped into the industry with a side venture that many are not considering: self-driving cars for rent. Self-driving cars, also known as driverless cars or autonomous vehicles, are unique technological advancements. These cars sense their environment and move safely with little or no human input by using a combination of sensors. The AI Smart Drive idea is to provide entirely self-driving vehicles. "I have tested the waters for myself, analyzed the benets and the drawbacks of the industry," said Hugh Chambers during an interview with Yahoo News. "Now, I am aspiring to apply what I believe to be the right solution to address some of these drawbacks. Hugh Chambers plan to ease travel woes for their clients. Gone are the days when customers had to hustle and bustle to rent a car. Gone are the days when customers had to leave their house and go through all the tedious processes to acquire a rental vehicle. They want to eliminate all those inconveniences, making it as easy and as technologically possible as they can for someone to rent a vehicle without driving it themselves." Hugh Chambers believe his self-driving cars will be a major disruption in the car rental industry, providing unparalleled comfort for people using car rentals. Clients only have to order the service by choosing from an extensive eet of options, a date, time, and location. The car, SUV, or truck will be delivered to the location they choose at the exact time they selected. All AI Smart Drive vehicles will be engineered with advanced technology, allowing them to be delivered to their locations without any humans operating them. Clients will not need to drop off the vehicles, as this task will be completed by the technology onboard. Story continues Aside from the launch of AI Smart Drive, Hugh Chambers focuses on building and equipping entrepreneurs in the United States, emphasizing investments, web development, and content creation. The Growr, Hugh's main company, offers several services like: business consultations, mentorship and business advice programs. So far Hugh has helped and provided services to hundreds of customers. Entrepreneurs who would like to learn from the experience of The Growr on how he built businesses to run them successfully can contact him today by visiting www.thegrowr.com or sending an email to support@thegrowr.com. About Hugh Chambers Hugh Chambers is a Jamaican immigrant to the United States who started his journey as an entrepreneur by self-educating himself in the coveted skill sets of computer programming and web development, utilizing the vast array of informative resources that Youtube and Google offered. Since migrating to the United States, Hugh has established and developed ve exciting new companies, including AI Smart Drive LLC, a rental car company with luxury vehicles. Another good mention is, Fixitnoww LLC, which helps customers repair their credit records and make better nancial choices in the future. Please visit https://thegrowr.com/biography/ or connect with The Growr on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more information. Media Contact Company: The Growr Email: support@thegrowr.com Website: www.thegrowr.com Contact Person: Hugh Chambers City: Orlando State: Florida Country: USA Many took advantage of a beautiful fall day to visit hundreds of local businesses and restaurants at the South Boston Street Festival on Sunday. Over the 22 years that the event has been in operations, thousands of people have partaken in the day meant to celebrate Boston and the citys local businesses,. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was on hand to appreciate the day and stated the importance the event holds for the community. You see families out little kids with their scooters and strollers and a lot of history all across the city, said Wu. Were so proud to see our small businesses coming together everywhere across Boston. There were also specific events for children such as face-painting. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW A research team from China has discovered geological evidence of at least four layers of volcanic lava flows that flooded the landing region of the Chang'e-5 lunar exploration mission, according to a press release from the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. China's Chang'e-5 mission brought a total of 1,731 grams of lunar samples back to Earth at the end of 2020. The landing region of the mission on the northwest region of Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms, is considered to be one of the youngest basaltic units on the lunar surface. Scientists say the region is rich in heat-producing elements such as uranium, thorium and potassium, which are thought to be responsible for maintaining the long-standing volcanic activities on the Moon. "Therefore, the study of the thickness of basalt and its eruption rate in the landing area of Chang'e-5 will further improve the understanding of the lunar volcanic activity and internal thermal evolution history," said Du Jun, who led the research project. To address these questions, researchers from the NSSC and other institutes in China estimated the thickness of mare basalts in the Chang'e-5 landing region. Their results show that at least four magmatic eruptions took place in the landing region, with a median thickness of 230 meters, 70 meters, 4 meters and 36 meters, respectively. Furthermore, the study also shows that the eruption rate of mare basalts in the Chang'e-5 landing region increased significantly about 2 billion years ago. "These results are expected to provide new constraints for the numerical model that can explain the duration and scale of the volcanic activities on the Moon," said Du. The research findings were recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary on Sunday pledged to meet all of its commitments made to the European Commission to unlock European Union funding after the EU executive proposed suspending some 7.5 billion euros for Hungary over corruption. Development Minister Tibor Navracsics, in charge of negotiations with the EU, said he hoped Hungary's measures would be sufficient to convince the EU Commission that sufficient safeguards will be implemented to protect EU funds. (Reporting by Gergely Szakacs, Editing by William Maclean) Viktor Orban Orban reportedly vowed to oppose extending EU sanctions against Russia this fall. While he is currently alone in his pro-Moscow stance, Orban said the new Italian government could become an ally in this regard. Read also: European Parliament says Hungary no longer a democracy, but electoral autocracy According to the PM, the EU is shooting itself in the foot, as Russia sanctions could cause 40% of EU industry to shut down this winter. After former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has left the political arena, Europe no longer has a leader who defends the continents interests, Orban said. He added that the EU will collapse by 2030, and Muslim migrants will become a majority in France. Read also: Ukraine irked by Hungarys continued friendliness with Russia Orban described the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a local conflict, which was expanded by Western meddling. According to him, the war will last until 2030 and will see Ukraine losing up to half of its territory. The European Parliament voted for a resolution on Sept. 15 to brand Hungary as a electoral autocracy, citing changes made by the Orban administration that have practically concentrated executive, legislative, and judicial power all under Orbans Fidesz partys wings. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine At least two people have died in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona caused flooding and landslides, and took out the island's entire electricity supply. Officials said a 58-year-old man died after being swept away by a river in the town of Comerio, while another in his 30s had died in a generator fire. Heavy rain has continued to lash the US territory, and large portions of the island remain without power. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency on Sunday. The order allows authorities to provide disaster relief. About 600 National Guard soldiers are currently conducting rescue operations across the island, and some 1,000 people have so far been rescued. First responders from three states are expected to assist in the coming days. As well as a complete power outage for the 3.3m people living on the Caribbean island, some health centres running on generators were also affected. Electrical systems in San Juan's hospital complex have since been restored, the health secretary said. In some areas it will take days for the power to be reconnected, the operator of the island's grid, Luma Energy, said. The Category 1 storm saw winds reach 86mph (140km/h), before moving westwards to the Dominican Republic. Conditions were deemed too dangerous to make repairs immediately after the storm struck. Another person was killed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe when his house was swept away by flooding. Roads have been left flooded Flights out of Puerto Rico's main airport have been cancelled. Several ports and roads are also closed, and a highway bridge in Utuado, in the island's central mountainous region, has been washed away by flooding. Puerto Rico's governor said schools and government agencies would remain closed on Monday. Pedro Pierluisi urged residents to seek shelter as soon as possible. Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico just five years after Hurricane Maria - the worst in the island's history - caused devastation. Story continues Three weeks after that disaster, only about 10% of Puerto Ricans had electricity. The national grid still remains fragile, with power cuts a daily occurrence. Fiona is expected to strengthen into a Category 4 storm by Wednesday. Torrential rains and mudslides have been forecast for the Dominican Republic as the hurricane progresses north-west, with the Turks and Caicos Islands also likely to be affected. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week that it had arrested an Ecuadorian illegal immigrant wanted on an international warrant for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl in his home country. ICE announced that Manuel Oswaldo Guzman-Morales was arrested late last month and has several prior arrests in the U.S. He had first entered the U.S. in the early 90s, although authorities do not know when. He was first deported in 1994, but later re-entered and was picked up in New Jersey by ICE in 2007, and was eventually deported to Ecuador in 2010. In 2013, Border Patrol picked Guzman-Morales up in Arizona crossing the border. He was denied parole, but he was later released from ICE custody with an order of supervision after posting bond. ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH CHILD SEX CRIME CONVICTION, MULTIPLE DEPORTATIONS Ecuador put out an international warrant in February last year for the alleged rape. According to a release by ICE, the alleged crime took place in Ecuador in 2013, about a month before he entered the U.S. MEXICAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY POSSESSION Guzman-Morales is currently in ICE custody, but has not yet been deported. ICE said he is "pending the outcome of his proceedings." He is the latest illegal immigrant either accused or convicted of a sex offense with a minor to come across the border illegally and be later picked up by ICE. Last month ICE announced that it had arrested a Mexican illegal immigrant with a prior conviction for indecency with a child. The 43-year-old man had been deported five times from the U.S. and had been conviction in 2007. That was the same month as a 24-year-old Mexican national pleaded guilty this month to transporting and possessing child pornography after entering the U.S. earlier this year. He had come across the border and was picked up in a group of illegal immigrants near Carrizo Springs, Texas. Authorities examined his phone and discovered 116 images of children, some involving children as young as three-years-old. Story continues The Biden administration has attempted to narrow interior enforcement guidelines for agents, to focus them on public safety threats, national security threats and recent border crossers. That guidance has been blocked after a legal challenge by Republican states. The administration has said the guidance allows them to target the most pressing threats to the country, but opponents have noted a dramatic drop in deportations under the administration. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Meanwhile, U.S. Border Patrol regularly documents cases of sex offenders, including child sex offenders coming across the border. This week, Border Patrol agents near Donna, Texas discovered a migrant coming over with a dozen others who had been found to have a previous conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child in Texas -- he had been sentenced to 10 years probation. I traveled to New York this summer to visit the Hamptons for the first time. Molly O'Brien I'm a Californian who lives close to Malibu. In August, I got a chance to compare it to Montauk. It was much easier to get around Montauk without a car, and the people there seemed more laid-back. I loved the Hamptons, but I prefer Malibu's shopping, outdoor activities, and weather. As a Californian who loves Malibu, I was curious about how Montauk compares. In August, I got to visit the Long Island beach town for the first time. I visited both Montauk and Malibu in the span of two weeks. Molly O'Brien For the past four years, I've lived in Los Angeles, about 45 minutes away from Malibu. Whenever I have a free weekend, I drive to the coastal city to shop and enjoy the beach. This summer, I had the opportunity to visit another upscale oceanside destination: Montauk in the Hamptons. Much to my surprise, the New York surf town gave Malibu a run for its money. The destinations are similar sizes, but Malibu offers a wider range of outdoor activities away from the water. There are a ton of restaurants and shops at the Malibu Pier. Molly O'Brien Malibu is much larger than most visitors realize, encompassing close to 20 square miles. In addition to its gorgeous beaches and piers along the Pacific Ocean coastline, it also has ranches, vineyards, and hiking trails. Montauk is a similar size. The hamlet which has parks, multiple beaches, and a downtown area takes up around 20 square miles of coastline on Long Island's eastern end. Montauk and Malibu both have several beaches. Because I'm not a surfer, I can't speak to which destination has better waves. However, I like that Malibu has a wide variety of attractions away from the water as well. For example, I can go to the beach and hike at a vineyard on the same day. I didn't need a car to explore Montauk, but it's nearly impossible to get around Malibu without one. I arrived to the Hamptons on the Jitney and got around Montauk using the free shuttle bus. Molly O'Brien I had an easy time getting to Montauk on the Hampton Jitney, a bus that travels between New York City and Long Island. Montauk's downtown area is walkable, and there's a free public shuttle service, so I had no problem getting around. I would've explored further if I had a car, but I got a good sense of the major areas without one. Story continues One of Malibu's flaws is that it's so spread out that it's really only accessible by car. There are no quick, reliable bus routes to the area. Also, it's no secret that parking and driving in Los Angeles can be a nightmare. Malibu draws international travelers year-round, whereas Montauk is a more seasonal destination that attracts a lot of Northeasterners. The decor at Montauk's Sole East felt very patriotic. Molly O'Brien Th0ugh people live in The Hamptons year-round, it's a seasonal vacation spot because of the weather. Temperatures drop during winter in the Northeast, and the area even gets snow. To take advantage of the warmth, many East Coasters flock to Montauk during the summer months, particularly between June and September. Malibu, on the other hand, is warm enough for a beach day year-round. The city also seems to draw domestic and international tourists during all four seasons. I always hear a lot of different languages when I go to Malibu, but I only heard English in Montauk. Many Hamptons hotels shut their doors in the off-season, but Malibu properties stay open all year. The Marram Montauk and the Malibu Beach Inn are comparable in pricing. Molly O'Brien Hotels are open year-round in Malibu, but many Montauk properties shutter their doors from November until April, when the villages and hamlets are in their off-seasons. The hotel rates are comparable. Rooms at Marram Montauk and the Malibu Beach Inn two similarly styled beachfront hotels cost at least $700 per night, if not more. Of course, prices fluctuate based on travel dates and room categories. Both destinations are pricey. However, I found that gas and food tend to be slightly more expensive in Malibu. I was surprised by the similarities between Malibu Pier and Gosman's Dock. Molly O'Brien I visited both destinations within a two-week span and found that Malibu was a bit more expensive than Montauk. Gas was slightly pricier in Malibu (perhaps due to California's gas tax), and a latte at Alfred Coffee, my favorite coffee shop in Malibu, cost a dollar more than my drink at Montauk's Left Hand Coffee. A lot of the restaurants in Malibu and Montauk had similar atmospheres and menu prices. The Malibu Pier, a popular shopping and dining attraction, reminded me of Gosman's Dock in Montauk. I paid $13 for a six-piece tuna roll at the Gosman Dock's Inlet Cafe & Sushi Bar. At Nobu Malibu, an iconic restaurant and celebrity hotspot, the same menu item is $13 as well. Some Montauk restaurants close on specific days of the week. I ordered sushi at Inlet Cafe. Molly O'Brien I went to Inlet Cafe in Montauk because the restaurant where I planned on dining was closed on Tuesdays. I've never had a problem with restaurants closing on certain weekdays in Malibu. Almost everything I need there is open daily. Downtown Montauk has great boutiques, but I still prefer the shopping in Malibu. After hitting the shops in both Malibu and Montauk, I preferred the former. Molly O'Brien I enjoyed walking around downtown Montauk and browsing through the clothing racks at local boutiques, but I prefer to shop in Malibu. The Malibu Country Mart is an outdoor shopping center that has the best tiny boutiques, large stores that carry international brands, and eateries and they're all in one place. The year-round sunshine in Malibu is hard to beat. Malibu has sunny weather throughout the year, meaning visitors come during all seasons. Molly O'Brien When it comes to having the best beach weather, Malibu wins. The West Coast beach town has a higher average of sunny days throughout the year than Montauk does. It rained in Montauk when I was there in August, which is supposed to be one of the area's drier months. Montauk felt more like a relaxed vacation destination. I went to Kirk Park Beach during my three-day trip to Montauk. Molly O'Brien Montauk has a more laid-back atmosphere than Malibu. When I was in the Hamptons, people seemed to be in vacation mode. I was there during the week, so fewer people were trying to get a dinner reservation or secure a parking spot. Southern California has a reputation for being chill, and in many ways, it is. However, Malibu is an expensive area that's home to some of Los Angeles' wealthiest, most successful residents. So in addition to the carefree tourists, there are also a lot of hardworking, business-oriented people in the city who aren't on vacation. I loved experiencing Montauk in the summer, but Malibu is still my go-to beach spot. The view of the shoreline from the Malibu Pier. Molly O'Brien Despite the fact that Montauk and Malibu sit on opposite sides of the country, they share a lot of similarities, and both have so much to offer. Montauk can be quiet in the off-season, so I recommend visiting this warm-weather destination in the summer to get the full experience. Since Malibu is a year-round vacation spot for sunshine and surfing, visitors have more opportunities to enjoy a trip there. If I had to choose which spot is better in terms of outdoor activities, shopping, and dining options, I'd have to go with Malibu. Read the original article on Insider Military vehicles of the invaders Read also: How Russia is blasting Mariupol into the past According to him, as usual, the weapons discharge was fueled by alcohol and fear. In order to justify their stay in the rear of the full-scale invasion, Russians began spread rumors about the presence of a subversive group, which is how they justified their behavior, Andriushchenko claimed. No civilians are believed to have been injured. Earlier, reports indicated that the occupation authoritys inability to normalize life in Mariupol has lead to increased discontent even among pro-Russian sympathizers in the local population. Read also: Russian hold on Mariupol is temporary, says Zelensky Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence has been famous for over a decade, is one of the highest-paid actresses on the planet, and her image at one point became so common online that everyone thought theyd figured her out and grew sick of her. A few years ago, her style moments no longer seemed to please, her quippy interviews felt grating and her onscreen performances felt labored, so, according to recent interviews, she disappeared, got married and had a kid. Now, shes back. Lawrence has finally begun starring in and producing movies again after her hiatus, and in her first official and off-duty appearances back in the world, its clear theres been a stylistic shift. Jennifer Lawrence Wears Summer So WellJelly Shoes Included Over the summer, she went traipsing around the city wearing easy summer dresses and jelly sandals, but now that fall is upon us, shes getting serious: for her first red carpet appearance since becoming a mom, Lawrence wore a sheer, black off-the-shoulder Dior gown to the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of her new movie Causeway, radiating poise and self-confidence. Jennifer Lawrence attends the Causeway premiere during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre on Sept. 10, 2022, in Toronto, Ontario. Amy Sussman/Getty Images Theres something just as self-actualized about the outfit Lawrence wore on a walk in Manhattan during NYFW: black wrap dress, gold bag, green slides, Matrix-y sunglasses. Perfectly fitting dress, perfectly eclectic accessories. Boom. Done. Shes busy. What I really like about Jennifers styleand what other people seem to gravitate towards, as wellis how understated it is, especially right now, Aaron Royce, Assistant Digital Editor at Footwear News, told The Daily Beast. She dresses in a very chic and elevated way that a lot of people can aspire and relate to. Jennifer Lawrence in the West Village, New York City, on Sept. 8, 2022. Gotham/GC Images Jennifer Lawrence in the West Village, New York City, on July 31, 2022. Gotham/GC Images Throughout the course of her meteoric ascent, Lawrences red carpet moments were never particularly out-there or daring, but the outfits did cycle through a couple of different phases, as though her team (or the actress herself) was trying to figure out what suited her best. At a Beverly Hills premiere of 2008s The Burning Plain, Lawrence was the consummate Young Hollywood Siren: her lips are deep red, and her silver, form-fitting dress evokes a bygone time. But shes too full of humor for this classic lookit doesnt suit her. Story continues Actress Jennifer Lawrence attends the premiere of The Burning Plain at Thompson Hotel on Sept. 14, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic By 2011, Lawrence was dressed like a Real Housewife (one of her favorite franchises) in sequin ombre cocktail dresses and sweeping updos. The interesting thing about the actresss style evolution is that shes never really looked bad or offeven when the looks skew a little old for her or dont quite fit her personality, they pretty much work, because the person wearing the clothes is so arresting. Jennifer Lawrence arrives at the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Steve Granitz/WireImage One huge win was the Dior Haute Couture she wore to the 2013 Oscars: a pale pink, cake-like confection that she tripped over on her way up the stairs, cementing the dress and herself in Academy Awards history. Jens flop era, as it were, consisted of dramatic eye makeup, metallic dresses with cutouts and lingerie-inspired looks that tried too hard, but its clear, now that shes settled into a new phase of domestic life, shes thoroughly evolved. I think Jennifer Lawrence has always felt comfortable with herself, and I dont think shes shy, Amanda Sanders, a celebrity stylist whos worked with Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, among others, told The Daily Beast. She doesnt have a lot of misses. I dont think she wears things that are too short, too young or too tight: her personality speaks for itself, and she does have a great personality, so she doesnt have to rely on crazy cutouts or colors. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. By Federico Maccioni PONTIDA, Italy (Reuters) - The rightist League aims to win the Italian premiership when the country holds an election next week, its leader Matteo Salvini told his party's annual rally in northern Italy on Sunday. A conservative alliance of parties, including the League, is widely expected to win the Sept. 25 election. But it is likely to be a bittersweet moment for Salvini who has seen his position as undisputed leader of the right usurped by Giorgia Meloni. "For me, it would be a pride, a joy, a thrill to be chosen by you and President Sergio Mattarella as prime minister of this extraordinary country," Salvini said before thousands of flag-waving supporters in Pontida, the spiritual home of his party. Meloni's nationalist Brothers of Italy party is forecast to take around 25% of the vote, while the League is seen at around 12%, down from 34% in a European parliament election in 2019. Some League veterans have suggested that Salvini could be ousted if the vote share falls further, but diehard supporters rejected any talk of failure on Sunday. "They might receive less votes but I am confident the centre-right will win... and given it is a coalition they will rule all together," said supporter Marco Mollica, a 39-year-old metalworker from Turin. The League returned to Pontida - where it held its first annual rally in 1990 - after a three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Party officials said a fleet of more than 200 buses and trains brought an estimated 100,000 supporters from across the country this year. However, the crowd seemed smaller than in 2019, when 35,000 to 40,000 people were estimated to have attended, and two policemen told Reuters that there were around 15,000 participants. The Northern League was originally rooted in the wealthy north, with the then leader Umberto Bossi demanding secession from the poorer south. Salvini controversially stripped the word "northern" from the party name and pushed to create a national force - a decision that upset many of the old faithful. Story continues GUARANTEED SECOND-HAND Salvini promised that if the League formed part of the next government it would push for autonomy for regions, giving them more say over how locally raised taxes are spent - something the nationalist Meloni has appeared lukewarm about. "Autonomy rewards those who govern well and helps citizens because it takes the mask off the chatterers who leave their people in emergency for years and say it is always the fault of others," he said. Salvini, 49, rebuilt the party from near ruin when he took charge nine years ago, replacing the old independence battle cries with the slogan "Italians first" and replacing chants against Rome with insults directed at Brussels. His strategy appeared to work, with the League forming a coalition government in 2018 and Salvini himself becoming interior minister. But a series of political blunders since then have allowed his ally Meloni to leapfrog him in the polls. At the beginning of the rally, ministers and regional governors of the League formally committed to giving greater autonomy to regions and pursuing cuts in taxes and energy bills. They also promised to lower the retirement age, stop immigrant landings and to improve the justice system. In his speech, Salvini vowed to scrap the 90-euro tax Italians pay annually to fund the state-owned broadcaster RAI and to revitalise small villages by making them a real estate tax-free zone. He also pledged loyalty to Meloni and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia. "Giorgia, Silvio and I have the same view on everything, almost everything, and for five years we will be ruling well together," he said. (Reporting by Federico Maccioni; Editing by Giselda Vagnoni and Alex Richardson) The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce is partnering with Lakeland Police Department to host a free active shooter seminar. LAKELAND Lakeland Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the Lakeland Police Department to help the city's businesses and organizations prepare for the possibility of an active shooter. 'Nothing's changed': Polk parents reflect on Texas attack and safety of local schools In the schools: Polk County School District increases security after Texas mass shooting LPD Sgt. Bryan McNabb will lead an active shooter seminar Oct. 25 at 8:30 a.m. The training is designed to help businesses be prepared, help prevent and if necessary respond to an active shooting. The event is free but limited to those who have a primary brick-and-mortar location within city limits. Attendance is open to non-chamber members. Advanced registration is required online at lakelandchamber.chambermaster.com/eventregistration/register/26451. Participants will be required to show a photo ID and employee credentials, such as a business card or employee badge, at the seminar. For more information, call the chamber at 863-688-8551 or email Taykiyah Dixon, the chamber's director of business resources at tdixon@lakelandchamber.com. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland Chamber partners with Lakeland police for active shooter training The remains of 88 Chinese soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea were buried Saturday in a cemetery in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province. The remains of the fallen soldiers returned to China from the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Friday. It was the ninth such repatriation since 2014, following a handover agreement signed between the countries. The burial ceremony began at the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang at 10 a.m. A military band played as the ceremony started. Guards of honor carrying the caskets of the martyrs entered the cemetery escorted by Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers as the national anthem was being played. Over 70 years ago, the CPV crossed the Yalu River and fought alongside the army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea against the ROK army and U.S.-led UN forces, eventually winning the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in 1953. Around 200 representatives from central and local authorities, the military, veterans of the war, family members of the CPV martyrs and students attended the ceremony. Between 2014 and 2021, the remains of 825 CPV martyrs were brought back from the ROK and laid to rest in the cemetery. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press) To the editor: It is ironic that some conservative governors, who declare their faith as a guiding principle of their administrations, decide to act in an unchristian way. Sending the "stranger in our midst" to an unfamiliar place is anathema to what a person of faith should do. ("Ron DeSantis' cruel political theater falls flat on Martha's Vineyard," Opinion, Sept. 15) At the same time, liberals are being "blamed" for criticizing red states that do not welcome immigrants. So they send them to blue "sanctuary" states, and guess what? These immigrants are taken care of. What point are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey trying to make? Whatever they are trying to accomplish, they all look the fool. They are a "noisy gong and a clanging cymbal." James Severtson, Reseda .. To the editor: DeSantis, who probably hopes his party will nominate him for president, has sent plane loads of desperate immigrants to the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. These men, women and children seeking a better life were cruelly flown away, reportedly not knowing where they were going. DeSantis just wanted to get rid of them. One wonders had they been white and spoken English, would they have been so mistreated? Thank goodness the people of Martha's Vineyard were kind and welcoming and showed these immigrants the true American spirit. DeSantis should forget about ever being president. Sam Platts, Sylmar .. To the editor: I think this scheme is a clever way to give progressive states a taste of what border states are struggling with. Though it would have been better for everyone were the arrivals of these migrants coordinated with the sanctuary cities and states, I trust it is the governors' intention to make the experience real since the arrivals of these migrants at the border are likewise unannounced. This raises the question of why the Biden administration has yet to do anything effective about the worsening immigration crisis. His ambiguity has only added more fuel to the fire. Story continues John T. Chiu, Newport Beach .. To the editor: After the airlifts of undocumented immigrants from Florida and Texas to Massachusetts, Democrats in Congress should seize the opportunity to present their long-dormant immigration reform bill for a vote. If Republicans vote it down or block it from consideration, that will present the Democrats with another winning argument that its the Republicans who are not interested in solving the serious immigration problems facing the country. Charles Blankson, Fontana This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, which takes place on Monday 19 September at Westminster Abbey, is set to be attended by some of the worlds most famous European royalty. Beginning at 11am on Monday, its expected that all 2,000 seats in Westminster Abbey will be filled during the state funeral. While heads of state, prime ministers, and presidents from around the globe have already confirmed their attendance at the funeral, many members of royal families across Europe are also expected to pay their respects to the Queen. Heres a list of all the European royals who have confirmed their attendance so far. British royal family All members of the British royal family will attend the Queens funeral, including King Charles III and the Queen Consort. His siblings the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Earl of Wessex will also honour their mother at the funeral. All eight of the Queens grandchildren are expected to attend as well. The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will make their third appearance together at the funeral. And cousins Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn are likely to honour their grandmother at the funeral. Members of the British royal family follow Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin during ceremonial procession (Getty Images) Its unclear whether the Queens great-grandchildren will attend, considering a number of them are still young. The Queen also has four living cousins the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester, Prince Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra who are sure to attend. The Queens late sister, Princess Margaret, also has two children who might be seen at the funeral: Lady Sarah Chatto and David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon. Spain King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain (Getty Images) King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain have accepted an invitation to the Queens funeral. The Queens cousin and former king of Spain, King Juan Carlos I, has accepted his invitation to the funeral. However, his attendance was recently contested by the Spanish government amid his allegations of fraud and harassment. Story continues Monaco Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene (Getty Images) Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene will be at the Queens funeral, according to the Daily Mail. The prince and princess also attended a church service at St Pauls Anglican Church in Monaco in memory of the Queen on 12 September. Princess Charlene shared a heartfelt tribute to Instagram following the news of the Queens death, writing, I am deeply saddened at the news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, a truly great lady whose dedication and service was recognised throughout the world during the 70 years of her reign. Denmark Denmarks Queen Margrethe II was close friend of Queen Elizabeth II (AFP via Getty Images) Queen Margrethe II, who is now the longest reigning queen in Europe, will be attending the funeral of her distant cousin. The Danish palace has also confirmed the queens heir, Crown Prince Frederik, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, will also be present. During her golden jubilee celebration in Copenhagen this week, Queen Margrethe led a minute of silence for her purported close friend. Norway King Harald V (Getty Images) King Harald V of Norway, the second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, will most likely attend the funeral on Monday. The monarchs share the same great-grandparents King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. This means that the Queens grandfather, King George V, and King Haralds grandmother, Norways Queen Maud, were siblings. Belgium King Philippe and Queen Mathilde (Getty Images) The Royal Palace of Belgium has confirmed King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium will attend the Queens state funeral. Sweden King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia (Getty Images) King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is third cousins to the late British monarch, both being descendants of Queen Victoria. His wife, Queen Silvia, will join him as well. Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima attend state dinner (Getty Images) King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, along with former Dutch queen Princess Beatrix, will attend the funeral, according to the Royal House of the Netherlands. We remember Queen Elizabeth II with deep respect and great affection, the Dutch royal family said in a statement after the Queens passing. Steadfast and wise, she dedicated her long life to serving the British people. We feel a strong bond with the United Kingdom and its royal family, and we share their sorrow at this time. We are very grateful for our countries close friendship, to which Queen Elizabeth made such an unforgettable contribution. Luxembourg Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (AFP via Getty Images) Luxembourgs Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa will attend the Queens state funeral, per Lessential. Liechtenstein Hereditary Prince Alois & Hereditary Princess Sophie (AFP via Getty Images) Hereditary Prince Alois & Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein have confirmed their attendance at the Queens funeral. Rep. Liz Cheney in a CNN special report on the January 6 investigation. Screenshot via CNN/Politico Playbook Rep. Liz Cheney told CNN she's "very worried" about election deniers running for office in 2022. 43 election-denying candidates are seeking statewide office in 27 states, one report found. "I think those people have all got to be defeated," Cheney said. GOP Rep. Liz Cheney said she's "very worried" about election-denying candidates running for office and said "they must be defeated" in the 2022 midterms in an interview for a CNN special report on the House January 6 Committee's investigation. Cheney, the vice-chair of the House panel probing January 6, lost the Republican primary for another term in Congress representing Wyoming to a Trump-backed challenger in August. "I'm very worried. I think those people must be defeated." Cheney said in a clip of the interview, hosted by CNN's Jake Tapper and set to air in full at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, obtained by Politico Playbook. "The responsibility that we all have to make sure that we make sure we defend our republic and defend our institutions has to be above politics." In all, 43 Republican candidates for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state who have denied the outcome of the 2020 election will be on the November ballot in 27 states, a recent report from the nonpartisan group States United Action found. Arizona, Michigan, and Alabama have such candidates running for all three of those offices in November. "It doesn't matter what party someone belongs to," Cheney added. "If they are running on the basis that they will, for example, refuse to certify legitimate election results in the future, they've got to be defeated." Cheney warned of the candidates positioning themselves to deliver a victory to former President Donald Trump if he runs again in 2024 in key states like Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada. "That's obviously, fundamentally, a threat to the survival of the republic, and I think those people have all got to be defeated," Cheney said. In addition to election deniers making the ballot, the 2022 primary elections have seen several Republican candidates, including ones who lost their races by wide margins, refusing to concede their losses, baselessly claiming fraud, and in, some cases, seeking recounts. Story continues And even more could follow in former President Donald Trump's model of refusing to concede defeat in November. Trump was the highest-profile candidate to break from that norm in 2020, when he refused to concede his loss to President Joe Biden even after his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6. In a New York Times report published Sunday, the outlet surveyed 20 Republican candidates running for US Senate and governor, and found that six, all endorsed by Trump, declined to confirm that they would accept the results of their elections. A similar Washington Post report, also published Sunday, found that a dozen top GOP Senate and gubernatorial candidates would not commit to accepting the results of their races this fall or did not respond, with several of those who did casting doubt on the security of their states' voting systems. Read the original article on Business Insider No 10 chief of staff Mark Fullbrook at Downing Street (PA) Liz Trusss chief of staff has been interviewed by the FBI as part of an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to bribe an American politician and influence an election. Mark Fullbrook, the prime ministers closest adviser, was questioned as a witness in a US Department of Justice (DoJ) and FBI investigation into the matter. In April, the FBI approached the UKs National Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police to help secure Mr Fullbrooks attendance for a formal interview, The Sunday Times first reported. The US investigators are looking into allegations that a London-based businessman tried to bribe the governor of Puerto Rico, a United States territory. Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, a UK Conservative Party donor and the owner of the Puerto Rican bank Bancredito, is accused of bribing Puerto Ricas governor at the time, Wanda Vazquez Garced. Federal prosecutors claim Mr Herrera wanted Ms Vazquez, a Trump-supporting Republican, to sack her financial regulator, who was investigating his bank, and replace them with someone of his choosing. UK Electoral Commission records show that a company founded by Mr Herrera also donated 650,604 to the Conservative Party between December 2019 and June 2022. Mr Fullbrook, who masterminded Ms Trusss leadership campaign, was interviewed by US authorities because of his work for, and role at, CT Group, an Australian-British lobbying firm founded by Lynton Crosby. Court records in the United States allege that the alleged bribe was paid through CT Group. Mr Fullbrook was employed as the companys chief global project officer, and prosecutors claim that he flew to Puerto Rico to meet with Vazquez Garced. Prosecutors are reported to be reading through hundreds of sensitive emails from Mr Fullbrook relating to his work in the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan. Mr Fullbrook strongly denies any wrongdoing. A representative said: Our client was not involved in the illegal conduct being alleged and is not being investigated in relation to it. Story continues He is merely a witness to it, and has and is fully cooperating with the relevant US law enforcement authorities. Any allegation that he is unfit to hold the position of chief of staff is wholly untrue. The representative stressed that the prime ministers adviser had absolutely no knowledge of any alleged bribery or corruption when CT Group contracted to provide services to Julio Herrera Velutini. They also said that Mr Fullbrook did not carry out any work for Ms Vazquez Garced, the politician allegedly being bribed. Last month, the DoJ charged Ms Vazquez and Mr Herrera with crimes that could see each face up to 20 years in prison. Both deny any wrongdoing. Commenting on the investigation, assistant attorney general Kenneth A Polite Jr said: The alleged bribery scheme rose to the highest levels of the Puerto Rican government, threatening public trust in our electoral processes and institutions of governance. UK news in pictures 17 September 2022: Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. (Action Images/Reuters) 16 September 2022: Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London (AFP via Getty Images) 15 September 2022: Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday (PA) 14 September 2022: The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday (PA) 13 September 2022: Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle (Getty) 12 September 2022: Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II (Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS) 11 September 2022: Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater (AFP/Getty) 10 September 2022: Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle (AFP/Getty) 9 September 2022: King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace (Getty) 8 September 2022: A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain (EPA) 7 September 2022: Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain (Reuters) The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable those who wrongly believe there is one rule of law for the powerful and another for the powerless. No one is above the rule of law. US attorney W Stephen Muldrow said: The criminal actions of the defendants in this case strike a blow to the heart of our democracy and further erode the confidence of our citizens in their institutions of governance. Our resolve to bring to justice those entrusted by the public to serve with integrity and who violate that trust remains steadfast. Equally steadfast is our resolve to prosecute those who seek to use their wealth and power to enrich themselves at the expense of honest government. I commend the dedication and hard work of the law enforcement personnel and prosecutors in this case, as well as those individuals willing to come forward and cooperate. Mr Fullbrook is married to former Tory MP Lorraine Fullbrook, who was ennobled and given a life seat in the House of Lords by Boris Johnson in 2019. Downing Street has not yet commented on the allegations. Demonstrators supporting Armenia protest on Saturday outside the Azerbaijani Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) More than 100 people gathered outside the Azerbaijani Consulate in Los Angeles on Saturday demanding an end to attacks by Azerbaijan forces in a disputed border region with Armenia and Artsakh, where an estimated 200 people were killed in the past week. The demonstration coincided with a surprise weekend visit to Armenia by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and two Armenian American members of Congress, and the introduction of a resolution in Congress by Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) demanding a prohibition on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan. The U.S. Embassy said the visit will include a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, according to the Associated Press. Like many others waving Armenian flags at the event organized by the Armenian Youth Federation, Tenny Alahverdian, 20, said she found herself thinking of relatives "suffering on the front lines. Were hoping that the United States comes down hard on Azerbaijan, she said. For President Biden to be calling for peace while funding Azerbaijans military is a crazy and deadly double standard. The demonstration was part of an effort that has spanned decades of advocacy and activism by Armenians around the world. Much of that movement has been centered in Los Angeles County, home to Americas largest Armenian diaspora community. The movement was launched in the 1980s, when children of survivors of the Armenian genocide of 1915 to 1918 established themselves in the U.S. The genocide claimed the lives of more than 1 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, which became the modern republic of Turkey. Over the years, Armenian Americans grew more politically active, contributing to political campaigns and the successful push last year to have Biden officially recognize the genocide. Bitter memories of the massacre have profoundly shaped Armenian and Armenian American identity. But U.S. presidents had avoided using the term genocide so as not to anger the Turkish government, an important ally that disputes that what took place constituted genocide. Story continues Both Armenia and Azerbaijan blame each other for instigating the recent bloody clashes. But demonstrators outside the Wilshire Boulevard consulate on Saturday say the fighting started in 2020 when Azerbaijan, with the help of Turkey, launched a war to remove Armenians living in the disputed border region of Nagorno-Karabakh, referred to as the Republic of Artsakh. News of Pelosis visit to Armenia, combined with Schiffs proposed resolution, prompted Raffi Haig Hamparian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, to urge Congress to "stop shipping U.S. tax dollars to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. A halt to U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, he said, 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. The Azerbaijani Consulate, however, said in a statement on its website that the ongoing tensions arose as a result of large-scale provocations by Armenia, and therefore the responsibility completely falls on ... Armenia. Alahverdian, the Los Angeles protest attendee, said: The situation isnt looking good anyway you look at it. Its difficult being a member of the diaspora. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Channel 2 Action News has learned Chaka Zulu, longtime manager for rapper Ludacris and co-founder of Disturbing Tha Peace record label has been charged with murder and a list of other charges. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Channel 2s Michael Seiden spoke with officials who confirmed these charges stem from a June 26 shooting incident that occurred outside of his Buckhead restaurant, Apt4B. In the June incident, Zulu, whose real name is Ahmed Obafemi, was one of three people shot in the parking lot. The shooting left 23-year-old Artez Benton dead and Obafemi and another person in the hospital. Police said there appears to have been an argument or altercation that happened and the victims were shot in the parking lot of the shopping center. Obafemi surrendered to authorities on Sept. 13 and bonded out the same day. Obafemi is also charged with aggravated assault , possession of firearm during commission of a felony and simple battery, according to jail records. TRENDING STORIES: Channel 2 Action News reached out to Obafemis attorney Gabe Banks who released the following statement: Mr. Chaka Zulu, a beloved son of the City of Atlanta, is disappointed in the Atlanta Police Departments decision to bring charges against him surrounding the shooting that occurred in June 2022. A close review of all of the evidence, including the surveillance footage and eyewitness interviews, reveals that Mr. Zulu was attacked and jumped from behind by a gang of at least four (4) individuals (sadly including the decedent) and was forced to defend himself after this gang repeatedly stomped, punched, and kicked him while he was on the ground in a defenseless posture. Mr. Zulu was shot in the back during the shooting and nearly lost his life, and is still recovering from the nearly fatal injuries he sustained that evening. Mr. Zulu was at his place of business that night and had every right to defend himself. In an attempt to save his life, Mr. Zulu lawfully discharged his weapon in self-defense, a weapon that he is licensed to carry. Mr. Zulu fully cooperated with law enforcement officials and their investigation, and voluntarily turned himself in once he learned of the arrest warrants. Mr. Zulu remains confident that his named will be cleared of all charges through the judicial process. It is not lost on Mr. Zulu that someone lost his life, but had Mr. Zulu not lawfully defended himself, Mr. Zulu would have been killed that night. Story continues Channel 2 Action News also received a statement from Bentons family who said the following: The family is relieved that someone is finally being brought to Justice for our loss. We are hopeful law enforcement and the prosecution will do the right thing and bring Justice and closure for our family. We would also like to add that Artez was known for his tough exterior and his warm and fuzzy personality, with a smile that could make all your problems go away. In his past times outside of working and studying to become and Electrician artez would help his father with his lawn care business. Each Sunday, he would conduct baseball training for his nephew and a few other children at Wade Walker Park. If that wasnt enough on his plate Artez still made time for a social life with Family and friends. Artez was a die-hard family man who loved to travel, cut hair, read, fish, play baseball, basketball and bowling. we would like it to be known that there was a resolution done by the GA representative in recognition of Artez. Also that the people know that he had a life with great promise that should not be diminished by the notoriety of the person that took his life. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] RELATED STORY: A Louisiana city is mourning the death of a 21-year-old marketing student found shot dead in her car, where authorities believe she was waiting for a train to pass. A memorial of flowers and stuffed animals has taken shape near the train tracks where Allison Rice was discovered around 2 a.m. Friday on the edge of Baton Rouge, La., said local TV station WAFB/Channel 9. Police have announced neither motive nor suspects in the killing. Multiple shots were fired into the vehicle, according to local outlets. Witnesses told New Orleans TV station WWL that Rice tried to execute a U-turn before gunshots were heard. Baton Rouge mayor Sharon Weston Broom denounced the senseless violence that led to Rices death in a statement calling for help from law enforcement, school officials and students in bringing the killer or killers to justice. Rice, of Geismar, La., was a senior at Louisiana State University, a spokesman for the Baton Rouge-based university said. The Dutchtown High School graduate was on her high school homecoming court, WAFB reported. Those who knew the victim described her as well-liked and outgoing. Rice reportedly worked at an off-campus barbecue eatery called The Shed, which is owned in-part by her family. One co-owner there called Rices death just devastating and said the staff was in tears over the tragic shooting. WWL-TV was told Rice was preparing to graduate and begin an internship. Baton Rouge is the Bayou States capital. Its home to roughly 230,000 people. BRProud.com reported at the start of 2022 that the city had seen a spike in violent crime over the past couple of years. LSU sociology professor Ed Shihadeh reportedly blamed floaters who he said have no institutional attachments, no connections to any institutions in our society, for the citys crime problems. PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, who are heading to London for Queen Elizabeth's funeral, will give King Charles a book of pictures celebrating the queen's visits to France, French officials said on Sunday. The Macrons will present the book when they join King Charles and scores of other world leaders and royals on Sunday evening for a reception at Buckingham Palace. On Monday, they will attend the grand state funeral of Queen Elizabeth, who died on Sept. 8 after 70 years on the throne. "From her coronation on, she knew and spoke with all of our presidents. No other country had the privilege of welcoming her as many times as we did," Macron said last week in a tribute to the queen, whose last official visit to France took place in 2014. (Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Writing by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Frances Kerry) Maison Valentino is creating Barbiecore-inspired installations across major cities across the world. According to Hypebae, the luxury fashion house will be installing its world series ahead of its Fall 2023 Pink PP collection. Ahead of its Fall 2023 Pink PP collection, @maisonvalentino is putting a pink print in major cities around the world with a series of installments, as reported by Hypebae. An Exclusive Maison Valentino Pop-Up Store Will Take Place From September 21- October 31 Upon debuting Barbiecore- inspired installations across major locations, Maison Valentino will release a pop-up shop from September 21-October 31, followed by a themed music party held in Hong Hong on September 16. The campaign will unfold in cities across the world. In China, it will kick off with physical activations at, among others, iconic features of key locations including Aranya in the coastal city of Qinhuangdao. Valentino Pink PP will debut in the Aranya neighborhood with a series of installations, followed by a dedicated pop-up store from September 21 to October 31, said Jing Daily. A themed music party will also be held at Belowground at The Landmark in Hong Kong on September 16. Offline Events and Takeovers Will Take Place In Paris, London, Milan, New York, Singapore, Seol, and Bangkok The Maison Valentino global takeover will present online and offline events in Paris, London, Milan, New York, Singapore, Seol, and Bangkok. In addition, the groups signature hue will be interpreted by a number of creative minds in photography, art, and video, through digital presentations, as reported by Jing Daily. A Conway man has been charged with murder after police say he shot someone outside a nightclub Sunday, according to authorities. Darius Grant, 28, also faces a possession of a weapon during a violent crime charge. He is being held at the Georgetown County Detention Center, according to a news release from the Sheriffs Office. Police said Grant shot 35-year-old Enis Jenerette, of Conway, following a verbal altercation. The incident happened at a club off of Old Pee Dee Road. Authorities did not disclose the name of the establishment or what time the shooting happened. Flash Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly from September 18 to 25, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced Saturday. According to Mao, on the margins of the general debate, Wang will host a ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative, attend the meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations and the dialogue of foreign ministers of China and the Quartet of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), hold a group meeting with the foreign ministers of the Troika of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Wang will also have bilateral meetings with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly and the heads of delegation or foreign ministers of some countries, Mao said. A confrontation over late-night noise cost an Illinois man his life, police told news outlets. A group of people gathered along the Lake Michigan shoreline after midnight on Saturday, Sept. 17, were being too loud for one nearby resident but when he left his home to go speak with them, he didnt come back, Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve Police told WFLD. An investigation was launched after police received a call about an unconscious man lying on the lake shore around 5:10 a.m., officials said in a release. After arriving at the scene, police quickly determined the man was dead. The 45-year-old man had died a violent death, police told TV station WLS. The man lived in the Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve area, and had gone outside around 1 a.m. to ask some people near the shoreline to be more quiet, the outlet reported. A fight broke out between the man and at least two other men on the beach, and he was killed, WFLD reported. Two men, ages 18 and 20, were hospitalized with injuries and are talking to police, the station reported. An investigation is still underway. The Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve is roughly 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. Intruder killed in struggle with homeowner after breaking into Wisconsin home, cops say Man hits teammate in head with lug wrench after soccer game in Texas, documents say Jack in the Box worker shoots at customers car in fight over curly fries, lawsuit says 20-year-old shot and killed over DoorDash delivery mistake, Georgia deputies say The King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office announced Saturday that the man who was convicted for the 2008 killing of Seattles Tuba Man, " Edward McMichael, has been charged in connection to stealing from the downtown Seattle Nordstrom store several times in July. Billy Chambers, along with another man and woman, are charged with second-degree robbery and two counts of first-degree organized retail theft for their roles in three separate thefts from Nordstrom in July. According to court documents, on July 8, Chambers acted as a lookout for Shellonda Daniel and another unknown suspect as they stole handbags from a display. As the three left the store, an employee tried to stop them and was pepper-sprayed by Daniel. Another employee went after Chambers and the unknown suspect, but as he went back to the store, he was also pepper-sprayed by Daniel, who got away with stolen merchandise. The trio stole a total of $19,920 in merchandise. On July 13, Chambers and a man named Keith Sims went to Nordstrom and again stole handbags from a display. $8,850 in merchandise was stolen. Scroll down to continue reading More news from KIRO 7 DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP On July 14, Chambers, Daniel and Sims committed the same crime at Nordstrom, this time getting away with $13,970 in merchandise. All three suspects bail has been set at $40,000. Chambers is also charged with first-degree organized retail theft in a separate case out of Bellevue. In that case, Chambers bail was set at $25,000. In addition to the newest charges and the 2008 manslaughter charge for the killing of McMichael, Chambers has eight additional felony convictions, and is the suspect in a drive-by shooting in July where he was arrested on investigation of unlawful possession of a firearm. Billionaire Mark Cuban said there's only ever room for "one knucklehead" in any type of team. He told Adam Grant's podcast he believes culture and chemistry are critical to success. "One knucklehead adapts; two hang out together," the Dallas Mavericks owner said. Billionaire Mark Cuban says he lives by one golden rule: there is only ever room for "one knucklehead" in any type of team. "I have this rule: a team can have one knucklehead. You can't have two. One knucklehead adapts, two, hang out together," the Dallas Mavericks owner told the "Re:Thinking with Adam Grant" podcast. "You can have one guy that's a heavy weed smoker. You can't have two, or certainly not three. I've literally made trades in the past because I had to get rid of one weed smoker." Cuban said he had no problem with someone smoking weed, "but when you get into the habit of just hanging out and playing video games and smoking for six hours, that's a problem. So culture and chemistry are critical to success." He also discussed the importance of team culture and said he liked to fire poor leaders who prompt their subordinates to leave and join competitors. "Sometimes you've just got to turn it all upside down and get rid of the people that are part of the toxic side of it," Cuban told Adam Grant. Listen to the full episode below. Read the original article on Business Insider Associated Press Thousands of people in hundreds of cars took over northern Nevada parking lots and intersections Friday night and into Saturday, performing stunts in souped-up vehicles and leading to crashes and arrests, police said. Police beefed up nighttime staffing after social media posts urged people from San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, to come to the sideshow in Reno, Police Lt. Michael Browett said. The disturbances started late Friday as several hundred cars and their occupants met in the parking lot of a still-open Walmart store. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told a former White House aide that he sought a preemptive presidential pardon in a sex trafficking investigation, according to testimony before members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, The Washington Post reported Saturday. A probe launched in the waning days of the Trump administration is reportedly still seeking to determine if Gaetz broke federal law by allegedly recruiting women online for paid sex, including a teenager. He has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. Some of the alleged interactions with women occurred with the help of former Gaetz wingman Joel Greenberg. The one-time Seminole County tax collector pleaded guilty last year to six crimes, including trafficking a minor. He has been cooperating with federal investigators, and turned over years of Venmo and Cash App transactions and thousands of photos and videos, ABC News reported last year. Johnny McEntee, a White House aide, recently testified that Gaetz told him he sought a presidential pardon from former President Donald Trumps then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in the trafficking investigation, sources familiar with the testimony told the Post. McEntee recounted that Gaetz told him he did not do anything wrong, but they are trying to make his life hell, and you know, if the president could give him a pardon, that would be great, the Post reported. Gaetz didnt specify that it was the Justice Department conducting the probe, but McEntee said he assumed that was the investigation he was referring to, the Post reported. The testimony is the first linking Gaetz to a specific request for a pardon in the trafficking probe, the outlet noted. The Jan. 6 panel revealed this summer that Gaetz was among at least five Republican lawmakers who sought broad pardons from Trump to protect them from potential insurrection crimes investigations might uncover. Neither McEntee nor Meadows responded to the Posts request for comment. A representative for Gaetz pointed out that the Republican lawmaker never asked Trump directly for a pardon, but did not comment on a request submitted through Meadows. Story continues Gaetz discussed pardons for many other people publicly and privately at the end of President Donald Trumps first term, the spokesperson wrote in an email to the Post. As for himself, President Trump addressed this malicious rumor more than a year ago stating, Congressman Matt Gaetz has never asked me for a pardon. Read the entire Washington Post story here. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... Georgii Boronin/Getty; blackred/Getty; Studio Blond/Getty; LoveTheWind/Getty; Anna Kim/Insider One GOP lawmaker has led the push to ban books in Texas, a Houston Chronicle investigation found. In 2021, state Rep. Matt Krause asked school districts to review a list of 850 books. Texas now has the highest number of book bans in the US. Texas librarian Carolyn Foote began to notice a trend in the spring of 2021 as she began getting ready to retire challenges to children's books in school libraries, specifically regarding race and sexuality, were on the rise. After leaving her post, she says what accelerated the bans considerably was a list of 850 books for districts to review sent in October 2021 to the Texas Education Agency. "I was a librarian for 29 years and we had three book challenges," Foote, one of the founders of the #FReadomFighters movement, told Insider. Texas is now a leader in book bans, and one influential politician along with pressure from the GOP may have been the driving force, a Houston Chronicle investigation found. State Rep. Matt Krause also chair of the General Investigating Committee, which conducts inquiries on matters of government put forth the book query to assess how many school districts had books pertaining to topics that "contain material that might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress," based on race or sex, according to a letter obtained by the Texas Tribune. The book reviews were optional (Krause didn't have the authority to make it mandatory), but after the list went out, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott got involved, pressuring schools to review books that contained "pornographic or obscene material." By April 2022, a PEN America analysis found that Texas had 713 bans, nearly half of all book bans in the US. 'You know, we'd love to take credit if we could do that' Out of 2,080 books reviewed for removals at schools done by districts since 2018, two-thirds of reviews occurred after Krause sent out his list, the Chronicle analysis found. Story continues In an interview with Insider, Krause disagreed with the assertion that it all came down to one politician, and said parents in the state were the ones paying attention to the types of books that their children were reading. "You know, we'd love to take credit if we could do that," Krause said. "But there's really no credit to be had. We actually just joined in what we had already heard from a bunch of parents around the state of being concerned over what books are in certain school districts." Many of the titles on Krause's book list were written by authors of color and LGBTQ authors. The Chronicle analysis found that this influenced the types of book reviews that dominated school districts: 1,334 book reviews considered stories on LGBTQ+ while 609 prominently featured people of color or discussed racial issues. Krause told Insider he could not specify whether or not his office generated the list due to "pending or potential investigations." He also told the Dallas Morning News in 2021 he did not believe he had read any of the books on his list. Krause told Insider the reason for his effort was to make sure that schools were complying with Texas state law on "race and sexuality" that had passed during the 2021 legislative session. Abbott signed a "critical race theory" law in June 2021, which banned material that would make students "feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of the individual's race or sex" in social studies curricula. The law was replaced by the more comprehensive Senate Bill 3 in December. Krause voted yes on both HB 3979 and SB 3 in the House. Texas did not pass any LGBTQ-specific education laws during the last legislative session, but Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick announced this year that he would prioritize passing a law modeled after what critics call Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law. "I do think it's good for students, and I think it's appropriate and healthy for students to be exposed to various viewpoints, diverse viewpoints, ideologies, beliefs, and things like that as we go through school, but I think you can do that in an age-appropriate, and in a reasonable and appropriate way," Krause said. The books "Gender Queer" and "Lawn Boy" are popular targets of book bans. Penguin Random House; Simon & Schuster. Krause told Insider that the only personally objectionable books that came to mind were "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe and "Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison. Both books deal with LGBTQ topics and contain some sexually explicit material. But Foote said that many of the books she came across on the list didn't contain explicit material and there was no academic rigor applied to the creation of the list. "If this list were really intended to make sure schools were complying with the law, then I'm very uncertain how all those kinds of titles ended up on the list," Foote said. "It seemed much more targeted in terms of someone's belief systems." Ricardo Martinez, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit Equality Texas, said the number of books with LGBTQ characters and authors on Krause's list was concerning, especially because of the large number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in the Texas legislature in 2021. "It's disappointing that we are perceived as an easy punching bag," Martinez told Insider. Krause is known for being at odds with Texas' LGBTQ community Krause represents District 93 in Tarrant County, which includes parts of Fort Worth and Arlington. He's served his district for five two-year terms. In 2022, he ran for district attorney but lost the primary. He also ran for state attorney general, but his name didn't appear on the ballot. Krause's legislative record, especially in regard to LGBTQ issues, has put him in the spotlight before: In 2013, Equality Texas named him the state's most homophobic legislator. He also sponsored and authored multiple anti-LGBTQ bills, such as 2017's HB 1923, which would have allowed businesses to refuse service to LGBTQ couples on the basis of religious beliefs. The bill never passed. Krause was an adjunct professor at Liberty University Online, an Evangelical college in Virginia that banned "statements and behaviors that are associated with LGBT states of mind" as well as pronouns that differ from one's sex assigned at birth, the Dallas Morning News reported in 2021. He also has connections to WallBuilders, a Christian organization that seeks to emphasize the "moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built," the Morning News reported. Krause is also anti-abortion and previously tried and failed to establish the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision as a statewide "Day of Tears." He defended himself over the Dallas Morning News article, saying that although his faith "plays a role in everything that I do" it was not the reason why he started the inquiry. Krause is leaving office next year and won't be putting out another book inquiry, but he said Texans may continue to see book lists that review other pieces of legislation it all depends on who's at the helm of the investigating committee. Some politicians and parent groups disagreed with the inquiry Krause denies any political motivations behind the book list, but critics disagree. For Foote, the book bans represent GOP political motivations, citing school board officials and lawmakers who have begun their own book challenges. Not all school districts complied with Krause's investigation, and many of the books remained in schools after reviews were done. San Antonio's North East ISD banned or partially banned 119 books listed on Krause's document, the most of any district, after pulling hundreds of books off shelves for reviews. In a statement to the Chronicle, a spokesperson for NEISD said the books were misplaced in an elementary library out of concerns of "age appropriateness." An NEISD spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Krause's colleague on the Texas General Investigating Committee, Rep. Victoria Neave Criado, was against his calls for districts to review their reading material and previously called the book inquiry a "whitewashing" of history. Victoria Neave Criado (@Victoria4Texas) October 28, 2021 A representative for Criado did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The new frontier of book bans: self-censorship Foote, along with other groups in Texas, have made some strides in keeping books on the shelves. But now, Foote says, what's lurking behind the book bans is the self-censorship that librarians are now grappling with in anticipation of backlash from politicians or parent groups or fear of personal repercussions. A classroom library in Oklahoma that has been covered by a teacher who fears backlash over recent legislation that limits what can be taught in schools. Provided by a Norman Public School teacher "We don't know how many things aren't being bought now because the teachers are scared to have them in their classroom, because libraries are scared to have it... so there's a lot of sort of self-censorship and self-restraint that is happening because people are scared," Foote said. A School Library Journal survey of 720 US school libraries taken in May found that librarians were self-censoring. Nearly 30% of respondents said they had decided not to purchase books with LGBTQ characters. Foote said this results in a "chilling environment," both for librarians and students who end up finding themselves in the middle of these battles. "The fact that by removing books or censoring books about LGBTQ characters or characters of color, we're basically telling them you don't belong in our library," Foote said. "Your history doesn't belong in our libraries, which means you don't belong here." Read the original article on Business Insider Associated Press Alabama reclaimed No. 1 from Georgia in The Associated Press college football poll in one of the closest votes in the recent years, and six teams including Kansas made their season debut on Sunday. The Crimson Tide received 25 first-place votes and 1,523 points in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, two points more than the Bulldogs. Georgia received 28 first-place votes to become the first team since Alabama in November 2019 to have the most first-place votes but not be No. 1. A new report out by the Georgia Department of Public Health shows overdose deaths due to drugs mixed with fentanyl are on the rise. But treatment and recovery are possible. Channel 2s Lori Wilson visited an area church that is reaching out to the community to provide help and hope. Destroyed multiple jobs, my health, my family, had legal problems.. you name it, it affected everything, Joel Lindquist, who is in recovery, said. Lindquist says part of his recovery is helping others understand that drug use, even addiction, does not have to be the end of the story. Ive lived it out myself personally, and here I am. I just dont want people to lose hope, Lindquist said. His minister at Snellville Church of Christ, Harold Savage, wants people to have hope too, and he says open, honest conversation can help people understand theyre not alone. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Were all in this together. We all have things were working through. No family is immune from this, Savage said. Licensed therapist and addictions expert Dr. Lucy Cannon says there are warning signs parents can look for. They have a great deal of trouble concentrating, they either sleep too much or hardly ever sleep... theyre very irritable, the school work starts to really deteriorate. At a time when drugs are being laced with fentanyl, Cannon says parents can open up a dialogue with their kids, using some basic questions like these: What do you know about drugs? Do you know any kids that experiment with drugs? What do you notice about them? Then you want to let them know there is a lot of misinformation about drugs being okay, you want to be very straightforward, theyre not. TRENDING STORIES: Story continues Cannon says many kids start experimenting with drugs they have easy access to at home at around the age of nine they try alcohol or pain pills. Lindquist said he started drinking with friends when he was a teenager and then years later became addicted to opioids. We should talk about it more because it affects all of us... it is part of our family problem, Lindquist said. We want to help because life gets better...and there is this thing called hope. Its real, and they can have it. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) Their spiritual leader is behind bars in California after pleading guilty to sexually abusing minors. Yet legions of followers of Naason Joaquin Garcia in his home base in Mexico remain fervently loyal to him, viewing his imprisonment as a challenge that will strengthen their church, La Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World), rather than weaken it. His continued hold on his flock was evident recently at the Christian churchs main temple in Guadalajara, as thousands gathered to pray for their absent leader during their Holy Supper, the most sacred festivity for La Luz del Mundo. To gasps of surprise, Joaquin Garcia addressed the congregation by telephone from his Los Angeles prison, where he is serving a 16-year sentence. I do not see the bars that separate me from you, he told his followers. I see your beautiful faces ... because you are the children of God. Even outside the temple, the sound of his voice stirred emotions among dozens of devotees guarding entries to the sanctuary. Nearly all closed their eyes. Many lifted their fists. Some knelt and wept. Near the end of the call, Joaquin Garcia asked his followers to raise their hands and their voices to God and repeat after him: I promise you, Lord, that whatever the suffering, I will never abandon you. It seems clear that many members of the church, founded in Mexico in 1926 and now active in many countries, arent ready to abandon Joaquin Garcia as their apostle the term used for the churchs leader. Many believe he was sent by God to preach to them and are convinced he is innocent, despite his guilty plea. The apostle always shows determination to move forward, said Phares Ruiz, who traveled from El Salvador to attend the Holy Supper. Hes firm in his convictions, and the church is firm as well in its purpose of moving forward. Ruiz told The Associated Press that his family has belonged to La Luz del Mundo for three generations. Story continues Joaquin Garcia, 53, was arrested in 2019 in California. He initially faced more than 20 charges, but most were dismissed after a plea deal with prosecutors. The church contended that prosecutors withheld or doctored evidence, and said Joaquin Garcia pleaded guilty because he didnt think he could get a fair trial. The Apostle of Jesus Christ has had no choice but to accept with much pain that the agreement presented is the best way forward to protect the church and his family, the church said. The home base of the church is the Guadalajara neighborhood of Hermosa Provincia, Spanish for beautiful province. Jericho, Bethlehem and Nazareth are among the names of roads converging on the white temple that locals call the cake, for its white tiers that diminish in size as they rise upward. Congregation members in the neighborhood call each other brother and sister and take pride in helping one another. The churchs media relations office claims there is no crime in the area. The neighborhood has cafeterias, clinics, a recreation center and a store that sells Bibles and religious-themed games for children. From the walls hang photographs of Joaquin Garcia, smiling and wearing a tuxedo. Spanning the main street is a sculpture spelling innocent in Spanish. Sara Pozos, 49, is among many in the neighborhood who believe their leader's imprisonment has strengthened the church. I think it changed for the better in the sense that now we feel more united, and we feel more empowered, she said. It has been a very difficult issue, of course, for him and for us, she added. We all suffer something in life, but one learns to know those moments where you see that God is doing something to help you, to get ahead, not to let you fall. Another neighborhood resident, Sailem Castillo, also said she was upbeat despite Joaquin Garcias imprisonment. For us everything is very nice, everything continues to work, she said. Ministers, pastors and deacons have their same duties. They bless the bread, the wine, and do other things as if he were here, although physically he is not. The jailed leader is the grandson of La Luz del Mundos founder: Eusebio Joaquin Gonzalez, a member of the military who began preaching in 1926. He's known to church members as Aaron a result, he said, of God asking him to change his name. Aaron's wife was the church's first member. Today it claims a membership of more than 5 million in some 50 nations. La Luz del Mundo is sometimes described as evangelical, but its members do not embrace this term. The churchs doctrine is learned from the cradle. Parents give biblical names to their children and take them to the temple at 40 days old to promise they will guide them to follow their path. Most teachings translate into something quotidian. During services, the women sit to the right and men to the left. In some cities, people tithe more than 10% of their monthly income to the church. Biblical verses are cited to explain behavior. Castillo, a recently married woman of 25, told AP the church advises members how to lead a decent life, in which women may not drink alcohol or go out on frequent dates. Like other women in Hermosa Provincia, she wears dresses and skirts that are not form-fitting, eschews makeup and earrings and wears her hair long. The religion is very demanding, said Arlene M. Sanchez-Walsh, a professor of religious studies at Azusa Pacific University, a Christian institution near Los Angeles. It is not sufficient to say I have converted or I have baptized she said. You have to follow certain steps to prove your loyalty. For some young people, these steps include memorizing songs honoring the apostle, reading the Bible before bed and not marrying someone from outside the church. All this goes to show that although you are part of this world, you have accepted a very particular way of life because you are Christian, Sanchez-Walsh said. Those born in the community are baptized at 14 because, according to the church, that lets them decide whether to reaffirm or leave the faith. Nevertheless, there are former members who say their ceremony was not optional. Ahead of the baptism, in a ritual known as the revivals, children undergo days of prayer and fasting inside a temple. The revival consists of repeating Glory to Christ nonstop until the youths are heard speaking in tongues to testify that the Holy Spirit has entered them. For Raquel Haifa, 43, fulfilling the revivals was a traumatizing experience that she considers abusive, because minors are not able to decline to take part. I did cry, because I was saying, God, deliver me from this, make this time pass quickly, Haifa said from Texas. Currently, journalists are not allowed to attend services or take photographs inside the churchs temples. Since Joaquin Garcias arrest, La Luz del Mundo's media relations team says it cannot make official statements on his case because litigation is ongoing. On Sept. 8 a lawsuit was filed in California against Joaquin Garcia and four church members alleged to be complicit in the sex abuse. The suit was filed by five women who under the pseudonym Jane Doe were identified as victims in the original criminal charges against him. It accuses Joaquin Garcia of conditioning victims, under the guise of religion, to serve him above all else, ultimately resulting in the sexual abuse over the course of several years. The lawsuit includes detailed accounts from the five plaintiffs alleging that they were pressured by Joaquin Garcia and his associates into performing for pornographic photo shoots, and were forced to engage in sex acts with him. The church weaponized the faith of their most vulnerable members, said Jonati Joey Yedidsion, one of the lawyers handling the lawsuit. Instead of protecting those innocent women, Naason and the church fostered and then brutally preyed on their blind trust and allegiance in the Apostle". The case has been difficult for some former members who have distanced themselves from the church. Speaking on a podcast called I Left a Sect, Lo-ami Salazar said Hermosa Provincia used to be her happy place. Knowing that these abuses took place there, in my happy place, in my safe place, is horrible, she said. ___ 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. Lawyers representing many of the Venezuelan migrants flown on two planes to Marthas Vineyard by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have called for a criminal investigation into the Republican publicity stunt. The organisation Lawyers for Civil Rights has called on probes to be launched by both federal and state governments into the widely-condemned incident. It is representing more than 30 of the undocumented migrants who were dumped on the upscale island off the coast of Massachusetts where Barack Obama has a $12m home. Lawyers for Civil Rights has now written to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and US Attorney Rachael Rollins calling for them to investigate the shameful political stunt. Individuals, working in concert with the Florida governor, made numerous false promises to our clients, including of work opportunities, schooling for their children and immigration assistance, in order to induce them to travel, wrote Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director, and Oren Sellstrom, litigation director. It was only when the flight was in mid-air that they were informed they would be flown to Marthas Vineyard, rather than to Boston as many had been told. Once the planes landed, those who had induced our clients to travel under these false pretenses disappeared, leaving our clients to learn that the offers of assistance had all been a ruse to exploit them for political purposes. Ms Rollins stated earlier this week that her office would be looking into How Mr DeSantis organised the flights without notifying federal officials or those on the island, reported The Boston Herald. California Governor Gavin Newsom has already called for the Justice Department to investigate Mr DeSantis over the incident. Following their arrival, the migrants have been rehoused at Joint Base Cape Cod in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping just concluded his two-nation trip on late Friday 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. In a packed three-day schedule, Xi intensively attended nearly 30 events, featuring multilateral and bilateral agendas, and covering security and development issues. There are many highlights and fruitful results, which have strongly pushed the SCO expansion a new step forward and brought China's relations with relevant countries to a new level. Global experts, scholars and officials have spoken highly of Xi's appeal for a closer SCO community with a shared future, as well as China's initiatives and its role in the SCO community and beyond, expecting the organization to boost stability and development across the Eurasian continent. Open new stage of SCO development under Shanghai Spirit Since its founding in 2001, the SCO, now with eight full members, four observer countries and multiple dialogue partners, has become not only a strong pillar of global peace and development, but also a major force for international equity and justice. In his speech at the SCO summit on Friday, Xi summarized the successful experience of the organization, namely, adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. These five points fully embody the Shanghai Spirit -- mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, he said. "We owe SCO's remarkable success to the Shanghai Spirit. And we will continue to follow its guidance as we forge ahead," Xi said. Gulru Gezer, a Turkish foreign policy advisor and former diplomat, views the Shanghai Spirit as "an example for a newer way of cooperation," which is especially important when "the world needs new patterns of relationships" in a multilateral era. As the globe is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and a new phase of uncertainty and transformation, the Shanghai Spirit could be "instrumental in building bridges between the nations and continents, fostering economic integration of the regions, and mitigating many regional and global challenges," said B. R. Deepak, chairperson of the Center for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. Under the joint efforts of Xi and the other leaders, the summit adopted more than 40 documents covering such areas as economy, finance, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges, institution building and external interactions. It 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. Of special note is that an increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family. At the summit, Iran officially became a full SCO member. China and other SCO members also started the procedure for Belarus' accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, and reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, director of the Islamabad-based Centre of South Asia and International Studies, believes that the SCO's principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party has won the hearts of many countries; and that its modern visions on politics, security, economy, and human society are pretty attractive to countries in the region and beyond. Write new chapter of China-Kazakhstan, China-Uzbekistan friendship Back in 2013, during his Central Asia tour, Xi first put forward the Silk Road Economic Belt, a component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Kazakhstan, and made a special visit to Uzbekistan's Samarkand. The Silk Road Economic Belt has since closely connected China with the two Central Asian countries. This time, Xi paid visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which clearly reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries, as well as the close friendship and deep trust between the heads of state. During formal talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi said that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan in firmly supporting each other's development and rejuvenation, and that 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. When talking with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Xi pointed out that China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits. China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, and deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit, he said. Xi received the Order of the Golden Eagle awarded by Tokayev, and the first Order of Friendship conferred by Mirziyoyev, and signed and issued joint statements respectively with the two colleagues, comprehensively summarizing the achievements and experience accumulated during the past 30 years of diplomatic relations and drawing a blueprint for future development. Xi's visit demonstrates "the important role that Kazakhstan plays in China's foreign policy," said Gulnar Shaimergenova, director of Kazakhstan's China Studies Center, who expects the "very significant diplomatic event" to add strong impetus to the further deepening of bilateral relations. "I believe that the visit of the leader of China will be productive for the further development of bilateral relations in all areas," said former SCO Secretary-General Bolat Nurgaliyev. Azamat Seitov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan, observed that cooperation between Uzbekistan and China in investment and technology is booming, which will accelerate technological modernization and diversification of the Uzbek economy, and enhance the country's export potential. Inject positivity into Eurasia's peace, development In Samarkand, Xi attended bilateral meetings with 10 leaders participating in the SCO summit, and the meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia. The events play an important role in guiding the development of bilateral relations and boosting regional peace and stability. These diplomatic efforts have shown "China is willing to work with the SCO community to deepen cooperation in law enforcement, security and defense, and combatting drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and terrorism," among other fields, said Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh. As a positive force in the SCO, China-proposed initiatives "such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative are essential to reinforce multilateralism, international cooperation and solidarity to address global challenges and concerns for common interests," he added. In the past years, the SCO has unleashed enormous development opportunities for the region and the wider world by building up connectivity under the Belt and Road framework, advancing synergy between the initiative and development plans of regional countries. Since 2001, the combined economic size of the SCO countries has risen around 13-fold. These years, China and other member states have been using the SCO as a platform to promote the synergy between the China-proposed BRI and development strategies of other countries, said Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Turkish Center of Asia Pacific Studies. "Today, thanks to the efforts of the SCO, member countries' borders are safer and more secure, and their economies are more integrated." Calling the SCO "a role model for other regional organizations," Colakoglu said: "as one of the founding members of the SCO, China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration." In a highly interconnected world where non-traditional threats are more challenging, countries can promote peace and preserve the gains of development only through common development and cooperation, said Pramod Jaiswal, research director of Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement. Therefore, China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind is peculiarly worth appreciation, Jaiswal observed, adding that he believes China has been playing a crucial role and will encourage more participation in the cause. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley on Sunday warned of potential Russian reactions to losing territory in Ukraine, Reuters reported. The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So its incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert, Milley said in Warsaw, Poland, the outlet reported. Milleys remarks came after he visited a military base in Poland assisting the Ukrainian war efforts. Reporters were asked not to publish specific details about the location, according to Reuters. Ukrainian troops in recent days have launched a counteroffensive, reclaiming thousands of square miles of territory previously occupied by Russia following its invasion in February. The gains have been especially pronounced in Ukraines Kharkiv region, located in the countrys northeast. The counteroffensive has given new hope to the Ukraine and its allies after nearly seven months of war, while causing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putins war at home. Personalities on Kremlin-owned television stations have in some cases questioned his leadership as Russian forces retreated from regions of Ukraine. Dozens of municipal-level officials have called for Putins resignation. Milley warned that Putins response was unpredictable, and that the war could change course quickly. In the conduct of war, you just dont know with a high degree of certainty what will happen next, Milley said, Reuters reported. Because of that, we have to very closely watch what Russias reactions to that will be, Milley said, according to Reuters. Milley told reporters U.S. troops stationed in Poland and elsewhere in Europe were not necessarily under increased threat. President Biden on Tuesday hailed Ukraines progress, but when asked if the counteroffensive marked a turning point in the war, he said the question was unanswerable. Its hard to tell, Biden said. Its clear the Ukrainians have made significant progress, but I think its going to be a long haul. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. At least 94 people were killed in clashes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan this week, in the worst violence the countries have seen in years, while the international community called for calm. The situation on the contested border between the two Central Asian neighbours was, however, calm on Sunday afternoon, according to Kyrgyz authorities. Clashes regularly erupt between the two former Soviet republics, as around half of their 970-kilometre (600-mile) border is still to be demarcated. Tajikistan said on Sunday that 35 of its citizens were killed, the first official death toll since armed clashes broke out on Wednesday. On its Facebook page, the Tajik foreign ministry also reported 25 injured and said civilians, women, and children were among the victims. The ministry accused Kyrgyz soldiers of killing 12 people in a drone strike on a mosque, six others in an attack against a school and another seven when an ambulance came under fire. AFP was not able independently to verify the claims. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan said Sunday 59 people had died in the southern border region of Batken, and 144 had been injured. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from Kyrgyz border regions over the past days, according to NGOs. Kyrgyzstan's emergency situations minister added on Sunday that four Kyrgyz soldiers were reported missing. The country declared September 19 a national day of mourning. - 'Lasting ceasefire' - This toll by far surpasses figures from April 2021, when clashes left 50 dead and raised fears of a large-scale conflict. The two sides agreed a ceasefire Friday and Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon met his Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Japarov at a summit in Uzbekistan. But the two countries traded blame for ceasefire violations only a few hours later. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called for "no further escalation" between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in phone calls with the leaders of the Central Asian nations. Putin also urged them to "take steps to resolve the situation as soon as possible by exclusively peaceful, political and diplomatic means", according to a statement from the Kremlin. Story continues Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are part of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) but they regularly clash. Still, the situation appears to be stabilising. On Sunday afternoon, the Kyrgyz authorities issued a statement saying the situation at the border "remains calm, trending towards stabilisation". "There were no recorded escalation attempts or shots fired on the border. The parties are maintaining their ceasefire agreement and withdrawing their respective troops," the statement added. On Saturday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres had called on the leadership of both sides "to engage in dialogue for a lasting ceasefire", said a spokesman. tol-ab/bur/lpt/imm/cdw Composite image of Drs. Amber Abernathy and Stephen Berkwitz of Missouri State University. While religion and psychology may seem like a strange combination at first glance, Missouri State University is offering undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a certificate in mental health and spirituality. The program came about after the school saw success in its other interdisciplinary certificate, medical humanities, which looks at cultural and personal engagement with illness and health. Around the same time, a class about the psychology of religion gained popularity with students all across the campus, especially those in health and human services. At the start of the course, Dr. Amber Abernathy asks students why they're taking it. Over and over, she heard: "I'm taking this because I want to understand this to help people." When you think about it, it makes sense: Psychology studies the mind and human behavior, and religion and spirituality can shape a person's world-view, their sense of purpose and how they live their life. "(Religious and spiritual) belief is going to be related to your emotions, your meaning of life, and your coping and your health and your parenting all of this is related, and it overlaps in almost any area where youre working with someone else," Abernathy said. More: September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. 'We can all do more,' says advocate. Abernathy mentioned a 2003 study, which found that two-thirds of patients feel it is important for their physicians to understand their beliefs, but only about a third of physicians ask about beliefs. Another study found that 75% of the people surveyed felt a good therapist should be sensitive to their beliefs. "People want the psychologist, the psychotherapist, the counselor to know where theyre coming from, and its just not getting asked," Abernathy said. Abernathy, a professor of psychology, leads the mental health and spirituality certificate program along with Dr. Stephen Berkwitz, professor of religious studies. Story continues The courses offer a wide view of spirituality. "Our department is specifically designed to cover as wide a range of different traditions as possible, some of which arent well-organized," Berkwitz said. "There is content and courses that look at individualized spirituality, that rejection of organized religion. Its certainly not limited to just Christianity." The certificate's development was part of a conscious effort to ensure course offerings were in-tune with what students wanted. "Its up to us to look and see where (interest) is going, and to figure out ways to make the study of religion still relevant to peoples lives, and this is one way we do that," Berkwitz said. More: Diabetes, substance use and mental health top list of Springfield's health priorities "Ive had more psychology grad students looking at tying psychology and spirituality into their research because theyre finding it," Abernathy said. "Weve had a couple discussions; I had one I talked about the other day about religious upbringing and how that might relate to (development), so I think just going forward, this is where people are looking at more holistic aspects (of psychology)." The program requires students take 15 credit hours, or five courses, of certain classes in the psychology and religious studies departments. Non-degree seeking students are also welcome to complete the certificate, Abernathy said. "I would be thrilled if people who are already working came back and said it would be beneficial for my career, because it is possible for adult learners to do the certificate as sort of standalone program alongside their practice or work," Berkwitz said. The program doesn't just benefit those in psychology. "We always get asked, What does this benefit? Theres a wonderful list, but my answer is always, Anywhere where youre working with somebody else, because everybody is going to have a level of spirituality and religiosity." Abernathy said. "Theyre going to have a belief one way or another, so to understand that and to understand what that entails in their life is huge. Ultimately, Abernathy hopes to expand the program to graduate students, as well. But right now, the undergraduate certificate is just the first step. "Itd be great to see a vibrant program with lots of students, some people from the community that are taking these courses and completing the certificate," Berkwitz said. "Maybe its a way for Missouri State to kind of show that we are preparing students for real-life situations and jobs, and will help them both personally and professionally as they go forward." Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MSU offers undergrads mental health and spirituality certificate For so long the world has ignored what happens in the global south, climate activist Vanessa Nakate says NEW YORK (AP) Vanessa Nakates climate activism over the past three years has propelled her to the world stage. Since 2019, Nakate has worked to amplify the voices of African climate activists through a platform she created called Rise Up Movement, spearheaded an initiative to stop the deforestation of African rainforests and launched the Vash Greens Schools Project, which aims to install solar panels in remote areas of her home country, Uganda. These endeavors led UNICEF to announce her as their new goodwill ambassador this week, with UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell saying Nakates appointment to the role will help ensure that the voices of children and young people are never cut out of the conversation on climate change and always included in decisions that affect their lives. Climate activist Vanessa Nakate of Uganda poses for a portrait in New York outside the United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Robert Bumsted) Despite the global recognition, Nakate says its not enough not enough to save the planet or to save the people in the global south she says are suffering significantly from the effects of climate disasters. For so long the world has ignored what happens in the global south, the 25-year-old Ugandan native told the Associated Press on Wednesday. Fresh off a week-long trip to Turkana County, Kenya with UNICEF, Nakate saw the effects of food and water insecurity caused by the worst drought in eastern Africa in four decades. To go back to the Horn of Africa where I was in Turkana there was a time people talked about it, but now people have forgotten, she said. Its no longer being talked about, but does that mean that situation has come to an end? No. The drought situation is much worse and many people are suffering right now. Earlier this year, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development warned that higher temperatures and less than normal rainfall were recorded across the African continent by weather agencies, and rains were further expected to fail indicating that countries in East Africa, as well as the Horn of Africa, could be facing the most severe drought in 40 years. Over the years, droughts have led to crop failure, livestock deaths and millions of cases of malnutrition. Story continues Countries like Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya could see current famine conditions intensify. When it comes to the climate crisis, it has different, horrible realities. One of them is that those being impacted the most right now, they are the ones the least responsible, she said. According to the Global Carbon Project, a team of scientists that monitor countries carbon dioxide emissions, Africa which accounts for about 16% of the worlds population is responsible for only 3.2% of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere since 1959. Carbon dioxide is the primary contributor to climate change. As a natural greenhouse gas, it traps heat in the atmosphere, which in turn causes global temperatures to rise. Where the African continent is a minor contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions, more industrialized countries such as the United States, Russia and China are greater contributors. For activists like Nakate, tackling the climate crisis isnt just about raising awareness or urging global leaders to make swift policy changes addressing climate change that is devastating countries like Pakistan and Kenya it also requires amplifying the voices of non-western climate activists, who she said are largely ignored in international conversations about climate change. Climate activist Vanessa Nakate of Uganda speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in New York on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Nakate was appointed to serve as this years UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. (AP Photo/Robert Bumsted) Looking ahead to COP27 the United Nations annual climate summit which is being held in Egypt this November, Nakate said she notices a significant deficit during these global discussions: the lack of real human experience. I think what really misses in these conversations is the human face of the climate crisis and I think its really the human face that tells the story that, tells the experiences of what communities are going through, she said. Its what also tells the solutions that communities need because many times theres a disconnect between what is being discussed and between what communities are saying. To Nakate, that is a failure of global leadership. She believes that leaders, specifically western leaders, would take immediate action if they understood and saw the hardships people experienced as a result of the climate crisis. Ultimately, she said, the responsibility and burden of tackling climate change and ensuring the numerous, nameless faces of the climate crisis are not ignored needs to fall on global leaders not solely the youth that have built a global movement. The question should be like, what should the leaders do? What should governments do? Because this whole time Ive done activism, I have realized the youth have done everything, Nakate said. Still, she tries to look for hope in the situation. In all this, you try to look for the hope because its in that hope that you find the strength to keep saying we want this or we dont want this, she said. TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today! The post Nakate: Leaders are missing the human face of climate change appeared first on TheGrio. NATO reported that the supply of weapons to Ukraine is increasing "The Alliance has generally agreed to provide non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, but NATO states independently provide military assistance to Ukraine, including the supply of weapons, he noted. Read also: NATO chief calls for more arms support for Ukraine as its sovereignty is at stake Thus, over time, Ukraine gets more and more new weapons. Bauer stated that at a meeting of the chiefs-of-staff of the armed forces of NATO members in Tallinn, the military leaders discussed the issue of support for Ukraine, as well as improving the effectiveness of the defense of NATOs eastern members. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Former President Bill Clinton rejected the notion that Russia's invasion of Ukraine can be blamed on the expansion of NATO that began during his presidency. "I think we did the right thing at the right time. And if we hadn't had done it, this crisis might have occurred even sooner," he said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS." Critics have argued that the continued encroachment of Russia on its borders by NATO led Russian President Vladimir Putin to push back by invading Ukraine, either to regain some of Russia's lost empire or demonstrate that Russia is not a weak state that would be easily intimidated by the West. Clinton said Putin "made no secret of the fact that he thought the dissolution of the Soviet Union was a great tragedy." The former president said the U.S. and NATO never meant to threaten Russia and that the nations of Eastern Europe had a right to live in security after decades of being dominated by Russia. "When I did what I did," Clinton said, "I offered Russia not only a special partnership with NATO, but the prospect of eventual membership in NATO, arguing that our biggest security problems in the future were going to come from non-state actors, or from authoritarian states selling chemical, biological and nuclear capacity to terrorist groups. And that we should do this together." Clinton's election in 1992 came in the aftermath of the end of the Cold War. The nations of Eastern Europe had thrown off decades of Communist dictatorship in 1989, and President Mikhail Gorbachev had dissolved the Soviet Union in 1991. During Clinton's presidency, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined NATO, followed in 2004 by Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. All of those nations had either been part of the Soviet Union or allies of the Soviet Union. "You're supposed to tell the Poles they should live the rest of eternity with insecurity that Russia won't try to come after them again? Or the Hungarians or the, you know, all the others. The Baltic states. Really, after what they did, did they ever want to be in the Soviet Union? And the Czech Republic was the most democratic of all and the best-managed," he told Zakaria. The February invasion of Ukraine was met by strong resistance by Ukraine, which recently reconquered some of the territory it lost in the early weeks of the attack. It also led Finland and Sweden, two long-neutral neighbors of Russia, to ask to join NATO. Texas A&M bounced back from its Week 2 defeat to Appalachian State with a 17-9 win over No. 13 Miami on Saturday night. The game was as much of an offensive struggle as the score indicated and while No. 24 Texas A&Ms quarterback switch paid off with a win, the offensive results werent too inspiring with Max Johnson at QB instead of Haynes King. The Aggies had just 265 yards of total offense and Johnson was just 10-of-20 passing for 140 yards. The LSU transfer got the start on Saturday night after King threw for 97 yards in the loss to App State. "I thought he did a really nice job," Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said of Johnson after the game on ESPN. "He led the team, played with poise and didn't try to take things that weren't there. Made some plays that were there. We've got to get a lot better but he led us to victory and did the things we had to do in our game plan." Much like Appalachian State did a week ago, Miami had the ball more than the Aggies did. But they settled for five field goal attempts in Texas A&M territory, including at the end of 12-play drive in the third quarter. A&M took a 17-3 lead at the start of the second half when Johnson found Devon Achane on a 25-yard TD pass. Miami responded with a 71-yard drive that took over six minutes but the Hurricanes and coach Mario Cristobal eschewed going for it on 4th and goal at the A&M 4 to kick a short field goal. Miami never got that close to the end zone again, though A&M tried to gift the Hurricanes a golden opportunity for a tie with less than four minutes to go. Ainias Smith dropped a punt inside his own 10 but somehow grabbed the ball off the turf before a horde of Hurricanes descended upon the ball. The Hurricanes got one more opportunity to get a touchdown and a two-point conversion for the tie but didn't get much into A&M territory before turning the ball over on downs when Tyler Van Dyke's pass went through Brashard Smith's hands. Story continues While Miami had over 100 yards more than A&M did, it was an uneven offensive performance for the Hurricanes. Tyler Van Dyke was just 21-of-41 passing for 217 yards without receiver Xavier Restrepo in the lineup and tight end Will Mallory left the game in the second half after he landed on his head when getting tackled after a catch and run. Henry Parrish Jr. and Jaylan Knighton combined to rush for over 150 yards but the Hurricanes stalled out whenever they started to sniff the A&M end zone. Andres Borregales also missed two field goals. A&M, meanwhile, will need to get better quarterback play from Johnson or King if it wants to be a contender in the SEC West. The offense simply cant rely on Achane to do everything. Achane had nearly half of the Aggies offense with 88 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards while Smith had 74 receiving yards on four catches. Smith and Achane form one of the best running back and receiver tandems in the SEC but need a quarterback to consistently carry the offense. Given Fisher's comments after the game, we won't be surprised if Johnson starts again in Week 4 against No. 10 Arkansas. But he and the A&M offense will need to be a lot better for the Aggies to not drop to 2-2. Baby Raccoon in a tree, with its family near by. @jaycubzuh Twitter/Skype/Facebook / Getty Images Erin Christensen was arrested after she brought her pet Raccoon into a bar, according to The Bismark Tribune. Authorities raided Christensen's home and killed the Raccoon on the spot, collecting his body to test for diseases, she said. The family set up a fundraiser to pay for Christensen's legal fees and donate to a wildlife rehabilitation center. The family of a woman in North Dakota who evaded police is raising money after she said local police shot and killed their pet raccoon in relation to a rabies scare. Erin Christensen, 38, and her family is raising money on GoFundMe to cover legal fees after she was accused of causing a rabies scare at a local bar in Maddock, North Dakota when she brought in her family's pet raccoon, she wrote on the fundraiser. The family had been nursing the raccoon, named Rocky, back to health for three months, according to The Bismark Tribune. According to the fundraiser, Christensen found the animal on the side of the road in June. "Rocky was found approximately 3 months ago in the evening, he was lonely, scared, hungry, we decided not to engage him because maybe his mom would come to help him, the next day he was still in the same spot, so we took him in," the family wrote on the fundraiser page. "We were working very hard to rehabilitate him back into the wild we have bottle fed him, cared for him, he was still being bottle fed when he left and was still learning how to forage food we would place around trees and obstacles," the family added. Video: St. Louis company makes pancake art of pets On September 6, police said that Christensen brought Rocky into a local bar in Maddock during happy hour, according to the Tribune. Cindy Smith, who was bartending at the time, said that there were about ten people in the bar, and Rocky never bit anyone in the five minutes he was inside the bar. "I saw she was carrying something, and I asked her what it was, and she showed me, and I said, 'You've got to get it out of here,'" Smith told the Tribune. "I had no idea what she was thinking." Story continues According to the Tribune, the incident prompted the state Health and Human Services Department to issue a warning about potential rabies exposure. "Rocky never left my arms when I visited the Maddock Bar, so who was at risk of rabies or other diseases?" Christensen stated on GoFundMe. Christensen was arrested on Wednesday after the Benson County Sheriff's Office and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department executed a search warrant, according to the Tribune. Scott Winkelman, the Division Chief of Game and Fish Enforcement, told the Tribune that Christensen tried to evade authorities. The Benson County Sheriff's Office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Sunday. According to the family's statement on GoFundMe, the authorities promised them that they would quarantine Rocky and let him go as long as he did not show any signs of rabies. According to the Tribune, authorities raided Christensen's home in search of Rocky and killed the Raccoon on the spot, taking his carcass to test for diseases. "The police brought a battering ram to break down the front door of the house where Rocky was being housed at the time of his death," Christensen said on the GoFundMe. "The amount of manpower used to find and kill Rocky, with simultaneous raids on three different residences, is impressive. A shock-and-awe campaign." Rocky tested negative for rabies, according to the statement on GoFundMe. Christensen was arrested on charges of giving false information to law enforcement and tampering with evidence. She was also given a Game and Fish violation of unlawfully possessing a furbearer, according to the Tribune. The charges are misdemeanors that together would carry a maximum punishment of several years in jail and fines totaling $7,500, the outlet reported. Christensen is currently free on a $1,500 bond, the Tribune said. "The impact to my family is that my children are confused and traumatized because of the excessive force that was used during the acquisition of this animal," Christensen stated on GoFundMe. "This erodes the trust that they have in local law enforcement agencies. My children are devastated and inconsolable." The family is raising money on GoFundMe to not only pay for Christensen's legal fees but also to donate a majority of the money to wildlife rehabilitation centers in memory of Rocky. "Rocky was just a few months old, he was the sweetest, most loving little boy ever who everyone loved, there was never a dull moment being around him, he was so dang smart and always happy," she said on the GoFundMe. Read the original article on Insider New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, accused a pair of Republican governors of sending migrant buses to liberal cities to distract and cover up their human rights abuses, citing their positions on abortion and gun control. "Well, I think it's a message for the entire country. These are two governors who are hiding up some of the actions they've done around gun control which is really a proliferation proliferating our country with guns," Adams said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." "It's what they did with the women's right to choose," Adams added, referring to Republican Governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida. "You see, this is their way of covering up what many people have been really concerned about, the erosions of basic human rights." DeSantis sent 50 illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard in two planes this past Wednesday, following through on a promise he previously made about sending them to progressive states, which received backlash from the White House and Democrats in Congress calling it an "illegal stunt" and "human trafficking." NYC MAYOR ADAMS SAYS CITY IS AT 'BREAKING POINT' WITH ARRIVAL OF MIGRANTS SENT FROM TEXAS New York City Mayor Eric Adams, left, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have feuded over immigration. Getty Images "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," DeSantis communications director Taryn Fenske told Fox News Digital. Adams called the border crisis a "humanitarian crisis," said that New York City "received a minimum of six buses" on Saturday, and claimed that over 11,000 asylum-seekers and migrants have come to his city since May. Fox News Digital reported this past week that the Martha's Vineyard "humanitarian crisis" is just 0.0025% of the border crisis. There have been more than two million migrant encounters this fiscal year alone so far, on top of more than 1.7 million encounters in fiscal 2021. Story continues OBAMA, MARTHA'S VINEYARD CELEBS SILENT ON OPENING UP ISLAND HOMES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent 50 illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard in two planes this past week, sparking backlash from Democrats in the White House and Congress accusing him of engaging in "human trafficking." Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images CNN's Jake Tapper said it seemed like Adams agreed that the border crisis needed more attention from the Biden administration, highlighting that the El Paso border experiences an average of 1,700 migrants crossing every single day. "No. I believe it's a crisis that needs more coordination from our country," Adams said, appearing to shield the Biden administration from blame for the border crisis. "This is one country -- this is a country that's always been capable of handling those who are seeking to participate in American dream." Photos have emerged from El Paso in recent days showing migrants camping out and crowding the streets. During another Sunday morning interview on ABC's "This Week," Adams would not say whether he agreed with Vice President Harris's claim that the border is "secure," instead saying, "We can continue to coordinate better to make sure that it's secured properly." Adams, who previously tweeted in October 2021 that New York City will "remain a sanctuary city under an Adams administration," was asked whether he has concerns that this policy has led to the spike in migrants making the "dangerous" trip to the border. "No, not at all," Adams said. "This city has always been a sanctuary city, and we've always managed those who wanted to come to New York City to pursue the American dream." Of the 11,000 migrants that arrived in New York Citys shelter system since May, an estimated 8,000 migrants remain in the system, according to the mayors office. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday that Republican governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida have created a humanitarian crisis by sending migrants from the U.S.Mexico border up north. As the mayor of El Paso stated these migrants and asylum seekers are not coming to any particular city, theyre coming to America, Adams said during an appearance on ABCs This Week. This is an American crisis that we need to face a humanitarian crisis that were made by human hands by some of the governors in our southern states. "This is an American crisis that we need to facea humanitarian crisis that were made by human hands by some of the governors in our southern states, NYC Mayor Eric Adams tells @jonkarl as migrants sent on buses north by GOP leaders. https://t.co/gQfsonrNm4 pic.twitter.com/LoIHZ9GqZ2 This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 18, 2022 Abbott began busing migrants from Texas to New York City and Washington, D.C., in the spring. DeSantis sent 50 migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard last week. The Del Rio, Texas, area had more than 49,500 migrant encounters in July alone more than the population of the city itself, which has a population of just over 34,500 people. By contrast, the year-round population of Marthas Vineyard is 17,000 people and the island welcomed just 50 migrants when the humanitarian crisis was triggered. Host Jonathan Karl noted that Adams has said the Big Apple is reaching a breaking point as 11,000 migrants have arrived in the city since May. But look at what we just heard from the mayor of El Paso, Karl said to Adams. The other day they had 2,000 in a single day. How is it that New York City is overwhelmed when its a fraction of what were seeing on the border? Story continues Adams replied: Well whats happening, a playbook that many of the Republican governors, DeSantis and Abbott, are using is not to ship those migrants out to other states, particularly to states like New York. These are people, these are families, these are human beings. NYC Mayor Adams tells @jonkarl that there was no coordination with Texas Gov. Abbott and Florida Gov. DeSantis about buses of migrants being sent north, calling the move a political ploy. https://t.co/lZG1kFXkNH pic.twitter.com/ChjQIEmgTH This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 18, 2022 He called on the governors to coordinate with the federal government and the blue states where they are sending migrants. Adams argued that it is an easier transition for migrants when they have sponsors. We have Venezuelan communities in America, lets coordinate in that fashion like weve done with other large communities we have in New York City where were able to coordinate, get sponsors, work with our non-government organizations, he said. That is what crisis calls for it calls for coordination. He added: There was no coordination at all with Governor Abbott and Governor DeSantis just wanted to use this political ploy instead of understanding these are people, these are families, these are human beings. Adams went on to claim Abbott is sending migrants on a 45-hour bus ride without any proper food, water or medical care and that Abbotts office would not coordinate with him because I dont believe it was politically expedient for them to coordinate, it was more important for them to do this basically political showmanship that youre seeing now. Asked if he plans to visit border, Adams said: We dont have to stand up on the border to state that the crisis [Abbott] created is a real crisis. The mayor called on Abbott to be the chief executive that he is and coordinate on immigration. Abbott previously said he decided to send busloads of migrants to Washington, D.C., and New York City because of President Bidens continued refusal to acknowledge the crisis caused by his open border policies, saying that the State of Texas has had to take unprecedented action to keep our communities safe. In addition to Washington, D.C., 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, he said when the first busload arrived in New York this summer. Abbott noted late last month that Texas has made over 19,000 arrests, seized over 335.5M lethal fentanyl doses, & sent over 7,400 migrants on buses to DC and over 1,500 to NYC. "You pledged during your campaign to keep New York City a 'sanctuary city.' Do you have any concern that that policy is attractingmore people to cross the border?" Democrat NYC Mayor Eric Adams: "No, not at all." pic.twitter.com/hyCnflZ5V5 RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 18, 2022 Asked if he believes New York Citys status as a sanctuary city is attracting more people to cross the border into the U.S., Adams said Sunday, No, not at all. The city has always been a sanctuary city and weve always managed those who wanted to come to New York City to pursue the American dream, he said. More from National Review Off-duty Central Florida firefighter helps prevent a potentially tragic situation and saves a life. Jeremy Metsky, a firefighter/EMT with Polk County Fire Rescue, was heading home from his shift on Sept. 11 around 9:20 a.m. when he spotted an individual sitting on the edge of an overpass wall above the westbound lanes of Interstate 4 near mile marker 3 in Tampa. >>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<< According to a news release, Metsky contacted Florida Highway Patrol and quickly got off at the next exit. After notifying FHP, Metsky reached the overpass, exited his vehicle and began to talk with the individual. Read: Orlando Magic and Florida Blue Block Out Hunger together, distribute meals Mestsky established a connection with the suspected jumper until law enforcement officials arrived. When troopers arrived, they distracted the individual, which gave Metsky an opportunity to successfully remove the individual from the overpass wall and secure the individual from a potentially tragic situation. Read: Kennedy Space Center offering visitors a Taste of Space this fall The composure and bravery firefighter/EMT Metsky displayed when he was faced with a difficult situation is exceptional, said Rick Parnell, Polk County Fire Rescue interim fire chief. We are extremely proud of firefighter/EMT Metskys quick-thinking and the brave actions he displayed yesterday morning to help save a life and assist his fellow first responders. 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. Former President Trump looks on as J.D Vance, a Republican candidate for Senate, speaks Saturday in Youngstown, Ohio. (Tom E. Puskar / Associated Press) Former President Trump drew more than 6,000 fans for a rally Saturday evening in this industrial northeast Ohio city and mocked venture capitalist J.D. Vance, his pick in the states surprisingly tight U.S. Senate race, in the process. J.D. is kissing my ass. Of course he wants my support, Trump told the crowd. The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance, he added. Trump has intervened in dozens of Republican primaries across the country this year. Many of the candidates he backed, including Vance, went on to win their partys nomination. But some Republicans in Washington have questioned whether Trumps picks, who often have strong appeal to his base, can succeed in November, when they will have to compete for swing voters. Candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome of statewide races, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the GOP leader in the Senate, said last month. Many election forecasters believe that Democrats are likely to maintain control of the Senate. Trump won Ohio twice, both times by more than 8 percentage points. But Vance, who was once a Trump critic, has been struggling to build a lead on Rep. Tim Ryan, his Democratic opponent for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Trump backed Vance in part because he thought the Hillbilly Elegy author and Marine veteran had the best chance to win, he said earlier this year. Hes a guy that said some bad s about me. He did, Trump told the crowd at an April rally in Cleveland. But I have to do what I have to do. We have to pick somebody that can win. Some at Saturdays rally evinced little affection for Republicans not named Trump. I love Trump. He is the best president in my lifetime, said Patricia Delwiche, 65, of Missouri, who traveled nearly 12 hours to attend Saturdays event. Delwiche believes Trump needs to do more to push Republicans in Name Only RINOs out of the party. There are RINOs out there. They need to get out, like Kevin McCarthy and Lindsey Graham, she said, referring to the Bakersfield Republican who leads the House GOP and the longtime senator from South Carolina. Story continues Delwiche was one of nearly 1,000 rallygoers who waited outside the venue from the early morning hours as music blasted from the arenas outdoor speakers. Some attendees tailgated in the parking lots. Like most Trump rallies, Saturdays gathering also featured appearances by a variety of Trump world celebrities. Vincent Fusca the QAnon figure who many Q followers believe is John F. Kennedy Jr., was in attendance. Uncle Jam, an older man dressed as Uncle Sam who sings Trump-inspired renditions of popular songs, sang Facebook Prison Blues to the tune of Johnny Cashs Folsom Prison Blues. Mike Lindell, owner of the company My Pillow, spoke on a small stage in the parking lot. They had Jan. 6 planned out, Lindell told the crowd before the event without specifying who they were. The two days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol will be remembered as some of the darkest days in our countrys history, he said. They tried to kill your voice that day. They canceled 1.2 million voices from across social media, Lindell said. As rallygoers waited to enter the building, Lindell paced across his stage for nearly an hour, spouting debunked election claims. Earlier this year, Dominion Voting Systems sued Lindell for defamation over his evidence-free claims that the companys former director of product strategy and security committed treason and rigged election machines for President Biden. After rally attendees filed in, the first person to take the stage was J.R. Majewski, a former nuclear energy worker in a tight race against Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-tenured woman in the House. Kapturs home turf, like much of northern Ohio, used to be solidly Democratic, full of union workers who backed candidates with long histories of supporting labor. But that started to change after many manufacturing jobs were outsourced and some unions started to back Trump. Redistricting recently made Kapturs district more competitive, and shes a top target for Republicans this fall. Majewskis dad used to be a true blue Democrat until 2015, when he saw Donald Trump coming down the escalator and he spoke to his heart, the candidate told The Times in an interview. Donald Trump didnt create the MAGA movement, Majewski said. He just taught us how to listen and gave us some insight of what our elected officials were doing, and it motivated people to get more involved. If elected, Majewski said, he would focus on energy policy and stopping the Democrats from trying to force the Green New Deal, wind turbines, solar panels, down the throat of the American people. We just got to keep the lobbyists and big-business money out of the picture. Majewskis speech took a more radical tone. He thanked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for sending unwitting migrants to Marthas Vineyard, Mass., and falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. This Ohio caucus is excited to work together as a team for Ohio, he said. We are going to lead the way no more empty promises, no more locking us down, no more masks, no more grooming our children. If Republicans have their way, the Ohio caucus will be led by Vance. In his speech, Vance attacked Ryan for voting too often with Biden and for supporting rioters and looters and the defund the police movement. Ryan never supported defunding the police; he said the criminal justice system is racist and believes it is the new Jim Crow. Vance also attacked Ryan for wanting to eventually ban gas-powered vehicles, which Ryan suggested during his 2020 presidential run. Is that going to benefit the Youngstown autoworker? Of course not, Vance said. Trump closed out the night by painting a dark vision of Ohio. He said Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton all led by Democratic mayors are some of the deadliest in the country and are being taken over by drug dealers. Im calling for the death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers, he said. The three Ohio cities Trump mentioned had some of the highest homicide rates in the nation in 2019, according to FBI data. He criticized Ryan for saying he wanted to kill and confront the extremist movement within the Republican Party. Trump also attacked Ryan for trying to appeal to moderate Republicans. I think he is running on a I love Donald Trump policy, Trump said of the Democrat. He is a militant left-winger, pretending to be a moderate. Trump continued to push bogus claims about the 2020 election. We won [the presidency] in two landslides, and now, we have to give J.D. a landslide, he said. The radical left Democrats have been fighting tooth and nail to stop me because they know I will never be loyal to them and will only be loyal to you. Ohioans have to vote Republican on the entire ballot or risk the election being stolen, Trump added. We need a landslide so big that the radical left cant steal it or rig it, Trump said. This is the year we are going to take back the House, we are going to take back the Senate, and we are going to take back America. And in 2024, most important, we are going to take back our magnificent White House. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A stock photo of police vehicles with flashing lights. Getty Images Prosecutors said Brooke Hunter's 6-month-old baby died as a result of co-sleeping practices. Hunter was warned of the dangers of co-sleeping after the death of her first baby a year ago, prosecutors allege. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend bed sharing under any circumstances. A mother in Cincinnati, Ohio, is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering children after prosecutors say her baby died as a result of "co-sleeping." Brooke Hunter was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday after her 6-week-old daughter died on June 22 after co-sleeping with her, Amy Clausing, an Assistant Prosecutor at the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, told local news outlet WCPO-9. According to the outlet, Hunter was warned of the dangers of sharing a bed with her infant a year ago after the death of her first child. Because she was warned the second child's death was considered a homicide, Clausing told WCPO-9. In a recent June statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics said it does not recommend bedsharing, a form of co-sleeping, under any circumstances. Infants are five to ten times more at risk of sleep-related death when new parents bed share with infants younger than four months old, according to the statement. According to the AAP, 3500 infants die annually in the United States from sleep-related infant deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. The AAP added that the highest rates of infant sleep-related deaths occur within the first six months. "It is recommended that infants sleep in the parents' room, close to the parent's bed, but on a separate surface designed for infants, ideally for at least the first 6 months," the release added. Read the original article on Insider Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. Germans usually rely on Russian natural gas not only to power their industries but also to heat their homes. For this coming winter, the supply is scarce because of European sanctions and Russian backlash against them. (Gero Breloer / Associated Press) Europe is under greater pressure than at any time since World War II. An energy crisis precipitated by Russias war on Ukraine has morphed into a broader economic calamity with implications for decades to come. The grand experiment of European solidarity is being tested. The most immediate threat is the energy crisis. The bold and brave European Union sanctions on Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine in February, have become ever more punishing within the EU. Europe has banned imports of coal and announced a phaseout of Russian oil imports. In response Russia has closed its main gas pipeline, with its flows to Europe now at one-fifth of the prewar levels. To be sure, the sanctions are working. After recording a record budget surplus, due to energy prices spiking, Russian revenues have collapsed along with the virtual closure of its main export market. The cost to Europe is nevertheless immense. Gas prices have increased tenfold, propelling inflation to 40-year highs, pushing European economies to the brink of recession, and dragging consumer and business confidence to record lows. Germany, which is the economic engine of Europe, has seen its massive heavy industrial industries threatened as they have been built on an umbilical dependence on cheap Russian gas. With the approach of winter, sustained energy price inflation is likely to lead to ever-higher interest rates, slowing already tepid growth and placing intense downward pressure on the euro. To tame inflation, the European Central Bank, like the Federal Reserve, is trying to slow growth through successive interest rate hikes, at the risk of provoking a recession. However, as is the case in the U.S. and the rest of the world, higher interest rates are proving to be an unhelpfully blunt tool. The cause of inflation is external to national economies and caused by the supply squeeze on Russian energy and food price increases. The primary way higher interest rates will reduce inflation is by sharply reducing wages. Story continues The result is likely to be an unprecedented inflation-adjusted fall in incomes globally, exceeding the collapse that followed the 1970s oil price hikes and the U.S.-led interest rate hikes in the early 80s, or the financial crisis of 2008-09. As working people around the world see their living standards eroded while the elites are enjoying soaring earnings and benefiting from lower taxes, their anger is likely to rise, as is their belief that the system is rigged against them. This populist revolt helped propel President Trump into the White House, provided support for Brexit in Britain, and led to the rise of populist parties of the extreme right and left throughout Europe. Economic crises and growing inequality undermine social cohesion, with lasting political consequences. In Italy, voters are likely on Sept. 25 to reject the competent technocratic government of Mario Draghi, the former head of the European Central Bank, with a coalition of right-wing parties united in their opposition to the European Union. This despite the fact that the EU has given Italy huge transfers, and in effect is underwriting Italian debt. The crisis is also likely to strengthen Polands ruling Law and Justice party, which is stoking anti-EU and anti-German sentiment. Russias invasion of Ukraine compounds the deeper challenges facing Europe. With fertility at a remarkably low 1.5 births on average per adult women, well beneath the replacement level of around 2, and life expectancy at more than 80 years, a growing number of elderly people depend on a contracting working-age population. The rapidly rising burden of social security, pensions and elderly care costs is falling on governments that even before COVID-19 and the current crisis were ill-prepared to withstand such a shift. The pandemic left a gaping hole in government budgets, which now is being deepened by the current crisis. As the pressures of taking care of an aging population grow, and raising more debt is an increasingly risky option, higher taxes are needed, as are reforms to raise productivity. These, however, are anathema for populist politicians depending on fragile coalitions. Many of the forces besetting Europe are compounding one another: an energy crisis, inflation, economic inequality, a slow-moving demographic imbalance, fractious politics. Even so, when one considers how the union has responded, there are more reasons for optimism than despair. On the energy front, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has accelerated the transition away from fossil fuels and reinforced Europes commitment to halve its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. It has forced the European Union into a long-overdue energy union, doubled investments in solar and wind, and diversified supplies away from Russia. That Europe has stood up to Russia despite the costs is a testament to its coming of age despite the political and economic growing pains. COVID-19 led to the redoubling of efforts to create a fiscal union and greatly strengthened the European Commissions powers. Russias invasion of Ukraine is proving to be an ever stiffer political and economic test, which so far Europe is passing. Born out of a desperate desire to stop the perpetual cycle of wars between Germany and France, the European Union is proving to be among the most successful experiments of the 20th century. The voluntary integration of 27 European countries, so that people, goods, capital and services can move freely, and the giving up of sovereign power to a collective authority on defense, human rights and other previously inviolate national prerogatives is increasing the collective economic strength and political power of Europe. It is approaching par with the U.S. and China, which none of its member states could have done individually. Europe has proved remarkably resilient and determined. Citizens commitment to the principles of democracy and human rights remains a lodestar. Even as they endure acute sacrifices and falling incomes, Europeans appreciate the arc of history and know they and the world need their grand experiment to succeed. Ian Goldin, a professor of globalization and development at Oxford University, is the author of Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World. @ian_goldin This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Leaving a bubble blank on your otherwise filled-out ballot will register as an error, not political protest. (Joseph Prezioso / AFP - Getty Images) I am a slacktivist. I sit at my computer and fill out surveys and sign petitions. I write postcards and letters to potential voters and occasionally make a donation to causes or candidates. I get angry and disgusted on Twitter and post what I think are pithy, clever tweets in retort. I feel as if Im doing something, making my voice heard, standing up for what I believe. But the most important thing I do is vote. I often feel as if nothing and no one I vote for wins. A lot of the time, the candidate Id most like to see on the ballot hasnt made it to the general election or never ran at all. Still, I vote. It is a right and a privilege my immigrant grandmother didnt have for most of her life. I vote for her, and it is the most important political action I can take. As bad as the choices might be, I hold my nose and decide who or what is the lesser of two evils. Voting versus abstaining is a standard philosophical debate, much like the famous trolley dilemma. Youre standing at a lever and a trolley is coming down the tracks heading for five people. If you move the lever, it will change tracks and run over only one. What do you do? Walking away and doing nothing is, as philosopher William James said, in itself a decision. Someone will die and you did nothing to save anyone. When you vote, of course, youre not pulling a lever that will result in one or five people dying directly, but youre making choices that have serious outcomes. By not voting you could leave people unrepresented and unprotected. Nonvoters are credited for Donald Trump's win over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Not voting had a definite outcome. It wasnt my fault is a selfish argument when you could have made a choice for the greater good. In a famous speech in 1964, Malcolm X had nothing good to say about white politicians, Democrats or Republicans. But he recognized the potential power of a Black voting bloc on the civil rights struggle and equated it with the power of revolution. He said, It's time now for you and me to become more politically mature and realize what the ballot is for; what we're supposed to get when we cast a ballot. It's either a ballot or a bullet. Story continues That year saw the highest Black voter turnout ever in a presidential election until the vote for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and Lyndon Johnson won by a landslide. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law the next year. It never would have happened under the 1964 Republican candidate, Barry Goldwater. But, say principled nonvoters, if you continually vote for the lesser of two evils, arent you just weakening a partys incentive to provide better choices? Doesnt voting for the least-worst candidate only perpetuate our sham democracy? Think about it, though has low voter turnout in one or another race greatly improved the slate of candidates were offered? Are people better off because nonvoters took their version of the high road? (Again: 2016. ) Leaving a bubble blank on an otherwise filled-out ballot because you dont believe in the choices will not register as a complaint as much as an error. A vote for a third-party candidate or a write-in might be marginally better, but that kind of protest could very well put the absolute worst choice into power. And, if you scribble through a candidates name in frustration, or pencil in a personal protest statement, you could end up with a "spoiled" ballot. Protesting is a core value of America. Taxation without representation. Womens suffrage. The Vietnam War. AIDS policy. Protest sparked progress on all those counts. In 2018, students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., gathered 800,000 people in America and more all over the world in the March for Our Lives to protest gun violence. Their push succeeded in getting 50 new gun laws passed around the country. So get out there and protest, but most importantly, vote. In the November election, your vote is your loudest voice. And, as my grandmother said, If you dont vote, you cant complain. Diana Wagman, a contributing writer to Opinion, is the author of six novels. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Dean Esserman serves as the senior counselor of the National Policing Institute. He is the former police chief of Providence, New Haven, Stamford and the New York State MTA Metro North. Crime and violence have been on the rise again across the country and the role of police is being challenged. After more than 25 years as a chief, theres much I wish I knew then that I know now. Lesson #1: The strength of the relationship between a police officer and the community is intimate and personal. My first lesson took place in New Haven, Connecticut, in the early 1990s. I was a new chief and we had recently adopted a community policing paradigm, which included additional training for officers and foot patrols. One day, an officer who was walking the beat alone because his partner had called out sick, was knocked down while trying to stop an assault. Within minutes, other officers were on the scene. That may sound routine, but the officer didnt have the chance to call for assistance. He had fallen on his radio and broke it. The call for assistance came from someone in the community. The next day, an elderly woman took two buses to my office to tell me, face-to-face, to never take "her officers" out of the community. Lesson learned: Being police does not confer legitimacy and respect from your community. Its individual cops who cultivate that trust in the uniform and the badge. Relationships are the bedrock of good policing. Only then will an elderly lady tell you those officers are "her police." That woman will never know, but my short meeting with her actually taught me a lesson. Lesson #2: People talk to who they know and trust. Fast forward to 2003 and the Providence Police Department. This department, too, had embraced community policing. New officers were required to walk a beat with a partner for a year before being assigned to a car. One afternoon a rookie officer told me the story of how he waved to the same woman each day as she sat on her front porch. One day she called the officers over to her stoop and told them about being assaulted three months earlier. The officer asked why she hadnt said anything three months ago. She replied, I didnt know you then, officer. Story continues Those words became a teachable moment. Most people are not comfortable talking to strangers, let alone confiding in them, even if theyre wearing a uniform. People talk to who they know, and most often they do not know their police. Some will confide in a family member, a neighbor, a priest, or a roommate before they will call 911. Lesson #3: Compassion and respect must guide the relationship between police and the public. While this lesson stared me in the face throughout my career, it was no more evident than in 2020 when George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. Compassion and respect for all people, even those who treat police badly or are under arrest, must be the guiding principles that we teach, reflect and reward every day. Bearing witness to behavior that violates these values, even by a fellow police officer, without intervening, is unacceptable. American communities need and want their police. If police are to regain and maintain legitimacy, we must be guided by the shared values of dignity, respect, integrity, compassion and, last of all, courage physical courage, but moral courage as well. The vast majority of police officers and chiefs honor their oath with dignity, respect, integrity, compassion and courage. They are embraced by their communities once they develop bonds of friendship and trust. The Providence Police are doing it right. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Opinion/Esserman: Lessons learned in 25 years as a police chief When Pan Chuol was 20, he was visiting his parents, who lived in different cities. The Second Sudanese Civil War, with rebels in the south battling the north's forces, had been raging for almost a decade, since 1983. But Chuol was trying to escape it. His dad told him he should go to Ethiopia. The next 30 years for Chuol would be full of journeys, setbacks and triumphs including gaining American citizenship, which he is set to receive at a ceremony Thursday in Des Moines. When Chuol left his father's house in 1992, he had to walk for five days before arriving in Addis Ababa. He stayed in an Ethiopian refugee camp for eight months and then walked to Kenya. More by Rachelle: Opinion: A Ukrainian mother shares her story of fleeing war and how an Iowa family stepped up to help He seized an opportunity for resettlement in 1995, coming to Texas and then to Madison, Wisconsin. It was there that he met Sandra and her two children. Sandra was living with her mom and Chuol was living with his uncle. They started a relationship. Pan Chuol, at home a week before celebrating his citizenship at a ceremony on September 22, 2022. They moved to Perry in central Iowa a few months later, in 1999, and Chuol got a job at the meatpacking plant. You stay in the line and the meat just come in, Chuol said, demonstrating skinning of a hog by repeatedly pantomiming holding a knife and moving it down, and just take the fat off all day long. Things with Sandras children were good they called him Dad. Things with him and Sandra were good when she wasnt drinking: Sandra was very good. She has a good heart. But when she drinks? Horrible. She got drunk a lot. Chuol, who doesnt drink, tried to help her. As a last resort, he enlisted the help of his uncle, a Jehovah's Witness, thinking maybe Bible study would work. One autumn day, his life changed for the worse On Sept. 26, 1999, Chuol dropped furniture off at a friend's house and came home to find Sandra drunk. I went to go to sleep because I was tired. Then I leave her outside with my cousin to drink, he said. Sandra cursed at him, then picked up an ashtray and hurled it at him, hitting him in the forehead, he said. Chuol got mad and hit her with his belt, the buckle striking her face. Story continues I called the police, Chuol said. When the police came, they asked me, Who called the police? I said, Me. They say Why? I said, I hit my girlfriend. Sandra had not wanted to call the police, but Chuol said he hoped their presence would also nudge her to go to a hospital. After the police arrived, his cousin took Sandra to the hospital to be examined. The police took Chuol to jail. Sandra didnt press charges for her injuries. Chuol didnt press charges for his: I dont know the law. I dont know nothing. And I dont have translator. Chuol had studied British English in high school but spoke and understood very little. He didnt understand his rights or U.S. law, and he did not have an attorney. They asked me, Are you guilty or not?" he said. "I said, I'm guilty. More: Des Moines educator brings taste of South Sudan to her community Because he had fought with Sandra. Because he wanted to protect Sandra by not sharing details of the fight, including the fact she'd been jailed in Wisconsin, lest she be jailed now, which would mean no one could watch her kids. Because he wanted to keep his job and return to it. Sandra wanted to go back to Madison, so he helped her move. He kept in touch with the children, declined her later invitation to resume their relationship and got on with his life, leaving the dangerous meatpacking job after two years for a safer job at EMCO in Des Moines making doors and windows. He'd completed the terms of his sentence. Joseph Malual becomes Chuol's best friend and advocate The same year, in 1999, Joseph Malual came to Iowa from South Sudan. Like Chuol, Malual had applied for settlement in the United States through a refugee program. By the time hed made it to the refugee camp in Ethiopia three years prior, the camp had about 40,000 refugees and he was one of 150 applicants. Two years later, after completing paperwork, interviews and medical exams and waiting, he was one of 23 refugees accepted. This opportunity from the United States just came from nowhere. We were in the middle of the Bush, isolated from the town, Malual said. We just stayed in the jungle, you know, with lions and everything you can imagine. There was no health care. If you get sick, you can die. Joseph Malual helped his friend Pan Chuol with his 20-year fight for citizenship. While Malual waited, he worked as head of the social workers for a Swedish nonprofit coordinating the free school, youth center and other activities in the camp and "changing the mindset of the community to work for themselves and build a school for their own children," along with other advocacy work. The Lost Boys of Sudan, there were some of them in our care," Malual said. "So we were providing what they used to call cycle social services for them and then help with integrating them into foster families as well. In Iowa, Malual got a meatpacking job, stripping hides from hogs like Chuol. But he knew he could not physically withstand that and traded it for two other jobs: I started in the morning at UPS. I finished at about 2:30 and then I got into my car and went to EMCO and I started, I think, it was about 4 to 12 at night. He continued working two full-time jobs off and on for 15 years, eventually dropping UPS for a position working with people with disabilities and as a refugee program case manager for LSI. During that timeframe, he also attended Grand View University and Iowa State University before getting his Ph.D. in sustainable agriculture, with a co-major in sociology, focusing on development, sociology, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, he added. More: Family prepares to say goodbye to missing Des Moines man Malual met Chuol through friends who had helped him navigate Des Moines. They became friends and then roommates in 2003. We sponsored three Lost Boys of Sudan. We mentored them. We taught them to drive, Malual said. Chuol also got one of them a job at EMCO. Chuol opened up about his past, sharing his story about Sandra. He says specifically on the weekend, on Friday all the way to Sunday, Sandra will drink almost to the point of not knowing anything, and at that point she would be violent. He knew for a long time that was a problem. But he thought that, you know, they would work it through. In 2004, Chuol applied for American citizenship. It was denied because of his assault conviction. At Malual's urging, Chuol had reluctantly traded the better pay and dangers of hog skinning for two jobs. Hed been responsible with his money and saved. So he dipped into his savings to hire a lawyer. But the lawyer was too intimidating, so Chuol walked away, leaving his money on the table. In 2011, with the help of a new lawyer, Chuol applied again to become a citizen. Again, it was denied. Federal immigration authorities tracked Chuol down and showed up at EMCO. They took him into custody and started work to deport him because of his assault conviction. Malual was not around; he had gone to Uganda to complete his dissertation research. When he returned and found out Chuol had been arrested, he found an immigration attorney. The prosecutor, he say I'm dangerous in society and a criminal, Chuol said. The immigration judge, he said, pointed out that he hadn't been convicted of a felony and that before the domestic assault charge and in 12 years following it, Chuol hadnt gotten into trouble. The judge dismissed the deportation order and told Chuol to go fight his conviction, which could set him up to stay. To both Chuol and Malual, this was a victory. But while he busy fighting deportation, EMCO had fired him. He had to start all over. He found a job in South Dakota and started saving again. In 2017 he renewed his effort to erase the conviction. Kim Reynolds grants Chuol's wish A new lawyer recommended that Chuol apply for clemency from the governor's office. If you secure that one, Malual said the judge told them, then you can use that document to apply for citizenship. In 2018, they collected all the required information, from credit information to behavior details to community member recommendations, and the attorney submitted it. In Nov. 30, 2021, Gov. Kim Reynolds pardoned Chuol. Chuol has the letters. Twenty years and $10,000 or more in attorney fees later, Chuol has passed the exam and obtained his citizenship. On Sept. 22 at 11:30 a.m., he will take part in the naturalization ceremony at Principal Park in Des Moines. Chuol is happy. He's thankful to "Governor Kim," as he calls her, plus his lawyers, God and especially his friend. Joseph is a best, best, best friend, Chuol said. I love him. When I said I love him, I mean it. What will Chuol do next? Chuol said he plans to get his passport and visit the country he left behind. For decades, he has been unable to travel to South Sudan, fearing that if he did, he wouldn't be able to return to the U.S. "I feel like in this world, I don't have country. You know, I know South Sudan is my country, but I left it. Back to maybe 27 years now I didn't see my parents, my mom, my dad they are already dead," Chuol said. "I got the citizenship today in the United States. I feel I become one of the people and have a country when before I don't because I denied Sudan." Chuol is going to celebrate the moment. He will wear a red, white and blue shirt and hat that Malual purchased for him to his naturalization ceremony. And he will hope that he inspires others with his story. "I share this story for two things," Chuol said. "I wait for this for 20 years. I never give up. Me and Joseph. Joseph told me, 'Don't give up.' So I want to tell other people, if you have a problem, don't give up. If you know in your heart that you are not a criminal and that you're right, don't give up." If you need legal help, it is worth your last dollar to pay for it. And by all means, he said, if you don't speak English, get a translator. It is wonderful to see Chuol finally realize his dream of citizenship. If he hadnt had the money for attorneys, Maluals guidance, Reynolds' clemency and his own determination and persistence, it wouldnt have happened. And had Chuol had a translator and truly understood the charges and his rights on that fateful night in 1999, his citizenship might have happened much sooner and Chuol wouldnt be left with the lingering effects of his conviction. If only hed had a translator, indeed. Special thanks to Ann Hinga Klein for recommending this story. Her work can be found at AnnHingaKlein.com. Rachelle Chase is an opinion columnist at the Des Moines Register. Follow Rachelle at facebook.com/rachelle.chase.author or on Twitter @Rachelle_Chase. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: Immigrant gains citizenship after 20 years, governor's pardon In a matter of weeks, familial country music trio Chapel Hart have gone from earning the group Golden Buzzer from the judges of Americas Got Talent and making it all the way to the shows finale, to making a triumphant, tear-filled Grand Ole Opry debut performance on Saturday evening (Sept. 17). The Mississippi-born trio sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle previously released the albums Out The Mud (2019) and The Girls Are Back in Town (2021). Their three-song Opry debut earned the trio three standing ovations and fervent cheers from the Opry crowd. More from Billboard Related Mayyas America's Got Talent. 'America's Got Talent' Crowns Season 17 Winner 09/18/2022 09/18/2022 On Tuesday evening (Sept. 13), the three-piece performed the patriotic number American Pride during the AGT finale, but were overcome by emotion during the show and battled vocal issues throughout the performance. We didnt make it halfway through the song. The first notes started and we started boo-hooing on Americas Got Talent before the song even started, so tonight we want to dedicate this to the men and women who lay it all on the line day in and day out, Danica Hart told the Opry crowd, before the group offered a heartfelt thanks to any and all military members in the Opry House audience, and gave the song another go on the Opry stage, drawing immense applause, a standing ovation, and one of the most inspiring moments of the evening. They concluded with You Can Have Him Jolene, their AGT audition song that earned the trio the group Golden Buzzer win, along with praise from artists including Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Darius Rucker. During the AGT finale, Chapel Hart performed Something to Talk About with Rucker, who had previously revealed Chapel Hart will be featured on his upcoming album. Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, Chapel Hart told Billboard how the Rucker collaboration for his album came about. Story continues First of all, you get a message from Darius Rucker on social media and you think, These darn spam folks, but then you see theres a blue checkmark! Swindle said. He said, I have this song and I think I hear you guys doing the harmonies. Yall just take it and do Chapel Hart. Id love to work with you. So we took it and Chapel Harted it right up, put down the vocals and sent it to the producer. We were waiting for the response and the producer just goes, Got it, thanks. We were like, Oh, maybe he didnt like it as much as we thought, but then two weeks later, we get a message from Darius and hes like, OMG, what in the world?! I just heard this. He didnt change a thing and said, I want this to be a feature, a collaboration. Just to see him be so excited about that, when for so long weve just wanted to show people who we are he definitely gave us an opportunity and championed us as artists. The trio has a strong bucket list of artists they would still love to collaborate with, including Little Big Town, the Chicks, Zac Brown Band and Pistol Annies. And we would love to do something with Dolly [Parton], even if we just stand and cry in the background, Danica Hart says. Well be the background criers, Swindle said, adding, I dont know how were going to do it, but Im going to convince Gretchen Wilson to come back and start doing some more stuff. Saturday evening may have marked Chapel Harts first Opry performance, but certainly not their last near the closing of their set, they surprised the Opry audience with the news that will return for their next Opry performance on Oct. 8. As Chapel Hart made their very first Grand Ole Opry performance, they were introduced by Miss Country Soul Jeannie Seely, who that same evening celebrated 55 years as member of the vaunted Grand Ole Opry establishment. How special it is tonight for a 55-year member to welcome a group on their debut, which just proves our Grand Ole Opry tradition the circle will not be broken, Seely told the audience. Prior to her introduction, Seely noted that she welcomed the trio with a bottle of champagne and handwritten notes congratulating them on their Opry debut. Seely, known for Billboard hits including Wish I Didnt Have to Miss You (with Jack Greene) and Can I Sleep in Your Arms, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 16, 1967. On Saturday night, she was honored not only for her 55-year commitment to the Opry, but also for having the distinction of having appeared on the Opry stage more than any other artist in Opry history, having stepped onto the Opry stage over 5,000 times in her career. Dan Rogers, Grand Ole Oprys vp/executive producer, and Gina Keltner, director of Opry talent scheduling and logistics, offered Seely a plaque to commemorate both milestones. How blessed I am, Seely said. Earlier in the evening, she told the audience, Im just enjoying every second of it and never take it for granted. Noting that Roy Acuff once told her, Sing the one that brought you to the Opry, Seely offered a rendition of her No. 2 Billboard country hit from 1966, Dont Touch Me, which earned her a Grammy win for best country & western vocal performance-female. Of course, Pennsylvania native Seely was never content to be only a performer on the Opry she fought for progress within the organization, becoming the first woman to regularly host segments of the weekly Grand Ole Opry shows, and is credited with being the first to wear a miniskirt on the Opry stage. It wasnt just pushing for womens rights, although that was part of it, Seely told reporters backstage of her push for allowing women to host Opry segments. My view was for the overall show, and the talent that gets heard and what the people want to hear. Currently, Seely says she is focused on three things: the Opry, her role as host of a weekly Sunday show on SiriusXMs Willies Roadhouse channel, and getting back to songwriting. Last year, Rhonda Vincent released the bluegrass hit Like I Could, which Seely wrote with Erin Enderlin and Bobby Tomberlin. In 2020, Seely also released the album An American Classic, a mix of new songs and re-recordings of timeless tunes. Seely noted that she went into the studio nearly three weeks ago to record more songs she had written. I talked to Bill Anderson one day about an idea I had and he said, I really like this. Weve been friends for 60 years and we tell each other about our songs, she told reporters backstage. [Seely said] Are we ever going to write a song? So he and I and Bobby Tomberlin got together and wrote one. I served them lunch and when I was walking them to the door, I remembered another idea I wrote on my phone in Target one day. I told them the idea, and Bill said, Jeannie, thats one of the best ideas Ive heard in a while, so we set another [writing] appointment for the next day. Shes also been writing with Buddy Cannon, Victoria Shaw and Gary Burr. Seely said that even after over five decades as an Opry member and country music mainstay, the creative possibilities of songwriting still excite her. These people call me to write with them, and Im blown away, absolutely, she noted. Click here to read the full article. Many households in the affected areas rely on crops and livestock to make a living The calls are growing louder. Pakistan desperately needs help after its worst floods in years, and it needs it fast. "This climate calamity couldn't have come at a worse time, when Pakistan's economy was already struggling with a balance of payments crisis, rising debt, and soaring inflation," Maleeha Lodhi, former Pakistan ambassador to the UN and the UK, told the BBC. If the country doesn't get debt relief, she added, the economy risks "tanking". Catastrophic rain linked to climate change has submerged large parts of the country, killing nearly 1,500 people and affecting roughly 33 million people. Homes, roads, railways, crops, livestock and livelihoods have been washed away in the extreme weather event. With agriculture making up nearly a quarter of Pakistan's economy, officials now say the unprecedented floods may have cost up to $40bn (35bn). Across the country, an estimated 800,000 cattle - a key source of income for rural families - have been lost in the floods. Farmers who have not had their crops and livestock washed away are now reportedly running low on feed for their cattle. There will likely be more pain ahead with a food crisis looming. Map showing damage done by monsoon rains Roughly 70% of the onion harvest, along with rice and corn, has been destroyed, according to Pakistan's climate change minister, Sherry Rehman. Pakistan is the world's fourth largest rice exporter, with markets in Africa and China. Almost all of Pakistan's households are consumers of wheat, but with so much agricultural land damaged, the wheat harvest could be at risk too. Food prices are already under pressure because of the post-pandemic supply chain disruption and the war in Ukraine, which is a major global supplier of key crops. Pakistan's inflation rate was more than 24% before the floods, according to reports, and some costs have climbed by 500%. Story continues Authorities may need to import food to feed people and raw materials for industry, but the country's foreign reserves were running low even before the crisis.. Pakistan is also a producer of cotton, which is used in the country's textile industry - a major employer. Manufacturers are bracing for a shortage of that too. On Sunday, Pakistan's finance minister Miftah Ismail said the country would "absolutely not" default on its debt payments despite the floods. Mr Ismail also said that external financing sources had been secured, including more than $4bn (3.5bn) from the Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and World Bank. About $5bn of investments from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia would be made in the current financial year, he added. At the same time, Pakistan's central bank announced that Saudi Arabia's development authority had extended a deposit of $3bn, which had been due for repayment in December, by one year. Also on Sunday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it would work with countries around the world international community to support Pakistan's relief and reconstruction efforts. Last month, an IMF bailout package was approved but conditions were attached, like raising taxes and applying austerity measures. Andrew Wood, an analyst at S&P Global Ratings, flagged "high inflation, a weaker currency, and tighter fiscal and monetary conditions" as affecting growth in a recent briefing. He added that the agency estimated the government's debt position was around 74% of GDP. "Financial support from the IMF and other multilateral and bilateral partners is critical, in our view... Structural reforms that support Pakistan's business environment and macroeconomic stability would be important pillars of an enduring economic recovery," Mr Wood said. The floods were caused by record rainfall during the monsoon season and melting glaciers in the mountains. The South Asian nation received nearly 190% more rain than the 30-year average, in July and August. The southern province of Sindh received 466% more rain than average. When UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited Pakistan last week, he blamed climate change for the disaster and said the country needed massive financial support. "I have seen many, many humanitarian disasters in the world. But I have never seen climate carnage on this scale. I have simply no words to describe what I have seen today, a flooded area that is three times the total area of my own country, Portugal," Mr Guterres said. Aid agencies are now assessing the scale of the reconstruction effort, and with entire villages underwater, a public health crisis is inevitable. Weather officials say more rain is expected in the coming days, putting thousands of displaced people at further risk. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced that on Thursday, September 15, Milan Wash pled guilty to the 2016 murder of 7-year-old Kamarie Wash. Wash, the biological parent of the victim, called 911 to report her daughter missing on June 30, the day after the childs body was found floating in Lake Allatoona by a fisherman. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The DA said Milan Wash is now a transgender woman whose legal name was Michael Wash at the time of indictment. Investigations by the GBI and East Point Police Department revealed that Wash broke Kamaries jaw, which ultimately caused her death inside of their East Point apartment. After he killed her, he tried covering up her identity by shaving her head and burning the palms of her hands. Wash then dumped her body in the lake. TRENDING STORIES: A 7-year-old baby girl was brutally abused and murdered by a person who should have been her greatest protector. Wash not only beat Kamarie badly enough to kill her but went to great lengths to cover up the crime. It is an absolute shame that a young life was so violently cut short by a parent, said Willis. The cause of her death was blunt force trauma to the head. Wash, Kamarie, and his significant other at the time, LaSharae Davis and their three children all lived together. Investigators said Wash and Davis routinely physically abused Kamarie and withheld food from her. During the 911, Wash told the operator that his daughter went missing from their home. She was last seen here in my house, here this morning or last night. Im sorry, Wash said during the call. Within hours of responding to the familys apartment, police announced that they were working a homicide case, and were no longer searching for a missing child. Story continues Wash pleaded guilty to all nine counts including Murder, Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, False Statements, and Concealing the Death of Another. She has been sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years to serve in confinement consecutive to the life sentence. The DA said after the sentenced was pronounced, the State withdrew its previously filed notice of intent to seek the death penalty. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: HONOLULU (AP) Dedrick Parson ran for two first-half touchdowns, Penei Pavihi returned and interception 50 yards for a touchdown and Hawaii beat Duquesne 24-14 Saturday night. Parson finished with 11 carries for 52 yards. Duquesne (1-2) took nearly-8 minutes off the clock with a 14-play, 56-yard drive in the first quarter before settling for a 26-yard field goal by Brian Bruzdewicz that made it 3-0 but Parson answered with a 5-yard touchdown run less than 2 minutes later and scored on a run from 17 yards out to give Hawaii a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter. Bruzdewicz added a 30-yard field goal as time expired in the first half but after Pavihi's pick-6 early in the fourth quarter before Matthew Shipley made a 29-yard field goal with 6:33 to play that made it 24-6. Malik Hausman intercepted two passes for Hawaii (1-3). ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the APs college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2 YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said Sunday that the United States deplores recent attacks by Azerbaijan and called for a negotiated solution to the countries' conflict. Pelsoi's visit to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, with a congressional delegation came just a few days days after two days of shelling by both sides that killed more than 200 troops. It was the largest outbreak of hostilities in more than two years. The two ex-Soviet countries have been locked in a decades-old conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but was long 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 that fighting. Armenia and Azerbaijan each blamed the other for starting the shelling attacks last week. Pelosi on Sunday met with Alen Simonyan, president of Armenia's parliament, and told reporters afterward that Our meeting again had a particular importance to us because the focus was on security following the illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on the Armenian territory. We strongly condemn those attacks we in our delegation on behalf of Congress which threaten prospects for a much-needed peace agreement, she said. The United States ... has clearly and has long stated that there can be no military solution to the conflict. We continue to watch the situation closely and we continue supporting a negotiated, comprehensive and sustainable solution to all issues relating to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry sharply criticized her comments. Pelosis baseless and unfair accusations against Azerbaijan are unacceptable," it said in a statement. We emphasize with regret that Pelosi, who speaks of justice, has not purposefully shown any position until today regarding the policy of aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, the occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan for almost 30 years, the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis and other similar grave crimes, for which Armenia is responsible, the ministry said. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blamed recent border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia on Azerbaijan, calling the attacks illegal during a visit to the region on Sunday. A recent outburst of fighting between the two countries, which have battled for decades over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, killed more than 200 troops, and the sides agreed to a cease-fire beginning Wednesday, days before Pelosi landed in Armenia. Our meeting, again, had a particular importance to us because of the focus on security following the illegal and deadly attacks by the Azerbaijan on the Armenian territory, Pelosi said during a press conference. We strongly condemn those attacks, we in our delegation on behalf of Congress, which threatens prospects for much-needed peace agreement, she continued. Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of unprovoked aggression, saying Azerbaijani troops traveled into Armenian territory during the recent fighting. Azerbaijan authorities say they are responding to Armenian attacks. Pelosis statement went further than the State Department, which stressed peace in the region and welcomed the cease-fire. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later on Sunday spoke with Azerbaijans president, encouraging him to resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiation, the State Department said in a readout of the call. The Nagorno-Karabakh region is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan, but it remains under control of ethnic Armenians following an Armenian-backed separatist war that ended in 1994. More than 6,700 people were killed during a six-week war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, and the recent fighting marks the highest level of violence in about two years. Pelosi said the delegation, which landed in Armenia on Saturday and includes Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), was planned before the recent outbreak of violence. Speier and Pallone serve as co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, and Speier and Eshoo are both Armenian American. Story continues Pelosis office framed the trip as promoting democracy in Armenia, an ex-Soviet country that remains a Russian military ally. Armenias prime minister said the countrys government asked Russia, which operates a military base in Armenia, for military support through the Collective Security Treaty Organization, but the prime minister expressed dissatisfaction at the support given so far. This story was updated at 9:05 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8 marking the end of the sovereign's historic 70-year-reign. Following her death, her four children held silent vigils at St. Giles' Cathedral and Westminster Hall. On Saturday, Queen Elizabeth's eight grandchildren honored the late monarch with a third tribute. Queen Elizabeth II was the matriarch of the royal family and had four children and eight grandchildren. Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to a naval base in 2021. Steve Parsons - WPA Pool / Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8 at the age of 96 at her residence in Balmoral Castle. In the days following, royal fans and people across the globe mourned the late monarch and the end of her historic 70-year-long reign The late monarch was beloved by her children and grandchildren who offered public and private tributes over the last week as they prepare to lay her to rest. A recent tribute The Vigil of the Princes showed personal moments from her children and other members of the royal family. The Vigil of the Princes is a ceremony that was first recorded in 1936 at King George V's funeral. Guards protect King George V's coffin. Hulton Archive/Getty Images The Vigil of the Princes is a modern royal tradition that took place at King George V's funeral in 1936. According to The Mirror, George's sons, King Edward VIII, King George VI, Prince Henry, and Prince George, stood guard in front of their father's coffin in Westminster Hall. The solemn ceremony took place again in 2002 during the Queen Mother's funeral. King Charles III, along with Princes Andrew and Edward were flanked by their cousin Viscount Linley and stood guard for 20 minutes. The vigil, up until that point, was reserved for male members of the royal family. Charles and his four siblings honored their late mother at St. Giles' Cathedral with the first of two vigils on September 12. The ceremony also broke precedent with a historic twist. King Charles III, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, and Prince Andrew hold a vigil at St Giles' Cathedral in honor of Queen Elizabeth II on September 12, 2022. Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Images On September 12, Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward honored Queen Elizabeth with a silent vigil, standing guard around her coffin for 10 minutes as mourners filed by. Story continues Anne, who accompanied her brothers in military dress, made history as the first woman to participate in the vigil. On Friday, Queen Elizabeth's children held a second vigil at Westminster Hall. King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Prince Andrew donned military dress for the second vigil. Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images Insider's Erin Snodgrass reported that the four siblings were joined by members of the military who have kept a 24-hour watch over the late monarch's remains. As onlookers passed by the group stood in silence with their hands clasped and heads bowed, as they did at the vigil at St. Giles' Cathedral. Friday's vigil was also the first time all four family members donned military regalia. Prince Andrew previously wore a morning suit to ceremonies surrounding the Queen's death. Earlier this year Andrew was stripped of his military titles over his connection to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. One of the most powerful moments occurred on Saturday as the Queen's grandchildren held a vigil at Westminster Hall. Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren stand next to her coffin at Westminster Hall on September 17, 2022. AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Prince William and Prince Harry joined their cousins Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise, and James, Viscount Severn all of whom stood guard around the coffin for 15 minutes. The group was joined by the military and silently bowed their heads and clasped their hands just like their predecessors. Prince William and Prince Harry led the procession as the group filed in around Queen Elizabeth's coffin. Queen Elizabeth's eight grandchildren honored her on Saturday. Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry and Prince William donned military regalia for the solemn occasion, a departure from a statement by Harry's spokesperson who confirmed the Duke of Sussex would wear a morning suit during ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth's funeral. However, Harry's father King Charles III reversed the decision, allowing Harry to wear his uniform during the ceremony, marking his decade of military service. The Duke of Sussex was stripped of his military titles in 2020 after he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back as senior royals in 2020. Some royal fans pointed out the striking similarity between James, Viscount Severn at the vigil, and a younger Prince William during Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. Prince Harry in 1997 (left) and James, Viscount Severn (right) in 2022. JOEL ROBINE/AFP WPA POOL/AFP via Getty Images; BBC Royal fans pointed out the stark contrast between a young Prince William and James, Viscount Severn, 14, during moments of profound grief. According to the Daily Mail, one social media user tweeted: "Young James Viscount Severn looks so much like Prince William when he was of a similar age and having to go through so much pain publicly, such a brave young man #Respect." William, who was 15 in 1997 when Princess Diana died, was famously photographed walking behind his mother's coffin alongside his father King Charles, brother Prince Harry, grandfather, Prince Philip, and uncle Charles Spencer. Viscount Severn held his head in the same motion and sported a haircut similar to William at the time, on Saturday. Read the original article on Insider A police officer shot an armed person while conducting an investigation in Chicago Lawn on the South Side early Sunday, according to the Chicago Police Department. Tactical officers were investigating in the 7200 block of South Artesian Avenue when shortly before 2 a.m. they encountered an armed person. A police officer then shot and struck the person, according to a news release. Officers then helped the person shot, who was transported to a hospital in fair condition. One officer was also transported to a hospital for observation in good condition, police said. One weapon was found on the scene and another one in the area while officers investigated afterward, according to police. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating. According to police, the officer involved will be placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days. adperez@chicagotribune.com Service of Thanksgiving for Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh RICHARD POHLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew Prince Andrew is speaking out in the wake of his mother Queen Elizabeth's death. On Sunday, the Duke of York, 62, shared a personal statement alongside a photo of himself as a baby with his mother. "Dear Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one," his statement began. "Your Majesty, it has been an honor and privilege to serve you. Mother - of the nation, your devotion and personal service to our nation is unique and singular; your people show their love and respect in so many different ways and I know you are looking on honoring their respect." "Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your are, your confidence I will treasure forever," he continued. "I have found your knowledge and wisdom invite, with no boundary or containment. I will miss your insights, advice and humuor. As our book of experiences closes, another opens, and I will forever hold you close to my heart with my deepest love and gratitude, and I will tread gladly into the next with you as my guide." For more on Queen Elizabeth's funeral, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. "God save The King," he concluded his statement in support of his brother King Charles. RELATED: Every Emotional Photo of the Queen's Children Guarding Her Coffin Prince Andrew, the DUke of York released this photo today along with a statement about his mother's death.. photo credit the Duke of York The Duke of York Prince Andrew and Queen Elizabeth Much has been made about Andrew's involvement in his mother's funeral proceedings. The Queen's son is no longer a senior working royal in the wake of his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages in January 2022 after he was accused of sexual assault by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a victim of Epstein's former ring. Andrew was also banned from using his HRH ("His Royal Highness") title amid his sexual assault case. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoings. During a procession earlier this week behind his mother's coffin, Andrew was not permitted to wear a military uniform like his siblings and nephew Prince William. Prince Harry was also not permitted to wear a uniform at the procession due to the fact that he stepped back from his royal role in 2020. Story continues Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walk behind the coffin during the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 14, 2022 in London, England. Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is taken in procession on a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where she will lay in state until the early morning of her funeral. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. Kate Green/Getty Prince Andrew and Prince Harry on Sept. 14 However, a special exception was made for Prince Andrew to wear a military uniform at a solemn vigil alongside his three siblings on Friday as a sign of respect for his mother and monarch who died "peacefully" at age 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Sept. 8. Despite stepping back from public life, Prince Andrew played a prominent role at his father Prince Philip's memorial service earlier this year. In an unexpected move, he accompanied his mother to the service by car and escorted her down the aisle of Westminster Abbey. King Charles III, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex arrive hold a vigil beside the coffin of their mother, Queen Elizabeth DANIEL LEAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and King Charles at a vigil for his mother Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 16 Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Royal commentator Robert Jobson told PEOPLE there was uneasiness among senior members of the royal family about the Queen's decision, "but she insisted." "It shows she wholeheartedly loves and believes her son," said Jobson, the author of Prince Philip's Century. King Charles III, and the other three children of Queen Elizabeth II, will be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Harry and Meghan and several others in walking in the procession behind the queen's coffin at her funeral on Monday, according to the order of service released Sunday night by Buckingham Palace. The funeral, at Westminster Abbey in London, is set to start at 6 a.m. Eastern time. At 10:30 p.m. local time, the queue of mourners was closed to new entrants so that all the mourners would have a chance to pay their respects before the funeral begins. The funeral will be officiated by Rev. Dr. David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster, and the sermon delivered by the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Buckingham Palace said. It will also be interspersed with several scripture readings, hymns and prayers. About 500 royals, heads of state and heads of government from around the globe have been invited. President Biden arrived in London on Saturday ahead of the funeral. From left, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William watch the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, in London, Sunday June 5, 2022, on the last of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. / Credit: Chris Jackson / AP The funeral procession will include King Charles III walking beside his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort; followed by Anne, Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will follow them, and then Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and Forfar and his wife, Sophie. Behind the queen's children will be Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and then two of their children, 9-year-old Prince George and 7-year-old Princess Charlotte. William and Catherine's youngest son, 4-year-old Prince Louis, is not listed on the order of the service and likely will not be attending the funeral. Behind them will be Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, followed by Queen Elizabeth's nephew David Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowden, and Peter Philips. They will be followed by the Duke of Glouster, and then he will be followed by Prince Micheal of Kent and the Duke of Kent. Story continues Queen Elizabeth's other four grandchildren Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn were not listed on the order of service. All eight grandchildren on Saturday stood behind her coffin. Prior to the service, the abbey's tenor bell will be tolled once a minute for 96 minutes to mark every year of the queen's life. As the queen's coffin is carried into the abbey, "The Sentences" verses from the Bible will be sung by the choirs of the abbey, Chapel Royal and St. James's Palace. Hoyle will deliver "The Bidding," a kind of introduction, followed by a hymn and the "First Lesson," another piece of scripture, which will be read by Patricia Scotland, the secretary-general of the Commonwealth. The abbey choir will sing Psalm 42, and then the "Second Lesson," another piece of scripture, will be read by newly appointed British Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss. Welby will then deliver the sermon. The abbey choir will sing two more songs, there will be a prayer, and then the funeral will close with Welby giving the commendation and Hoyle giving the blessing. The queen's coffin will then be carried out of the abbey and taken by procession to Wellington Arch in Hyde Park Corner, before being taken to St. George's Chapel in Windsor for the committal service, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Eastern time Monday. The queen will be laid to rest at Windsor Castle Monday night in a private family ceremony. Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in the history of Britain's monarchy, died on Sept. 8. The U.K. has not buried its sovereign since the queen's father, King George VI, in 1952, which was held at St. George's Chapel. Numerous people wait at a crossroads outside the Palace of Westminster to catch a glimpse of the arriving state guests who want to visit the laid out coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall. / Credit: Christian Charisius/picture alliance/Getty Images The over 1,000-year-old abbey has been the setting for royal coronations for hundreds of years, including the queen's own in 1953, and is also where she married Prince Philip in 1947. The funeral for Queen Elizabeth II's mother was held there in 2002, but there hasn't been a funeral for a monarch there since the 18th century. Meanwhile, King Charles III released a statement Sunday in which he thanked "those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief." "Over the last ten days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world," the statement read. Introducing The Last Minute | 60 Minutes Irans President Ebrahim Raisi: The 60 Minutes Interview President Joe Biden: The 2022 60 Minutes Interview IAN VOGLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Welcome to this special edition of Royalist, The Daily Beasts newsletter for all things royal and Royal Family, bringing together the latest developments as the world prepares for Queen Elizabeths funeral tomorrow, Monday September 19. Subscribe here to get Royalist in your inbox every Sunday. I just wish they were together Heartbroken and devastated: that is how Prince Harry is reportedly feeling after the military uniform he was finally allowed to wear at yesterdays vigil in front of the queens coffin was stripped of her initials. He also feels excluded after a week around his royal relations, and the rescinding of a palace party invitation, according to a detailed report in todays U.K. Sunday Times. Those close to Harry and Prince William also confirm to the papers royal correspondent Roya Nikkhah The Daily Beasts previous reportingthat there has been no meaningful rapprochement between the brothers, despite all the carefully choreographed sharing of physical space over the last week, including yesterdays vigil featuring all Queen Elizabeths grandchildren. The Sunday Times reports that Harry and William were both at a Buckingham Palace dinner on Tuesday, but it is understood there have been no cups of tea at their neighboring Windsor homes and the lines of communication have mostly run through their aides. Harry, William, and Charles Are Still FeudingNot Reuniting A friend of the brothers told the Times: The joint appearances take effort. There was an understanding that we need to show solidarity, not just we need to do this because its our duty. But I dont think it goes much beyond that. There have been some awkward moments this week. I definitely dont get the sense of any deeper meaningful rapprochement or a sense that this is it: things will be mended. As The Daily Beast has reported, Nikkhah intimates the constant shadowy specter is Harrys memoir and what it may or may not revealand Meghans determination to also say what she wants. A friend of both brothers told the Sunday Times: We know there are other things that will come out in the future that will be very damaging. Story continues Tantalizingly, the most intimate exchange between the brothers as related by the Times happened by accident on Thursday, both driving their cars in opposite directions on Harrys 38th birthday, with William having just picked up his own three kids from school. The brothers drove past each other but then stopped, reversed, wound down their windows and chatted for a while, the Times says. Sources close to William told the paper he is solely focused on doing what is right to honor the queen. He is processing his grief and the death of his grandmother, rather than sitting there processing his relationship with Harry. He does not want the focus to be on him and Harry and other rows within the family. That weighs on him a lot. He doesnt want that, a friend told the Times. On this he and Harry agree; a friend of Harrys said: People need to just stop talking about all this stuff and focus on my grandmother. A friend of Harrys said that the world wants them to reconcile, but it is very hard to make any personal decisions with the added public weight of How does it look? every time the brothers share physical space. A friend of the Sussexes added: They are very sensitive to how everything is happening and very much see the bigger picture, not just from a personal point of view but from the familys point of view. Meghan is not afraid of throwing in a hand grenade here and there, but there are no toys being thrown out of the pram now. Their view is: Lets get on and do itwell be where we need to be and we wont be where we dont need to be. A lifelong friend of William and Harry told the paper: They are both just doing their jobs and will go back to their own lives after that. Its all really sad. I just wish they were together, to help each other for the rest of their lives, which is what they were born to do. Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex pay their respects in The Palace of Westminster after the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 14, 2022 in London, England. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Its hardnobody likes to feel like theyre being excluded The ongoing family conflicts are realnow focused on a painful snub over his military uniform and the party snub which saw Harry and Meghan first invited and disinvited to the big Buckingham Palace shindig featuring world leaders tonight, Sunday. While Harryso far this week only allowed to wear conventional mourning attire, having been stripped of his military titles when he quit his senior royal role in 2020was allowed to wear his military regalia at the vigil, he was, says the Sunday Times Nikkhah, devastated to find the queens ER initials had been removed from the shoulder. Will he be allowed to wear the military clothes, ER initials intact, at tomorrows funeral? The word, so far, is no, he will be wearing a morning suitbut we shall see. The Times makes the point that Prince Andrews vigil military uniform retained its ER initials. Harry felt so humiliated by the removal of the initials he considered attending the vigil not wearing the military regalia, one friend told the Sunday Times: He is heartbroken. To remove his grandmothers initials feels very intentional. The good news? For his many fans, Harry looked as hot as hell in his regalia. As one viral tweet had it: I can see why they didnt want him to wear his uniform. I can see why they didnt want him to wear his uniform pic.twitter.com/cPVLuS2Mfl Hannah (@queen_meghan14) September 17, 2022 As for tonights palace party, the Sussexes were told their invite was rescinded because the party was for working members of the royal family only. A friend of the Sussexes told Nikkhah: It is beyond bonkers if theyre not there. Everyone is coming in from around the world to pay their respects to the queen. A source close to the Sussexes told the Times that this decision, and prohibiting then allowing him to wear military uniform at the vigil, made him feel as if the majority of the operation is against you. Its hardnobody likes to feel like theyre being excluded. Page Six reported that Harry and Meghan only found out they were uninvited from press reports. Amid all the reported grimness, friends of Harry told the Times he could not be happier or more fulfilled by his family dynamic now with Meghan and their children. But being around the royals and all the events of the last week also means he feels regret over a missed opportunity of what could have been, and a feeling that it didnt have to be this ugly. Subscribe here to get all the latest royal news and gossip with Tom Sykes and Tim Teeman. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince George of Cambridge stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Pageant on June 5, 2022 in London, England. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Senior officials want George to attend funeral The Mail on Sunday reports that senior palace advisers have asked Prince William and Kate Middleton to allow Prince Georgetheir eldest son, Williams heir, and second in line to the throneto attend the state funeral of the queen Monday because of the powerful symbolic message it would send. One insider told the Mail: Courtiers are keen for Prince George to be at the funeral in some capacity, if only to reassure the nation of the order of succession. Another palace source said: Its currently under discussion. No decision has been made yet. George called Queen Elizabeth Gan Gan, the pair smiling and chatting on June 5 when she appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the culmination of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. So, will he go? It is a tough decision for William and Kate. George is just 9 years old, and the funeral events tomorrow will last for multiple hours, with much hand-shaking, emotion, and general hullabaloo. Both William and Harry have spoken about how traumatizing it was at 15 and 12 respectively having to walk behind their mother Princess Dianas coffin in 1997. Surely the public understands the order of succession well enough without the presence of George. Most people, if they care at all, would rather know that a 9-year-old and his parents were doing what they felt was right, rather than what symbolism and protocol dictated. US presidential car called 'The Beast' arrives to the the Royal Palace during the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain on June 28, 2022. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images Plenty of fuss about the busand the Beast The sight of not only Joe and Jill Biden landing on British soil Saturday, but also his famously fortified presidential limousine, the Beast, is a sharp reminder of all the status anxiety around tomorrows funeral. British diplomats are working overtime to make sure the queens funeral doesnt descend into chaos, the Sunday Times reportsbut not everyone is impressed by the arrangements, which have included trying to persuade world leaders to leave their private jets at home and take a shuttle bus to the funeral. Alexandra Hall Hall, a former British ambassador to Georgia told the Times: Can you imagine the King of Thailand nestling next to President Erdogan [of Turkey] on a bus? I find it incredible that theyve been planning this thing for years and years, and yet we havent figured out a way to get heads of state in private cars to Westminster Abbey. Since it was revealed that Biden and other G7 leaders are getting an exemption from the indignity of being bussed into the funeral, the organizers have been besieged by requests for similar breaks for other leaders. Its a bit like a family wedding, said Hall Hall. For the sake of the hosts, everyone will be on their best behavior, but behind the scenes theyll be saying Why have we been stuck in this bus? Why have we been put in row 34? Its bad enough when you have to deal with a difficult uncle or a drunk ex-wife, but youve got this in spades with this funeral, its a diplomatic minefield. Sussex kids are in California One of the remaining mysteries of this extraordinary ten days, the whereabouts of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles children, has finally been answered. They are reportedly at home in Montecito, California, under the care of Meghans mom, Doria Ragland, and a team of nannies. Doria was seen out behind the wheel of a vehicle earlier this week, the Daily Mail reports. The children have been at home without their parents for at least two weeks now; Harry and Meghan were initially planning a short trip to the U.K. and Europe to undertake a quasi-royal tour supporting some of their favored charities. However the queens death on Thursday 8 September threw all their plans into chaos. Meghan and Harry are expected to return home shortly after the funeral on Monday. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, is pulled by a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, down The Mall during a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, in London on September 14, 2022. VICTORIA JONES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Mondays plans Monday will see England grind to a halt for the queens state funeral, arguably the biggest ever event in British history. Two million people are expected to descend on London and as many as four billion will watch globally. Heres how the day will unfold, according to the Sun. All times are local British times. 6:30am: Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state attended by a vast queue of her grateful citizens, will close to the public. Feel bad for the person at the head of the queue who doesnt get in. 8:00am: Guests start arriving at Westminster Abbey; the 2,000 guests will represent the largest gathering of world leaders ever assembled. 10:35am: The queens body, in its lead-lined coffin, will be lifted by a team of eight soldiers onto the State Gun Carriage and begin its journey to the Abbey, followed on foot by royals including Charles, Edward, Andrew, Anne, William and Harry. 11am: The funeral service will begin. Shortly before it ends at noon a two-minute silence will be called across the U.K., followed by the National Anthem. (There will also be a minutes silence tonight at 8pm.) A lament will be played by the queens piper as the coffin is borne out of the church. It will then be processed through the streets of London with a full cortege and much military pomp. 1pm: The coffin heads to Windsor, where the grand events will continue, concluding with a committal service at 4pm. 7:30pm: A private burial service, attended only by the king, and close family and friends, will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor. The queen will be buried alongside Prince Philip. Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal, follows the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, adorned with a Royal Standard and the Imperial State Crown and pulled by a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, in London on September 14, 2022. MARTIN MEISSNER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Counselors of state: whos in, whos out King Charles might not like to think about it, but the truth is, at 74, he is no spring chicken. So there was considerable consternation when it was revealed earlier this week that his counselors of statethe four individuals who can stand in for him in event of sickness or incapacityincluded Prince Harry and Prince Andrew. The Daily Beast was told by a palace source that this was not a deliberate attempt to include Andrew, rather a consequence of the way the law was framed in 1937 to nominate the four adults next in line for the throne. Now, the Sunday Telegraph reports, the king wants the law amended so that counselors are working royals. Kate Middleton, Prince Edward and Princess Anne are likely to be elevated to the role, with Beatrice, Harry and Andrew likely to be given the boot. Prince Andrew is finished The Daily Beast has reported that the intention of the king is that Prince Andrew will disappear from royal life once his jarringly prominent role in his mothers funeral is over. Telegraph royal correspondent Victoria Ward today comes to the same conclusion, with a source saying: [The queen] always stood by him, she supported him and she believed in him. It was never in doubt. Perhaps, had she lived for many more years, she may have tried to help him stage some kind of a comeback. But now, there is no way back. Camilla, Queen Consort arrives at Cardiff Castle with King Charles III on September 16, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. Chris Jackson/Getty Images Camillas personal tribute, her powerand soapy passion The Sunday Times reports that Queen Consort Camilla will pay a personal tribute to Queen Elizabeth on the BBC, calling her a solitary woman surrounded by male leaders. Shes been part of our lives for ever, Camilla will say. Im 75 now and I cant remember anyone except the queen being there. It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman. There werent women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved her own role. Shes got those wonderful blue eyes that when she smiles they light up her whole face. I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable. The hard sell is certainly on for Queen Camilla, and it certainly seems she is going to be busy calming the king down should he be confronted by any more leaking pens. Julian Payne, former communications secretary to Camilla and Charles, writing in the Sunday Times, sings her praises most fulsomely, and says her influence and counsel is a vital part of Charles life. If you need to be convinced, happy reading. One thing which links Camilla and those of us here at RoyalistOK, one half of us, Timis a full-on, no-episode-missed devotion to BBC Radio 4s soap opera The Archers. It is the worlds longest-running drama program set in the fictional Midlands village of Ambridge (six episodes a week, around 13 minutes an episode, fresh episodes air after 7pm every day, except Saturdays). Its never too late to become an addict. You only have (according to Wikipedia, at least) 19,788 episodes to catch up on. Payne writes of Camillas own love of the show: There was one time of the day when she would be simply impossible to reach and that was at 7pm the moment when The Archers was on was considered sacrosanct. Such was her love of the Radio 4 program (even more so than Strictly Come Dancing) that she had even appeared on it playing herself. In fact, it was quite prudent to ensure you had a reasonable grasp of the current plot twists and storylines in order to ensure you could join in with some of her conversations during downtime on tour. And so, just for Camilla and other fans: we hope Chelsea finds the best way through her predicament, that we discover more secrets about Kenton, 1974, and that Lily and Russ well, lets leave it there. As fans know, discussing Archers storylines can prove almost as passionate and polarizing as discussing William and Harry. See you for episode 19,789 tonight! Miss anything this week? If you have missed any of our Queen Elizabeth, King Charles, William, Harry, Kate, Meghan (and all the rest) coverage this week, or if you have some time today and want to catch up, here is a selection of Daily Beast articles from the last seven days. Harry in Uniform Is Reunited With William at Vigil for Queen With Other Grandchildren Inside Queen Elizabeths Final Days: Parties, Griefand a TV Crush Harry, William, and Charles Are Still FeudingNot Reuniting How King Charles Can Deal With Britains Racist, Colonial Legacy The Crown Star Matt Smith Reveals How Queen Elizabeth Secretly Watched the Show U.K.s Crackdown on Royal Protests Makes U.S. Free Speech Look Good Charles Not Your King? Better Not Shout About It Theres a Strictly Observed Fashion for Mourning the Queen Why Paddington Bear Is the Perfect Symbol for Queen Elizabeth II William and Harry Walk United Behind Queens Coffin Royal Source Says Prince Andrew Will Disappear Again After Queens Funeral Love The Daily Beasts royal coverage? Sign up here to get Royalist newsletters sent straight to your inbox. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, wore military uniform for the first time since 2020 at the vigil As Prince William and Prince Harry united to hold a vigil for the Queen in Westminster Hall, eagle-eyed viewers noticed a tiny but important difference between the two brothers uniforms. The two brothers stood guard at the Queen's lying in state in Westminster Hall alongside their cousins on Saturday evening as a stream of mourners filed past after queueing for hours. 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 said the King decided his youngest son could wear uniform for the vigil. Though the gesture appeared kind, a missing detail reportedly left Harry devastated. Prince Harry appeared at the vigil in military uniform, but his grandmother's initials were not on his shoulders. Source: Getty His grandmothers ER initials were stripped from the uniforms shoulders, while still appearing on both of his brothers shoulders. Before attending the vigil, Harry was reportedly considering wearing a morning suit to avoid the humiliation, The Times reported. He is heartbroken. To remove his grandmothers initials feels very intentional, a source told the publication. On Friday evening, the Queen's children - Charles, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex - took part in their own vigil. Prince William and the Duke of York both wore the Queen's initials on their uniforms at separate vigils. Source: Getty An exception was made for disgraced Andrew, who is no longer a working royal, to be allowed to wear his military uniform as a "special mark of respect" for the Queen. At the event, the Queens initials could be seen on his shoulders. Despite being a former Army officer, Harry has been in civilian dress for official events, including walking behind the Queen's coffin on Wednesday. The two brothers appeared at the vigil with their cousins. Source: Getty William and Harry were joined in their silent tribute around the coffin by cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn. The Queen's funeral will take place on Monday 19 September. Her Majesty's lying in state at Westminster Hall will close to the public at 6.30am Story continues Just after 10.35am the coffin will be lifted from the catafalque. It will be carried in a procession from Westminster Hall to the Royal Navys state gun carriage, which will then travel to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service. The Queen will be buried in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the afternoon, reunited with her late husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. On Jan. 8, 2020, Hamed Esmaeilion's wife and young daughter were among the 176 people who were killed when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. In a documentary, 752 Is Not a Number, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), filmmaker Babak Payami tracks Esmaeilion's pursuit of justice for the families who lost their loved ones. "We had two major challenges that, maybe subconsciously, we were preoccupied with. One of them was the abhorrent politicization of an issue that we believe is not about real politics, it's about justice and the humanity and the danger of the story being hijacked by people for specific political purposes," Payami told Yahoo Canada. "The second thing was, Hamed and I were talking about, well the Iranian community could understand, but the larger community internationally, we have to find ways of connecting with them to make sure that they understand the substance of this call for justice." For Esmaeilion, the purpose of this kind of documentation of his efforts comes down to making sure the tragedy is never forgotten. "We have to do it. You have to document every moment of this journey because people usually don't remember, people usually don't see what we're going through," Esmaeilion said. "There were dark moments that I asked Babak to leave, honestly, to pack and leave and go away because I was worried for him. "He was so close to his subject, I think that I was worried for his health. I was crying, there were dark moments that you can't even imagine. Some of them are in the film and some are not, but documenting this journey was a big, big mission for Babak. I wrote a piece of narration that I ended up omitting in the film, I said, 'I was like a fly on the wall of the smouldering oven, and eventually it became so hot that I fell into it.' "That was one of the things that was a surprise to me, and I hadn't thought about that before. How do I take that person who was behind the camera and trying to observe as a fly on the wall, and slowly demonstrate that he steps forward and becomes involved in the story? And why does he get involved in the story?" Story continues (Courtesy of TIFF) 'This government didn't move it an inch' Just this week, lawyers representing the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims put forward a submission for a war crimes investigation. Previously, the associated had put together a report on the downing of the flight, which includes claims the Iranian government deliberately did not close the airspace to civilian flights, using passenger flights to "shield against possible American attacks." "This is unique because this is the first time in the history of aviation the families of the victims have to write a report because none of the governments or international bodies, or even the transportation safety organizations, tried to put this together," Hamed Esmaeilion said. "I'm telling the family members all the time that with all these efforts and energy that we put together, we could have moved Mount Everest for 10 kilometres, but this government didn't move it an inch, and this is very, very disappointing for us. What you see in that report, actually, is not the families' opinion because we are not experts. We are ordinary people. We just asked lawyers and aviation and military experts to help us and put everything together, and some of some parts of this report are shocking, the way they treated the bodies ... the way they treated the cell phones. ... Unfortunately, the government didn't acknowledge this report the way they should. The only reaction that we heard was from Minister [Omar] Alghabra, the transportation minister. He said this is a different interpretation of the same conclusion that [the government] got it, but it was not, it was a completely different conclusion." Hamed Esmaeilion shared that in a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's parliamentary secretary, he delivered a very direct message. "I said, 'What kind of justice do you want to bring to me? What is justice to you?" Esmaeilion revealed. "I said, 'Can you imagine hot shrapnel coming to your daughter, to your wife? Can you imagine that? "I said, 'The Prime Minister and the legal team, and you and everyone in this room, doesn't understand this, so whatever you bring to me doesn't take those moments away from me, doesn't take that three minutes and 42 seconds away from me, that's why I don't believe in justice.' ... If, for example, this governments are thinking about an apology, as I say in the film, or a compensation, ... I won't sign anything. I will walk away from you because what is important here is the truth, every detail of the truth, and in my opinion, you can only see justice when the truth is out." Russias setbacks and stretched resources in Ukraine show its forces are incapable of achieving President Vladimir Putins initial aims in invading the country as things stand now, the Pentagons intelligence chief said Friday. Were 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 Ukraines Western-friendly government. Ukrainian forces drove Russian fighters from their positions around Ukraines 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 Ukraines northeast. Ukrainian servicemen rest at a former Russian position in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) The Russians planned for an occupation, not necessarily an invasion, and that has set them back, Berrier said, citing Putins 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 Russias latest retreat a Ukrainian victory or turning point in the war, and analysts caution its 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 communitys Intelligence and National Security Summit at National Harbor in Maryland just outside Washington. US leaders avoid victory dance in Ukraine combat advances Asked about concerns that Putin could unleash weapons of mass destruction if hes thwarted on the battlefield by U.S. and NATO-backed Ukrainian forces, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said, I dont think we should underestimate Putins adherence to his original agenda, which was to control Ukraine. I dont think weve seen any reason to believe he has moved off that. Story continues Nor should the U.S. underestimate Putins risk appetite, Cohen said. Putin and his officials early in the war made allusions to Russias 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. Norfolk Wildlife Trust chief executive Eliot Lyne said the charity had a "special and long relationship" with the Queen A wildlife charity that will attend the Queen's funeral said it represented a "strong part" of what she believed in and cared for. Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) said it was proud to have had the Queen as its royal patron. The charity was established in the same year Queen Elizabeth II was born, 1926, and she became its patron in 1952. Chief executive Eliot Lyne said the charity was "honoured" to be invited to Monday's state funeral in London. He said the charity had a "special and long relationship" with the late monarch and felt "lucky" to be among the charities for which she was a patron. Mr Lyne said he would be attending the funeral on behalf of the charity, having received a call from Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth II opened the Ranworth Broad visitor centre for the (then) Norfolk Naturalist Trust's 50th anniversary, and it was filmed by BBC Look East Norfolk Wildlife Trust said the Queen (pictured on walkabout at Ranworth in 1976) had been a "wonderful ambassador for conservation and charity work" The NWT cares for more than 50 nature reserves and other protected sites - several of which are close to the Royal Family's Sandringham Estate in west Norfolk. He said it was a "great honour and incredibly surprising" to be invited to Westminster Abbey. "All of the people there are representing aspects of her life, the international, the national, the local and the community," he said. "We're a relatively-small community organisation here in Norfolk, but a strong part of what she believed in and what she cared for." 'Wonderful ambassador' The Queen became the charity's patron on 23 June 1952 - not long after her accession in February. NWT said Britain's longest-reigning monarch and family had supported them with annual donations and royal appearances, including attending the opening of the wildlife centre at Ranworth in The Broads in 1976. The 96-year-old charity, formerly known as the Norfolk Naturalist Trust, said that during her 70 years of service, the Queen was a "wonderful ambassador for conservation and charity work". "She leaves a lasting legacy across the globe, particularly here in Norfolk, the location of her special retreat at Sandringham," it said. It added that all of its sites would be open on Monday "if people want to come and be in nature, spend some time in nature, seek solace from nature and have a quiet moment". Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk A double rainbow appeared in the hours after the Queen died at Balmoral. Might we see more spiritual signs at her funeral? (Getty Images) As we pay our respects to the Queen, it has been an emotional time here and around the world. Among many poignant moments have been when the double rainbow appeared over Buckingham Palace as the public gathered to pay their respects to the late monarch in the hours after it was announced shed died peacefully at Balmoral on 8 September. Other emotive scenes came on 12 September, when the sun directly shined down on the Queens coffin during its procession in Edinburgh. Then mourners were touched to see a ray of sun beamed down on Westminster Hall as people queued to pay their respects. A double rainbow appeared over Buckingham Palace shortly before the announcement of the death of the Queen on September 8, 2022. (Getty Images) I truly believe these were signs from our Queen to let her family know as well as the nation that she was at peace, says Emma Kinsey, a psychic medium. A rainbow is a huge sign from our loved ones in the spirit world," Kinsey adds. "I also believe that the sun shining on the coffin and her resting place was another huge sign from her confirming she is still looking down on us all from above. Now on Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral on 19 September, many believe this sombre occasion will also be marked by significant symbols and not just for the Royal Family. I think it will be one of the most spiritual days in history, says Kinsey. Everybodys emotions on this day including her families will be felt in all of our energy. It has been an emotional week. People have gathered across the country to lay flowers in tribute to the Queen. (Getty Images) Kinsey explains that the Royal Family may experience messages as they say their final goodbye, as well as people who are watching the funeral could from their own loved ones. When we see a funeral it makes us remember the passing of our own loved ones. You may well see spiritual signs from them on this day too. When we think about our loved ones in heaven or speak to them they like to acknowledge to us they are around with signs. Kinsey is expecting to feel heightened emotions and over whelm during the funeral on Monday. I will be sitting watching the Queens funeral. As I am extremely spiritual and an empath, my feelings will be heightened. Story continues The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard and adorned with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre. (Getty images) I will be feeling overwhelmed with everyones emotions and grief in the energy. This will certainly be a day of huge emotion for all of us as we come together to say our final goodbye and thanks to our Queen for her lifetime of service." Her spiritual faith is of comfort to Kinsey, who has seen spirits from the age of six when her grandfather visited her on the night he died in hospital. I myself know that the Queen will already be in heaven and reunited with her prince and other family members. On a day that will probably bring great sadness to people around the world, I think its important that we all remember those we love dont go away, they walk beside us everyday. Could we see spiritual signs during the Queen's funeral? (Getty Images) The spiritual signs and what they mean when seen at a loved ones funeral The spirit world is always active, its not just on particular days. But on the Queen's funeral day we will all feel more spiritual due to everyone coming together, says Kinsey White feathers A sign from our loved ones in spirit letting us know that they are nearby and they are sending us all their love. Red Robin When we see a red robin, its our loved ones telling us that positive changes are afoot for us. Butterflies Butterflies are a major sign from the spirit, and white butterflies in particular. It tells us that major transformations in our life that we will already have been thinking of will be happening. For many workers of color, quiet quitting is a way of dealing with biased coworkers and toxic workplaces. Malte Mueller/Getty Images The phrase "quiet quitting" gained traction after Insider published a story on "coasting culture." Workers from minority backgrounds have been quiet-quitting, or setting work boundaries, for years. The trend is growing among workers of all backgrounds. Three women shared their experiences with it. The working world goes through phases, and every now and then, employees coalesce around terms they feel empower them to take control of their lives. One of the latest work trends we've been reading about and seeing in TikTok videos is "quiet quitting." As many of us have been seeking ways to set better boundaries between our work life and our personal life, workers from all backgrounds continue to struggle with burnout and exhaustion as pandemic issues persist. Many of us felt a kinship as we discussed quiet quitting. Do you quiet-quit? When can you quiet-quit? Should you boast about it? It's a phrase that gained traction after Insider published a story on "coasting culture" in March and has been ricocheting across social media. Not depleting yourself at work and doing just what's expected or maybe even less seemed to be the latest answer to our struggles with the outsize influence work often has on our lives. But quiet quitting isn't a new phenomenon, particularly for workers from marginalized backgrounds. In fact, diversity advocates say the idea of quiet quitting is gaining momentum in part because white workers are making noise about it. "It's not until it affects white people, it's not until it affects heterosexual people, that we collectively say, 'We got to start talking about this,'" Tiffany Jana, the CEO of TMI Consulting, said. "It's not great people are being forced to act this way, but at the same time, it's good it's going mainstream." Quiet quitting has become a solution some workers are willing to open up about, particularly an outspoken, progressive Gen Z cohort. More workers are demanding fair wages, a say in how their respective companies are run, and better benefits that support well-being and mental health. Story continues For many, quiet quitting is a luxury and needs to be done carefully to avoid getting in trouble at work. Historically, workers from underrepresented backgrounds have felt they have to do more than their white colleagues. Navigating the boundaries of quiet quitting and what could be deemed as not doing their jobs can be trickier for them. Rahkim Sabree, the author of "Financially Irresponsible," wrote in a LinkedIn post that workers of color often risked being labeled as disengaged or unskilled or having low potential if they did only what's expected of them or even if they outperformed in their roles. "This needs to be talked about more as media outlets and social media alike celebrates or ridicules the 'bravery' of people quiet-quitting with privilege, without specifically acknowledging the bravery of those who put their entire futures in danger with an already unfairly stacked deck," Sabree wrote. "It is insensitive to the people who wish they could quiet-quit but can't afford to lose their job or have performance management weaponized against them," Sabree added, pointing to Black, Indigenous, other people of color, and those who with disabilities, among others. Diversity consultants say the fact that so many people are rallying around quiet quitting should show employers that they need to fulfill the promises they made two years ago around diversity and equity in the workplace. "CEOs need to invest more time, energy, and resources into developing their culture, into developing their employees," Jasmine Hill, the CEO of Radiant Slate Consulting, told Insider. "People are tired." Here are the stories of three women who opened up about why they felt they had to quiet-quit and how it helped them deal with microaggressions at work and reclaim their sense of self. Sacha Thompson, the founder and CEO of the Equity Equation, said executives had dismissed her strategic recommendations. Sacha Thompson Sacha Thompson: '5 o'clock came and I shut down' For Sacha Thompson, quiet quitting was a means of dealing with toxic cultures and colleagues who disrespected her. Thompson, a 47-year-old Black woman who worked in corporate America for years, said she experienced many microaggressions throughout her career. In one instance, on her first day with one employer, she said she was in a meeting when a white colleague turned to her, tilted her head, and asked, "What qualifies you to be here?" None of Thompson's white colleagues in that meeting, who were also at their first meeting, faced the same question. Thompson who had years of experience, graduated from a competitive college, and was active in numerous leadership organizations felt compelled to put boundaries around her work life because of instances in which she felt treated differently from her colleagues. She stopped putting in the long hours at that job and did only what was required. "I mean, 5 o'clock came and I shut down," she said. But when she left the office, Thompson said she came alive: "I would go home, and I was the president of our Black alumni association at my college. I was active in my church. I was active in my sorority. I would speak to students about leadership. It was very different from what I experienced in the workplace." For many quiet quitters, joy and purpose are found outside work, Thompson said, adding that Black people had been engaging in quiet quitting for generations. "There's always been this need to separate life from livelihood. If you were on the plantation, if you were working in the fields, you needed that time, that break, to be human," Thompson said. "When we think about generational trauma, particularly in the Black and brown communities, it's continued down generations." Besia: 'I was chastised for my voice. Quiet quitting became necessary' Last summer, Besia, a teacher in California, stopped giving over so much of her personal time to her job. The decision, she said, was "a means of survival." Like most teachers, the 29-year-old who's Black, white, and Filipino, wasn't being compensated for the several hours she worked before and after each school day to get her work done. She was expected to work through lunch, she said, and spent her own money on classroom supplies, a common occurrence in public schools. Fed up, Besia, who asked that Insider not use her last name so that she could speak freely, described being told by her bosses, who were white, that she needed to speak more softly in the classroom. "There is the trope of the loud Black woman," Besia told Insider, adding: "There's a connotation to telling a Black woman to be quiet. I was chastised for my voice." Feeling dejected by this and what she perceived as other slights, Besia said she wanted to walk away. But the single mom had her toddler enrolled at the school at a discounted rate. Rather than leaving, she stopped putting in the extra hours. "Quiet quitting became necessary," Besia said. "It was me finally valuing my own time and mental health. I realized this is not fair. This is not equitable compensation." Finally, Besia had enough, and for her, quiet quitting turned into her actual departure. In May, she became increasingly vocal about how her working conditions were unfair and inequitable. The school, she said, fired her in response. Besia has since found work at another school. She now reports to directors, one of whom is a Black woman, who are supportive of her well-being and her career, she said. "I was not complacent," she said. "I couldn't be happier." Laura: 'I'm at the point of no return' Laura, a 38-year-old marketing director in Arizona, quiet-quit her job the minute after her annual performance review concluded in mid-May. She asked Insider not to publish her last name because she didn't want to lose her job. During the in-person meeting, Laura, who is white, advocated for a salary increase, citing research that showed she was being underpaid for her years of experience, as well as for someone who has an MBA, something which she'd recently attained. Laura also reminded her boss of how she spent months working 50 to 60 hours a week earlier in the pandemic. Her boss' response stunned her. The executive director looked at Laura and said flatly: "I can't justify a pay increase just because you went into student debt for an MBA. And if I'm not the manager for you, just put in your 30 days in now." While the nonprofit ended up giving her a 6% raise, which the executive director said was higher than the 4% raise her colleagues received, the conversation was a point of no return, Laura said. "It's just a matter of time before I leave," she added. "I feel management is trying to push me out, like I'm a troublemaker in the office for asking for something that's equitable to keep an employee." Read the original article on Business Insider U.S. Geological Survey biologist Elizabeth Gallegos leads her team on a hike to release Southern California mountain yellow-legged frogs into a pair of remote creeks in the San Gabriel Mountains. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Six biologists shouldered backpack coolers filled with 200 federally endangered frogs on Thursday morning and started trudging uphill across three miles of roadless wilderness on the northwestern flanks of the San Gabriel Mountains. The inch-long juvenile Southern California mountain yellow-legged frogs were being carried on foot to a pair of remote spring-fed streams running through some of the wildest places left in Los Angeles County. No pavement. No campgrounds. No predatory trout. No trails. No footprints. The foray was led by U.S. Geological Survey biologists Adam Backlin and Elizabeth Gallegos, who have been assessing the ecological effects of summer crowds and climate-driven heat waves, drought, wildfires and flooding across the mountains just north of Los Angeles for two decades. A Southern California mountain yellow-legged frog. The species thrived for thousands of years in hundreds of streams cascading year-round down the San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) They can attest that in these mountains, the wrinkled slopes, lush canyons and the creatures that inhabit them are all in flux because the climate is changing at an unnerving pace. The most noticeable change has been the disappearance of mountain streams and the effect that has had on yellow-legged frogs their lifes work. Like a person who has watched his neighborhood fall into ruin, Backlin said: A lot of streams have been taken over by recreational activities or simply dried up. As a result, the frog populations also declined or vanished. The yellow-legged frog thrived for thousands of years in hundreds of streams cascading year-round down the San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. Today, federal biologists say, about 200 yellow-legged frogs are barely hanging on in isolated wild populations along a handful of hard-to-reach streams. The rapid disappearance of suitable riparian habitat is compounding the agonizingly complex ecological and regulatory issues facing state and federal wildlife authorities charged with protecting the frog and other native species that will not have time to adapt or avoid extinction. The biologists originally planned to release frogs into three streams on Thursday. One of them, however, evaporated in August. Story continues Another summer of drought whiplashing into flooding and debris flows off fire-stripped slopes could wipe out the few places left with the creature comforts required to complete the life cycle of the rare and unusually fussy amphibian, which spends two years as a tadpole that prefers clear, calm and icy pools shaded by alders, willows and oaks. U.S. Geological Survey biologist Elizabeth Gallegos, center, directs teammates as they sort containers of Southern California mountain yellow-legged frogs in preparation for their release into a pair of remote creeks in Angeles National Forest. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) A mountain yellow-legged frog squirms in a plastic container. In 2002, when it was listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, fewer than 100 adult yellow-legged frogs remained in Southern California. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) The good news: The amphibians released on Thursday effectively doubled the number of wild yellow-legged frogs. Whether they spur future generations in the drought-hammered Angeles National Forest overlooking the clatter and commotion of 18 million people in cities below remains to be seen. Once these frogs were almost everywhere, Gallegos said. One of our biggest struggles now is just finding habitat that will still be there in a few years. The release was part of a long-term project to create 25 populations of a few hundred to a thousand frogs each. In the mid-1960s, it would have been hard to imagine an amphibian less likely to face imminent extinction in the range, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and includes the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. But since then, the frog named for the bright yellow that extends from the underside of its hind legs to its lower abdomen has been decimated by the appetites of nonnative trout, bullfrogs and crayfish, as well as shifting weather extremes. With skin as permeable as a sponge, the frog is also highly susceptible to a fungus linked to amphibians vanishing around the world. In the mid-1960s, it would have been hard to imagine an amphibian less likely to face imminent extinction in the San Gabriel range, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) In 2002, when the species was listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, fewer than 100 adult yellow-legged frogs remained in Southern California, giving it the distinction of being one of the rarest vertebrates on Earth. A subsequent effort to develop a successful captive breeding and reintroduction program became the focus of one of the nations most ambitious and frustrating wildlife research projects in recent history. In their native habitat, the frogs flock to streams gushing with spring snowmelt. Males announce their availability for amphibian romance with a low-pitched underwater bark. In the dead of winter, yellow-legged frogs hunker down beneath a mud bank under a blanket of snow. Early attempts to breed the frogs had limited success. Thats because the most intimate details of their reproductive behavior remained a mystery until Ian Recchio, the Los Angeles Zoos curator of reptiles, discovered how to transform a tiny building into a frog shack" that mimics the frogs life cycle of winter hibernation, spring thaw and mating season. Now, the zoo produces thousands of eggs and tadpoles each year, many of them descendants of frogs rescued from wildfires including the devastating 2020 Bobcat fire, which charred 115,796 acres in the central San Gabriel Mountains. U.S. Geological Survey biologist Adam Backlin, left, and IT specialist Dam Nguyen begin their three-mile trek to release Southern California mountain yellow-legged frogs in Angeles National Forest. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) The collaborative recovery effort includes the Los Angeles Zoo; the San Diego Institute for Conservation Research; the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha; the U.S. Forest Service; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the U.S. Geological Survey; and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. With the L.A. Zoos bounty of new arrivals, the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Santa Ana Zoo installed holding facilities equipped to rear tadpoles into froglets available for reintroduction projects. On Thursday morning, staff helped load ice chests containing 175 froglets from the aquarium and 25 from the Santa Ana Zoo into vehicles that transported them to the mountains. But saying goodbye wasnt easy. A few days earlier, Brett Long, the aquarium's curator of mammals and birds, was only half kidding when he clasped his hands in prayer and said with a smile, We wish these little froglets all the health and frog-style prosperity in the world when they get to their new homes. Amber Soto, who oversees the Santa Ana Zoos yellow-legged frogs, said, This is a species in our own backyard that desperately needs our help. So its extremely exciting to lend a hand. At the same time, she added, My big question on Friday morning will be this: Are our frogs OK up there? Backlins response was reassuring. The frogs are happy, he said. And Ill be happy, too, if I hike back up there next year to find that both the frogs and the streams are alive and well. But I really think, he added, that were on a roll now. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Do you really need a real estate attorney? Heres 3 times it's worth it, and 4 times where you can skip it Buying and selling property comes with a laundry list of expenses home inspections, appraisals, insurance, property taxes, real estate agent commissions, lawyer costs, and more. These add up fast. Don't miss Americans are facing a recession what should buyers be doing in this housing market? You could be the landlord of Walmart, Whole Foods and Kroger (and collect fat grocery store-anchored income on a quarterly basis) What do Ashton Kutcher and a Nobel Prize-winning economist have in common? An investing app that turns spare change into a diversified portfolio Nobody likes spending more than they have to, and you may be wondering if hiring a real estate attorney is really necessary. After all, people buy and sell property every day how hard can it be? Turns out, it depends. There are situations where they are worth their weight in gold, and other times you can likely do without. Heres how to decide if a real estate lawyer is right for you. What does a real estate attorney do? A real estate attorney makes sure the legal transfer of property goes off without a hitch. They represent you as either the buyer or the seller, looking out for your best interests. To avoid conflicts of interest, an attorney cannot represent both the buyer and seller of the same transaction. You can hire a real estate attorney for any number of real estate-related legal matters, and their exact duties will depend on whether youre the buyer or the seller. They can answer your legal questions, protect your rights during the transaction, draft documents and contracts, solve problems that could delay the sale, and oversee the closing process. Reasons to hire a real estate attorney Real estate attorneys can come in handy, and they may even be mandatory. You should hire one if: Your state requires it In some states, drafting real estate documents and closing on a home is considered practicing law, so a real estate attorney is a necessity. Other states just require a lawyer to be present at closing. Story continues These closing attorneys are neutral parties only responsible for overseeing the transaction. Since laws vary by state, and sometimes even by county, its best to ask your agent how the process works in your jurisdiction. You have a complicated transaction If youre not dealing with an easy vanilla transaction, an attorney helps ensure the deal is above-board and that you dont get ripped off. Examples of complicated transactions are short sales, foreclosures, properties in distress, transactions with zoning or property line issues, or any other situation where you suspect something could go wrong with the sale. Problems are more likely to arise with these types of complicated transactions, and an attorney can prevent delays and unnecessary expenses by spotting issues before they occur. You want peace of mind Even if a lawyer isnt required in your state, hiring one can help prevent mishaps. When dealing with the most expensive investment of your life, a DIY approach can be stressful. Saving a thousand bucks in lawyer fees may not be worth the sleepless nights. Its comforting to have an expert in your corner when you have big money on the line. When you can skip a real estate lawyer Just like there are certain scenarios when you dont need a real estate agent, a real estate attorney also isnt always necessary. You can save on lawyer fees if: Youre dealing with a simple transaction. You live in a state that doesnt require real estate attorneys. Youre working with an agent who can trust to answer your questions. You have experience buying or selling property and feel comfortable with the process. If you choose to skip an attorney, you dont actually have to do everything yourself. Reputable real estate agents should be able to answer your questions and guide you through the process. They use customizable templates for their contracts that work well for straightforward transactions, but not so much for complex deals. At closing, youll have to read each document carefully before signing because you wont have an attorney to do it for you. Its a good idea to study up beforehand and bring a checklist of everything you need to look out for in the paperwork. It may sound intimidating, but between your agent, lender, title company, and online resources, you may have all the resources you need to make simple real estate transactions without hiring a lawyer. How much does a real estate attorney cost? The cost of a real estate attorney depends on your state, the attorneys experience, how much help you need, and how they charge for their time. Some private lawyers charge by the hour from $150 to $300, according to Thumbtack. Others charge flat fees, with typical closing rates ranging from $500 to $1,500. Fees for neutral closing attorneys are part of the closing costs. These are often split between the buyer and seller, but this is negotiable. Can I get a free consultation? Choosing a private real estate attorney is a big commitment. Before locking into any agreements, many firms offer free consultations where you can ask your questions. Simply search for free real estate attorney consultation for your city to find options near you. That said, if you just need a state-required closing attorney to oversee the transaction, a consult usually isnt necessary. What to read next Sign up for our MoneyWise investing newsletter to receive a steady flow of actionable ideas from Wall Street's top firms. Warren Buffett likes these 2 investment opportunities outside of the stock market 'Imagine you are laid off: Suze Orman's tough-love tips to prepare for the recession ahead This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was among politicians calling for more resources Sunday as thousands of migrants and asylum seekers arrive in the U.S. and some have been flown from the southern border to blue states. He also pushed the administration to ensure that immigration agencies had what they needed to enforce immigration laws. "We need solutions and not theater. By sending off folks off to New York and Chicago, it does bring attention, but I we want to focus more on solutions on the border," Cuellar said on CBS News' "Face the Nation." He said federal agencies like Border Patrol, ICE and Homeland Security need to have everything where they can enforce the law." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have had their states pay for migrants to be sent to New York and Massachusetts to seek refuge. On Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration is "surging resources" to El Paso, Texas' sixth-largest city, where homeless shelters are overwhelmed and migrants with nowhere else to go are sleeping in the streets. She did not provide details El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said that his city is seeing an upward of 1,500 migrants per day, and about 80% are coming from Venezuela. As people are sent away from the southern border, New York City Mayor Eric Adams called more explicitly Sunday for coordination among federal, state and local governments. "We should not be really treating other cities and municipalities in the manner that we're witnessing now," Adams said on CNN's "State of the Union," "There was no coordination at all with Governor Abbott and Governor DeSantis, just wanted to use this political ploy instead of understanding these are people, these are families, these are human beings," he added on ABC News' "This Week." A group of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, arrived unexpectedly on Wednesday in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, after DeSantis chartered two flights. It's the latest in a string of moves by GOP governors meant to surprise Democratic strongholds with large influxes of migrants. Story continues As DeSantis vowed on Friday to continue the program, it has drawn a firestorm of criticism from opponents, including President Joe Biden, who accused DeSantis of "playing politics with human beings, using them as props." DeSantis spent $615,000 in Florida taxpayer money to relocate almost 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Marthas Vineyard. The payment was from the Florida Department of Transportation, which oversees a new, $12 million program to relocate "unauthorized aliens" from the state. Migrants: 'I simply feel misled': Migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard speak out; DeSantis vows to keep relocating migrants DeSantis: Follow the flight: Florida Gov. DeSantis flew 50 migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard 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. Leeser said the city of El Paso is working with migrants who have arrived to find out where they want to go and help get them there. He notes about half do not have sponsors in the U.S. who can help them family or friends or money. Leeser suggested sponsorship can make transitions for migrants easier, given that there are many members of the Venezuelan community in the U.S. Contributing: Tallahassee Democrat This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas' Henry Cuellar, NYC's Eric Adams call for more migrant resources Rep. Matt Gaetz addresses attendees during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on July 23, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo The Washington Post reported Gaetz sought a preemptive presidential pardon in a sex trafficking investigation. Sources told WaPo that Johnny McEntee, a White House official, testified he received the request from Gaetz. A spokesperson for Gaetz told Insider the congressman never directly asked Trump for a pardon. Congressman Matt Gaetz preemptively sought a presidential pardon relating to an ongoing investigation into whether he sex trafficked a 17-year-old, according to reporting by The Washington Post. Sources familiar with the testimony told The Washington Post that Johnny McEntee, a staffer in the Donald Trump White House, told the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack he received the request from Rep. Gaetz around the time of the siege on the Capitol. McEntee testified Gaetz told him he was aware of an investigation being launched into his conduct and that "he did not do anything wrong but they are trying to make his life hell, and you know, if the president could give him a pardon, that would be great," The Washington Post reported. McEntee also testified Gaetz said he asked White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for a pardon. The Department of Justice probe into whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with an underage girl and paid her to travel with him was first reported in 2021 and continues to be investigated. Gaetz has not been charged with any crime and has consistently denied any wrongdoing. "Congressman Matt Gaetz discussed pardons for many other people publicly and privately at the end of President Donald Trump's first term," a spokesman for Rep. Gaetz told Insider in an email. "As for himself, President Trump addressed this malicious rumor more than a year ago stating, 'Congressman Matt Gaetz has never asked me for a pardon.' Rep. Gaetz continues to stand by President Trump's statement." The spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether Gaetz denied the conversations about pardons with McEntee or Meadows occurred. The GOP congressman, one of 20 Republicans to vote against reauthorizing a sex-trafficking law in July, has received ongoing support from former President Trump relating to the investigation, despite Trump's comments calling for death to human traffickers. Read the original article on Business Insider Some census takers who falsified information during the 2020 count didn't have their work redone fully, weren't fired in a timely manner and in some cases even received bonuses, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's watchdog group. The findings released Friday by the Office of Inspector General raise concerns about possible damage to the quality of the once-a-decade head count that determines political power and federal funding, Off-campus students at colleges and universities were likely undercounted since the census started around the same time students were sent home to stop the spread of COVID-19 in March 2020, the review found. During the 2020 census, The Associated Press documented cases of census takers who were pressured by their supervisors to enter false information into a computer system about homes they had not visited so they could close cases during the waning days of the census. Supervisors were able to track their census takers' work in real time through mobile devices that the census takers used to record information about households' numbers, demographic characteristics and members' relationships to one another. As a result, supervisors would get alerts when actions raised red flags about accuracy, such as a census taker recording data on a home while far away from the address or a census taker conducting an interview in just a few minutes. As a quality control check, others census takers were sent back to homes to re-interview residents. The Inspector General's probe concluded that some alerts weren't being properly resolved, some re-interviews weren't properly conducted and that the work of some census takers whose work had been flagged for falsifying data had not been reworked to fix its accuracy. In fact, some census takers whose work was flagged for falsifications were given more cases, weren't fired and were reassigned to other operations, the report said. Story continues Of the 1,400 census takers who were designated hard fails" because questions about the accuracy of their work, only 300 were fired for misconduct or unsatisfactory performance. Of the 1,400 hard fail" census takers, 1,300 of them received bonuses ranging from $50 to $1,600 each, the report said. The census is the largest nonmilitary mobilization in the U.S. Data gathered during the census determines how many congressional seats each state gets. The numbers also are used for redrawing political districts and distributing $1.5 trillion in federal spending each year. Because of that, undercounts can cost communities funding. The 2020 census faced unprecedented challenges including the pandemic, natural disasters and political interference from the Trump administration. In response to the Inspector General's report, the Census Bureau said it appreciated the concerns that were raised but disagreed with the conclusions that data quality may have been damaged since the report cited only a small number of cases out of the overall workload. As a result, we asserted that the findings could not and should not be presented as a conclusive assessment of overall census quality," Census Bureau Director Robert Santos said in the written response. Under Census Bureau rules, college and university students should have been counted where they spent the most time, either at on-campus housing or off-campus apartments, even if they were sent home because of the pandemic. Most schools didn't provide the Census Bureau with off-campus student data, and the bureau had to use a last-resort, less-accurate statistical tool to fill in the information gaps on more than 10% of the off-campus student population when they were given the information, the Inspector General's report said. Schools often didn't provide the data because they didn't have information on off-campus students or because of privacy concerns. The Inspector General recommends passage of legislation that would require schools to provide needed information in future head counts. Although difficult to quantify, the fiscal implication of specifically undercounting off-campus students at the correct location for states and localities is potentially far-reaching," the report said. The city of Boston, which is home to Northeastern University, Boston University and several other schools, said in a challenge to its census figures that the count missed 6,000 students. ___ Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP Associated Press Russell M. Nelson, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told members of the faith on Saturday that abuse was a grievous sin that shouldn't be tolerated and would bring down the wrath of God on perpetrators. Let me be perfectly clear: Any kind of abuse of women, children or anyone is an abomination to the Lord, Nelson, who members of the faith believe is a prophet, said in Salt Lake City at a church conference. The AP's investigation found the hotline the church uses for abuse reporting can be misused by its leaders to divert accusations away from law enforcement and toward church attorneys. A Florida doctor who was spending his retirement years teaching and volunteering recently returned to work after seeing the devastation caused by Russias invasion of Ukraine. Instead of returning to his private practice in Sarasota, Florida, however, Dr. Paul Runge flew thousands of miles to help Ukrainian newborns and infants. "I wasnt ready to just sit around and do nothing for the remaining part of my life," he told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, during a phone interview while he was in Ivano-Frankivsk, a Western Ukrainian city. "I was sitting at home like everybody else, watching [the war] unfold and just wondering what I could do." IVANO-FRANKIVSK, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 23, 2021 - A contactless thermometer at the Regional Clinical Hospital of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council that treats people with COVID-19, Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine. Yurii Rylchuk/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images Runge then reached out to some contacts in Western Ukraine and left for the war-torn country on July 4. During a 10-day visit, the retired ophthalmologist helped doctors throughout Ukraine. BIDEN WARNS PUTIN AGAINST USING NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN UKRAINE: 'DON'T' Runge started his trip 80 miles north of Lviv, before he joined a childrens hospital neonatal intensive care unit in Ivano-Frankivsk. He also helped a neighboring military hospital. "I was really excited when I realized that, No. 1, they wanted me, and No. 2, I could really be of help," Runge said. "I dont want to be like a bull in a China shop and tell everybody hey, you gotta do it this way, thats the way we do it. but Ive really enjoyed being here." "(The doctors) are very enthusiastic. Theyre not driven by money," he added. "Theyre wanting to do as good of a job as they possibly can for their patients. Its such a unique and refreshing experience." The July visit was merely the beginning for Runge, who flew back to Ukraine on Sept. 10. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SAYS MASS GRAVE DISCOVERED IN IZIUM AFTER RUSSIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL The board-certified ophthalmologist says he intends to spend the rest of the month in Ivano-Frankivsk, helping where he can and making a difference despite the ongoing war efforts. "This morning we were awakened by air raid sirens, and when I arrived at the hospital, all the patients and staff were in the basement bomb shelter," Runge said in a statement. "Nothing unusual transpired, and we were back to work in less than an hour." Story continues SIVERSK, DONETSK PROVINCE, UKRAINE, JULY 08: Ukrainian serviceman ride on top of a tank towards the battlefield nearby Siversk, Ukraine, July 08th, 2022. Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The fight for survival is evident throughout Ukraine and speaks to their determination to fend off their larger adversary. "(Ukrainians) have a common cause. All they talk about is how the country has pulled together to defeat these tyrants. Theyre not thinking that theyre anything but winning this war," he said. As for being able to help, Runge remains grateful: "I have to pinch myself to make sure Im not dreaming." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Russia first invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, in what many experts believed would be a swift victory. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have successfully defended their capital city of Kyiv, they have made progress in pushing Russian invaders back to their eastern border. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Volodymyr Zelenskyy The President noted that polls have demonstrated that the Ukrainian people support the return of Crimea via diplomacy, and not necessary war, though he stressed that regaining control of the Russian-occupied territory remains a priority for the country. Read also: Berlins Russia policy in wake of annexation of Crimea was wrong, Scholz admits "Theres no other option, no other solution: we have to liberate (Crimea), the Ukrainian leader said. It could happen that (Kyiv) might pursue diplomatic means to take back Crimea. Its undeniable that people in Ukraine are more supportive of the diplomatic way of resolving this issue. Who will be involved in these discussions and when, I cannot say right now. But, nevertheless, this is what I think. Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine "will be able to live in peace when it takes back all its land". Read also: As in Kharkiv Oblast, life will return to Crimea once it is liberated, says Zelenskyy In 2014, after the Revolution of Dignity and the flight of President Viktor Yanukovych from the country, Russia began the occupation of Crimea, holding a sham referendum on the peninsula to legitimize its annexation of the region not dissimilar to similar plans for occupied Ukrainian territory during the full-scale invasion, prior to Ukraines successful liberation of Kharkiv Oblast. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine LONDON Long live the queen. Long live her classic fashion. Queen Elizabeth IIs understated and humble style was filled with bold and colorful palettes throughout her 70-year reign until the 96-year-olds peaceful death last week at her beloved Balmoral Castle. When the weather turned less than beautiful, Queen Elizabeth II was regularly spotted holding Fultons iconic $26 birdcage-style clear umbrella as she carried out her more than 21,000 engagements, linking more than two billion people worldwide. "There's a level of humility that you do not expect in someone who is so world-famous," Fulton Umbrellas CEO Nigel Fulton said. "I think that is reflected in all aspects of her life, including her dress." PHOTOS: QUEEN ELIZABETH II MOURNERS SPOT RAINBOWS OVER GREAT BRITAIN Fultons father, Arnold Fulton, an inventor and mechanical engineer, began designing and producing umbrellas in 1956. The company, which has been around nearly as long as the late monarchs rule, is considered a global rainwear brand, protecting millions of people from the rain throughout Europe, the U.S., Canada, Russia, Asia, the Middle East and Australia every year. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II inspects the Regiment during a ceremony to present new colours to the 1st Battalion and F Company Scots Guards at Buckingham Palace in London on May 18, 2017. "We spent ages developing in wind tunnels," Fulton said. "Every one of our umbrellas there's nothing standard about it. We go from top to tail, and we look at every single component," Fulton said. Two of Fultons biggest fans were the queen and her mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. In the 1960s, Arnold Fulton developed the world's first clear-domed umbrella. After collaborating with British fashion designer Mary Quant, the umbrella sold well. But like many fashion items, sales dropped, and by the late 70s, sales were so slow that Fulton decided to drop it as a line. When the queen mother sought out the British heritage brand umbrella, Fulton placed them back into production. "And in doing so, we tailored them to the queen mother and made the shaft slightly thicker so that (it) could be used more like a walking stick. We made the cover the size that she wanted," Fulton said. "Before you knew it, we had an umbrella that the queen mother was very happy with." The Queen Mother holds a transparent umbrella to keep off the rain as she arrives by carriage with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth Ll, for the racing at Royal Ascot on June 15, 1982. After supplying the umbrellas to the Royal Household for five years, they applied for a Royal Warrant a document that allows a company to provide products and services to the royal family. In 1993, they were fortunate enough to be awarded the queen mother's Royal Warrant, which went on for several years. Story continues Fulton made contact with Buckingham Palace in the early 2000s and started a direct supply to the queen, and that's when the company started color matching for the Royal Household. The queens senior dresser would send Fulton a color swatch of the outfit she would be wearing before an engagement, and they would create an umbrella with a perfectly matched trim. In 2008, Fulton was awarded the Queen's Royal Warrant, which still holds today. LONDON'S BIG BEN NOW ABLE TO WITHSTAND FORCES OF MOTHER NATURE FOLLOWING RESTORATION PROJECT "We put a lot of effort into the technology behind an umbrella," Fulton said. "We take a very scientific approach. An umbrella is an outdoor performance product. If it's not going to perform in the wind outdoors, it just goes in the bin." Fulton believes the clarity was what the queen liked most about the "brolly," a British nickname for an umbrella. "It gives a very good coverage over her head and shoulders. But most importantly, she can be seen while she's using it, which I think is especially important," he said. The royal engagements of the 39th Sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey took her anywhere, and she dressed for every possibility due to British weathers unpredictability. It's all about the weather in the U.K., Fulton said, and when it's "tipping down," as the Brits like to say, the rain is a beautiful part of that. According to data from the U.K. Met Office, London averages 112 days with measurable rain (>1 mm, >0.39 inches) per year. October-January sees the wettest days on average, with January being the highest (about 11 days of the month see measurable rain). Queen Elizabeth II carrying an umbrella to protect her from the torrential rain, inspects members of the 1st Battalion The Royal Scots on July 1, 2003, at the traditional Ceremony of the Keys outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. "We have very interesting weather. It's changeable," Fulton said. "We can have four seasons in one day. It can go from really sunny to rainy, windy in literally five minutes, and then back to sunny again. And then we can get hail." HOW THE PHRASE 'THE QUEENS WEATHER CAME TO MEAN FAIR WEATHER When the weather turned less than beautiful, the queen was regularly spotted holding Fultons iconic $26 birdcage-style clear umbrella as she carried out her more than 21,000 engagements, linking more than 2 billion people worldwide. Fulton imagines that the longest-reigning monarch in British history felt the personal nature of umbrellas. "These are personal items that the queen used with her own hands, and I think she always felt this emotional attachment to them," he said. QUEEN ELIZABETH II: A STAUNCH SUPPORTER OF SPACE EXPLORATION While Fulton said he hasnt kept count of the amount of Fulton umbrellas the queen owned over the years, it was a nice rainbow of colors. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, also owns several, as do Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Camilla, the Queen Consort. The queen had the biggest collection by far. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Queen Elizabeth II watch one of Queen Elizabeth's horses compete in the Highland class on day 3 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 10, 2013, in Windsor, England. "We are known in the Royal Household as the sort of go-to umbrella supply," Fulton said. The queen also hated waste, which is why Fulton said he was confident they wouldn't be thrown away. What will happen to them now is unknown. Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey at 6 a.m. EDT Monday. Toward the end of the service, the last post will sound, followed by two minutes of silence throughout the U.K. Her Majesty The Queen will be buried beside her husband of nearly 74 years, Prince Philip, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle. And it will be a reunion as beautiful and timeless as Her Majestys notable fashion. JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images Russias invasion of Ukraine has been a mammoth failure that has only bolstered the countrys adversaries, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, professional head of the British armed forces, said in an interview with the BBC on Sunday. Putin is failing on all of his military strategic objectives. He wanted to subjugate Ukraine. Thats not going to happenHe wanted to break the international resolve. Well, actually, thats strengthened over this period, he said. Radakin further declared that pressure on the Russian president is intensifying. His problems are mounting, he said. He hasnt got sufficient manpower. His forces are thin on the ground. The statements come during a brutal month for the Russian military, after Ukrainian forces recaptured more than 3,000 square miles of land in the countrys northeast. Low morale continues to plague Russias troops, and Ukraine claims that multiple Russian units have been trying to negotiate with the Ukrainians on surrender and transfer under the auspices of international law. Ukrainian intelligence further claimed on Sunday that some Russian military hospitals have refused to treat so-called volunteers who have been fighting on Russias behalf, since they do not have regular armed forces classification. Other volunteer fighters were left behind... without any support or help, as Russian forces retreated from occupied territories, according to Ukrainian intelligence. Putin Crony Belts Out Song in Cringey Push for More Russian Troops The war continues to exact a heavy toll. As The Guardian reported Sunday, the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, said that four medics were killed by Russian shelling during the evacuation of a psychiatric hospital; two patients were also reportedly wounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys office said on Friday that it is continuing to collect evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces, including torture chambers where civilians of occupied cities and towns were abused. Story continues The administration noted that officials are continuing to exhume bodies at a mass burial site near Izium, where over 400 graves have already been discovered. The Kremlin and Russian state media have continued to stand by the war effort, though cracks have started to show, as even loyal propagandists have begun publicly conveying their frustrations. A number of Putins allies, meanwhile, have recently died under bizarre circumstances, including a newspaper editor who abruptly died of suffocation and another who allegedly fell from a boat. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. (Reuters) - The Russian army, seeking contract soldiers for what it calls the "special military operation" in Ukraine, is using mobile recruiting trucks to attract volunteers, offering nearly $3,000 a month as an incentive. A special unit stationed one such truck in a central park in the southern Russian city of Rostov on Saturday and removed the sides to reveal a mobile office. Soldiers in camouflage and black masks showed their guns to interested passersby and handed out colour brochures titled "Military service on a contract - the choice of a real man." Neither Russia nor Ukraine disclose their military losses, which Western intelligence agencies estimate at tens of thousands on both sides. Moscow has not updated the official death toll since March 25, when it said 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded. The Kremlin said last week there was no discussion of a nationwide mobilisation to bolster its forces. But the recruitment drive shows Moscow needs more men. The officer in charge of the Rostov truck said Russians and foreigners aged from 18 to 60 with at least a high school education would be eligible. "Patriotically-minded citizens are choosing to sign contracts for three or six months to take part in the special military operation," major Sergei Ardashev said, promising training for everyone. The minimum monthly wage on offer is 160,000 roubles ($2,700), which is almost three times the national average. One potential recruit was musician Viktor Yakunin, who said he had always been attracted by the idea of military service and was now collecting necessary documents. "I would love to serve in the airborne troops," he said. "My parents brought me up since childhood to love my homeland, to protect the Russian world. I believe the power is with us." Inside the truck, Yakunin sat down with Ardashev, who told him the next step would be a mental examination. If he passed that, there would be physical test of speed, strength and endurance. Story continues If all went well, Yakunin would "arrive at a military unit, enroll in a specific division, (and) from that moment you begin military service". Outside young men, some with families, looked a temporary exhibition showing pictures of official heroes of the conflict, alongside a big sign that read "Tradition of victory". ($1 = 59.5000 roubles) (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Tomasz Janowski) So far there has been "no indication'' China has tried to assist Russia with weapons or other things Russia has wanted in its war against Ukraine, President Joe Biden told CBS's "60 Minutes'' in an interview to be broadcast Sunday. Biden also said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping not long after Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, and strongly discouraged the Chinese leader from coming to Russia's aid. "I said, If you think that Americans and others are going to continue to invest in China based on your violating the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia, I think youre making a gigantic mistake, but thats your decision to make, Biden told the news show. In a much-anticipated meeting Thursday, Putin acknowledged China had "questions and concerns'' about the war, which took a dramatic turn last week when Ukraine reclaimed much of the territory it had lost in the northeast. Xi made no public references to the conflict, a possible sign of lukewarm support from his government. TURNING POINT?:As Russia admits defeat in Kharkiv, Ukraine regains land, confidence Latest developments: Ukraines first lady, Olena Zelenska, was among the foreign dignitaries who appeared at Londons Westminster Hall on Sunday to pay final respects to Queen Elizabeth II. Olga Simonova, 34, a Russian woman who was killed fighting for Ukraine in the war, was honored with a three-gun salute and had her casket draped with the Ukrainian flag at her burial in Kyiv over the weekend. Known as "Simba,'' Simonova was 34. Schools close in Russian border area The governor of Russia's Belgorod region ordered schools to operate remotely starting Monday as the Ukraine military's counteroffensive pushed closer to the border. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Sunday that scores of homes and recreation areas have been damaged by Ukraine artillery. Story continues The U.S. sent long-range artillery to Ukraine with a condition that it not be used to bomb Russian cities and towns. But Ukraine troops have pushed close enough to the Russian border to reach those towns with their own equipment. "I decided that from tomorrow, schools in the Belgorod district in a 10-kilometer zone along the border will be transferred to distance learning," Gladkov said in a VK social media post. The post drew numerous responses from locals urging Gladkov to create a volunteer battalion to provide protection, including mining the border. "Why did other regions of the country begin 'self-mobilization,' while our region, regularly shelled, having the largest border with the enemy, hesitates?" wrote Andrey Rozenberg. "Self-defense detachments must be created.'' Discovery of Russian tools of torture prompts investigation Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said more than 10 torture chambers have been found in the Kharkiv region since a counterattack prompted Russian forces to hastily retreat last week. The region's prosecutor's office said on Telegram that it has launched an investigation after seizing tools of torture and documents indicating the Russians had established a police force that operated a jail where the alleged abuse took place. Russian forces have been accused of committing atrocities and war crimes at several stages of the conflict, most notably in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. Reports of those tactics horrified the world and galvanized support for Ukraine. Last week, officials said they found more than 440 graves outside the Kharkiv city of Izium with bodies that showed signs of violent deaths. Zelenskyy said Saturday night that a room for torture and tools for electric torture'' were found at the railway station in the Kharkiv town of Kozacha Lopan, and he compared the Russians to the Nazis during World War II. And they will answer in the same way,'' he said, "both on the battlefields and in the courtrooms. Pope's envoy shot at in Ukraine Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, an envoy of Pope Francis, was shot at Saturday as he delivered humanitarian aid in Pope Francis name near the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, the Vatican said. Krajewski emerged "unscathed and continuing his mission," the Vatican News Service reported. Krajewski's group, which included a Catholic bishop, a Protestant bishop and a Ukrainian soldier, came under light arms fire while doing their work outside Zaporizhzhia and sought cover, he said. They escaped unharmed. The incident took place on the ninth anniversary of Krajewski's bishop ordination on Sept. 17, 2013, in St. Peters Basilica during a ceremony attended by Pope Francis. The cardinal said he and his group had loaded a minibus with provisions and driven to the front lines where no one besides soldiers enter anymore because of the heavy fighting -- when the firing began. For the first time in my life, I didn't know where to run, he told Vatican News. Its not enough to run. You have to know where to go. Ultimately, the shooting stopped and the group continued to deliver aid. Russian singer asks to be added to foreign agent list Hugely popular Russian singer Alla Pugacheva said Sunday that she wants to be placed on Russia's foreign agents list in solidarity with her husband. Her post on Instagram comes after Pugacheva's husband, singer and TV presenter Maxim Galkin, was added to the foreign agents register on Saturday by the justice ministry. Galkin, who has criticized Russia for sending troops into Ukraine, is accused of conducting political activities on behalf of Ukraine and receiving Ukrainian funding. Galkin responded that he made money in Ukraine at a comedy show years ago. "The rationale for the decision is that I allegedly receive funds from Ukraine, with which I do political activities," he said on Instagram. "First of all, I dont do political activities. On stage at my concerts, I do humor and political satire, as I have for 28 years." Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine updates: No indications China is helping Russia, Biden says ROMAN PETRENKO SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2022, 11:33 Doctors tried to evacuate patients of a mental hospital under fire in Strilecha village of the Kharkiv district; four medics were killed. Source: Oleh Syniehubov, the Head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Quote: "Medics were trying to evacuate patients of a mental hospital in Strilecha village. Medics were trying to save the patients even under fire, risking their lives. They managed to evacuate 30 people. There are more than 600 patients at the hospital in total. Russians started a massive attack during the evacuation." Details: So far, it has been confirmed that 4 medics are killed, and 2 more patients are injured. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Sen. Dick Durbin called GOP governors "pathetic" for relocating migrants to different states. Governors DeSantis and Abbott have flown and bussed immigrants to northern states and Washington, DC. Last week, 50 migrants arrived at Martha's Vineyard after DeSantis chartered two planes for them. Sen. Dick Durbin said it's "pathetic" that Republican governors are making empty promises to migrants as they relocate them to different parts of the country. It comes amid a wave of Democratic criticisms of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who have flown and bussed immigrants to northern states and Washington, DC as a political stunt. Speaking with NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet The Press," Durbin said he met with immigrants who had been relocated to Chicago. "I met with the people who came off the buses. I sat down with one of the families, and they told me the story," Durbin said. "It is pathetic that these governors are taking advantage of these helpless people, making promises to them to get on the bus and life is just going to be fine, and off they go to places far removed from where they're supposed to be appearing under the requirements of our law in a matter of weeks and months." Last week, 50 undocumented migrants arrived at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts after DeSantis chartered two planes to transport them. Some migrants said a woman named "Perla" approached them, paid them $200, helped them get a hotel for the night, and led them to the chartered flights with promises of a better life, according to Reuters. Notable Democrats have slammed the governors' actions as a political stunt. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the move as "literally human trafficking." On Sunday, Durbin, the Democratic Whip, said the GOP governors are jeopardizing migrants' stay in the US by relocating them. "Why is it when the Republicans want to enforce their immigration theories it's always the kids that end up being the victims? We saw it with kids in cages. We saw it with the forcible removal of children from their parents, some who've never been reunited with their families," Durbin said. "And now, once again, it's the kids and families that are put on these buses and transported for political purposes across the United States." Read the original article on Business Insider Washington Senator Patty Murray announced she will be participating in a debate with Tiffany Smiley in Spokane, according to a media release from Murrays campaign. The U.S. Senate debate will take place Sunday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. at the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center at Gonzaga University in Spokane with the Spokesman-Review and League of Women Voters. According to Murrays campaign, there are ongoing discussions to finalize an additional debate in Western Washington. A pony gifted to the Queen in Shetland in 1960 ended up with the family of future champion jockey and broadcaster Clare Balding and helped inspire her career from a young age. The Queen was visiting Britain's most northerly inhabited island of Unst as part of a tour of the Northern Isles. Her Majesty and the Duke Of Edinburgh received a black Shetland pony filly called Valkyrie from the community. It was later gifted to horse racing trainer Ian Balding's family. This was to the delight of daughter Clare, and her younger brother Andrew Balding who has also gone on to become a successful trainer. The pony was bred by Alan Fraser and presented to the Queen by young Agnes Priest. The pony was kept in Unst until she was old enough to be transported to stables for young members of the Royal family to learn to ride on. Once they had grown up the Queen, who had an eye for a good horse, did not want Valkyrie's talents to go to waste. So the pony was gifted to the Balding family at Kingsclere in Hampshire. Clare Balding has gone on to successful horse racing and broadcasting careers Andrew Balding told BBC Scotland's The Nine: "I was probably only about three, my sister is a bit older than me, it was her first pony she rode and the first pony I rode as well. "I remember her very well, she used to come in the kitchen and my mother used to go mad. "We spent a lot of time on the pony. She was a very special little pony, wilful, she had her own idea on how things should be done. You couldn't get Valkyrie to do anything she didn't want to do, she was very strong-willed. "We actually had two foals out of her - my mother bred from her - that made other children great starting ponies, so Valkyrie was very special in a lot of young horse people's lives." He said it was "bringing back a lot of memories" talking about those times. "The Queen used to visit at least once a year," Mr Balding recalled. "After the prize thoroughbreds we would wheel in Valkyrie and the Queen would give her a Polo. Her eyes would light up and a big smile when she saw Valkyrie. Story continues "The great thing about Valkyrie was she was very safe. With both her (my sister) and myself sat on her she would not flinch. She was fairly bomb-proof. "Valkyrie helped us develop the passion we have and probably follow the career path we have, so she was instrumental from that point of view. "Of all the gifts probably the Queen's received that would be a good one. Valkyrie was the gift that kept giving." He added: "She lived here the rest of her life and died a ripe old age, I think she was almost 40, she had a long happy life at Kingsclere." Cathie Jamieson said the Queen's visit was a day of excitement for the Unst community Agnes Priest's sister Cathie Jamieson recalled of 1960: "It was a day of excitement for the whole island and especially for us with my sister having the honour of presenting the foal to the Queen. "She (Agnes) was very excited, she did very well. I remember her dress, she wore a little frock and it was blue and white, and there was a touch of red in it so it must have been specially for the Queen, for the flag." She added: "It is just amazing to think that the pony from up here went all the way down south and princes learned to ride on it and also a champion jockey." The Queen visited Shetland and Orkney three times each. On County Show day in Orkney in 1978 it is estimated that two thirds of the island's population turned out to see her. What next? A day-by-day guide from now to the funeral How titles and the line of succession have changed What's a state funeral? Will shops close? And other questions A small plane made an emergency landing on I-66 in Winchester, Va., on Saturday morning. Virginia State Police said the plane was a small, private aircraft, adding that the pilot and additional occupant were uninjured. A preliminary investigation showed the plane experienced engine failure, police said. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that it is investigating the incident. A single-engine Cessna 172 landed safely on Interstate 66 after declaring an emergency due to engine failure in Winchester, Va., around 10:45 a.m. local time Saturday, FAA said. Two people were on board. Traffic cameras show the plane on the right side of the highway with its wing stretching out into the rightmost travel lane. An airplane (yes, an airplane) is blocking the right lane of #I66 westbound just past exit 6 in #Warren County, the Virginia Department of Transportations regional office tweeted. It made an emergency landing and we dont know how long it will be there. Expect delays. The office tweeted about an hour later saying the plane had been relocated, and all traffic lanes reopened to vehicles. An airplane (yes, an airplane) is blocking the right lane of #I66 westbound just past exit 6 in #Warren County. It made an emergency landing and we don't know how long it will be there. Expect delays. pic.twitter.com/SR3nknwF3K VDOT Staunton (@VaDOTStaunton) September 17, 2022 Updated 9:03 a.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ABOARD THE OPEN ARMS UNO (AP) The Spanish charity Open Arms has rescued 372 people seeking to cross the central Mediterranean to Europe in unseaworthy smugglers' boats and recovered the corpse of a man who had been shot by smugglers, officials said Sunday. The rescue ship Open Arms Uno remained at sea and is seeking a safe port for the rescued people, including some who need medical attention and many who are suffering from dehydration, said Laura Lanuza, an Open Arms spokeswoman. She said they have made at least two requests for a safe port in Malta. In all, the ship performed three rescues in 24 hours. In the largest rescue, the Open Arms picked up 294 people, mostly Egyptians, from an overcrowded barge in waters south of Malta in an nighttime operation that spanned nearly five hours before dawn Sunday. Those rescued said they had been at sea for four days. The packed boat had been spotted by volunteer pilots combing the Mediterranean for people in distress, and a photo showed its decks packed with people waving for help. Before that, the Open Arms rescued 59 migrants from Syria, Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, among them 10 minors, from an oil platform they had reached in Tunisian waters. Still in the flimsy smugglers' boat was the wrapped body of a migrant who had been shot on shore by smugglers, Lanuza said. The smugglers forced the people to take the corpse with them. They spent a day or so at sea, and kept the corpse until they were saved, Lanuza said. On Saturday morning, the Open Arms rescued 19 people from a rubber dinghy off Libya. They included 16 people from Syria. An Associated Press photographer on board the Open Arms said during each rescue, desperate people flung themselves into the water, complicating the operation. ____ Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration. Retirements and deaths in Congress have spurred over 120 special elections over the past 20 years, low-turnout contests that cost the taxpayers millions. Tyler Le/Insider Over 120 members of Congress have died or left their positions early in the past 20 years. Deaths and resignations have spurred a steady churn of costly and low-turnout special elections. Special elections have become confusing, chaotic messes, bleeding taxpayers and exhausting voters. Read more from Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" series. The 25-term Rep. Don Young of Alaska would leave Congress by one of only two routes. First: Alaskan voters ending his career. "The only time I'll retire is when people want to retire me. The people decide I can't serve them any more, they'll get rid of me," Young, a Republican, told the Anchorage Daily News in 2014. Second: death. In March, Young died at 88 while flying to the state he served on Capitol Hill for nearly half a century most of its existence as a state. Young's death triggered an unprecedented series of three statewide votes a special primary, a special general election held along with a regular primary, and a regular general election within five months. It also forced election officials to implement Alaska's new voting system ahead of schedule. It consists of a top-four primary, where candidates of all parties run on the same primary ballot, and a ranked-choice general election. With ranked choice, voters order the candidates on the ballot in order of preference, and the candidates' votes are redistributed up to the top until one earns over 50% of the vote. Voters confused or not ultimately elected Mary Peltola, a Democrat, out of a 48-candidate field that included everyone from the 2008 vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin to Santa Claus, a socialist City Council member in the city of North Pole. The Alaska special election is just one of the more than 120 congressional special elections conducted over the past two decades, an Insider analysis found. While special elections sometimes open unexpected doors for new candidates like now-Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia and Rep. Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania, they're expensive, have low turnout, and are sometimes chaotic affairs that bleed taxpayers, confuse and exhaust voters, and, in many cases, can be avoided if lawmakers choose to step aside earlier. Story continues Insider found that 55 of the special elections from the past two decades, 45%, were prompted by a Congress member resigning before the end of their term. One-quarter of those special elections, 31, followed a member getting elected or appointed to another position. And 35 of those special elections, nearly 30%, resulted from members dying in office (except for Missouri's Mel Carnahan, who was posthumously elected to the US Senate after dying in a plane crash), or resigning for age-related health concerns. The Constitution sets minimum ages to serve in the US House (25) and Senate (30). But it doesn't set a maximum. Nor has Congress passed a term-limit law that would forbid lawmakers from serving, say, more than a dozen years. Therefore, any member of Congress may, like Young did, serve in perpetuity, their political careers interrupted only by constituent intervention or their own mortality. For better or for worse, such a system has contributed to Congress being significantly older than the population it represents. As the current congressional session began last year, the median age of a House member was 58, while the median age of a senator was 64.5. The median age of the general American population? Just short of 39. Special elections spurred by lawmakers dying in office or resigning because of health complications are on the rise. Young and Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida, a Democrat, entered the current session of Congress as two of the US House's three oldest members. Both have since died while in office. Those who die or resign for health reasons while serving in Congress are usually well into their golden years. The average age of such members of Congress was 84 during the 115th Congress, from 2017 to 2019. That figure has trended down to 68 years old in the current congressional session. Sen. Robert Byrd, 92, Sen. Daniel Inouye, 88, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, 89, and Rep. Louise Slaughter, 88, are other members of Congress who served into their late 80s or early 90s before dying in office and, as a result, triggering a special election. Sens. Thad Cochran, 80, and James Inhofe, 87, set off special elections by announcing their resignations before the end of their terms. Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" series explores the costs, benefits, and dangers of life in a democracy helmed by those of advanced age, where 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. "There will be questions about how long members of Congress serve and what's the time for them to maybe think about not holding on until the end," Karen Owen, a political-science professor at the University of West Georgia and coauthor of a 2021 book on special elections, told Insider. Special elections bombard voters Special elections routinely attract special attention. With that attention comes especially ridiculous amounts of money, often from wealthy people and special interests who have little interest in picking the best person to represent the good people of Alaska or Nebraska or Louisiana but sure want to add or retain a congressional seat for their political party of choice. In 2020, voters in Arizona and Georgia were bombarded with advertising as out-of-state cash poured into the US Senate special elections prompted, respectively, by the death of Republican Sen. John McCain and the health-related resignation of GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson. Voters in both states will now decide whether the winners of those special elections Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Democrat, and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, also a Democrat deserve their own six-year terms. Sen. Raphael Warnock, elected in a costly 2021 special election and runoff, is now seeking a full six-year term. Jeff Amy/AP "People are just really tired. We've never had a moment where we haven't been in an election cycle, Owen said of Georgia, calling the deluge of ads "a constant barrage." Compounding voter fatigue is the once-a-decade redrawing of political lines that have turned some special elections into messy games of political musical chairs. In California, New York, and Texas, resignations spurred special elections for congressional districts that will no longer exist come January. One candidate, Pat Ryan of New York, ran in the special general election for one House seat, the Upstate New York-based 19th District. He also ran in the regular primary for another, the neighboring 18th District on the same day. The high-profile 2017 special Senate election in Alabama between former federal prosecutor Doug Jones, a Democrat, and Roy Moore, a Republican, hit over $48 million in campaign spending and likely cost the state over $15 million to conduct between the primary, the primary runoff, and the general election. A woman campaigns outside a polling place for Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who was elected in a low-turnout special election to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings. Rebecca Blackwell/AP In 2022, special elections are 'a perfect storm of confusion' Special congressional elections are, on balance, less democratic than regular elections. They tend to have much lower voter participation than general elections, and in safe blue or red seats, candidates win crowded primaries with a slim plurality of the vote. Just over 55,000 voters cast ballots in the 11-way special Democratic primary election to replace Hastings, the South Florida representative, after he died of cancer in April 2021. That's compared with over 62,000 who voted to elect him in his last primary and over 250,000 in his last general election, in November 2020. And only 11,662 of them chose Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to represent the Broward County-based district of over 800,000 people in total, in a primary where she ultimately beat out the second-place candidate by just five votes. The prolonged special-election process also left the district's constituents without a vote in Washington for over nine months until Cherfilus-McCormick won the January general election, one that just 55,703 people voted in. The 2017 Senate special election in Alabama between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore gained national attention. John Bazemore/AP In Alabama, "even as Roy Moore was making national headlines for all the wrong reasons, turnout was still really low," at just over 40%, Ryan Williamson, the resident fellow for governance at the R Street Institute, a Washington-based think tank, and an assistant professor at Auburn University, told Insider. "That multimillion-dollar cost of holding those elections becomes even more egregious when you consider how few people are participating in them," Williamson added. Special-election efficiency and cost control often depend on whether it's a Senate or House race. While states' governors may temporarily appoint people to vacant Senate seats, Article I of the Constitution requires all House members to be elected, not appointed, which leads to often inconveniently timed special elections. An extreme example of this is found in California's Central Valley. James Kus, the top election official in Fresno County, was implementing California's new congressional-district lines when powerful GOP Rep. Devin Nunes, a top Trump ally in Congress, left office to lead the Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind the former president's Truth Social platform. Deciphering who is running for which congressional seat effectively requires a spreadsheet or flow chart. California's new congressional map splits Nunes' old 22nd District into four. This meant that in June, many voters had to vote for two sets of congressional representatives for two geographically distinct districts. The system "is not designed" for such a scenario, Kus said. But he still had access to the old district lines and was able to program a one-time special district into his county's voting system. "I voted for two congresspeople that's a unique situation that really shouldn't happen in California ever," Kus told Insider. "I'd rather imagine that will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the voters of Fresno and myself." Fresno County election officials held a special election for a California district that will soon be dissolved in June. Eric Paul Zamora/Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images In New York, messy, protracted court battles over the state's new political maps required two primary elections for one set of offices in June and another in August, doubling the costs and labor for election officials. "We're used to having to think on our feet now in New York," Dustin Czarny, a Democratic election commissioner in Syracuse-based Onondaga County, told Insider. "I have to be honest: This year is the worst." Two special elections in Upstate and Western New York alongside the August primary added to the costs ones that taxpayers had to shoulder. The extra primary election alone cost the state $40 to $60 million, and Czarny estimated that the two special elections on top of that would increase costs by 25% to 50% in the affected counties. Alameda County, California, in the Bay Area, estimates that a stand-alone special election costs $19 to $21 a voter, as opposed to $7 to $9 a voter for a regular primary election and $4 to $6 a voter for a general election. In nearby Marin County, a countywide election costs between $800,000 and $1 million. Like in California, New York counties' systems aren't designed to hold two congressional elections at once, which led to a puzzle that doubled the number of ballots required and fueled voter confusion. The special between Marc Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, and Ryan, who has the same title for Ulster County, was especially confusing given that those candidates won't face each other again in the regular general election. "It's just a perfect storm of confusion," Czarny said. 2022 has been "the worst" year for New York election officials in recent memory, an official said. AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson 'Campaigns on speed' Interviews with more than a dozen current and former candidates, operatives, election scholars, and election officials reveal the promise and potential as well as the costs of rising special elections as a pathway to Congress for younger and first-time candidates. Previously overlooked special elections galvanized voters and became national beacons of hope and existential power struggles early on in the Trump era for Democrats, who poured money and time into electing candidates like Ossoff in the Atlanta suburbs, Lamb in western Pennsylvania, and Jones in Alabama. A steady churn of special congressional elections, over 40 in the past five years alone, has attracted increasing amounts of national attention and skyrocketing levels of campaign spending. "You're seeing just massive amounts of money from other parts of the country coming into these races," Owen, the University of West Georgia professor, said. Democrat Conor Lamb was one of the candidates who captured national attention and lots of outside money when he ran in a March 2018 special election in Pennsylvania. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar On the upside, the lack of an entrenched candidate, combined with a truncated campaign timeline, can open doors to candidates who'd otherwise have little chance of unseating an incumbent. Deb Otis, the research director at FairVote, which advocates for ranked-choice voting, said special elections "can present a great opportunity for new candidates" in open seats, especially those who gain national attention. "The prospect of a new person even though it was going to be this slightly shortened timeline of a special election that was very appealing," Tricia Zunker, who ran in a special election for a district in Northern and Central Wisconsin in spring 2020 as a Democrat, told Insider. Lourin Hubbard, a 33-year-old water-quality-control manager in California's Central Valley, jumped at the chance to run for Congress when Nunes resigned. "At that point, I was just like, 'Cool, big money is out. Now we can be free to talk directly to voters about policy,'" Hubbard, a Democrat, told Insider in an interview. The special-election environment, Owen said, "actually allows a little bit more of a level playing field for many candidates" but benefits those with name recognition. Hubbard said the 90-day length of his campaign made it based "almost purely" on name recognition. And Zunker said that while a special election kept her message from being "drowned out" by other candidates and races, the sheer size of her district made it challenging to compete financially and on the airwaves. Dan McCready, a businessperson and a Marine Corps veteran, was one of the many Democrats compelled to run for office in the wake of Donald Trump's win in the 2016 presidential election. Democratic congressional candidate Dan McCready ran in an unusual 2019 special election in North Carolina. Chuck Burton/AP "I saw the direction our country was moving in and really felt a calling to serve again like I did in the years after 9/11," McCready, who ran for a district outside of Charlotte in Southern North Carolina in 2018, told Insider in an interview. McCready lost that race, but officials invalided the election and ordered a new one amid allegations of widespread absentee ballot fraud perpetrated by the winning campaign. (The political consultant accused of masterminding the scheme died before he could face trial in the matter). That prompted a special election nearly a year later and put the district in the national spotlight. "I felt like I was just sprinting for three years," McCready said. McCready ultimately lost his special election to Republican Dan Bishop but, three years on, views it as a flashpoint in long-running struggles over democracy. "I see these struggles that we're fighting for so much more as long-term struggles," he said. Emily Cherniack, the founder and executive director of New Politics, which recruits candidates with service backgrounds to run for office, described special elections as "campaigns on speed," a dynamic that can hurt upstart candidates. "A special election is not set up for outsiders to be successful. It's low turnout, and it's also people who vote all the time, so it is hard for someone new to have any type of runway," Cherniack said, adding: "We do not advocate for our candidates to do special elections unless it's out of necessity." McCready's decision to run in a special election was one of those exceptions and a stand he took out of principle. But it wasn't easy. "We knew from the beginning that it would be harder to win a special election," McCready said of his September 2019 special election. "Being the only race on the ballot can be a big disadvantage." But in the right circumstances, the national environment can help propel candidates to victory. Democratic candidate Pat Ryan, right, successfully seized on a national backlash to a rollback of abortion rights to win an August 2022 special election in Upstate New York. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer Ryan, the Ulster County executive, successfully seized on the backlash to Supreme Court decisions on abortion and gun restrictions to win the special election to replace now-Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado in a battleground district in upstate New York. "The energy and the fire and the intensity is really high, similar to what we felt in 2017 and '18," Ryan told Insider in an August interview ahead of the special election. "Democrats have been pulling our punches on these issues for way too long. I don't know why," Ryan said of gun violence and abortion. "It feels like leaders of both parties are out of touch and distant from the actual emotion that people are feeling." Ryan and others said that a leader's genuine connection to issues facing voters, and not just their age, determine the quality of their leadership. "Sometimes in our politics, we get stuck in the wonk and the talking points, and we just lose our humanity," Ryan said. "I think it's more about generational change and people that are more rooted and connected to where the vast majority of Americans are at. The more disconnected you become, the less people trust you." Hubbard from Central Valley, for his part, said he "would love to see more young folks run." He summed up his and many of his peers' sentiment about California's senior senator: "I'm sorry, Dianne Feinstein, you have been in office for 52 years. You gave it the good college try to push the ball up the hill. Let's let some relief pitching take over." This July 28, 2022, photo shows a person completing a ballot in a mock election at Cafecito Bonito in Anchorage, Alaska, where people ranked the performances by drag performers. Some advocates think RCV could improve turnout and create better outcomes in special elections. Mark Thiessen/AP Special elections are inevitable, but members of Congress can lower their costs Resignations and deaths among members of Congress are inevitable. Special elections aren't going away. But advocates and candidates say the system could work better for candidates and voters. California now allows counties to run elections with fewer countywide voting sites instead of traditional precincts, which significantly reduced the number of volunteer workers needed, and brought "a fairly big cost saving" for smaller elections like specials, Kus said. Williamson, the resident fellow for governance at R Street, and groups such as FairVote also advocate for ranked-choice voting to ensure the winners of often crowded special-election primaries get a majority of the vote, a lower-cost alternative to expensive runoff elections. "You have an opportunity for finding the maybe not the most popular candidate, but the most agreeable candidate," Williamson said of ranked-choice voting. Aside from structural changes to the US's voting systems, reducing the nonstop stream of special elections and lowering their costs would require members of Congress to decide to step aside at the end of their terms, instead of hanging on until the very end. "It's not just the millions of dollars to hold the election but weeks more of campaigning and vitriol," Williamson said of special elections. "And we know voters just get tired of it." Read the original article on Business Insider Royal guards standing vigil by Queen Elizabeth II coffin as it lies in state in Westminister Hall have been captured taking a break in between shifts. Beefeaters, so the The Yeomen Warders of Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London are affectionately known, have been guarding the Queens coffin since it arrived in the ancient hall on Thursday. The Yeomen Warders take a break in between shifts standing guard over the deceased monarch (Ministry of Defence/ Twitter) Her Majestys coffin, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereigns orb and sceptre, is lying in state on the catafalque at Westminster Hall, from where it will be moved on Monday morning ahead of the state funeral. Alongside the Gentlemen at Arms and the Royal Company of Archers, the Beefeaters have been standing guard over a 24-hour schedule, each taking on six-hour shifts. One photo, shared to the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), has captured a group of Beefeaters taking a well-earned break on Sunday in between the 20-minute shift rotation. A view shows the Changing of the Guards at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II (Getty Images) The series of images shared by the government department included a number of behind-the-scenes snaps from the operation in Westminster Hall. The UK Armed Forces are continuing to honour their Commander-in-Chief of 70 years, Her Majesty The Queen, as they stand vigil alongside The Kings Body Guard, the tweet reads. The UK Armed Forces are continuing to honour their Commander-in-Chief of 70 years, Her Majesty The Queen, as they stand vigil alongside The King's Body Guard. pic.twitter.com/1iJi4xGGbJ Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) September 18, 2022 The photos were met with delight and praise from commenters, with one user writing: Upholding a fine tradition of the military service in this country you should all be very proud of the service you have given to the queen and no doubt it will continue with the King. Story continues Thank you for looking after our beloved Queen!!, a second person said. A third added: It is an honour to keep tabs on such a fantastic military. Thank you for looking after our Queen. Mourners then have until 6.30am on Monday to reach the coffin, when the Queens lying-in-state comes to an end. Beefeaters stand. guard at Westminster Hall, where the coffin of the Queen is lying in state on the catafalque (PA) Following this, the doors will close in preparation for the procession to Westminster Abbey where the State Funeral service will take place. Mondays ceremony will be the first state funeral in the UK since Winston Churchills in 1965, and will see the Queen transported from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey and finally to Windsor Castle. Millions of people are expected to descend on London, as millions watch the service around the world. 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." Lawmakers are frustrated about being kept in the dark as Democratic leaders strategize how to jimmy an energy deal struck with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) behind closed doors through Congress while also averting a government shutdown. Democratic leadership is aiming to use a must-pass government-funding bill to advance an energy permitting proposal by Manchin by the end of the month. But with roughly two weeks standing between Congress and the critical funding deadline, tensions are simmering over the closely-kept negotiations. We dont know what it is. They havent released the text, they dont give us the detailed explanation, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told The Hill this week. So, I dont know how you could ask people to vote for something they dont know what it is. Theres a reason theyre keeping it secret: its either still being negotiated or its so weak it has no meaning or its too strong for other people, she added. Only a broad outline of Manchins plan has been released. It includes setting maximum timelines for the environmental review process for energy projects, which advocates say could undercut the analysis required for a projects approval and weaken community involvement. Other components would make it harder for states to block projects that run through their waters and require the president to pick a balanced list of energy projects that should be prioritized. The outline also says that a natural gas pipeline that runs through West Virginia, known as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, would be completed. But in the absence of official text, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are complaining that they dont know what theyre debating. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) who is leading the left-wing opposition to Manchins reforms, said hed be open to negotiating a package if it will provide protections for communities that face high pollution burdens. Story continues Still, he expressed frustration that the details of Manchins proposal havent been spelled out. Were negotiating in the dark and all the cards are held by the Senate and were just supposed to react, Grijalva told The Hill. He said hes seeking a meeting with leadership to negotiate and also plans to reach out to Manchin. Pressed on Thursday whether the text would be released before legislation is unveiled for the funding bill, Manchin told The Hill he believes it will be released in the CR, referring to the continuing resolution, which is expected to push the government funding deadline to December as the midterm cycle picks up. A continuing resolution is a short-term spending bill that keeps spending at present levels. As for when and how the funding bill will be brought up for consideration, much appears to be up in the air, as top leaders indicate those details are still being hashed out. Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.), top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, speculated that the CR might not drop until probably closer to the end of the month which he noted would up the pressure on both sides to pass a CR before funding lapses. However, he raised doubts about whether Manchins permitting measure will make it into the larger funding package. Republicans and a lot of Democrats [are] against it. So, I dont know where it goes yet, he said. He pointed to a separate permitting proposal released by Capito and other Republicans this past week as an alternative. Its not totally clear how different the Capito and Manchin plans will be, though Manchin has suggested his plan will be similar to the plan from his fellow West Virginia senator. She dropped the marker on the same lines of what weve done, Manchin said. He also expressed hopes that Republicans lining up behind her proposal, which has backing from over 40 GOP members, will translate to support for the funding bill if it includes permitting reform. Such support could also translate to the House, where there is significant Democratic opposition to the plan. It means that basically Democrats and Republicans are in the same mindset of going permitting and why its so important, and hopefully shes able to bring at least 20 of them, Manchin said. Like the Manchin outline, the Capito legislation would limit environmental review timelines, restrict states authorities to block projects and require the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. It goes further, preventing the federal government from restricting an oil and gas extraction process known as fracking that has been linked to water contamination. It also would allow states to take over authority from the federal government of energy production on public lands. Some in the GOP view the Capito legislation as a starting point for negotiations, while others appear less willing to meet Manchin in the middle. But, as Manchins efforts are still seen as their best shot to get any kind of reform done, they may eventually coalesce around his proposal. Meanwhile, nearly 80 House Democrats are calling on party leadership to separate Manchins deal from the funding bill, though some are wary of threatening to vote against the deal if it means a government shutdown. If its attached then that would theoretically be a shutdown vote, Grijalva told The Hill, but he cast doubt on the chances all Democrats opposing the proposal would vote down a stopgap bill containing the measure. Grijalva acknowledged that not every member who opposes the permitting reform changes would be willing to go to a shutdown and didnt say whether he himself would vote to shut down the government but said that right now, his coalition has power. He said that in any close vote, and if the Republicans dont support any part of it, which has been the history, then then I think our vote becomes that much more significant. But Im not promoting that The ask right now is to divide it, he added. That doesnt mean some members arent already doing the math, however. As small as our margin is, we only need what? Three, four or five? Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), one of the dozens of Democrats supporting Grijalvas effort, told The Hill on the matter Thursday. So, well see if we have that. Alex Bolton contributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. SCO injects more positivity into regional stability, development as Xi's proposals win hearts of int'l community Xinhua) 09:05, September 18, 2022 * The successful experience of SCO is adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. * Xi's visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries. * China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration. BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping just concluded his two-nation trip on late Friday 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. In a packed three-day schedule, Xi intensively attended nearly 30 events, featuring multilateral and bilateral agendas, and covering security and development issues. There are many highlights and fruitful results, which have strongly pushed the SCO expansion a new step forward and brought China's relations with relevant countries to a new level. Global experts, scholars and officials have spoken highly of Xi's appeal for a closer SCO community with a shared future, as well as China's initiatives and its role in the SCO community and beyond, expecting the organization to boost stability and development across the Eurasian continent. OPEN NEW STAGE OF SCO DEVELOPMENT UNDER SHANGHAI SPIRIT Since its founding in 2001, the SCO, now with eight full members, four observer countries and multiple dialogue partners, has become not only a strong pillar of global peace and development, but also a major force for international equity and justice. 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. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi) In his speech at the SCO summit on Friday, Xi summarized the successful experience of the organization, namely, adhering to political trust, win-win cooperation, equality between nations, openness and inclusiveness as well as equity and justice. These five points fully embody the Shanghai Spirit -- mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, he said. "We owe SCO's remarkable success to the Shanghai Spirit. And we will continue to follow its guidance as we forge ahead," Xi said. Gulru Gezer, a Turkish foreign policy advisor and former diplomat, views the Shanghai Spirit as "an example for a newer way of cooperation," which is especially important when "the world needs new patterns of relationships" in a multilateral era. As the globe is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and a new phase of uncertainty and transformation, the Shanghai Spirit could be "instrumental in building bridges between the nations and continents, fostering economic integration of the regions, and mitigating many regional and global challenges," said B. R. Deepak, chairperson of the Center for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. Under the joint efforts of Xi and the other leaders, the summit adopted more than 40 documents covering such areas as economy, finance, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges, institution building and external interactions. It 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. Of special note is that an increasing number of countries have applied to join the SCO family. At the summit, Iran officially became a full SCO member. China and other SCO members also started the procedure for Belarus' accession, granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners, and reached agreement on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, director of the Islamabad-based Centre of South Asia and International Studies, believes that the SCO's principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party has won the hearts of many countries; and that its modern visions on politics, security, economy, and human society are pretty attractive to countries in the region and beyond. WRITE NEW CHAPTER OF CHINA-KAZAKHSTAN, CHINA-UZBEKISTAN FRIENDSHIP Back in 2013, during his Central Asia tour, Xi first put forward the Silk Road Economic Belt, a component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Kazakhstan, and made a special visit to Uzbekistan's Samarkand. The Silk Road Economic Belt has since closely connected China with the two Central Asian countries. The wind farm, with 40 wind turbines and a combined capacity of 100 megawatts, is jointly-held by China Power International Holding and Visor Kazakhstan. (Photo by Dmitry Vasilenko/Xinhua) This time, Xi paid visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which clearly reflects the high-level and uniqueness of China's relations with the two countries, as well as the close friendship and deep trust between the heads of state. During formal talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi said that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan in firmly supporting each other's development and rejuvenation, and that 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. When talking with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Xi pointed out that China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other, enjoyed good-neighborliness and worked in partnership for mutual benefits. China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to implement the vision of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, and deepen all-round cooperation for mutual benefit, he said. Xi received the Order of the Golden Eagle awarded by Tokayev, and the first Order of Friendship conferred by Mirziyoyev, and signed and issued joint statements respectively with the two colleagues, comprehensively summarizing the achievements and experience accumulated during the past 30 years of diplomatic relations and drawing a blueprint for future development. Xi's visit demonstrates "the important role that Kazakhstan plays in China's foreign policy," said Gulnar Shaimergenova, director of Kazakhstan's China Studies Center, who expects the "very significant diplomatic event" to add strong impetus to the further deepening of bilateral relations. "I believe that the visit of the leader of China will be productive for the further development of bilateral relations in all areas," said former SCO Secretary-General Bolat Nurgaliyev. Azamat Seitov, a professor at the National University of Uzbekistan, observed that cooperation between Uzbekistan and China in investment and technology is booming, which will accelerate technological modernization and diversification of the Uzbek economy, and enhance the country's export potential. INJECT POSITIVITY INTO EURASIA'S PEACE, DEVELOPMENT In Samarkand, Xi attended bilateral meetings with 10 leaders participating in the SCO summit, and the meeting of heads of state of China, Russia and Mongolia. The events play an important role in guiding the development of bilateral relations and boosting regional peace and stability. These diplomatic efforts have shown "China is willing to work with the SCO community to deepen cooperation in law enforcement, security and defense, and combatting drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and terrorism," among other fields, said Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh. Guests visit the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) International Investment and Trade Expo in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) As a positive force in the SCO, China-proposed initiatives "such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative are essential to reinforce multilateralism, international cooperation and solidarity to address global challenges and concerns for common interests," he added. In the past years, the SCO has unleashed enormous development opportunities for the region and the wider world by building up connectivity under the Belt and Road framework, advancing synergy between the initiative and development plans of regional countries. Since 2001, the combined economic size of the SCO countries has risen around 13-fold. These years, China and other member states have been using the SCO as a platform to promote the synergy between the China-proposed BRI and development strategies of other countries, said Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Turkish Center of Asia Pacific Studies. "Today, thanks to the efforts of the SCO, member countries' borders are safer and more secure, and their economies are more integrated." Calling the SCO "a role model for other regional organizations," Colakoglu said: "as one of the founding members of the SCO, China has always acted as responsible, cooperative, and inclusive within the organization to facilitate further integration." In a highly interconnected world where non-traditional threats are more challenging, countries can promote peace and preserve the gains of development only through common development and cooperation, said Pramod Jaiswal, research director of Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement. Therefore, China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind is peculiarly worth appreciation, Jaiswal observed, adding that he believes China has been playing a crucial role and will encourage more participation in the cause. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) JERUSALEM, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israel's cabinet approved Sunday the establishment of an annual gathering of senior officials from the United States and five Middle Eastern countries, namely Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt. The decision "institutionalizes" the work of the Negev Forum, a six-party meeting held in Sde Boker in southern Israel's Negev Desert in March 2022, said a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's office. The Negev Forum will act on the basis of six working multilateral groups in the fields of food security and water, energy, tourism, health, education and tolerance, and regional security, the office said. Among the four Arab countries in the forum, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco normalized ties with Israel in 2020, while Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace accord with Israel in 1979. Fifty more migrants arrived outside Vice President Kamala Harris's residence in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, days after two buses carrying asylum seekers arrived at her Naval Observatory home from Texas earlier this week. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's Press Secretary Renae Eze confirms to ABC News 50 migrants were dropped off at the Vice President's Naval Observatory residence Saturday after a long bus ride from Texas. Abbott said he sent two buses of migrants to Harris's residence on Thursday. "We're sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job & secure the border," he tweeted at the time. Abbott and other Republican leaders from border states have been sending migrants to Democratic-led cities for months, calling it a protest of President Joe Biden's immigration policies amid an influx of migrants at the southern border. Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis escalated the scheme this week by dropping off approximately 100 migrants outside Harris's Washington home and on Martha's Vineyard, the island just south of Cape Cod where former President Barack Obama has a residence. The moves sparked national attention, and outrage from the White House and Democrats who said the lawmakers were using migrants as political pawns. Republicans have cheered the move, arguing the Biden administration should do more to secure the border. MORE: DeSantis, White House trade more fire over migrant drop-offs PHOTO: A group of mainly Venezuelan migrants, who were sent by bus from detention in Texas and then dropped off outside the Naval Observatory, the official residence of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, wait for transport in Washington, Sept. 17, 2022. (Marat Sadana/Reuters) Some Democratic lawmakers said they received no prior warning the migrants were going to be arriving. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said the state has since offered voluntary transportation of the migrants off of Martha's Vineyard to a temporary shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod. One Venezuelan immigrant, Victor, told ABC News' Armando Garcia that he was there when someone was asking migrants to sign their name on a list to get a seat on the plane. He did not sign up because the offer sounded too suspicious and because it did not align with his plans to eventually get to New York City. Story continues Victor said he feels for the people that were duped into taking those flights, but he understands why they took that risk. "It's complicated because they tell you you'll have everything you want, but when they arrived people were basically lost," he said. MORE: Martha's Vineyard lawmaker weighs in on DeSantis flying migrants to island PHOTO: A group of mainly Venezuelan migrants, who were sent by bus from detention in Texas, are dropped off outside the Naval Observatory, the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, Sept. 17, 2022. (Marat Sadana/Reuters) The White House said FEMA administrators have been meeting with city officials on site to coordinate available federal support, but have largely dodged questions on how to improve the immigration system -- stating they inherited a broken process from the Trump administration. President Joe Biden criticized the migrant drop-offs as "simply wrong." "It's un-American, it's reckless and we have a process in place to manage migrants at the border," he said at a gala for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "We're working on making sure it's safe and orderly and humane. Republican officials should not interfere with that process by waging these political stunts." DeSantis on Friday also said more migrant drop-offs were coming. "I have $12 million for us to use and so we are going to use it and you're gonna see more and more. I'm going to make sure that we exhaust all those funds," he said at a press conference. Editors Note: A previous version of the story said that the migrant buses came from El Paso. The governor's office later clarified that the migrant buses to the vice presidents residence were sent from Texas, but not El Paso. ABC News' Quinn Owen contributed to this report. Texas Gov. Abbott sends 50 migrants to VP Harris' home originally appeared on abcnews.go.com As quickly as he learned how to win a game on his own in a double-overtime win against nationally-ranked Houston last week, Donovan Smith found out he could lose one just as fast. More:Donovan Smith throws 3 INTs, bounces back with walk-off TD to down Houston in 2 OT Facing fourth-and-one, deep in NC State territory, the Texas Tech sophomore quarterback stepped up before flinging a pass to the right side of the field that was picked off by NC States Aydan White. The sophomore defensive back intercepted the ball and returned it 84 yards for a touchdown to put the No. 16 Wolfpack up 20-0 with 4:40 before halftime. That turn of momentum, along with a sputtering offense, proved to be too much for the Red Raiders to overcome as they dropped a 27-14 road decision to nationally-ranked NC State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Donovan Smith (7) is sacked by North Carolina State Wolfpack linebacker Isaiah Moore (1) during the first half at Carter-Finley Stadium. With the loss, Texas Tech ends its nonconference schedule with a 2-1 mark before it hosts the University of Texas on Sept. 24. While the pick-6, and muffed punt, spotted 10 points to the Wolfpack, the dagger may have been a decision by the Red Raider coaching staff to go for it on fourth-and-8 from their own 35. Smith, unable to find a playmaker open in a five-wide set, ran up the middle for three yards before he was brought down well short of the first-down marker. On the ensuing possession, NC State ran a trick play in which wide receiver Thayer Thomas threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Demie Sumo-Karnbaye who ended with 57 receiving yards to go with 93 yards rushing and another score. Quarterback Devin Leary threw a backward pass to Thomas, who was on the left, and Thomas threw it to Sumo-Karnbaye who was wide open on the right side to provide the Wolfpack a 27-7 advantage with 14:20 left in the contest. Texas Tech showed some life, though, engineering a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off with Smith faking an end-around to Myles Price before he kept it and ran 3 yards for the touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-14 with 10:46 to play. Story continues After the Red Raider defense forced another punt, and a received a friendly bounce, Smith facing fourth-and-10 from his own 40 threw his second interception of the game and put Texas Tech in battle with the game clock at the 8:38 mark of the fourth. White finished with two interceptions, while C.J. Clark tallied two sacks on the night. Smith ended his night throwing for 214 yards and one touchdown to go along with two picks on 21-of-36 passing. Behren Morton, who came in late in the fourth quarter, went 4-of-7 for 85 yards before he also threw an interception. Price led all receivers with four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. Injury update: Bryce Ramirez, a former walk-on who worked his way up, earned a scholarship and was making his first career start Saturday night in his fourth season with the program, suffered an apparent compound fracture of his lower left leg in the first quarter. More:Texas Tech's Bryce Ramirez suffers gruesome leg injury in NC State game Strong start: Since 2020, NC State had a 13-2 record when leading at halftime. That improved to 14-2 with the Wolfpack win Saturday night. Series update: NC State takes a 5-1 lead in the series over the Red Raiders, defeating Texas Tech for the first time since the two teams met last in 2003. They face off again in 2027. Whats next: Texas Tech hosts No. 21 Texas at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at Jones AT&T Stadium. No. 16 NC State is slated to host UConn at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24. This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech defense battles, offense sputters in road loss to No. 16 NC State Robert Ryan McGraa A 41-year-old Thousand Oaks man has been charged with a range of sex crimes, including human trafficking and possessing child pornography, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. Robert Ryan McGraa pleaded not guilty to one count of human trafficking, three counts of possessing child pornography and one count of misdemeanor child-luring during an arraignment on Sept. 8. Prosecutors also filed special allegations based on prior convictions of felony unlawful sex with a minor in 2006 and human trafficking of a minor in 2017. The charges stem from McGraa's purported activity across Ventura County over the past eight years. In 2014, McGraa allegedly coerced a woman to perform commercial sex acts in Oxnard. In 2016, McGraa sent sexually suggestive messages to a 14-year-old girl he knew in Simi Valley, authorities said. Prosecutors also claim McGraa possessed explicit photographs of young children on at least three separate occasions. McGraa currently remains in custody at the Todd Road Jail facility, where he is being held without bail after a court hearing on Sept. 12. He is due to appear for an early disposition conference at 1:30 p.m. Monday in room 12 of Ventura County Superior Court. The investigation into McGraa is ongoing, and prosecutors say he may have committed other sexually motivated crimes. He is believed to have spent time in Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and Simi Valley, and has been "very active" on social media and internet sites, according to the DA's office. More Thousand Oaks news: City tries long shot, to again ask senior trailer park owners to cut steep rents Anyone who has been contacted by McGraa online or in person in a sexually suggestive manner is asked to call the DA's supervising investigator, Terry Dobrosky, at 805-383-4779. Those who know of such interactions, even if they haven't been personally contacted by McGraa, are also asked to call Dobrosky. Story continues The investigation was conducted by the DA's office, the Southern California High Tech Task Force and the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at 805-437-0208, jeremy.childs@vcstar.com, and on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs. This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Thousand Oaks man charged with human trafficking, child pornography By Alexander Tanas CHISINAU (Reuters) -Thousands of protesters denouncing high inflation and fuel prices massed outside Moldova's government on Sunday demanding the resignation of pro-Western President Maia Sandu and her government. It was the largest protest in the small ex-Soviet state since Sandu was elected in a 2020 landslide on pledges to root out corruption. She has since promised to secure membership of the European Union, which has provided large amounts of aid. The crowd in the city's main square appeared to number about 20,000 -- though opposition organisers said the number was twice as large and police estimated 6,500 were in attendance. "Moldova is now in clinical death, to which the current authorities have brought it," said Dinu Turcanu, a politician from the opposition party of Ilan Shor, an exiled businessman convicted of fraud in connection with a $1 billion bank scandal. The chief suspect in that fraud, business magnate Vlad Plahotniuc, is also outside Moldova, his whereabouts unknown. Moldova buys its gas from Russian gas giant Gazprom under a contract drawn up last year. The price fluctuates monthly, calculated from the spot price for gas and oil depending on the season. Spot prices have soared this year. Sandwiched between Ukraine and EU member Romania, Moldova's territory was, in turns, part of the Russian empire, "greater Romania" and the Soviet Union in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its 3.5 million are enduring serious economic difficulties associated with energy prices, the cost of which has increased by 29% in September after surging almost 50% in August. Since Sandu took power, Moldova's prosecutor general has been removed and its former president, who was close to Moscow, placed under house arrest. Protesters accused Sandu of failing to negotiate a more reasonable gas price with Moscow. Many set up a tent camp outside government headquarters and vowed to remain in place until Sandu resigns and calls early elections. Story continues The country has slashed its growth estimate to zero for 2022, hurt by record high inflation at 34.3% and interest rates at 21.5%. Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said this month that Moldova's economy was expected to post moderate growth of 1.5% next year. Analyst Vitalie Andrievschi dismissed suggestions by some commentators that Sandu resembled late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a liberal praised in the West but unpopular at home. "Sandu's biggest shortcoming is being unable to communicate with ordinary Moldovans," he told Reuters. "Sandu and her government are unable to assume their share of responsibility and punish those clearly unable to do their jobs." (Reporting by Alexander Tanas, writing by Pavel Polityuk and Ron Popeski; editing by David Evans and Diane Craft) Increasingly worried that big donors are failing to recognize the scale of the threat to democratic norms, Democratic strategists and party officials are rallying behind an effort to persuade them to redirect their cash to key state and local elections. Wealthy party donors, these Democrats say, remain too focused on giving to higher profile congressional races. And its coming at the expense of under-the-radar contests that could put scores of Republicans who deny the legitimacy of President Joe Biden's 2020 victory in charge of running elections and writing the rules governing them. While Democratic candidates in top U.S. House and Senate races are flush with cash in the run-up to November, a number of those running for key state legislative and statewide posts arent nearly as well-heeled. At the statehouse level, the Republican State Leadership Committee, which mainly works to elect GOP state lawmakers, has spent nearly twice as much in the current election cycle as its Democratic counterpart, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, according to the Center for Political Accountability. Thats a problem in a midterm where GOP candidates who falsely claim Donald Trump won the 2020 election are on the November ballot in more than half the races for governor and at least one-third of attorney general and secretary of state races, according to States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan pro-democracy organization. At least 600 GOP state legislators who held office in 2021 lied about the 2020 election, or supported legal efforts challenging its integrity, according to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. Arizona, a pivotal swing state and presidential battleground, is a case in point. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is flush with cash in his reelection bid hes raised more than $52 million to date, including $13.6 million in the most recent fundraising quarter. But Democratic donors have been slow to dig into their pockets for Arizonas secretary of state race, where the GOP nominee is Mark Finchem, a state legislator who has claimed repeatedly and without evidence that the 2020 election was tainted by fraud, and who says he would not have certified the election for Biden. Through mid-August, Finchem pulled in $1.2 million, compared to roughly $700,000 for Democrat Adrian Fontes, according to a report compiled for POLITICO by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Story continues The fact that the elites are not alarmed enough and the money isnt flowing in that direction at sufficient speed is really alarming, said Matt Bennett, a veteran of Democratic issue campaigns and co-founder of the centrist policy group Third Way. The concern is so significant that in early June about 40 of the partys most influential operatives, former White House officials and past members of Congress convened privately for a slideshow presented by Bennett detailing how far-right activists are methodically implementing a five-point Plot to Steal the Presidency, according to five attendees. The gathering marked the first major meeting of the Paul Revere Project, an initiative led by Third Way and self-described moderate Democrats thats named after the 1775 midnight rider who warned American colonists the British were advancing. The thinking, according to Bennett, is that party elites and big corporate donors would be more receptive to the message coming from a more moderate policy organization thats more ideologically attuned to their mindset, rather than a progressive group thats less aligned with party elites. The plot, according to the slide presentation, includes suppressing votes, installing vote counters loyal to Trump who falsely believe the last election was fraudulent, threatening elections officials, gaining control of state legislatures by election deniers and sabotaging the Electoral College. Loyalists to Trump havent been chastened by the failed bid to overturn the 2020 presidential election, warned Bennett, who delivered the message in a conference room at FGS Global, among the capitals leading crisis management firms. Rather, they have learned valuable lessons about the importance of installing allies in positions of authority such as overseeing elections administration or writing the rules governing voting in battleground states. Every person there was disturbed, said former Rep. Joe Crowley of New York, referring to the reaction to the presentation. Whats needed, Bennett told the group, is the same effort and coordination that goes into a presidential campaign namely a $1 billion investment to repel a systematic, sophisticated and serious assault on the next presidential election that could be more successful than the 2020 slapdash approach of legal challenges and pressure on local election officials that ended in a bloody assault on the U.S. Capitol. Priorities for big donors should include matching or exceeding the MAGA movement in its effort to recruit poll workers, providing them with physical protection and legal representation if they are threatened with criminal or civil sanction, funding organizations that advocate for clean elections and recruiting lawyers ready to sue to stop the unconstitutional abrogation of voting rights and attempts by partisans to grab power from nonpartisan elections officials, according to Third Ways presentation. They need more money, talent, people, social media presence and attention. A LOT MORE, the presentation says. Several attendees described the meeting as a sobering call to action for party influencers to convince more donors, party elite and corporate America that they need to take a presidential campaign approach to protecting democracy, including elevating local officials through support for nonpartisan elections administration and a shift to prioritizing more donations to campaigns of state and local officials in several swing states. Cell phones were set aside and hardly anyone ate the food set out, according to attendees. Sitting in the front row was Cedric Richmond, a former senior adviser to Biden. It put it all together in one place. It is breathtaking. It is a perversion of our system, said Karen Finney, a veteran Democratic strategist. Members of the Paul Revere group contend that only a nationally organized and sustained effort can stamp out a budding culture of authoritarian disdain for democratic institutions including the media, the courts, law enforcement and even the medical establishment thats metastasized into an army marching toward statehouses regardless of whether Trump runs for reelection. Were up against a nationally coordinated effort to dismantle and delegitimize democracy. We need to develop a nationally coordinated effort in response to make sure the will of the people is protected, said Jocelyn Benson, the Michigan secretary of state who beat back an effort by Trump allies in 2020 to halt certification of her states vote. One of the things we didnt do in 2020 was really coordinate at the national level extensively with other states and other partners, said Benson. State and local Democratic candidates arent underfunded across the board. In some key battleground states, they have a decisive advantage. Benson has collected $3.7 million, to the $705,200 amassed by her GOP challenger, Kristina Karamo, a community college professor who earned Trumps endorsement after insisting he was the real winner of the Michigan election and claiming, without evidence, that she witnessed fraud as a Detroit poll watcher. Karamo has also previously accused Democrats of having a satanic agenda. [Donors are] taking it more seriously than they have in past cycles but not seriously enough, Benson said in a recent interview at a coffee shop in downtown Washington. In the Pennsylvania governors race, Democrat Josh Shapiros fundraising is also far outpacing Republican Doug Mastriano, who has said he would require voters to re-register and has been subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol. If just one of the election-denying candidates wins statewide office, said Paul Begala, a former adviser to Bill Clinton, they could use their powers to help disrupt or swing the next presidential contest. What a lot of voters say is, Theyre crazy or eccentric or weird, but what they are is a threat to democracy, said Begala, who attended the June presentation. The threat is real and it is growing. The effort to get big Democratic donors to recognize the importance of state and local elections and shift their gaze away from House and Senate races is a longstanding one. Then-Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean warned as far back as 2005 that the partys failure to focus on legislative and congressional races in all 50 states would allow Republicans to draw congressional maps favorable to them. His prediction came true after 2010, when Republicans netted 721 state legislative seats and gained the majority in 22 legislative chambers, cementing GOP statehouse dominance for the next decade and enabling GOP control of the House for much of the same period. Between 2010 and 2020, GOP groups that support gubernatorial, attorney general and state legislative candidates raised more than $1.05 billion, compared to $632 million for their Democratic counterparts, according to the nonpartisan Center for Political Accountability, which tracks corporate spending in politics. Today, Republicans have complete control of 62 percent of all legislative chambers. Dean described the partys tendency to prioritize federal races and political action committees focused on causes such as hunger, gun safety or climate change instead of state-level candidates and races as a function of their own fascination with themselves. In the meantime, the far right [was] washing money through the states, he said. Some big Democratic donors are getting it now. But it took a long time, he said, noting Republicans are reaping the rewards of their investment while expanding the battlefield to include state executives, law enforcement officials and state supreme courts. A new generation of Trump-inspired lawmakers has Democratic officials warning that state legislatures could overturn the will of voters in future elections. Already, legislatures in 33 states are considering at least 244 bills that seek to undermine nonpartisan election administration, an acceleration from last year, according to a report released last month by States United Democracy Center and Law Forward, nonpartisan groups seeking to advance democracy. Yet the partys response remains underwhelming. Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said big donors arent responding this year the way they did in 2020, when the upcoming round of redistricting captured their attention. Warning of the risk that Republicans could gain legislative supermajorities in several battleground states, Wikler recently sent out an all-points bulletin aiming to raise $3,000 for his states legislative candidates. Ask a state legislative candidate if $10,000 makes a difference and theyll start laughing, he said. It makes a huge difference! The RSLC is not only outspending the DLCC on state legislative races; its contributing to efforts to elect GOP secretaries of state. And the group has recently announced a more than $5 million initiative to assist in state supreme court races. On another front elections for state attorney general the Republican Attorneys General Association has vastly outraised its Democratic counterpart for years: In 2018, Republicans raised $51.2 million to just $24.8 million for Democrats. Only recently has there been signs of parity. The Democratic Attorneys General Association saw a huge influx of donations this year after the disclosure of the draft opinion in the Supreme Courts Dobbs case and the subsequent ruling that the Constitution does not confer the right to an abortion. But that surge came primarily in the form of small donations and only gave the group a slight advantage $6.47 million to $6.3 million over its GOP counterpart. A tradition unlike any other: state Democrats realizing at the end of the cycle that their socialist agenda is toxic with voters and sending out a smoke signal to their liberal billionaire donors to bail them out of political peril, said RSLC spokesperson Andrew Romeo, in a statement responding to the premise that Democrats are financial underdogs in state and local races. While isolated initiatives designed to counter what some Democrats consider to be the newest threats to democracy such as the targeting of elections administration are taking shape on the left, these efforts arent necessarily fully funded. To many Democratic activists and strategists, those efforts pale next to what theyre up against. They cite a $1.6 billion gift to Federalist Society co-chair Leonard Leo, the largest known political advocacy donation in history, much of which they expect to flow to state-level coffers, including for attorney general, secretary of state and state supreme courts. A significant investment from big donors would make a big difference, said Geoff Burgan, spokesperson for DAGA. We need more resources. Period, he said. ukraine-advances-lead.jpg Russia Ukraine War - Credit: Kostiantyn Liberov/AP YEREVAN Weapons are the province of chemistry, ballistics and engineering; strategy is the domain of mathematics, economics and politics. But there is a reason warfare is considered an art and not a science by its greatest theorists. The Ukrainian military has once again defied expectations about its limited resources and capabilities, by all accounts achieving a notable victory in the eastern province of Kharkiv liberating more than 1,200 square miles of occupied territory in just days. More from Rolling Stone Thats an area the size of Yosemite National Park, and the swift advance of Ukrainian forces undid months of Russias territorial gains that cost thousands of lives on both sides. Ukraines advance in Kharkiv is a tangible success that cant be easily brushed off by Russian propagandists. It is a clear victory that meshes well with Kyivs immediate need to demonstrate progress against Russian forces and bolster support from international allies. But the battles ahead on the southern front will be much more critical and difficult for Ukraine as it fights to liberate occupied territories and end the war. As reports began to spread that the Ukrainian military was making sizable gains in Kharkiv province, I checked in with a government source and asked if he could update me on how things were going. Not bad, was his laconic reply. Could he summarize the situation? Yes, he said: Our army has success in the east. Thats the typical mildly fatalistic, non-answer you get from Ukrainian military officials but it was easy to see what he meant by success. Videos and pictures were surfacing showing triumphant Ukrainian forces dashing through village after village and town after town being greeted by newly liberated civilians with hugs, food and flowers: even the Russian ministry of defense acknowledged Ukrainian forces were advancing in Kharkiv. Soon, Russian military commentators began describing the event as a catastrophe. Story continues What was particularly surprising is that before this apparent success in the east, all eyes were focused on Ukraines southern front, where Kyivs forces were focused on liberating the city of Kherson. Prior to the surprising collapse of Russian defenses in Kharkiv, this debate over whether the Kherson counteroffensive was succeeding or failing obscured a fundamental truth about this stage of the conflict. After the failure by the Kremlins forces to capture Kyiv and oust President Volodomyr Zelensky and his democratically elected government, and after the assault by Russian forces in the south and east was fought to a standstill by the defenders and the frontlines had been stabilized, it is now Ukraine that has the initiative and the ability to dictate where it chooses to fight. Russia must react to its enemys moves. And thats a problem for the Kremlin. Amid what the military theorist Carl von Clausewitz described as wars clouds of great uncertainty, there was something refreshing in seeing this Ukrainian advance acknowledged by their enemies. Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry portrayed the retreat of their forces from Kharkiv as a strategic redeployment. From the perspective of the information war, it is irrelevant whether Russia intended to withdraw from Kharkiv or was ousted by force: either way, it is clear that Ukraine achieved a breakthrough and demonstrated that its military has the ability to negate Russias strategy of grinding attrition. The Ukrainians will need more of this kind of creativity and cunning in the months ahead. After weeks of public declarations that Ukraine was preparing to conduct a massive counteroffensive in the south of the country, since mid-August the countrys military carried out a concerted campaign to corrode and degrade Russian logistics and supplies in the area around the southern city of Kherson using long-range artillery rockets supplied by the U.S. and its allies. All of this activity convinced Russian commanders and outside observers that the main Ukrainian effort before the onset of winter was aimed at this area. But all warfare is based on deception, as Sun Tzu wrote. So even as Russia pulled 25 Battalion Tactical Groups as many as 15,000 combat troops or more out of the east to reinforce soldiers defending the territories it had seized in the south, Ukraine was cobbling together an ad hoc fighting force in the east designed for maneuver warfare rapid movement to dislocate and disrupt the enemys ability and will to fight successfully hiding it from the eyes of Russian drones and reconnaissance. Thus, within a week of Ukraine announcing that it was carrying out major operations in the area around Kherson, along the southern front, it began a major thrust 700 miles away to the northeast, near Kharkiv. Swiftness of action along major lines of communications Ukrainian forces covered 75 kilometers [about 47 miles] toward Kupyansk in three days led to the complete collapse of the Russian front line and unorganized withdrawal of units, as Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at Ukraines National Institute for Strategic Studies, wrote. The offensives accomplishments are especially impressive in light of the fact that Ukrainian forces are still grappling with a deficit of critical artillery and armor and lack air superiority, which is considered an essential requirement for any successful offensive operation. This area was the scene of intense combat I witnessed with a Ukrainian air assault reconnaissance company in June; Ukraine has now retaken several of the cities that had fallen in that fighting. The timing of the liberation of dozens of urban areas in Kharkiv is propitious for Ukraine, which needs to achieve visible and substantial victories on the battlefield to bolster flagging and increasingly fractious Western support. With soaring energy prices promising a hard winter across Europe, solidarity with Ukraine could well fall victim to public anger over heating bills. Even as early as June, polling in European countries indicated that 35 percent of citizens in EU countries wanted a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, while only 22 percent wished for an outright defeat of Russia and 43 percent either had no opinion or couldnt decide. Against this ambivalence, politicians who believe it is in their countrys interest to continue providing arms and other aid to Kyiv will have a much easier time justifying economic sacrifices if the perception is that Ukraine is winning the war. All of that being said, it is too early for a victory parade, no matter how many superlatives analysts use to describe Ukraines ouster of Russian forces in Kharkiv province. The newly liberated area is only about 2.5 percent of the more than 46,600 square miles of territory that Russia has seized since 2014 one fifth of all of Ukraine. A Ukrainian soldier helps a wounded fellow soldier on the road in the freed territory in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Ukrainian troops retook a wide swath of territory from Russia on Monday, pushing all the way back to the northeastern border in some places, and claimed to have captured many Russian soldiers as part of a lightning advance that forced Moscow to make a hasty retreat. The battlefront in Ukraine is over 1,500 miles long, stretching from Kharkiv in the north, along a wide crescent sweeping east and then south through Donbas, then west toward Kherson in the south-central portion of the country. Six months of continuous battle have sapped the strength and resources of invader and defender alike. It is very difficult for us, acknowledged General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the top officer in Ukraines military. But we are moving forward. That appears to be true. There is even evidence of Ukrainian soldiers advancing to the border of Russia itself, although they said they stopped short of crossing into Belgorod province despite encountering no armed opposition. Still, moving forward in battle costs lives and equipment: while Ukrainian defense officials understandably choose to highlight videos of hugs and flowers, in this conflict there is no such thing as a bloodless victory even if the price being paid is not publicly disclosed. No reliable accounting of the dead from this war currently exists, but even conservative estimates indicate that tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been slain to date. Ukrainian officials said in late August that at least 9,000 soldiers and more than 2,000 civilians had been slain; they also claimed to have killed more than 50,000 Russian soldiers. And there will be more bloodshed. In Kharkiv, Russian forces have been pushed back to the Oskil River a major natural barrier, as true for the defenders as for the attackers. While Ukrainian forces have taken control of key logistics and transport hubs like Izyum and Kupyansk that allow them to threaten Russian forces in Luhansk and Donetsk, it isnt clear that Kyiv has sufficient forces to further exploit these gains. The military governor of Luhansk province, Serhiy Hayday, was blunt in his assessment: The Kharkiv rapid scenario will not be repeated. We will have to fight hard for our oblast [province]. Ukraine will need every trained soldier it can muster if it hopes to continue liberating territory seized by Russia. Although thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are now being rotated through training in the United Kingdom with a coalition of NATO personnel, and with more specialized training being conducted or considered in the United States and in Europe, over the summer I witnessed multiple instances in which individual soldiers and units up to battalion-strength with minimal training were being sent as replacements to battle-scarred brigades on the front lines. You cant just take a guy and throw him on the line after four weeks of training, Dr. Richard D. Hooker Jr., a retired U.S. Army airborne infantry commander and former senior director for Europe and Russia on the National Security Council, told me. Youve just gotta bite the bullet and fully train these guys. Throwing hordes of hastily trained soldiers onto the battlefield is not the way to do that. Hooker has argued previously that units with heavy losses should be pulled from the line and sent back for temporary refit and reinforcement, allowing experienced veterans to train the newcomers and create a semblance of unit cohesion before returning to the fight. The effort to reorganize in the midst of an ongoing war will be wrenching. Nevertheless, it is necessary if Ukraine is to wrest back its national territory. In June, Oleksii Danilov, the top official on Ukraines national security and defense council, estimated that six new brigades about 25,000 well-equipped, professional soldiers would be required to liberate all of the territory currently under Russian control. These soldiers will also need weapons and munitions, and while Western goodwill may be strengthened by the perception of progress, Western stockpiles of key munitions and weapons are beginning to run low. Of course, there is plenty of data that Russia is facing the same pressures in terms of manpower and supply of munitions, and this is why it actually does matter whether its forces fell apart in Kharkiv, or conducted a strategic withdrawal no matter how messy abandoning land it had conquered in order to consolidate its lines. Its an easily understood dynamic: the less territory Russia is holding, the more troops it will have available to defend them with greater concentrations of firepower. And that will mean even more casualties for Ukraine as it claws back its lands, and slower progress in liberating further territories. But President Volodymyr Zelensky and his military leadership seem to understand that they are up against the clock, which is why they pushed to make something happen before winter. The liberation of eastern cities solidifies Ukrainian morale and boosts faith in the militarys ability to win the conflict in the long-term. It also demonstrates to foreign allies that their weapons and aid matter that they are backing not merely a moral cause, but a winning one. But it doesnt change the fact that Ukraine needs more trained soldiers and Western weapons to win. That doesnt mean the clock is ticking in Russias favor, either. By seizing so much territory early in the war, Russia may have already achieved some of its key goals on paper. But taking territory and holding it are two different things. Ukrainian partisans have already begun to make life difficult for the occupiers. At some point, however, the Ukrainian military will have to begin major operations to oust the invaders. Liberating the southern city of Kherson is an obvious immediate strategic goal for the Ukrainian military, and a necessary precursor to any efforts to reclaim occupied territory further south. If the city falls, theyve had success, Dr. Hooker, the former NSC official, told me. It might be the tipping point where people now start to think Yeah Ukraine has a real chance to win this. Kherson, a regional economic and administrative capital, is a port city that sits on the upstream end of the Dnipro River estuary as it flows into the Black Sea. Its pre-war population was around 290,000 nearly half of which has fled since the fighting began in February. Having fallen to Russian forces in early March, Kherson is the only major city held by Russia on the western side of the winding Dnipro, the major waterway that divides Ukraine in a wide arc, from the border with Belarus in the north, to the Black Sea west of the Crimean Peninsula in the south. Grasping this geography is essential to understanding the challenges and goals of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, as well as the Russian defensive strategy. The Dnipro River to the south of Kherson, and the Inhulets River to the east of it, form formidable natural barriers to the rapid movement of men and material around the city. The key crossing of the Dnipro from Russian held-territory into the area around Kherson is the Antonivsky Bridge, a three-quarters-of-a-mile long span that carries the main regional highway north-south, from one bank to the other. A view of the damaged building after Russian Forces withdrawal as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on September 14, 2022. That bridge was the scene of major fighting in the opening days of the invasion: it changed hands several times, until finally falling to Russian forces streaming out of Crimea in late February, after a desperate defense by Ukrainian forces. The next river crossing is at Nova Kakhovka, about 30 miles upstream of the Antonivsky Bridge, and the last crossing point until more than 125 miles upstream to the northeast, in the city of Zaporizhzhya. These two bridges then, are the gateways to the southern territories and Crimea, and as such, they have been the focal point for military activity. For Russian forces operating in Kherson to stay resupplied and reinforced, there must be a reliable path to cross the Dnipro, and that means intact bridges. If you drop the bridges, and force the Russians to rely on pontoon bridges, its a major issue. Pontoon bridges are more vulnerable and can carry less weight, Hooker told me. If you are able to do it, and cut off the Russian forces around Kherson, it obviously sets conditions for further operations in the direction of Crimea. Ukraines military leadership has been dutifully close-mouthed about the details of their operations, but the government did confirm an operation is underway: Ukrainian troops have already broken through the first line of defense of the occupiers near Kherson, Ukraines official strategic communications account posted in the messaging app Telegram. And they admit to focusing on the Antonivsky Bridge. It is precisely because we used caution and precision when hitting the bridges which are the main transport arteries across the Dnipro that they became impassable for heavy machinery. This is why the enemy is trying to set up alternative crossings, Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraines Operational Command South, said in a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday. I asked a friend, a former U.S. Navy special warfare officer who specialized in explosives and demolitions, whether there wasnt an easy way for Ukraine to destroy the bridges with the weapons it had. A HIMARS strike could render a bridge essentially inoperative for cars and trucks to cross. But actually dropping bridge spans into the water is much harder, and usually means you have to attack the stanchions or rig explosives underneath the spans by hand, the former demolitions and munitions expert told me, asking not to be named due to sensitivities regarding his current role. As word of Ukraines gains in Kharkiv spread, the news managed to pierce the increasingly tenuous narrative of endless military success promoted by the Kremlin and set conditions for collapsing the Russian information space, as analysts at the Institute for the Study of War described it basically a jargony way of saying showing that the official story is bullshit. This in turn has generated space for critics inside Russia to publicly call into question the efficacy not just of their countrys military leadership, but also their political leadership. Within hours of Russian official sources admitting to the setback, people were calling Vladimir Putin an idiot on social media hardly a common activity in a country with newly formulated laws that can result in a 15-year prison sentence for someone who criticizes the war. No matter how skilfully you spin it, watching your soldiers retreat while the enemy raises their flag over towns you abandoned simply cannot be called victory. Best of Rolling Stone Click here to read the full article. The Love Your Neighbor Tour plans to stop in Aberdeen, Watertown and other communities in the region as it makes its way across the state thi week. The tour will share a nonpartisan, interfaith message in support of Medicaid expansion in South Dakota, according to a news release. Stops in northeastern South Dakota include: Dakota Crossing grocery store in Sisseton, 2410 state Highway 10, 4-5 p.m. Tuesday. Dempseys Brew Pub, 127 N. Broadway in Watertown, 7-8 p.m. Tuesday. Pereboom's Cafe, 13 U.S. Highway 12 in Webster, 8:45-9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Red Rooster Coffee House, 218 S. Main St. in Aberdeen, 10:30-11:20 a.m. Wednesday. Klein Museum, 1820 W. Grand Crossing in Mobridge, 2-3 p.m. Wednesday. Constitutional Amendment D gives voters the opportunity to decide about Medicaid expansion in the November election. Thirty-eight states have already adopted Medicaid expansion. For more information about the tour, search for Love Your Neighbor Tour -SD on Facebook and Twitter. This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Tour promoting Medicaid expansion stops in Aberdeen, Watertown The following is a transcript of an interview with former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson that aired Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, on "Face the Nation." MARGARET BRENNAN: And now to the guest you heard the congressman talking about, Jeh Johnson. He served as homeland security secretary under former President Obama and he joins us this morning from New Jersey. Mr. Secretary, your policies are being endorsed here. I don't know if you want to respond, though, to what the congressman said in terms of a stronger message needing to be sent by this administration, going to countries and showing that expelling of migrants is happening. FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY JEH JOHNSON: Well, thanks for having me on, Margaret. First, I know that following me is Professor Robert Pape, who will present some findings on his research. I've been a big proponent of his research now about the concerns around white nationalism for some time. And I urge your viewers to pay close attention to what Professor Pape has to say. Information- illegal immigration is an information sensitive phenomenon. It reacts sharply to information in the marketplace about perceived changes in enforcement policy on our southern border. This administration, I believe, unfairly, is perceived as lax on border enforcement. In fact, we are sending back over 100,000 people a month and have been for the last two years, over 2 million people. The lesson I learned managing this issue is you've got to repeat yourself maybe 25 times before anybody will listen to you. You have to show that we are, in fact, sending people back-- MARGARET BRENNAN: Why isn't that happening? FORMER SEC. JOHNSON: --and probably about as fast as- well, that's a good question. My friendly advice to the current administration, DHS and the White House, is we have to continually stress that we are, in fact, with the machinery of government about as fast as we probably can, given the current legal construct and the resources we have, sending people back at well over 100,000 either expel expulsion or deportation. That's a lot of people. Now, there's a larger problem here that, frankly, we did not face when I was in office. We were dealing principally with the Northern Triangle countries Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. This problem has become hemispheric. In addition to those countries, you now have Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela who are not cooperating with us. Their countries are literally imploding and there is migration to the north and the south. Our- our Border Patrol capabilities, our resources are bigger than they were eight, seven years ago when I was in office. But they do struggle to keep up with this- with this crisis. Story continues MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. FORMER SEC. JOHNSON: And from my point of view, we need to stress that we are, in fact, returning people as fast as we can. MARGARET BRENNAN: So when it comes to moving migrants around the country right now, you're a lawyer. The federal government moves migrants from the border to other parts of this country quite often. What's the difference when a state governor does it? Albeit, I know, without warning. FORMER SEC. JOHNSON: Well, there's a right way and a wrong way to do that, Margaret. The wrong way is on 20 minutes notice to send people by bus or airplane to the Edgartown Airport or to mass [avenue] in front of the vice president's residence without giving local resources, NGOs, shelter's local government an opportunity to plan for how they intend to feed and clothe and house migrants. What the governors of Florida and Texas are doing, frankly, is a political stunt and treating people like livestock. The right way to move people to the interior, and I think it's something that we should do, 8000 a day into McAllen into Henry Cuellar's district in Laredo or El Paso, I've been saying for some time is not sustainable. And so we do need to move people to the interior. But through a well coordinated effort in coordination with NGOs, Catholic charities, state and local government and the federal government. There is a right way to do that. It requires coordination and cooperation. MARGARET BRENNAN: Why isn't that happening, I guess, is the question we keep coming back to. And as you're saying, it's becoming politicized. The Wall Street Journal had an op ed saying it's hard to imagine a bigger spectacle of American political failure than the histrionics over migrants. They slammed Republicans for staging a political stunt. But they also say Democrats are just trying to deflect away from their own border policy failures. Is that a fair assessment, in your view? FORMER SEC. JOHNSON: Frankly, Margaret, the politics currently are such that politicians, elected officials, find it more advantageous to simply scream at the other side and complain about how evil or lax the other side is. It does take political courage to come together and put together legislation on comprehensive immigration reform. It passed the Senate in 2013. It failed in the House in 2014. But that's simply the only way we're going to deal with this problem through guest worker programs, through stronger border security, through trying to address the problem at the source. It takes political courage, but right now, the politics of this issue are all wrong. And I'm afraid nothing's getting done. MARGARET BRENNAN: But- but we have a crisis, so it requires action. Do you see a clear, coordinated planning or strategy from the White House that controls Customs and Border Patrol and Homeland Security and the people on the front lines of this? FORMER SEC. JOHNSON: I know DHS is working very hard. They've they've they've ramped up the resources to deal with the- the influx at the southern border. It- it's much larger. The ability to move larger volumes of people is much larger than it was seven or eight years ago. But there needs to be a more comprehensive federal, state, local, executive and legislative branch effort at this. And we can do this if we're willing to cooperate, work together, exercise some political courage, have the governor of Texas willing to work with the governors of some northern states to- moving people in a more coordinated, cooperative fashion into the interior of our country. MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary Johnson, thank you for your analysis this morning. Face the Nation. We'll be right back. Stay with us. Major Garrett and David Becker on "The Big Truth" Expert warns of "violent threat" to U.S. democracy Ukraine's top prosecutor says he's pursuing genocide case Franklin County prosecutors dont want a Tri-Cities judge recently acquitted of domestic violence to handle dozens of their cases. Last week deputy prosecutors filed paperwork in all of their child support and paternity cases to prevent Superior Court Judge Sam Swanberg from making any rulings. In all, attorneys have asked to remove Swanberg from 79 cases in Franklin County, according to the clerks office. Its an unusually high number for just three weeks time, say court officials. County Chief Deputy Clerk Ruby Ochoa told the Herald it wasnt immediately known if all 79 cases were family law cases. Swanberg was scheduled to handle the two dockets in Franklin County Superior Court on Sept. 8, but the cases had to be reassigned to Judge Diana Ruff. The change meant Benton-Franklin Superior Court administrators also had to shuffle around other judicial assignments. Swanberg returned to the bench three weeks ago after he was acquitted of domestic violence assault charges in Franklin County District Court. He had been on paid leave since January after his ex-girlfriend sought an anti-harassment order to keep him from contacting her and that led to charges that he assaulted his ex-wife of 33 years. Since Swanbergs return to work, hes handled cases in Benton County, but this was the first time he was set to hear Franklin County cases. Sam Swanberg Benton and Franklin counties share seven Superior Court judges and five court commissioners who handle felony criminal cases, as well as civil lawsuits, divorces, paternity and custody issues. Swanberg has presided over criminal and domestic violence protection dockets in Benton County since his return to the bench. Information on whether any affidavits of prejudice have been filed in Benton County cases was not immediately available last week. Affidavit of prejudice Attorneys both public and private can file a document called an affidavit of prejudice in any case to disqualify a judge who hasnt already made a ruling in the case. Story continues The affidavit does not need to give a specific reason for wanting a different judge. The moving party is not required to explain why, Franklin County Deputy Prosecutor Jen Johnson told the Herald in an email. As these are pending cases, we will not discuss our reasoning as this is attorney work product. In the current cases, the deputy prosecutors submitted this blanket statement with the court in each case: The plaintiff has reason to believe and does believe that said Judge Swanberg is interested and prejudiced and that a fair and impartial hearing cannot be had before said judge. Filing an affidavit in one case, does not extend to every other case, Johnson explained. Jury box in the historic courtroom at the Franklin County Courthouse in Pasco. Its not clear how long Franklin County prosecutors will continue to bar Swanberg from hearing child support and parenting cases, which sometimes involve allegations of domestic violence. And its also unclear if affidavits will be filed to prevent Swanberg from handling criminal cases, as well. Swanbergs domestic case was prosecuted by a Washington state assistant attorney general and overseen by a Yakima County District Court judge to avoid local conflicts of interest. Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller said attorneys in his office have discussed whether they also will be filing affidavits of prejudice against Swanberg. We are reviewing this on a case-by-case basis. Each deputy prosecutor has been given the authority to file an affidavit of prejudice against Judge Swanberg. Ordinarily, our office policy requires approval by me to file an affidavit against a Superior Court judge, Miller told the Herald. Legal troubles Swanberg has been wrestling with legal troubles for the past year, starting with an anti-harassment order filed by an ex-girlfriend who worked for the Franklin County Clerks Office in the courthouse in Pasco. She said in court documents that after her five-month relationship with Swanberg ended, he continued to call, send messages, stop by her house or work and even had his mother talk with her despite her insistence the relationship was over. She was granted a no-contact order in January 2022 after taking a new job at the Benton County Justice Center in Kennewick, where Swanberg also hears cases. Stephanie Barnard As part of her request for the order, Swanbergs ex-wife, Stephanie Barnard, filed a statement of support for his former girlfriend that claimed Swanberg was narcissistic and physically and verbally abusive during their marriage. The couple, who have six children, were divorced in April 2021. Barnards statement triggered an investigation by the Franklin County Sheriffs Office, which filed two counts of fourth-degree domestic violence assault. But a four-man, two-woman jury acquitted Swanberg last month, finding he was defending himself or his property. And the Yakima judge presiding over the three-day trial awarded $44,000 to Swanberg for his attorney fees. Earlier this month, the Washington state Attorney Generals Office confirmed they are reviewing a sheriffs department investigation into another incident involving Swanberg and his former girlfriend. Information about the incident was not released. The case was investigated by the Benton County Sheriffs Office and has since been forwarded to the AGs office for review. Swanbergs attorney Scott Johnson told the Herald they havent been contacted about any investigation that could be considered a crime. (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday that mass graves found in Ukraine were evidence of Russia's war crimes and that full accountability for its actions was needed. Trudeau, in London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, told reporters that he had met with British Prime Minister Liz Truss and that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was at the top of their agenda. "Obviously the UK and Canada have been two of the strongest countries in standing up in support of Ukraine and pushing back against Russia's illegal actions," Trudeau said. Those actions "increasingly, clearly include war crimes, include absolutely unacceptable crimes, whether we think of what we found in Bucha or the discovery of mass graves in the reclaimed territories by Ukraine," he said. Ukrainian officials said last week that they had found 440 bodies in the woodlands near Izium in northeastern Ukraine, a town recaptured by Ukrainian forces. They said most of the dead were civilians and the causes of death had not been established. The Kremlin has not commented on the discovery of the graves, but Moscow had repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians or committing atrocities. "There needs to be a proper investigation and transparency and Vladimir Putin, his supporters and the Russian military need to be held to account for the atrocities they have and are continuing to commit in Ukraine," Trudeau said. Trudeau, who was due to meet Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Sunday evening, said Canada strongly supported Ukraine and would continue to provide aid. Trudeau said his talks with Truss also touched on trade relations between their countries. They discussed a Canada-UK trade deal that is being negotiated and advancing "well," Trudeau said, as well as Canada's support for Britain to potentially join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). (Reporting by Chris Gallagher in Washington, Editing by William Maclean and Grant McCool) JERUSALEM, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Canaanite burial cave dated to about 3,300 years ago was discovered at a Mediterranean beach in central Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Sunday. The squared-carved cave, supported by a pillar in its ceiling center, was located at the ancient port city of Yavne-Yam and unearthed during works at Palmachim Beach National Park south of Tel Aviv, the IAA noted. Whole pottery and bronze vessels were found on the cave's floor, the same place they were put in the ancient burial ceremony, it added. The different-shaped vessels include deep and shallow bowls, some of which are painted red; footed chalices, cooking pots, jugs and clay candles that contained oil for lighting. According to IAA archaeologists, some of the jars were produced on the coasts of Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus, such as from the regions of Tyre, Sidon and Ugarit. Such Vessels were brought to the land of Israel in large quantities, commonly used for burial artifacts, they noted. Next to the jugs, small storage vessels were found, mainly flasks and juglets, which were intended to store and trade precious materials in small quantities. Arrowheads were also found on the site. The findings in the cave date back to the Late Bronze Age, when an Egyptian administration existed in ancient Israel from the time of Pharaoh Ramses II, allowing safe conditions for large-scale trade, the archaeologists concluded. Former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio., Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar Former President Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden for lowering gas prices. Trump claimed the decrease was a politically motivated scheme. "Right after the election, it's going to double up and go higher than anybody ever believed," Trump claimed. Former President Donald Trump, while in Ohio to rally support for Republican Senate candidate JD Vance, slammed President Joe Biden for the recent decline in national gas prices. Speaking at the 7,000-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Trump who himself schemed in an effort to overturn the 2020 election claimed that shrinking gas prices are a ploy Biden is using for political gain. In a tweet, the White House recognized Saturday as the 95th day in which gas prices have steadily declined since reaching record highs earlier this year. According to the White House, the national average for a gallon of gas sits at $3.68. The administration and Biden himself have claimed that the drop in prices is the steepest decline in more than a decade. Insider was unable to independently verify the claim. Today marks 95 days of dropping gas prices across the U.S. Americans are getting some breathing room at the pump as we continue on the fastest decline in gas prices in over a decade. pic.twitter.com/2eXgZcglWV The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 17, 2022 Trump slammed Biden for going into the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to release crude in an effort to ease overpriced gas despite the reserve being "only for war." But Trump did the same during his administration when Saudi Arabia's crude production drastically decreased following attacks on its production facilities, per CNBC. "He's using that to keep prices down as much as he can just before the election and right after the election, it's going to double up and go higher than anybody ever believed," Trump claimed at the rally on Saturday. Story continues So Republicans want gas prices to be high? https://t.co/738UX1775u Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) September 18, 2022 Trump claimed the current average is still "double and triple" what it was during his administration. The Associated Press reported the national average was as low as $1.87 per gallon during May 2020, but the outlet attributed the low cost mostly to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. While the crowd cheered during Trump's rant on the current status of gas prices, some supporters didn't seem too bothered. When an interviewer from Right Side Broadcasting Network pushed a woman clad in a pro-Trump hat to say the gas prices for her 5.5-hour drive were bad, the woman didn't agree. Woman says she drove 5 hours and 20 minutes to Trump rally today. Right-wing interviewer: Im sure the gas prices were bad? Woman: Wasnt too bad. pic.twitter.com/jOnTfGE0Qf Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 17, 2022 "Wasn't too bad," the supporter said of the gas prices. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Video: Watch how Joe Biden has aged since 1974 Read the original article on Business Insider Former President Trump on Saturday said Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance is in love with him and kissing my ass for support, comparing the GOP candidates change of heart toward him to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. During a Saturday night rally for Vance in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump refuted a New York Times story that suggested some candidates including Vance were not inviting him to rallies over concerns about alienating swing voters. JD is kissing my ass, he wants my support, Trump said, railing against the fake news story. The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance. The former president went on to call Vance a great person who Ive really gotten to know, disputing any lingering friction between the two Republicans. Vance was a vocal critic of Trump before he ran for office. Yeah, he said some bad things about me, but that was before he knew me and then he fell in love, Trump said on Saturday. Remember I said that about Kim Jong Un? He fell in love, and they said, Oh, Trump is saying he fell in love. Actually he did, if you want to know the truth. Trump has often said he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un fell in love after exchanging a series of beautiful letters amid tensions between the U.S. and the pariah state. Vance, a venture capitalist, former U.S. Marine and author of hit memoir Hillbilly Elegy, beat out a crowded field of Republican candidates this year to win Trumps endorsement for the seat of retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R). The GOP candidate is 4 points ahead of Democratic challenger and Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio), according to the latest polling from The Hill and Emerson College. Last year, Vance said Trump respects candidates who have their own ideas, adding that although the former president gets a certain kick out of people kissing his ass, he sometimes views those people as weak. Story continues He actually wants to see the race play out a little bit and see who among us is the strongest of the candidates, Vance told NBC News in July 2021. He is well aware that I criticized him in 2016. Hes also well aware that Ive been on TV the last few years defending critical parts of his agenda when other people were not. Trump won Ohio by 8 points in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, but the Buckeye State is showing signs of returning to a swing state for Democrats. On Saturday, Trump described Vance as a brilliant mind and said the GOP candidate would win the Senate race. This is a very important race, Trump said. You are going to hear wailing from every corporate newsroom from New York to Washington and youre going to hear Cryin Chuck Schumer howling in rage. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A composite image of US President Donald Trump and Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Leah Millis/Reuters; Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP Trump worried that he'd be assassinated by the Iranian government for authorizing a strike that killed the Iranian military commander. Trump told several of his Florida friends about his fears at a cocktail party, two journalists wrote in an upcoming book. In public, though, Trump bragged about the strike, saying he took out a "noted terrorist." Former President Donald Trump privately worried that he'd be assassinated by Iran after authorizing the drone strike on Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, according to a new book. Trump told several confidantes about his fear, according to a report from The Guardian, which obtained an advance copy of the forthcoming book "The Divider" by journalists Susan Glasser and Peter Baker. "At a cocktail party, Trump told several of his Florida friends he was afraid Iran would try to assassinate him, so he had to go back to Washington where he would be safer," Glasser and Baker wrote in their book. In public, though, Trump talked up the drone strike to Republican donors in Florida, recounting the minutes that led up to the deadly event. Soleimani, the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, was killed early in the morning in January 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq. He told them he "shook up the world" and took out a "noted terrorist" who had been "down on our list" of enemies, as Insider's Eliza Relman reported. The strike, however, soured relations between the US and Iraq and led the Iranians to retaliate with a missile attack on US and coalition forces. And, as tensions skyrocketed, a Ukrainian passenger jet was shot down, killing all 176 people on board. US officials believe Iran was responsible, but the government denied responsibility. Previous administrations opted against killing Soleimani over concerns it would endanger more Americans and civilians by creating greater unrest in the region. Following the strike, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, made a promise of more vengeance to come. Story continues "Those who ordered the murder of General Suleimani as well as those who carried this out should be punished," he tweeted. "This revenge will certainly happen at the right time." Insider's Ryan Pickrell contributed to this report. Read the original article on Business Insider Two men were shot to death early Sunday outside an apartment complex in Haltom City, police said. The victims were slain about 2 a.m. in a disturbance in the 1900 block of Bernice Street. Two assailants left the scene before officers arrived, Haltom City police said. Police separately arrested the suspects on Sunday morning. The Haltom City police SWAT team and North Richland Hills police took the second suspect into custody just before noon. The Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office has not released the victims names or ages. Police did not release the suspects names or the offenses on suspicion of which they were arrested. Police said they intended to release the information after the suspects are arraigned. By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a global food crisis aggravated by the war will be the focus of world leaders when they convene at the United Nations in New York this week, a gathering that is unlikely to yield any progress toward ending the conflict. "It would be naive to think that we are close to the possibility of a peace deal," said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the high-level meeting of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, which starts on Tuesday. "The chances of a peace deal are minimal, at the present moment." Geopolitical divides, hardened by the seven-month-old war, are likely to be on full display as the United States and Western allies compete with Russia for diplomatic influence. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said, "other countries have expressed the concern that ... as we focus on Ukraine, we are not paying attention to what is happening in other crises around the world." "That is not the case," she told reporters, adding that while Ukraine will feature next week "it will not be the only thing that we're dealing with." Guterres said the geopolitical rifts were "the widest they have been since at least the Cold War." He warned they "are paralyzing the global response to the dramatic challenges we face," citing war, climate, poverty, hunger, and inequality. Russia and Ukraine are major grain and fertilizer exporters and the United Nations has blamed the war for worsening the food crisis that was already fueled by climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is due to co-host a food security summit with the European Union and the African Union on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering, along with a COVID-19 global action plan ministerial meeting and a replenishment conference for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Story continues "Underlying a lot of these meetings will be a huge amount of tension between Western countries and representatives of the global south in particular," said Richard Gowan, U.N. director at the International Crisis Group. "There's still a lot of ill feeling over issues such as the COVID vaccine rollout, climate financing ... and now food prices. All these issues are driving major wedges amongst U.N. member states," Gowan said. INFLUENCE Russia has been trying to chip away at its international isolation after nearly three-quarters of the General Assembly voted to reprimand Moscow and demand it withdraw its troops within a week of its Feb. 24 invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken and French President Emmanuel Macron all visited African states in the past several months, vying for influence. Africa has been hard hit with a famine expected to be declared in Somalia in the coming months. Macron intends to use his two-day visit to New York to lobby countries that have remained neutral in the war to try and bring them onside with the West, French officials said, with a focus India, Gulf countries, Africa and some Latin American states. "What we need is peace in Europe, a turning away from great power confrontation and its endangerment of global security, and the shaping of a fairer and more responsive multilateral order," Kenya's U.N. Ambassador Martin Kimani said. "That's where they need to pay attention, as do we all." Russia's strategic partner China has been firmly on the fence, criticizing Western sanctions against Russia but stopping short of endorsing or assisting in the military campaign. In a surprise acknowledgement, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said China's leader Xi Jinping had concerns about Ukraine. 'GENDER APARTHEID' For the past two years leaders were allowed to submit video statements because of pandemic restrictions, but this year they have to travel to New York to speak in the General Assembly chamber. Putin and Xi are sending their foreign ministers. However, the General Assembly agreed on Friday to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy send a pre-recorded video statement. The decision was adopted with 101 votes in favor, 7 against and 19 abstentions. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is expected to attend. He will attend a U.N. Security Council ministerial meeting on Thursday on Ukraine, along with Blinken, Lavrov and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The U.S. president is traditionally the second leader to address the General Assembly, but Joe Biden will this year speak on Wednesday - his appearance delayed because he is traveling to London for Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that so far Lavrov had received requests for about 20 meetings with other leaders. She told reporters in Moscow that Russia would advocate for "the strengthening of the UN's central coordinating role in world affairs and strict observance of its Charter, including the principles of the sovereign equality of states and non-interference in their internal affairs." Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is also traveling to New York. While it is unlikely Tehran and Washington will overcome an impasse to salvage a 2015 nuclear pact soon, Iran will use the gathering to keep the diplomatic ball rolling by repeating its willingness to reach a sustainable deal. While Ukraine will dominate the week-long U.N. event, the climate crisis will also garner attention. But many other global crises are likely to take a back seat, like the loss of Afghan women's rights since the Taliban came to power 13 months ago. Afghan lawmaker Naheed Farid urged world leaders to "name the regime of Afghanistan as a gender apartheid," telling reporters in New York: "This language was a catalyst to change in South Africa and can be a catalyst to change in Afghanistan." (Additional reporting by John Irish and Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Mary Milliken and Grant McCool) (Bloomberg) -- Most Read from Bloomberg Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy renewed his pledge to retake all Russian-controlled territory after Ukraines recent advances. Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva joined her husband in protesting the war, telling social media followers that young Russian men were dying for illusory purposes. US President Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The Russian president earlier threatened to step up attacks on civilian targets as his ground invasion is repelled in northeastern Ukraine. The UK defense ministry said Russia is putting Putins words into action, and has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in a bid to undermine Ukraines morale. (See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.) Key Developments Biden Meets Griner, Whelan Families as Russia Sits on Swap Offer Putin Threatens New Military Strikes on Ukraine Infrastructure Zelenskiy Says Russia Responsible for Grave Site Found in Izyum Russia Puts Rate Path in Doubt After Smallest Cut This Year Modi Urges Peace in Ukraine, Joining Xi in Questioning Putin Putins War Is Deepening a Tussle for Influence in Central Asia On the Ground Ukraine is pressing its offensive in the northeast and took control of Oskil Rivers left bank on Saturday, military officials said. Ukraines General Staff said Russian troops are focused on fully occupying the Donetsk region and that some Russian units suffered loss rates between 50% and 90% in their retreat from the Kharkiv area. The claim couldnt be verified. Russian troops shelled a psychiatric hospital in the Kharkiv region close to the Russian border as they evacuated, killing four doctors, the regions governor said. Story continues (All times CET) Ukraine Seeks UK Support on War Crimes Probes (9:50 p.m.) Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal sought UK support for war-crimes investigations against Russia during a trip to London for Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral. Shmyhal said he told House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle about alleged Russian crimes against civilians in Izyum and the Kharkiv region, and is counting on the UKs steady support for a tribunal to bring Russias political leadership to justice, according to a Twitter post by Shmyhal. Zelenskiy Hints at Next Offensive (9:38 p.m.) President Volodomyr Zelenskiy renewed his pledge to retake all Russian-controlled territory, saying theres not a lull but rather preparation for the next sequence after recent victories, Ukrinform reported. City names such as Mariupol, Melitopol and Kherson will be heard even more often and louder when we liberate them, as well as regions including Donetsk and Luhansk, the agency quoted Zelenskiy as saying Sunday in his latest video address. Ukraine Forces Cross Key Oskil River, Military Says (5:30 p.m.) Ukrainian forces have crossed to the left bank of the Oskil River in the Kharkiv region, and now control both banks as they continue to press a counteroffensive, according to military officials. Troops repelled Russian attacks near recently liberated Kupyansk and Hoptivka close to the Russian border and in the west of Donetsk region, officials said. Pugacheva Seeks Foreign-Agent Label in Protest (3:30 p.m.) Russian pop legend Alla Pugacheva joined the ranks of Kremlin critics after publishing a rare political post to her 3.4 million Instagram followers. She asked Russias Ministry of Justice to label her a foreign agent in solidarity with her husband, showman Maxim Galkin, who has openly criticized Russias war in Ukraine. Galkin received the foreign-agent label on Friday. The legal category has been widely used against Kremlin critics and independent journalists. Pugacheva, 73, who came to prominence well before Vladimir Putin became president, said she supported Galkin in his call to stop the deaths of Russians for illusionary goals, even as she avoided mentioning Ukraine directly. Public reference to events in Ukraine as war can be punishable in Russia. The post has been liked over 298,000 times. Russia Says It Held Off Attacks in Kherson Area (1:04 p.m.) Russias defense ministry, in a daily briefing, said it had held off Ukrainian attacks in the Kherson region, where Kyivs forces have been mounting a counteroffensive. The New York Times, citing Ukrainian officials, reported that Ukraine had leveled a cotton mill in Kherson used as a Russian base and are focusing on supply lines used by Moscows forces. Ukraines military officials have lately maintained operational silence about the southern counteroffensive, the Institute for the Study of War said. Social media footage overnight from Kherson showed a firefight in the streets and around the citys railway station. It was unclear who was involved in the fighting in the occupied city in southern Ukraine. Russia Focused on Meaningless Operations, ISW Says (9 a.m.) Russian forces are conducting meaningless offensive operations around Donetsk City and Bakhmut in Ukraines east rather than defending against Ukrainian counteroffensives that continue to advance, according to the Institute for the Study of War. The US-based think tank said Moscows failure to rush in reinforcements leaves most of occupied northeastern Ukraine highly vulnerable, adding that Russian theater decision-making remains questionable. Ukrainian forces have liberated additional settlements, and appear to be expanding positions east of the Oskil River and north of the Siverskyi Donets River and could envelop Russian troops holding around Lyman, ISW said. China, Russia Plan Strategic Consultations (8:51 a.m.) China and Russia will hold two days of strategic security consultations starting Sunday in Beijing, the 17th round of such talks and the first since May 2021, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russias Security Council, will attend the consultations at Beijings invitation. China, Russia to Hold 17th Strategic Security Consultation Australia Wont Ban Russian Tourists, Defense Minister Says (8 a.m.) Australia wont prohibit Russian tourists from entering the country despite calls from Ukraines ambassador to do so, its defense minister said. This is not something we are considering at the moment, Richard Marles told the ABCs Insiders program on Sunday. Australian sanctions are directed at the Russian government and not focused on the Russian people themselves, said Marles, who is also the deputy prime minister. Ukraines ambassador to Australia has urged the government to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians. Poland and the Baltic states said this month theyll impose tough restrictions on visas issued to Russian citizens. Russia Increasing Missile Hits on Civilian Targets, UK Says (7:30 a.m.) Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure in the past week even when theres no perceptible military effect, the UK defense ministry said, in what it called an effort to directly undermine the morale of Ukraines government and people. Recent targets included Ukraines electricity grid and a major dam in Kryvyi Rih, Volodymyr Zelenskiys home town. The tactic echoes comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who threatened on Friday to step up attacks on civilian targets as Moscows front-line efforts are thwarted. Russia has launched several thousand long range missiles since February, the UK said. Nuclear Plant Reconnected to Grid, IAEA Says (5:06 p.m.) The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is again receiving electricity directly from Ukraines national grid after repairs to one its of main external power lines damaged during the conflict, the UNs atomic agency said. The plant, Europes largest, shut its last operating reactor on Sept. 11. It now has the electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential safety functions, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a post on its website. The IAEA has had monitors at the site for the past two weeks, following a visit from a team lead by Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi. On Saturday Grossi described the situation at Zaporizhzhia as still precarious. Biden Tells Putin, Dont. Dont. Dont Use Nuclear Weapons (2:52 p.m.) Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin would face a consequential US response if the Russian president used nuclear or chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine. Dont. Dont. Dont, Biden said in an excerpt from an interview with CBSs 60 Minutes when asked what he would say if Putin were considering using tactical nuclear weapons or chemical weapons in the almost seven-month-old conflict. (An earlier version corrected Pugachevas name in the first paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Ukraine's parliament may create a commission to investigate corruption at the According to Golos faction MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the parliament is proposing the appointment of Serhiy Kozyr, a member of the ruling Servant of the People party, as the chairman of the proposed PIC. The composition of the PIC will include eight representatives from Servant of the People and one representative from the parliamentary groups Dovira, as well as PZZhM and Vidnovlennia, which were formed by representatives of the pro-Russian Opposition Platform, after the faction was banned. The stated purpose of the PIC is to carry out parliamentary control and investigation of possible violations of the legislation of Ukraine in the field of receipt, distribution, transportation, storage, use for the intended purpose of humanitarian and other aid, as well as inefficient use of state property that can be used for temporary accommodation of internally displaced persons and other needs of the state. "Frankly speaking, this should be done by law enforcement officers, not MPs," Zheleznyak noted. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Destroyed Russian equipment The enemy is ceding ground, to his tactical detriment, the message said. Nevertheless, they are still making attempts to probe our defenses. One mechanized squad attempted an assault, losing two infantry fighting vehicles and a third of their troops before retreating. Read also: Russia withdraws from key town near Kherson, ISW report says The Ukrainian Air Force made three sorties striking enemy positions, while artillery units opened fire more than 320 times in the last 24 hours, the military said. Russian supply routes in Kherson Oblast remain under Ukrainian fire control, crippling Moscows ability to sustain its force to the west of Dnipro River. The enemys hopes of repairing the Antonivka Rail Bridge were dashed, the message said. Read also: Russians flee across Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast on stolen motorboats, says Ukrainian intelligence Furthermore, an enemy barge was sunk, as it was being used to ferry equipment and ammunition. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine These were the last Ukrainian troops in a UN peacekeeping mission The 250 Ukrainian troops with the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo have returned home to help fight Russian forces. When the withdrawal of Ukraine's aviation unit was announced in March, diplomats warned it could leave the UN mission seriously short of helicopters. These are vital in the fight against the various rebel groups based in the thick forests of eastern DR Congo. The eight Ukrainian helicopters made up about a third of the UN fleet. Since the Russian invasion in February, Ukraine had already pulled out its troops from the other UN peacekeeping mission where they had been deployed. Jacques Ndjoli, who serves on DR Congo's parliamentary defence committee, told the BBC the withdrawal was relatively serious, however he pointed out that bringing peace to the country was primarily the responsibility of the Congolese army. As the Ukrainians left DR Congo, the Brazilian commander of the UN force, Gen Marcos da Costa, said "their 10 years of immense contribution" was greatly appreciated. The UN mission in DR Congo, Monusco, is already under pressure in the country. It is widely criticised for failing to do enough to restore peace in the east, where numerous armed groups have operated for three decades, killing, raping and looting the region's rich minerals resources such as gold and diamonds. In July, 36 people, including four UN peacekeepers, died when protesters ransacked UN buildings in cities in eastern DR Congo. After 22 years in the country, the mission is supposed to be winding down but no date has been set for its operations to end. It is one of the largest and most expensive of the UN's 12 peacekeeping missions. More about DR Congo: A man dressed in indigenous costume is seen during the Pow Wow's dance and celebrations at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, Canada, on Sept. 16, 2022. Pow Wow is an indigenous cultural activity in which people socialize together via different activities like dancing, singing, and honoring the traditions of their ancestors. (Photo by Andrew Soong/Xinhua) A dancer dressed in indigenous costume partakes in the Pow Wow's dance and celebrations at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, Canada, on Sept. 16, 2022. Pow Wow is an indigenous cultural activity in which people socialize together via different activities like dancing, singing, and honoring the traditions of their ancestors. (Photo by Andrew Soong/Xinhua) A dancer dressed in indigenous costume partakes in the Pow Wow's dance and celebrations at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, Canada, on Sept. 16, 2022. Pow Wow is an indigenous cultural activity in which people socialize together via different activities like dancing, singing, and honoring the traditions of their ancestors. (Photo by Andrew Soong/Xinhua) A dancer dressed in indigenous costume partakes in the Pow Wow's dance and celebrations at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, Canada, on Sept. 16, 2022. Pow Wow is an indigenous cultural activity in which people socialize together via different activities like dancing, singing, and honoring the traditions of their ancestors. (Photo by Andrew Soong/Xinhua) People dressed in indigenous costumes partake in the Pow Wow's dance and celebrations at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, Canada, on Sept. 16, 2022. Pow Wow is an indigenous cultural activity in which people socialize together via different activities like dancing, singing, and honoring the traditions of their ancestors. (Photo by Andrew Soong/Xinhua) ROMAN PETRENKO SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2022, 09:04 On 18 September, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck 13 areas of amassment of occupiers manpower and equipment, and 3 positions of anti-aircraft missile systems in Luhansk Oblast, reports Serhii Haidai, the head of Oblast Military Administration. Source: Haidai on Telegram Quote from Haidai: "Over the past 24 hours, the Defence Forces of Ukraine repulsed enemy attacks in the areas of Mykhailivka Druha, Vesela Dolyna, Odradivka, Mariinka, Novomykhailivka and Pravdyne settlements. Our aircraft hit 13 clusters of enemy manpower and equipment and 3 positions of anti-aircraft missile systems. In addition, air defence units shot down five UAVs and one enemy Ka-52 helicopter. Rocket troops and artillery inflicted fire damage on more than two hundred enemy objects. Among them are 12 control points, warehouses of ammunition and fuel and lubricants, artillery positions and areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment." Details: According to Haidai, people observe clusters of occupiers equipment in almost all settlements close to the administrative border with other Oblasts - in particular, in Troitske, Svatove, Rubizhne and Popasna. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova speaks during a news conference at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky Ukrainian forces reclaimed the Russian-held territory including the city of Izium. Officials said they found mass graves and bodies that showed signs of torture in the city. Ukraine's ambassador to the US said the atrocities were "war crimes of massive proportions." Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said unmarked graves found in Izium show people were tortured and "war crimes of massive proportions." "It's tortures, rapes, killings war crimes of massive proportions. That's why we need to liberate the whole territory of Ukraine as soon as possible because clearly Russians are targeting all Ukrainians," Markarova said during an interview with ABC News's "This Week." ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 18, 2022 She added: "Whole families. Children. So, there is no war logic in all of this. It's simply terrorizing and committing genocide against Ukrainians." Last week, Ukraine's defense ministry said that mass graves were discovered in Izium after the city was retaken by Ukrainian forces. The largest burial site found has 440 unmarked graves. Reuters reported that some of the bodies were found with ropes around their necks and their hands tied. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy compared the atrocities in Izium to those previously seen in Bucha, and Mariupol. "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," Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram post. Read the original article on Business Insider In social networks, the photo is shared with the hashtag Izyum Massacre The campaign involves Ukrainians posting photo of their own wrist with Ukrainian symbols mirroring released photos of the wrist of an exhumed body wearing a blue and yellow bracelet. Participants say that the pictures represent the feeling that "it could have been any of us. Just because we are Ukrainians. Read also: Izyum atrocities are shocking, says EU The head of the Kharkiv regional police investigation department, Serhiy Bolvinov, said that about 440 graves were found near Izyum. Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov, said that bodies of civilians with signs of violent death and torture had been found in a mass grave in a forest belt. According to him, 99% of the bodies that have been exhumed show signs of a violent death. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine By Pavel Polityuk and Phil Stewart IZIUM, Ukraine (Reuters) - The top U.S. general warned on Sunday it was unclear how Russia would react to its battlefield setbacks in Ukraine, as Britain said Moscow's forces had widened strikes on civilian infrastructure and were likely to expand their targets further. Ukraine's General Staff said Ukrainian forces repelled attacks by Russian troops in the areas of the Kharkiv region in the east and Kherson in south where Ukraine launched counter-offensives this month, as well as in parts of Donetsk in the southeast. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed there would be no let up in the fighting. "Perhaps it seems to some of you that after a series of victories we now have a lull of sorts," he said in his regular nightly address. "But there will be no lull. There is preparation for the next series ... For Ukraine must be free. All of it." Ukrainians who returned to the northeastern area retaken in Kyiv's lightning advance earlier this month were searching for their dead while Russian artillery and air strikes kept pounding targets across Ukraine's east. PUTIN, BIDEN WARNINGS On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin brushed off Ukraine's swift counteroffensive and said Moscow would respond more forcefully if its troops were put under further pressure. Such repeated threats have raised concerns Putin could at some point turn to small nuclear weapons or chemical warfare. U.S. President Joe Biden, asked what he would tell Putin if he was considering using such weapons, replied in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes": "Don't. Don't. Don't. It would change the face of war unlike anything since World War Two." Some military analysts have said Russian might also stage a nuclear incident at Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant held by Russia but run by Ukrainian staff. Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other for shelling around the plant that has damaged buildings and disrupted power lines needed to keep it cooled and safe. Story continues U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for vigilance after visiting a base in Poland aiding Ukraine's war effort. His remarks were a reminder of the risks of escalation as the United States and its NATO allies aid Ukraine from a distance. "The war is not going too well for Russia right now So it's incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert," he said after his trip to the base, which reporters traveling with him were asked not to identify. Five civilians were killed in Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region over the past day and in Nikopol, further west, several dozen residential buildings, gas pipelines and power lines were hit, regional governors said on Sunday. In a intelligence update, Britain's defence ministry said Russian strikes at civilian infrastructure, including a power grid and a dam, had intensified. "As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government," it said. MASS GRAVES On Saturday, Zelenskiy said authorities had found a mass grave containing the bodies of 17 soldiers in Izium, some of which he said bore signs of torture. Izium residents have been searching for dead relatives at a forest grave site where workers began exhuming bodies last week. Ukrainian officials said last week they had found 440 bodies in woods near Izium. They said most of the dead were civilians and the causes of death had not been established. The Kremlin has not commented on the discovery of the graves, but in the past Moscow has repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians or committing atrocities. Making his way between graves and trees where exhumations were underway, Volodymyr Kolesnyk was trying to match numbers on wooden crosses with names on a neatly handwritten list to locate relatives who he said were killed in an air strike early in the war. Kolesnyk said he got the list from a local funeral company that dug the graves. "They buried the bodies in bags, without coffins, without anything. I was not allowed here at first. They (Russians) said it was mined and asked to wait," he told Reuters. In Kozacha Lopan, a village some 45 km (30 miles) north of Kharkiv and only about 5 km (3 miles) from the Russian border, a Reuters reporter was taken to a squalid cellar with rooms fitted with iron bars, which officials said had served as a makeshift prison during the occupation. District mayor Vyacheslav Zadorenko said the rooms had been used as a "torture cellar" to detain civilians. Reuters was unable to verify those accounts. Elsewhere in the region, residents of towns recaptured after six months of Russian occupation were returning with a mixture of joy and trepidation. "I've still kept this feeling, that any moment a shell could explode or an airplane could fly over," said Nataliia Yelistratova, who travelled with her husband and daughter 80 km (50 miles) on a train from Kharkiv to her hometown of Balakliia to find her apartment block intact, but scarred by shelling. "I'm still scared to be here," she said after discovering a piece of shrapnel in a wall. (This story refiles to add dropped word in "no let up" in paragraph three) (Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Lincoln Feast, Raissa Kasolowsky, Tomasz Janowski and David Brunnstrom; Editing by William Mallard, Frances Kerry and Daniel Wallis) LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Princess of Wales met Olena Zelenskiy, the first Lady of Ukraine, at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, a day before the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth. Olena Zelenskiy will represent Ukraine in the absence of her husband President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday at Westminster Abbey, where scores of world leaders will join King Charles and the rest of Britain's royal family for the service. Catherine and her husband William were given the titles Princess and Prince of Wales after William's father Charles ascended the throne 10 days ago. (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Alex Richardson) By Phil Stewart A MILITARY BASE IN POLAND (Reuters) -The top U.S. general cautioned on Sunday it remained unclear how Russia might react to the latest battlefield setbacks in Ukraine and called for increased vigilance among U.S. troops as he visited a base in Poland aiding Ukraine's war effort. The remarks by U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were a reminder of the risks of the conflict intensifying as the United States and its NATO allies aid Ukraine from a distance and Kyiv wages a so-far successful counter-offensive against Russian forces. "The war is not going too well for Russia right now. So it's incumbent upon all of us to maintain high states of readiness, alert," Milley said in Warsaw after the base visit. Milley reviewed the base's air defenses, which include Patriot missile batteries that would be a last line of defense should Russia decide to attack the base - risking war with the U.S.-led NATO military alliance. Milley said he was not suggesting U.S. troops in Europe were under any increased threat, but said they had to be ready. "In the conduct of war, you just don't know with a high degree of certainty what will happen next." Reporters traveling with Milley were asked not to publish the name of the base or describe its location. Milley was also briefed on critical support being provided by U.S. forces at the base to Ukraine, including remote maintenance assistance via secure teleconferencing for the billions of dollars in U.S.-provided weaponry. BEYOND REPAIR? Some members of a roughly 50-member repair team showed reporters images of damaged U.S.-provided arms, including M777 howitzers, that in the West would have long been considered beyond the scope of repair. Not in Ukraine. "They're not willing to scrap it," one soldier said, recalling artillery with shrapnel damage and sometimes completely worn out from firing round after round against Russian troops. Story continues But Ukrainians are managing to bring these weapons back into battle, thanks to guidance from U.S. forces and manufacturing prowess by Kyiv allowing it to reverse-engineer spare parts. Since the program began in June, more than a dozen teleconference channels have been set up with over 100 Ukrainian contacts. But priority support is being given to the M777s and to the high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), which have been central to Ukraine's counter-offensive nearly seven months since Russian forces invaded. "Combat power for Ukraine is staying at the level it is because of America's investment in the sustainment," the soldier said. PUTIN'S OPTIONS The rout of Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region a week ago has prompted unusually strong public criticism from Russian military commentators. Putin has brushed off the counter-offensive but said on Friday that Moscow would respond more forcefully if its troops were put under further pressure. Such repeated threats have raised concerns he could at some point turn to small nuclear weapons, chemical warfare, or perhaps mobilize Russia's reserves, who number around 2 million men with military service within the past five years. Russian government officials have dismissed Western suggestions that Moscow would use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Milley did not speculate on Putin's next steps but cautioned the war was in a new phase in which Ukrainian forces have seized the strategic initiative. "Because of that, we have to very closely watch what Russia's reactions to that will be." (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Grant McCool) Syrian fighters backed by the United States have rescued tens of thousands of women and children following a weeks-long raid on a refugee camp in northern Syria. Dozens of militants were subsequently detained and an undisclosed number of weapons were seized following the 24-day operation at al-Hol camp carried out by the Internal Security Forces and the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. In total, approximately 50,000 Syrians and Iraqis lived in tents at the camp, including about 20,000 children. An additional 2,000 women lived in a separate annex of the camp along with 8,000 children. The women in the second group were from 57 different countries and are believed to be supporters of the terror group IS. The camp was primarily being used by IS fighters for the recruitment and training of the next generation of fighters to form another Islamic State caliphate, according to the Internal Security Forces. The al-Hol camp is Syrias largest refugee camp, the Washington Post reported. CENTCOM CHIEF BELIEVES SYRIA IS 'BREEDING GROUND' FOR NEXT GENERATION OF ISIS "The operation was launched following the increasing crimes of killing and torture committed by ISIS cells against the camp residents," said the U.S.-backed forces, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. US-BACKED FORCES IN SYRIA ARREST DOZENS OF ISIS TERRORISTS HIDING IN REFUGEE CAMP "ISIS has depended mainly on women and children, as real resources related directly to the ISIS leaders, to maintain the ISIS extremist ideology and spread it in the camp," the statement added. Extremists at the camp killed 44 of its residents and humanitarian workers, they also said. In 2019, the U.S. and its partners in the Middle East declared victory over the IS terror group, ending its caliphate rule across the Iraq-Syria border. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The United States will lift a long-standing arms embargo on Cyprus in a move that has angered NATO ally Turkey. "Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken determined and certified to Congress that the Republic of Cyprus has met the necessary conditions under relevant legislation to allow the approval of exports, re-exports, and transfers of defense articles for fiscal year 2023," State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Friday. The U.S. embargo on Cyprus remained in place since 1987 as the island remained divided following a Turkish invasion that established a breakaway state. The embargo had forced Cyprus to increasingly turn to Russia for weaponry since it could not buy even defensive weaponry, such as night vision goggles, if they contained any American components. In order to get the embargo lifted, Cyprus had to install several financial regulatory oversight reforms, such as denying Russian military vessels access to ports, and finally met conditions that the U.S. felt were sufficient to prove it a reliable trading partner. RUSSIA DECRIES UKRAINE'S CALLS FOR NATO-LIKE SECURITY COALITION AS PROLOGUE' TO WWIII Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), noted that Cyprus had made the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) white list, meaning that Cyprus has fulfilled commitments to transparency and exchanges of information for tax purposes. Cypriot Navy special forces and US Navy SEALS take part in a joint US-Cyprus rescue exercise in the port of the southern Cypriot port city of Limassol on September 10, 2021. Photo by IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU/AFP via Getty Images "This represents the last vestige of Russification or increasing Russian influence in Cyprus about ten years ago when Cyprus went through its banking crisis," Zemenides explained to Fox News Digital. "People were saying, hey, you know Russians are hiding money or laundering money in Cyprus, [and] Cyprus got very aggressive on money laundering, got very aggressive on banking transparency." TURKEY WARNS GREECE OF HEAVY PRICE OVER ISLAND OCCUPATIONS: REPORT The U.S. had partially lifted the embargo in 2020 and allowed for Cyprus to buy non-lethal military goods, indicating that Cyprus was not far off from a total embargo lift. Story continues Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades hailed the U.S. decision as a "landmark" announcement that brings him "great satisfaction." "This is a landmark decision, reflecting the burgeoning strategic relationship between the two countries, including in the area of security," Anastasiades wrote on Twitter, going on to thank Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who worked with the country to make sure it met the standards as dictated by the East Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019. But Turkeys foreign ministry urged the U.S. to reconsider its decision, claiming that the lack of an embargo will lead to "an arms race" on the island that will harm peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean. US INTEL SHOWS RUSSIA PAID $300M TO INFLUENCE FOREIGN POLITICAL PARTIES The ministry said the decision would "further strengthen the Greek Cypriot sides intransigence and negatively affect efforts to resettle the Cyprus issue." Zemenides argued that any decision the U.S. takes at this point will only anger Turkey, but the U.S. now views the east Mediterranean region as strategically important. "The eastern Mediterranean has become a key region for the United States: It's a key battleground both in the battle against Russia and has been since a red line was never enforced in Syria," Zemenides said. "[Russia] has increased its naval presence tenfold in the Mediterranean. Its base in Syria is ten times larger, literally since 2014, and if you look at Cyprus, Cyprus is a permanent aircraft carrier." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "The United States security relationship with Cyprus because of this arms embargo was just not serving U.S. national security interests in a region where Russia is picking up, where China has extended its belt and road initiative," he added. "Look at the shores right across from Cyprus: You have Hamas on those shores, you have Hezbollah on those shores, you have Islamic Jihad on our shores, and to not be able to have Cyprus as an asset because of this arms embargo was ridiculous." GUIYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-seven people were killed and 20 others injured after a bus turned on its side in southwest China's Guizhou Province early Sunday morning, local police said. The bus with 47 people on board was running on a highway section in Sandu Shui Autonomous County when the accident happened, the county's public security bureau said. Papal envoy Cardinal Konrad Krajewski came under shelling as he was delivering humanitarian aid in Zaporizhzhia Oblast Read also: Pope condemns "Bucha massacre," kisses Ukrainian flag Krajewski was accompanied by Catholic and Protestant bishops, and escorted by a Ukrainian soldier. According to Krajewski, his party was traveling along a route through villages right next to three front lines, when their bus was hit by gunfire. Read also: Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant resupply convoy reaches Enerhodar I didnt know where to run because its not enough to run. You have to know where to go, said Krajewski. Fortunately, Krajewski and his entourage emerged unscathed. This is the cardinals fourth humanitarian mission to Ukraine. Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine Victoria Beckham has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, after spending a week reflecting on the late monarchs death. The former Spice girl and fashion designer, who is married to former England captain David Beckham, wrote a heartfelt post on her Instagram account. It comes after David queued for 13 hours to pay his respects to the Queen during her lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, which has gained him widespread praise. The 48-year-old shared a series of the Queen in various outfits, as well as with her corgis and horses, for her 30m Instagram followers. She wrote: Ive spent the last week reflecting on the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and how she was a powerful source of inspiration, not just for me but for so many around the world. The ultimate icon in every way and the epitome of elegance, she will live on in our hearts and minds forever. I offer my deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the royal family at this time, and we join them in mourning the loss of our beloved sovereign, she added, signing the post off with her initials VB. Both Victoria and David Beckham have received honours from the royal family. Victoria was made an OBE in the 2017 New Year Honours for her services to the fashion industry. She received the honour from the new Prince of Wales during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Meanwhile, David was made an OBE for his services to football in the Queens birthday honours list in 2003 and has also met her on several occasions. While waiting in the public queue to see the Queen on Friday night, David recalled the day he received his OBE from Her Majesty and said it was his most special moment. He told reporters: I took my grandparents with me, who were the ones that really brought me up to be a huge royalist and a fan of the royal family, and obviously I had my wife there as well. To step up, to get my honour but then also Her Majesty, to ask questions, to talk, I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life. SEATTLE (AP) Kalen DeBoer knew no matter how well the transition had gone, this was the week that would validate one way or another what Washington had showed so far. Behind a spectacular performance by Michael Penix Jr., the Huskies emphatically stated their case as a contender in the Pac-12 and maybe worth some national recognition. Penix threw for 397 yards and four touchdown, and Washington (3-0) toppled No. 11 Michigan State 39-28 on Saturday night. We just beat a really good football team in my mind, Huskies coach DeBoer said. To get this win now is just going to continue to put the belief in our guys. Penix was terrific for three quarters in a primetime national showcase that showed DeBoers rebuild is progressing faster than expected. Washington led 29-8 at halftime and 36-14 after three quarters. Having a star quarterback certainly helps. Every game that weve seen (Penix) he comes out with the same energy, comes out with the same leadership, mentality. Its just its easy to follow someone like that, Washington running back Wayne Tualapapa said. Penix completed 24 of 40 passes and just missed posting the eighth 400-yard passing game in Washington history. He was at his best in the first half, connecting on 18 of 24 attempts for 278 yards and leading Washington to touchdowns on four of its five possessions. He wasn't sacked by a Michigan State pass rush that led the country in sacks after two weeks. I felt real comfortable out there knowing that I got five guys up there thats gonna protect me each and every play, Penix said. It was the second-best day in Penixs career in terms of yards passing and TDs, trailing only his 491 yards and five TDs in 2020 against Ohio State while playing for Indiana. You got a guy who you can win football games with, not just like try to manage a game, and hes got so much belief by his teammates in him, DeBoer said. JaLynn Polk had six catches for a career-high 153 yards and three TDs. Polks 53-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter was a resounding answer after Michigan State scored on the opening drive of the second half to pull within 29-14. Story continues Payton Thorne threw for 323 yards and three TDs, and led a pair of quick fourth-quarter scoring drives for Michigan State that caused some nerves for the Huskies. Thorne threw a 33-yard TD to Keon Coleman with 5:17 left and the 2-point conversion pulled Michigan State within 11. But the rally was too late for the Spartans (2-1), who were stymied in the run game and saw their pass defense get exposed. We had a matchup issue that they took advantage of. It was obvious, it showed up early in the game, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. We knew that it was going to be a game of explosives. ... We knew that we needed to eliminate explosive gains and we werent able to do that. It was Washingtons first win over a ranked Power Five nonconference opponent at home since beating Michigan to open the 2001 season. And the night ended with a sea of purple fans celebrating on the turf of Husky Stadium. Penix and the Huskies were hot from the outset. Penix threw touchdowns of 8 yards to Polk on Washingtons opening possession and a 19-yard strike to Tualapapa on facing third-and-6 in the second quarter. Penix capped his stellar first half by leading Washington on a 65-yard TD drive in the closing seconds of the half and scrambling from pressure to hit Polk on a 17-yard TD with four seconds left in the half. Polk had a career-high 100 yards receiving by the half and the Huskies rolled up 322 yards to just 90 for the Spartans in the first 30 minutes. We werent able to hit the quarterback enough and we werent able to put enough pressure on him, Tucker said. MISSING Michigan State played without starting wide receiver Jayden Reed and starting defensive tackle Jacob Slade. Washington was without starting safety Asa Turner and left tackle Jaxson Kirkland remained out following offseason ankle surgery. THE TAKEAWAY Michigan State: The Spartans had the worst pass defense in the country a season ago. And while there was hope through the first two games it had improved, the Spartans secondary was completely exposed by Washington. The Spartans surrendered nearly 400 yards passing in just three quarters. Washingtons first punt came in the final minute of the third quarter. Washington: The Huskies run defense deserves a ton of recognition: Michigan State finished with 42 yards rushing. The better judge of how Washington did was holding the combo of Jerek Broussard and Jalen Berger to 30 yards on 17 carries. Michigan State averaged 228.5 yards rushing over the first two games. UP NEXT Michigan State: The Spartans host Minnesota to open Big Ten play next Saturday. Washington: The Huskies open Pac-12 play next Saturday hosting Stanford. ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the APs college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2 Sep. 18PULLMAN Washington State standout cornerback Derrick Langford Jr. and slot receiver Robert Ferrel will return from injuries for the Cougs' game Saturday against Colorado State. WSU will be playing without two starting defenders in strong safety Jordan Lee and middle linebacker Travion Brown, both of whom sustained injuries during the Cougars' physically demanding win over the Badgers last weekend. Earlier this week, coach Jake Dickert had called those four players "game-time decisions" for WSU's nonconference finale versus the Rams, which will kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday. Langford came up limping after a collision in the second quarter of WSU's game last Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin. He emerged from the locker room after halftime with a walking boot on his left foot, but was a full participant when the Cougars (2-0) took the field Saturday afternoon for early warmups ahead of their matchup with CSU (0-2). Langford will face a difficult assignment: covering CSU star receiver Tory Horton, who has accumulated 255 yards and four touchdowns this season. Ferrel is suited up in crimson and gray for the first time of his career. The senior slotback transferred to WSU this offseason out of FCS Incarnate Word, where he had been a highly productive pass-catcher for quarterback Cameron Ward and head coach Eric Morris now the Cougs' QB and offensive coordinator. Ferrel will replace Drake Owen as a backup slot receiver. Owen is out with a foot injury sustained against the Badgers. Lee exited the lineup late in the third quarter at Wisconsin after suffering an injury. He wore street clothes in warmups ahead of the CSU game. The senior Nevada transfer, an impressive hitter in the Cougar secondary, will be replaced by redshirt freshman Jaden Hicks, who is making his first-career start. Hicks is listed as WSU's backup free safety, but he cross-trained at both safety spots throughout the preseason. Story continues Brown was shaken up late in the fourth quarter of last weekend's game. He wasn't suited up for warmups Saturday. Brown has shared starting reps at middle linebacker with redshirt freshman Francisco Mauigoa this season. The two have been almost equally effective. The Rams will be playing without starting running back A'Jon Vivens (foot). CSU's running game is averaging 1 yard per carry on over 70 attempts this season. The Rams' offensive line has been a glaring issues this season. The group lost starting left tackle Brian Crespo-Jaquez last week to a season-ending injury. Starting right tackle Dontae Keys is also sidelined for the WSU game. CSU's O-line has given up 16 sacks this year the most in the nation and five more than the next FBS team. Spokane's Kannon Katzer gets first college carry, scores TD in memorable Washington State debut PULLMAN The football secured by his right hand, Kannon Katzer cruised into the end zone and took two steps before raising his left arm and pointing a single index finger toward the sky. Read more Washington State's Daiyan Henley records 13 tackles, three sacks against Colorado State, former coach PULLMAN Three years ago, Jay Norvell signed off on Daiyan Henley's move to the defensive side of the ball at the University of Nevada. Read more Recap and highlights: First-year Cougars Daiyan Henley, Cameron Ward impress as WSU rolls Colorado State 38-7 Washington State scored three touchdowns in the first quarter en route to a dominant 38-7 win over Colorado State on Saturday Read more Difference makers: Cameron Ward throws four touchdowns in blowout win Cameron Ward threw four touchdowns to lead Washington State past Colorado State. Read more Monkeypox cases are declining in many areas of the country, but the Biden administration is warning that the virus still poses a danger and pushing for lawmakers to approve its multibillion-dollar funding request to combat it. More than 23,000 infections have been confirmed in the U.S. during the outbreak, but the growth has slowed. Cases have dropped about 50 percent in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from an average of 440 cases a day on Aug. 16 to 170 cases a day on Sept. 14. White House officials are cheering the updates and taking credit for the progress made so far. Theres no question that the work weve done to rapidly increase vaccine supply, get people vaccinated, [ramp] up the availability of testing and treatments, and educate individuals on how they can protect themselves is making a tremendous difference. The administrations strategy is working, Bob Fenton, White House monkeypox response coordinator, said during a recent press briefing. Officials are also preaching caution and warning that the virus remains a threat, especially if the administration does not have enough funding to help end the outbreak. We should note that we have made strong progress, and were encouraged by the cases, the case rate of rise declining, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. And yet we are keeping our the gas pedal heavily, heavily downward pedal to the metal as we continue the vigilance here. The White House requested $4.5 billion for monkeypox response in the upcoming government spending bill. The funding would go towards increasing access to vaccinations, testing, treatment and operational support, as well as helping to combat monkeypox globally. But Republicans have largely soured on providing any new money, and want the administration to work with what it already has. In my view, adding additional funding in that area would make it a very heavy lift for myself and other Republicans, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told reporters. Theres ample revenue thats been provided to the administration to be able to deal with medical emergencies of this nature. Story continues Last week, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Republicans had zero interest in providing additional funding. Theres plenty of money still swirling around from previous COVID bills I mean, four and a half billion for monkeypox. Thats a lot of money. And not sure how theyre gonna spend it all, Thune said. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) ranking member Richard Burr (R-N.C.) told administration health officials during a recent hearing that the governments response to monkeypox has been plagued by ineptitude, and more money wont solve the problems. It isnt a question of authority; you have the authority. It isnt a question of money; you have been given astonishing amounts of money, Burr said. Its a question of leadership. Its a question of focus. Its a question of squashing the typical bureaucratic roadblocks, arrogance and ineptitude. Unlike with COVID-19, the administration has not previously requested money for the monkeypox response. The White House has been able to tap into its national stockpile of smallpox vaccines, but officials said they are running out of money to replenish it. In addition, federal officials said they cant just repurpose previously allocated COVID-19 funding for monkeypox, because legislative language in previous supplemental spending bills restricts the use of funds to COVID-19-related matters only. Experts and public health advocates stressed the importance of continuing to put resources into the monkeypox response, even as case numbers fall. I think its too early to make any kind of true definitive statements on where we stand, said Anne Rimoin, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles who has studied monkeypox for decades. It appears that we havent learned anything controlling outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics require a sustained effort over a lengthy period of time, Rimoin said. If were truly going to understand what happened and how to continue to prevent the spread of this virus, we have to put the resources in place to do so. David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said sexual health clinics dont have enough money to continue treating patients without additional resources. We have seen this song and dance before, with woeful COVID vaccination rates among minority communities leading to poorer outcomes, and we cant afford to make the same mistake again, Harvey said in a statement. Jen Kates, senior vice president and director of global health and HIV policy for the Kaiser Family Foundation, said the frustrating part of the monkeypox funding stalemate is that it wont take nearly as much of an investment as COVID-19. I think part of the White House argument to Congress and part of the public health argument is, were in a window of opportunity here. If we can get the response right and make sure we bring cases down and sustain that, Kates said. Its not a long term investment need. During the recent Senate hearing with top administration officials, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the HELP Committee chairwoman, questioned whether the government can be trusted to adequately prepare for the next outbreak given the initial missteps in responding to monkeypox. Still, she said the way to be sure the government is ready is to make sure they have the money they need to prepare. I know Im not the only one here with concerns about the monkeypox response but we cant just say this isnt working without providing the funding to end this outbreak and build the public health system Americans deserve, Murray said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that the country will get a bank holiday to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday (8 September) at the age of 96 in Balmoral Castle, after 70 years on the throne. The late monarch will be laid to rest on Monday 19 September, in Westminster Abbey, London. Her coffin was flown to London from Edinburgh on Tuesday (13 September) and will be carried in a ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday (14 September) to begin her lying in state. Heres everything you need to know about Australias bank holiday to mourn the Queen. When is Australias bank holiday to mourn the Queen? Australians will be given a bank holiday on Thursday 22 September, after the Queens funeral. It will officially be called the National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty the Queen. Why is Australia getting a bank holiday to mourn Queen Elizabeth II? Until her death, the Queen was Australias head of state. The new head of state is King Charles III. The surprise public holiday was first announced by Albanese on Sunday (11 September). He said at the time: Over the coming weeks, Australia will continue to commemorate our late Queen. I encourage all Australians, wherever you may be, to take time to pause and reflect on Her Majestys extraordinary life of service. Why is Australias bank holiday taking place after the Queens funeral? According to Australian broadcaster Nine News, the bank holiday is timed for when Albanese and governor-general David Hurley return to Australia from the UK, after attending the Queens funeral. Albanese and Hurley will travel to London on Thursday 15 September and return on Wednesday 21 September. How have Australians reacted to the news? Albanese has faced a backlash from retail and business groups for announcing the bank holiday at such short notice, with many worried about staffing costs and losing trade on the day. Story continues But the prime minister defended the decision as appropriate and said: This is the first time we have had a change of a head of state. Australia needs to, it wants to mourn the contribution of Queen Elizabeth II. A one-off public holiday is an appropriate response. Will Australia have the bank holiday again next year? No, the bank holiday to mourn the Queen is a one-off event and will not reoccur after this year. What other countries have declared a bank holiday to mourn the Queen? A handful of other countries where the Queen was head of state have also announced public holidays to mourn her death. On Tuesday (13 September), New Zealands prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country will get a one-off public holiday on Monday (26 September), called Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day. She said a state memorial service for the late monarch will be held in the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, in the city of Wellington, on the same day. Canada has also announced a national day of mourning that will take place on Monday (19 September), which will be a bank holiday. Prime minister Justin Trudeau said that while the Canadian government is still working out a few details with provinces and territories, declaring an opportunity for Canadians to mourn on Monday is going to be important. Some Caribbean nations, such as Jamaica, announced a period of mourning to mark the death of the Queen. However, only the Cayman Islands has declared that Monday (19 September), the day of Her Majestys funeral, will be a public holiday. According to local reports, the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands will decide whether a bank holiday will be given to residents in the coming days. Antigua is also said to be considering a public holiday to mark the Queens passing. Follow live updates ahead of the Queens funeral at Westminster here At a time when there has been much discussion about doing away with the strong Black woman stereotype that has dehumanized us, Gina Prince-Bythewoods The Woman King is a love letter to Black women that celebrates the power of sisterhood and uses our strength to uplift us. Set in the 19th-century West African Kingdom of Dahomey, now Benin, the film focuses on a fearless group of Black women warriors, the Agojie, who have brought much stability to the kingdom in the aftermath of the horrific European and American slave trade. The group is helmed by General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who is first seen emerging from a valley of tall grasses clad in cowrie shells and wielding a machete. Nanisca demands excellence, focus, and unity; no woman is ever left behind under her watch. Years into her tenure, she has seen firsthand what the slave trade has done to the Dahomey people. Now, the general and her lieutenants, Amenza (Sheila Atim) and Izogie (Lashana Lynch), find themselves training a new generation of warriors to fight for Dahomey against the kingdom of Oyo, whose European alliances, guns, and horses give them an edge. For Nanisca, it has never been a more critical time for the Agojie to move as one. While many of the Agojie are from Dahomey, other women from across the continent find themselves in Naniscas ranks. After being deemed unworthy of marriage, Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) arrives at the palace, defiant and curious about the world around her. In contrast, Ode (Adrienne Warren) becomes an Agojie recruit after being captured by the Dahomey, who are at war with her people. Instead of falling victim to her circumstances, Ode chooses to stand up and fight. Though she and Nawi initially have a bit of a rivalry, the pair learn there is strength in their togetherness. Nawi displayed this during a final test as a trainee. Though shes determined to be the first to complete the test, she turns back to aid her friend, Fumbe (Masali Baduza), a more timid recruit who gets stuck in a bush of thorns. Sacrificing her time in the test and allowing the thorns to rip through her flesh for the second time, Nawi only continues once Fumbe is free, earning the quiet respect of Nanisca, Amenza, Izogie, and the king. Story continues Tucked away behind the gates of the kings (John Boyega) castle, the Agojie remain childless and unattached to focus solely on their work in an all-female utopia. They share meals, secrets, braid hair, laugh, dance, and sing. They also train, learn to wield swords, bleed and fight. We see them being equally feminine and masculine, a duality often not afforded to Black women. Determined and strong, the Agojies womanhood is not constrained to the European ideal of what a woman should be. The docile, thin, delicate (not to mention blonde and blue-eyed) archetype is something Black women have been twisting and confining themselves to fit in since we first encountered the Western world. Historically, because we do not fit this idyllic type, Black women have been demeaned and denied within our communities and the world. As the legendary activist Malcolm X once said, The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. We are disproportionately more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, white feminists have routinely erased us from the fight for womens rights, our bodies have been fetishized and brutalized, and our contributions have been co-opted. Weve been left to shoulder the burdens of society, often neglecting ourselves for the well-being of others. As a result, many people have decried the masculine traits they see in Black women, going as far as to say it emasculates men. But to rely solely on a mans protection (when they are so often unwilling to speak up) negates the power Black women have to protect each other and themselves, as is so stunningly displayed in The Woman King. Speaking to the The Hollywood Reporter about the film and her desire to be seen as feminine, Viola Davis said: I was a tough kid; I always wanted to kick somebodys ass But as I grew into an adult, I embraced the narrative of the world about women. Which is, Im feeling guilty that I dont smile enough, Im not soft enough, Im not small enough, Im too aggressive, everybodys afraid of me. All these adjectives that Ive been running from all my life that I feel de-feminize me. All of a sudden, I had to call in all of those things that I threw into a wastebasket to create this Nanisca. And somewhere in the middle of that, it just happened: I felt badass. And indeed, that feeling came across on screen. Toward the films climax, some of the Agojie are kidnapped to be sold. King Ghezo, determined to put the ugliness of the slave trade behind him, forbids Nanisca from going to retrieve them. She defies him and embarks toward the Dahomey coast on her own. However, because shes instilled such a strong sense of togetherness in her troops, they are behind her in formation before she is even far from the village, their feet hitting the grassy path with powerful strides. Being brave enough to defy the king and having the force of her Agojie behind her gives Nanisca the strength to bring her stolen sisters home. Across time and space, Black women have had to be many things to survive. Weve been labeled strong because we have endured. From the Dahomey Kingdom in the 19th century to today, weve been warriors against suffering and suppression. Weve grown stronger as a collective because of the bonds, sisterhoods, and friendships weve formed. Weve not won every fight, but weve earned the right to choose how we want to define our strength, whether its extending our hands out to our fellow sistas or sharpening a spear to defend ourselves. The Woman King is in theaters now. A screenshot of a video shows woman waving their headscarves in the air in Saqqez in Iran's Kurdistan region. @AlinejadMasih/ Twitter Mahsa Amini died on Friday, four days after her arrest for allegedly breaking hijab-wearing rules. At her funeral, videos show women protesting by taking off their headscarves and waving them in the air. Police responded by firing tear gas at protesters and making arrests, per reports. Protests erupted on Saturday at the funeral of a 22-year-old woman who died after being arrested by Iran's Islamic morality police, according to reports. Mahsa Amini died on Friday, four days after witnesses accused police officers of forcing her into a van and beating her in Tehran, Insider reported. She was arrested for allegedly not following strict rules relating to hijab-wearing. Police said Amini died of a "sudden" heart attack after she was detained, a claim that her family disputes and human rights groups say warrants investigation. At her funeral, which took place in Amini's hometown of Saqqez, in Iran's Kurdistan region, mourners protested what Amnesty International has described as her "suspicious" death. Those attending the funeral chanted "death to the dictator," referring to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The National reported. Some protesters marched towards the local governor's office, according to videos verified by the BBC Persian service. A number of women removed their headscarves, or hijabs, in protest of the hijab-wearing rules which were used to arrest Amini, according to videos. A video shared by Masih Alinejad shows several women in Saqqez waving their headscarves in the air as they chant anti-government slogans. Police responded to the protests by firing tear gas at protesters and arresting some individuals marching toward the local governor's office, according to BBC News. There were reports of injuries, the news outlet said. Women across the country have been filming themselves cutting their hair and destroying their hijabs, according to another video shared by Alinejad. Story continues It has been mandatory to wear a hijab in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, and, in recent weeks, the Iranian government has cracked down on women who are not seen to be complying, per RFE/RL. BBC News also noted that according to Netblocks, a cybersecurity and internet governance watchdog, internet connections went down in Tehran and Saqqez during the protests. Users said they could not upload videos on Instagram or send content via Whatsapp, per the news outlet. Iran has previously shut down the internet to suppress political protests. In 2019, the country's Supreme National Security Council ordered a week-long internet blackout to stifle nationwide protests. Read the original article on Business Insider My name is Christine Kesteloo and I am a former cruise director. Christine Kesteloo I worked on cruise ships for over a decade, now I live on one most of the year with my husband. I wish first-time cruisers would look into their cruise lines and ports before booking. It's also helpful to be kind to the crew and prepare to possibly feel seasick. After working in the cruise industry for around 15 years, I lost my job during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, I sail on cruises half of the year as a "wife on board" with my husband, a ship engineer. We live on land and at sea, and I share my adventures on my TikTok (@dutchworld_americangirl). Years later, I still think cruising is one of the best ways to see the world. It's like tapas you get a taste of ports around the world and you can decide whether you'd like to travel back to a certain place and have the "full entree," one destination. That said, planning your first trip can be overwhelming. Here are important things I think future first-time cruisers should know. The ship will not wait for you To most, this seems like common sense. But, add in a beautiful destination, margaritas, and music and one can easily forget there's a ship waiting. More than once I have witnessed people running down the pier but if your boat has already been untied from it, you're not getting back on board. And yes, passengers who miss the boat are almost certainly responsible for the cost, airfare, and hotel, to get to the next port where the ship will dock. If you're docking for less than 8 hours, book your excursions through the ship Everyone has a different opinion on this. But as a former cruise director, I have a simple rule that I use to book excursions when my parents come sail with me. If you're in a port for a long period of time at least overnight it's not crucial to book your excursions through the ship because you have lots of time to navigate your way around the stop. But if your ship is in port for less than eight hours, I suggest booking an excursion through the ship because it must wait for people to return from its own excursions. Story continues If a taxi breaks down or you encounter traffic and you're on a personal excursion, you're out of luck. If you're on an excursion through your cruise line, the ship won't leave you behind. If you're docked for just a few hours, you may want to book your excursions through the ship. Christine Kesteloo You might not want to skip the international travel insurance Yes, there are nurses and doctors on every ship. I know more than most about being sick abroad, as I was once taken off of the ship due to sickness and spent two months in a New Zealand hospital. My medical expenses were covered since I was an employee, but cruisers should really consider talking to their insurance provider before the trip and also looking into international coverage. Just because you're on vacation does not mean the world will shield you in bubble wrap from accidents or that they'll all be covered. Seasickness is no joke even I get ill after over a decade onboard I've been sailing for 12 years on and off and even I still get seasick. I've seen many cruisers come on board unaware that they get motion sickness. And trust me, when the sickness sets in, it's already a bit too late. In some cases, prepare to be "down for the count" for at least 48 hours. To better prepare, you can try wristbands, patches, or other natural remedies. Personally, if I know rocky seas are in the forecast I take a non-drowsy motion-sickness medication, like Dramamine or Bonine. Keep in mind I'm not a medical professional just a former cruise director who has tried just about everything to nix nausea on the seas. Do what works for you. Your cruise line is just as important as your destinations There are so many cruise companies and each offers something different. Key factors such as age, interests, and your desired bedtime should dictate what cruise line you sail on. For children, I'd send them straight to a ship from Royal Caribbean or Disney. For young adults or young-at-heart adults, I suggest Carnival. For a bit of posh and trend, try Virgin or Celebrity. For sophistication, music, and good food I recommend Holland America Line. I could go on and on. And ships can vary, too. Choose wisely and do your research. Research can really pay off when booking a cruise. Christine Kesteloo Research each destination and port before you go to them A cruise can take you around the world to all seven continents and dock in some pretty amazing places. That said, I've seen many cruisers disappointed because they picture their ship docking somewhere perfect where they can just walk off of the ship and into tons of fun activities and sights. But this isn't always the case. In Asia, for example, ships often dock in a cargo port not a popular tourist spot. You will need to either book an excursion, taxi, or shuttle to actually see anything because you can't experience the food and culture from a shipping yard. Plan ahead. A little bit of kindness goes a long way and even though we've heard all of your jokes we'll laugh at them anyway Crew members are incredibly kind and hardworking. Many of us love our way of living and enjoy being at sea. We are happy to help, but you should never talk down to the crew. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. Plus, we return the favor. We've heard your cruise jokes a million times "It looks like we're all walking drunk," a guest will say as we go through the ship. "I'll pick up the check for dinner tonight," a guest will say in the dining room, knowing full well that all the food is paid for. Even though these are nothing new, we'll still smile and laugh at your jokes every time. Read the original article on Insider A woman in traditional attire offers a prayer during the Jitiya festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 18, 2022. The Jitiya festival is mostly celebrated by married women from the Tharu community for the well-being of their husbands and sons by observing a fast without water. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) A woman in traditional attire offers a prayer during the Jitiya festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 18, 2022. The Jitiya festival is mostly celebrated by married women from the Tharu community for the well-being of their husbands and sons by observing a fast without water. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) A woman in traditional attire offers a prayer during the Jitiya festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 18, 2022. The Jitiya festival is mostly celebrated by married women from the Tharu community for the well-being of their husbands and sons by observing a fast without water. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) Women in traditional attire offer prayers during the Jitiya festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 18, 2022. The Jitiya festival is mostly celebrated by married women from the Tharu community for the well-being of their husbands and sons by observing a fast without water. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) A woman in traditional attire offers a prayer during the Jitiya festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 18, 2022. The Jitiya festival is mostly celebrated by married women from the Tharu community for the well-being of their husbands and sons by observing a fast without water. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) Women in traditional attire offer prayers during the Jitiya festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 18, 2022. The Jitiya festival is mostly celebrated by married women from the Tharu community for the well-being of their husbands and sons by observing a fast without water. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) People walk by the campus of Yeshiva University in New York City on August 30, 2022 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Yeshiva University said it would "hold off" on all student club activity after being ordered to accept an LGBTQ group. Representatives for YU Pride Alliance said the move was akin to efforts by southern states to resist desegregation. Current and former students have penned a letter to YU leadership calling on the school to reconsider. New York's Yeshiva University opted to cancel all student club activity after the US Supreme Court ordered the school to recognize an LGBTQ club for the time being. The university wrote in an email to students on Friday that it would "hold off on all undergraduate club activities while it immediately takes steps to follow the roadmap provided by the US Supreme court to protect YU's religious freedom." The decision comes after a state court ordered the school to recognize the student group immediately, CBS News reported. The Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote lifted a temporary hold placed on a court order requiring the university to recognize the group, YU Pride Alliance, according to CBS. The majority which included Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, along with the three liberal justices wrote that the school may return to the state court to make a case for an expedited review or temporary relief. If the state court refuses, Yeshiva can return to the high court, the majority wrote, per The New York Times. Representatives for YU Pride Alliance said in a statement that the university's decision to cancel all clubs instead of accepting theirs is "a throwback to 50 years ago when the city of Jackson, Mississippi closed all public swimming pools rather than comply with court orders to desegregate." "The Pride Alliance seeks a safe space on campus, nothing more. By shutting down all club activities, the YU administration attempts to divide the student body, and pit students against their LGBT peers. We are confident that YU students will see through this shameful tactic and stand together in community," the statement shared on Twitter read. Story continues Rabbi Ari Berman, the president of the university, said in a statement following the ruling that the university intends to follow the Supreme Court's suggestions and return to the state court, CBS reported. "Every faith-based university in the country has the right to work with its students, including its L.G.B.T.Q. students, to establish the clubs, places and spaces that fit within its faith tradition," Berman said in the statement, per the Times. "Yeshiva University simply seeks that same right of self-determination." Meanwhile, an open letter to university leaders in support of Pride Alliance gained hundreds of signatures from current and former students. "As Jews, we were distressed to see Torah values deployed to deny fellow Jews safety and support within our community. LGBTQ+ Jews are our family members, friends, neighbors, rabbis, teachers, and students. Some of us are LGBTQ+ Jews ourselves. And all of us are saddened and disheartened by the positions our Yeshiva University has recently taken," the letter reads. Read the original article on Insider NEW YORK New York City is eyeing legal action to stop Texas Gov. Greg Abbott from sending more buses full of asylum seekers to the city, Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday. As at least six more buses from Texas arrived in the city Sunday morning, Adams also floated the idea of using cruise ships to house migrants who have been entering city homeless shelters by the thousands. Our legal team is looking at legal challenges we could do with Texas, Adams said in an appearance on CBS 2. We believe there are some options we have, because when you involuntarily place someone on a bus, we believe that actually skates the law Were not leaving any stones unturned to make sure that New Yorkers are [not] being treated in an unfair way. At least 11,000 migrants have entered the citys homeless shelters since May, including 2,500 who arrived on buses chartered by Abbott leading Adams to declare the shelters at their breaking point. The city has opened 23 emergency shelters and expects to open 38 more, the mayor said. City Hall is now looking at the possibility of bringing in cruise ships as temporary housing, something Adams said the administration of former Mayor Mike Bloomberg considered to address a surge in homelessness, but never followed through on. Were looking at that as a temporary measure, not a permanent measure. A permanent measure is get people into housing, he said in the CBS interview. We have to find temporary measures to address this issue. In a series of TV appearances Sunday, Adams pleaded with Abbott for at least a heads up about buses being sent to the city but said he has been rebuffed. This is an American crisis that we need to face a humanitarian crisis that was made by human hands, by some of the governors in the southern states, Adams said on ABCs This Week. The Democratic mayor accused Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who last week flew planes full of asylum seekers to Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts of using the moves to distract attention from political controversies harmful to Republicans ahead of the midterm election. Texas also dropped off a bus full of people outside the home of Vice President Kamala Harris this weekend. Story continues This is to cover up the erosion of human rights that both those governors have been participating in, Adams said on MSNBCs The Sunday Show, referring to recent Supreme Court rulings overturning abortion rights and gun restrictions. He called the governors actions inhumane, anti-American. City Hall officials called Abbotts office and asked it to coordinate with the city on the arrival of buses, allowing family members and sponsors of new arrivals to be contacted and shelter space to be readied. They took the call, stated that they would coordinate, he said on ABC. And they did not coordinate at all, because I dont think it was politically expedient for them to coordinate. It was more to do this, basically, political showmanship that youre seeing. Abbotts administration has placed some migrants with Covid-19 on the buses, Adams said. Others have been forced to take the ride even though they wanted to go to destinations other than New York. We had those who were Covid-positive on the buses. We had individuals who were dehydrated, didnt have proper food. Some were even tagged like you would tag an animal, he said on CNNs State of the Union. This is a blight on our entire country. During a trip to Washington, D.C., last week, Adams said he met with Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Biden administration officials to ask for federal aid. He is also pushing for the federal government to change regulations to allow asylum seekers to work legally in the United States without waiting six months. I dont think it really is logical to allow people to be here for months without the ability to seek employment, particularly during a point when we are seeking employees in various sectors in our city, he said on CNN. Adams again denied that he wants to reassess the citys right-to-shelter law, which guarantees a bed to any homeless individual. He said he instead wants to reassess the citys practices in implementing the requirement, but did not clarify which practices or how they would change. Multiple historical reenactments in New York have been canceled out of fear participants could be thrown in jail for breaking the states new gun laws. "Two weeks ago we started getting issues from units out of state and in state who were afraid if they came and brought weapons with them, muskets, that they'd be charged with a felony," reenactment organizer Harold Nicholson told CBS 6. One reenactment in Montgomery County was canceled on Friday, and the Rogers Island Military Camp reenactment event was also canceled. The Rogers Island reenactment had been held in Fort Edward for the last 25 years, according to CBS 6. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed new gun policies into law earlier this year that ban people from carrying firearms at most hospitals, restaurants, transit systems, Times Square, parks, schools, theaters and other areas deemed "sensitive locations." NEW YORK LEGISLATION DESIGNATES TIMES SQUARE A 'GUN FREE' ZONE Revolutionary war reenactors walk with a US flag in celebration of Memorial Day in John Paul Jones Park in Bay Ridge on May 31, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. John Lamparski/Getty Images The new laws came in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that New Yorks regulations on obtaining a concealed carry permit were unconstitutionally restrictive. "We don't need guns on our streets. We don't need people carrying guns in our subways. We don't need people carrying guns in our schools. We don't need people carrying in our places of worship. We don't need them carrying them into bars or restaurants. Because that only makes people less safe," Hochul said earlier this month. HOCHUL TARGETS TOY GUNS IN BID TO REDUCE NEW YORK CRIME Hochuls office released a statement last week that, "These laws allow historical re-enactments to occur, and there should be no concern otherwise." World War 1 Military reenactors march in the Veterans Day Parade on November 11, 2019, in New York City. President Donald Trump, the first sitting U.S. president to attend New York's parade, offered a tribute to veterans ahead of the 100th annual parade which draws thousands of vets and spectators from around the country. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images But participants of reenactments are still hesitant that the laws mean they could be prosecuted for being in possession of a musket in an area such as a park, which has been deemed a "sensitive location." Live ammunition is not used during reenactments. "Legal minds have told us that the law is the law," Nicholson told WRGB. "It doesn't matter what the governor says, we could be prosecuted. Because of that we didn't want any liability against Rogers Island Visitor Center or the village and town of Fort Edward." Story continues NEW YORK APPROVES GUN LAW REQUIRING BUYERS TO PROVIDE SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES Redcoats offer cheer after re-enacting their victory in the Battle of Brooklyn. The 239th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn was reenacted in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images An attorney in Albany argued that lawmakers need to make the laws more clear and define the meaning of "historical reenactment," adding that participants of war reenactments are correct to cancel the events. "Right now, this is a felony to bring your antique flintlock musket into a public sensitive area where these reenactments are taking place," Albany Attorney Paul DerOhannesian told CBS 6. A girl from the Long Island Historical Association dresses as a child during an American Revolution reenactment at the 102nd annual Veterans Day parade on November 11, 2021, in New York City. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images "No lawyer would recommend an individual to follow the word of any leader or individual when the law is very clear that this is illegal," he added. Hochul's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment and whether the law will be clarified. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor in New York, vowed on Sunday to fire liberal Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on his first day in office and reiterated criticism of his opponent, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, for standing by the states controversial bail reform law. "Democrats just like Republicans and Independents are fed up with not feeling safe on our streets," Zeldin said during an appearance on Fox News "Sunday Morning Futures." "My first act on my first day in office is telling the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that hes going to be fired," he continued. "Here in New York, weve seen cashless bail as a failure. Its caused crime to increase. It needs to be repealed. Judges need discretion to weigh dangerousness. It is pro-criminal laws and DAs refusing to their jobs, judges refusing to do theirs in some other cases and people less safe as a result." Overall crime in New York is up by nearly 35% from a year ago. NEW YORK CITY DEM ENDORSES REPUBLICAN LEE ZELDIN INSTEAD OF GOV. KATHY HOCHUL New York Gov. Kathy Hochul during a New York State Financial Control Board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. Zeldin, whos running on a tough-on-crime platform, criticized Hochul for refusing to accept his debate requests even though absentee ballots will soon be mailed out. "Shes earning her nickname as Scaredy Kat, shes not yet accepted any of these requests," Zeldin told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo. "The contempt that she has for this process, for voters voters certainly should not be rewarding her with a full four-year term. She wants to sit in this seat, but if you dont agree with her she actually declared that I was no longer a New Yorker because I was challenging her. She said I should get on a bus and go to Florida." Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announces charges against Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump, during a press conference in New York on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to send buses of migrants to New York City and other sanctuary destinations, Zeldin argued that the federal government needs to finish the construction of the border wall, stop catch and release, enforce the "Remain in Mexico" policy and support border patrol agents. He also called on officials to "stop incentivizing and rewarding illegal entry, and thats at the federal, state and local level." Story continues Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-NY, participates in the annual West Indian Day parade on September 5, 2022, in Brooklyn, New York City. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images Bartiromo asked Zeldin why New Yorks largely Democratic voter base should vote him into Albany. "We in New York, regardless of whether youre a Republican, Democrat or Independent, whether youre from a red county or a blue country, all of us as New Yorkers, are taking control of our destiny to be able to save this state," Zeldin said. "To be able to take back our streets. To be able to back our men and women in law enforcement again. And for people who are thinking about fleeing, instead, they can stay and not have to go elsewhere for their safety and their family and for their future on economics and freedom and more." KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO SATURDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2022, 22:41 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said that Ukraines defence forces [collective name for all Ukrainian military formations involved in the ongoing combat in this country - ed.] will strike the occupiers "harder than before". Source: President Zelenskyys video address Quote: "Many of the Russian soldiers have by now realised that they dont stand a chance in Ukraine, that they will be defeated. The smartest among the Russian soldiers surrender and we guarantee their rights under the [Geneva] Conventions will be protected. And we will continue pressing forward, to make all occupiers realise this. We will strike them harder than before." Details: President Zelenskyy said that the situation on the front has not changed significantly over the past day. "The Armed Forces of Ukraine, our intelligence units, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the National Guard are gradually, step by step, driving the occupiers out from our land. But we need more time and more effort; we still need to be fully focused on defence and to preserve all our strength," he underscored. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! ROMAN PETRENKO SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2022, 15:41 Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Presidents Office, is convinced that at the moment there is no point either in negotiations or in the meeting of the head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the leader of the aggressor country Vladimir Putin. Source: Podoliak in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda Quote from Podoliak: "In short, there is no point in the negotiation process and a personal meeting of the presidents yet. First, the Russian Federation still believes that it has enough resources to achieve some results. Secondly, any meeting today is exclusively a game in traditional Russian history: we are recording the status quo, dancing "deceptive Minsk dances", and starting a new stage of escalation. Operational pause and for more. And thirdly, Russia must be held accountable for large-scale crimes without hiding behind impunity. Thus, the war must reach the only possible ending. There is no other way. Therefore, it is clear that the topic of a bilateral meeting is not on the agenda right now. Moreover, we are not at all interested in meetings for the sake of meetings or the same banal Russian negotiation "scenario". We are interested in liberation of the occupied territories, significant tactical defeats of the Russian Federation, and mandatory large-scale legal processes. Everything else is derivative from this." Details: However, Podoliak stressed that the meeting of the presidents is possible if it is preceded by a complete withdrawal of Russian troops, and the subject of the conversation is a "discussion of post-war life, including the amount of reparations, compensation for losses and extradition of criminals." Background: Putin said at a press conference following his visit to Uzbekistan that Zelenskyy has no desire to meet with the Kremlin leader and claimed at he had not seen any proposals on security guarantees for our country. Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron! An advisor to South Africa's Zulu king, who was crowned as monarch last month despite a challenge from within the royal family, was killed late Saturday on the sidelines of a traditional ceremony, according to a local official. Dumisani Blasius Khumalo "was killed by unknown gunmen last night, shortly after attending the Reed Dance in Nongoma," Sihle Zikalala, a member of the regional legislature, said in a statement. Some 10,000 people gathered Saturday in the small town of Nongoma, a Zulu stronghold in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province, for the traditional "reed dance". During the centuries-old ritual, the girls present themselves to the king of the country's largest ethnic group, which numbers 11 million Zulus, almost one in five South Africans. It was the first reed ceremony for King MisuZulu Zulu. Opponents of the new ruler had issued threats and predicted a "bloodbath" if the celebration went ahead. Security had been stepped up. Khumalo, the king's chief advisor, was responsible for settling disputes within the Zulu community. In South Africa, some communal disputes are settled in traditional courts rather than in a state judicial setting. "He was very loyal to the royal family and he worked closely with MisuZulu's father before," said Khaya Ndwandwe, a Zulu culture expert. Since the death of Goodwill Zwelithini last year after a reign of 50 years, a dispute over succession has raged. In South Africa, traditional rulers and chiefs are recognised by the constitution and exercise significant moral authority. MisuZulu kaZwelithini, recognized by President Cyril Ramaphosa, was born to the favourite and third wife of Goodwill Zwelithini. The first wife challenged the succession in court, which rejected the claim. The late king's eldest son, who was born out of wedlock, filed an emergency lawsuit this week claiming he was the rightful heir. Brothers of Goodwill Zwelithini also claimed the throne for another contender. At the ceremony Saturday, the new king called for "peace and unity (to) prevail in the royal house". cld/jhd/gw/rox Schimea Nguessan said when he first received his yellow toy car from a shoebox gift at 10 years old, it made him feel like he was not an orphan anymore. I felt love. Receiving the box at that time really changed many things in my heart, said Nguessan, whose father died when Nguessan was just a child. Nguessan spoke Saturday at the Operation Christmas Child fall kickoff event at the Love & Truth Community Church, hosted by the Lynchburg-area Operation Christmas Child team. Operation Christmas Child is a charitable giving effort led by Samaritans Purse, an evangelical Christian organization currently headed by Franklin Graham. Its known for collecting donated gifts and distributing them around the world in shoeboxes, like the one Nguessan received as a child. Nguessan told the audience at church Saturday that one day when he was 6, he saw many people come to his familys house in the Ivory Coast crying. Nguessan did not understand why until his mother said that his father went to Heaven. His mother knew life would be hard for the family as his father did not leave any money for them. His mother always told Nguessan he has a heavenly father. Theres something special about love when you feel it and know that it is God, because only the love that God gives to someone is different and is something special, Nguessan said. Saturdays event featured dramatizations of true stories, free informational material, video presentations and international food samplings. Many people attended, as most of the rows in the sanctuary were filled. During Nguessans presentation, he also gave a story on how he found Jesus Christ. His brother was a famous musician back in his hometown before he died. Nguessan said his brother was his closest friend and for a time after his passing he lost all hope and wanted to kill himself. God knew that he had to talk to me, Nguessan said. When he was talking to me it was as if everything was revealed right at the moment and I knew it was God, because his voice changed my life. Jacob Sorrells Operation Christmas Childs logistics coordinator for the area and central drop-off leader said it was amazing to hear Nguessans story. Its amazing to hear that one story but all I can think of is behind that one story, how many hundreds of stories follow him or are just like his story and how the Gospel has impacted so many lives and so many people and how these shoebox gifts impact their lives, Sorrells said. Debbie Harvey, Lynchburg regional coordinator for Operation Christmas Child, said shes glad Nguessan was able to tell his story. I have heard Schimea say before that whenever given the opportunity, he wants to tell his story about how he came to Christ, Harvey said. Sorrells said those interested in making a shoebox donation can order a shoebox online or contact the Lynchburg-area team. The area team can help those interested connect with groups in the area or create their own group. From there, donors would bring shoeboxes to a drop-off location on the drop-off days of Nov. 14 and Nov. 21. It is very touching when you hear the story of a child thats never received a gift ever in their life, Harvey said. And so because of that, Operation Christmas Child is to use this as a vehicle to share the Gospel in villages and places around the world where children would never receive a gift. Sorrells said the shoeboxes are great, but theres a greater gift to be given. Jesus is the greatest gift ever given, and to be a part of that and to be able to share that with children around the world is what excites me, Sorrells said. Lately, Heritage High School senior Micah Thomas has been contemplating what he wants to pursue after graduation. Before the end of his junior year, he applied for a newly launched internship program run by Beacon of Hope, a nonprofit which works with Lynchburg City Schools to ensure each student attains secondary education. Over the summer, he spent three weeks working with the Lynchburg-based North American headquarters of nuclear-services firm Framatome learning about what the company does and how engineering works. This opportunity really shed a light and gave me an opportunity to discover what I really wanted to do, he said. It was a very interesting experience. The internship program was open to E.C. Glass and Heritage high school students who were at least 16. After word spread throughout the schools, 90 students applied for 34 open spots within 13 partner companies, including Jamerson-Lewis Construction, Academy Center of the Arts, Framatome, Centra Health, CB Fleet and Lynchburgs Office of Economic Development and Tourism as well as the citys public works department. Laura Hamilton, executive director of Beacon of Hope, said the idea came from a conversation within the board of directors who wanted a pipeline of students to come from high school directly into the workforce and fill open jobs. But companies were complaining that these kids werent prepared. They dont know how to send an email, how to dress, talk like an adult and are just launched into it. Of course, they arent going to be successful, Hamilton said. In an effort to eliminate this issue, the nonprofit created a three-week internship for students who would work for pay $13 an hour within these various companies and explore career options. Beacon of Hope created an application that wasnt merit-based and didnt take grades into account, receiving applicants with GPAs from a 0.9 to a 4.5. The students ranked the top three businesses they wanted to work with and were placed. It was almost like a college rush match, Hamilton said. And almost everybody got where they needed to be. Leading up to the internships, students spent a week at Beacon of Hope getting headshots, creating a LinkedIn profile and resumes, learned conflict management and how to send thank you emails. Hamilton said by the end of the week, they had a toolbox to be successful. And they face real-world stuff, she said. Some went straight to work, like at Jamerson-Lewis, they built a hangar at the airport. Others rotated different positions. She said it was fun to help usher the students into the real world. We had several businesses calling us being like, Oh my God, these kids are more prepared than some of the adults coming in, she said. That feeling was great, but it wasnt all roses and unicorns. But at the end of the day, these are our most engaged kids in the schools right now. Theyre showing up, their grades are going to be better, I know it. Kristin King, vice president of human resources at Centra Health, said the decision to host four of the students over the summer was an easy one. King said the health care system is open and welcoming to experiences that allow people to shadow or volunteer to learn about the various clinical and non-clinical positions available. When you look at workforce planning, that really starts all the way at the student level when the students are starting to prepare for their potential future careers, she said. We thought it was an opportunity to really allow these students to come in that are just starting to form ideas around career planning. The four students spent three weeks rotating between Lynchburg General Hospital and the Pearson Cancer Center learning about patient nutrition, nursing, lab work and patient registration. So they could travel around to the different areas and then at the end, ideally come back with even a better, maybe not final idea, but have a better idea of what different career options are available, she said. Framatome hosted 10 interns and, split into three teams, they participated in a Zumo Bot war competition. Each team was paired with a Framatome engineering mentor and the exercise combined electrical, mechanical and software engineering. Internships at both the high school and college level are an important program for Framatome to develop a pipeline of emerging talent for the future of our company and our industry, Denise Woernle, vice president of communications and marketing, said in an email. As nuclear energy gains momentum as a key player to meet our nations clean energy goals, the industry is bursting with opportunities within the existing fleet and advanced reactors/new builds. We must attract developing talent and early career candidates to ensure we have a robust and diverse talent pool. Working with universities local to our sites also allows us to attract talent and help develop potential employees that may be inclined to stay and integrate themselves into the areas where we live and work. Framatome is enthusiastic about creating these meaningful internships to build our future workforce in Central Virginia. Thomas said he felt like the experience really helped him decide what he wants to do after high school and what he wants to study in college. It was a lot of fun, and also a great learning experience of how the different fields of engineering come together and function together, he said. Like Thomas, Camden Roberts, another senior at Heritage, said he was undecided about what he wanted out of a career, but he wanted to explore a company that did design work and was creative. So he spent three weeks with leather goods creator Moore & Giles. Roberts learned the basics of leather and leather-making and made a fanny pack and belt. I realized Im now interested now in sewing, which is something I never knew I liked, he said. I learned about how work can actually be fun and not just you go to work and its draining. A former Council Bluffs pastor has been chosen as a candidate for bishop of the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The Rev. Dr. Lanette Pollock Plambeck served as lead pastor at Broadway United Methodist Church in Council Bluffs from 2015 to 2018 and is currently serving as assistant to Iowa Bishop Laurie Halling and director of clergy and leadership excellence for the conference. Halling has announced that she will retire at the end of the year, partly due to lingering effects of injuries she suffered during a fall last winter. The Rev. Alexis Johnson, current pastor at Broadway United Methodist, was excited to hear that Plambeck was a candidate, she said. Ever since then, Ive been praying for her and praying for the discernment that goes into this process, she said. In so many ways, bishops are called to be pastor to the pastors. They are our spiritual teachers and mentors and our caregivers in times of crisis. Rev. Lanette has already done this as a part of her ministry here in Iowa. But above all else, the things that qualify Rev. Lanette to be bishop are her love of God and her love of Gods people. She longs for the best for our denomination. Rev. Lanette has been a mentor and friend of mine for over 20 years, Johnson said. We first met at a class she taught, and then we became friends when I entered full-time ministry 16 years ago. We have served together for the last 11 years on the Iowa Board of Ordained Ministry, and she was my predecessor here at Broadway UMC. We continue to be sources of support and encouragement for each other. Plambeck is one of 10 candidates for the position, which would begin on Jan. 1, 2023. The Iowa delegation to the North Central Jurisdiction has endorsed her candidacy, according to a statement distributed to Iowa UMC churches by the delegation. Some of the things we affirmed included her deep desire for inclusion, the depth of her spiritual grounding, her administrative leadership and her ability to respond with grace amid difference, the delegation said in the statement. Iowa could be assigned one of the new bishops elected, or a Bishop who serves in another place might be sent here, the statement explained. I am humbled by the endorsement of the Iowa delegation and look forward to meeting more United Methodists during this process, Plambeck said in a post on her Facebook page. I am grateful for the encouragement and discernment of those who saw this call in me before I fully understood it myself. We are fortunate to have such called and gifted candidates who have entered into this process, she said. Please be in prayer for them and for me and may our God continue to work in us and through us for such a time as this. Plambeck earned a bachelors degree in religious studies and political science at Morningside University in Sioux City, Master of Divinity in evangelism at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri and Doctor of Ministry in church leadership excellence at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Besides Broadway United Methodist, she has served churches in Atlantic, Manning and Granger and as campus chaplain at Morningside, not including her work as a student pastor. Before entering seminary, she was a counselor for five years after earning certifications/specializations in several areas of the profession. She grew up in Denison and served as a military intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army from 1989 to 1992 and is a veteran of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. ABUJA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of Lassa fever in Nigeria this year has risen to 171, despite measures by the government to reduce infections across the country, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said Sunday. In its latest Lassa fever situation report, the NCDC said there have been a total of 917 confirmed cases, with 6,660 suspected cases recorded since the beginning of the year. In the week from Sept. 5 to 11 alone, eight new confirmed cases and one death were recorded. So far, 25 states have recorded at least one confirmed case across 102 out of the 774 local government areas in the most populous African country, the public health agency said. With the death toll rising to 171, the NCDC said the case fatality rate was 18.6 percent, lower than that for the same period last year, which was 23.3 percent. The disease control center said the predominant age group affected is 21-30 years, with the male-to-female ratio for confirmed cases being 1:0.8. According to the World Health Organization, Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. Humans usually become infected with the Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or feces of infected Mastomys rats. The disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa. In some cases, Lassa fever has similar symptoms to malaria, appearing between one and three weeks after exposure to the virus. In mild cases, the disease causes fever, fatigue, weakness, and headache. The NCDC said it remained committed to supporting state public health teams to achieve the goal of reducing the Lassa fever case fatality rate to a single digit. The disease control agency said it is currently distributing medical response commodities to states and treatment centers as part of measures to control the spread of the disease. Kelsey Stupfell, director of public relations with TS Banking Group in Treynor; Matt Johnson, owner-operator of Barleys Bar & Grill in Council Bluffs; and Connie Casson, owner of Blue Seats Consulting in Neola have been selected to participate in the 2022-23 class of Leadership Iowa. Leadership Iowa is the states premier issues-awareness program offered by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation. Leadership Iowa exists to educate, inspire and grow a network of informed leaders and to encourage their ongoing local and statewide engagement to create a better future for Iowans, according to a press release from TS Banking Group. More than 1,300 Iowans have graduated from the program since it began in 1982. Forty leaders from across the state are part of this years class, the press release stated. The participants represent all regions of the state in a variety of industries, employers, backgrounds and key components. The 2022-23 class will travel to communities throughout the state for a series of two-day monthly sessions beginning in October and concluding in June. Each session allows participants to delve into an important topic as it relates to our state by way of discussions with subject-matter experts, interactive experiences, industry tours and more. This year, the group will be hosted by the following Iowa communities: Jefferson; Red Oak and Stanton; Ames; Des Moines; Sioux City; Waverly; and Burlington. This years session topics include agriculture/renewable resources, education, government, manufacturing, transportation, community vitality, economic development and workforce development. The program will culminate at ABIs annual Taking Care of Business Conference to be held next June in Cedar Rapids. Were thrilled to host another great cohort of Iowa leaders in the 41st Leadership Iowa program, said ABI President Mike Ralston. This experience not only provides first-hand exposure to opportunities and challenges across the state, it also fosters a strong network of problem-solvers equipped to effect positive change in Iowa communities, therefore creating a better future for Iowa. The 2022-23 Leadership Iowa program is made possible by presenting sponsor EMC Insurance. Additional annual sponsors include CIPCO, Community State Bank, Emerson, Grinnell Mutual, Iowa Soybean Association, BrownWinick Law Firm, Farm Bureau Federation, MidAmerican Energy, Pella Corp., Principal Financial Group and Winger Cos. A White House spokesperson criticized Gov. Kim Reynolds for opposition to the American Rescue Plan in 2021, noting that the state has devoted millions of dollars to projects using federal money from the act. In a statement to the Lee Des Moines Bureau, White House regional spokesperson Haris Talwar said Reynolds, a Republican, called the $1.9 trillion federal relief package an unconstitutional stimulus bill that does nothing but bail out blue states. Now that the people of Iowa are benefiting through tens of thousands of jobs created and historic investments supporting child care, expanding broadband, and improving school safety we are grateful the Governor has come around to recognizing the positive impacts of President Bidens American Rescue Plan on Iowa and the country, he said. Reynolds spokesperson Alex Murphy did not provide a comment, but pointed to previous statements Reynolds has made on the issue. Last year, Reynolds told reporters the state would be very strategic on how were using those funds, according to The Des Moines Register, and she reiterated that she opposed the high spending from the federal government. Democrats have been critical of Reynolds opposition to the plan for close to a year, first making note after she announced a $200 million investment in rural broadband made using the federal dollars. The American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Democrats on a party-line vote in 2021, delivered hundreds of billions of dollars to state and local governments to make up for COVID-19 related revenue loss. Rep. Cindy Axne, a Democrat from Des Moines, was the only one of Iowas congressional delegation to vote for the bill. The state received approximately $1.48 billion from the act, according to a database from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Speaking with the Sioux City Journal in 2021, Reynolds said the price tag of the American Rescue Plan was far too high and included funding in areas that should not have been included. Theres a cost to that, somebodys got to pay for that at some point, and it punishes states that I think have been very targeted in their mitigation efforts and have tried to do the right thing, she said. But, she said then, the state would look at areas where relief was needed to spend the money in a targeted way. She mentioned business relief, mental health, and broadband funding as potential targets. We still have small businesses that are hurting, people that have lost their jobs or lost their businesses and put their entire life savings into it, she said. Reynolds also joined 21 other governors in signing a letter opposing the funding formula of the American Rescue Plan. They said the formula, which gave aid to states based on unemployment rates, punished states that kept businesses open during the pandemic. This week, Reynolds announced the recipients of $20 million in funding to nonprofits through the federal act. A portion of $26.6 million in grants announced earlier in the week to help businesses address child care shortages also came from the American Rescue Plan. We received overwhelming interest in this unique grant program which highlights the passion of Iowas nonprofits and their positive impact on our state, Reynolds said in a press release announcing the nonprofit grants. These grants will invest in innovative projects that will put Iowas nonprofits in a better position to serve those in need. Other funding made available with the money includes $200 million for rural broadband, a $100 million fund to generate tourism and new residents, $30 million for workforce innovation grants, and $100 million to bolster school safety, and $100 million to address water quality. Iowa Senate Majority Leader Zach Wahls said in May when the child care grants were announced that Reynolds was trying to take credit for actions taken by Democrats. The truth is that President Biden and Congresswoman Axne are trying to solve a problem that Kim Reynolds is responsible for: Iowas worst-in-the-nation childcare crisis, he said in a statement. Iowa Senate Democrats have a plan that would lower costs and make childcare more accessible. Were just waiting on Reynolds and Iowa legislative Republicans to work with us. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Barcelo Group, a Spanish company specializing in hospitality and travel, plans to invest 47 million in the tourism sector in Morocco through the acquisition and renovation of several hotels in the Kingdom, a move that will diversify the tourism offer and stimulate private investment in the tourism sector. A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed between the group and the Moroccan ministries of tourism and of investments. On the sidelines of the MoU signing, Barcelo Tangier hotel was inaugurated in the presence of the groups President Simon Pedro Barcelo Vadell and Spains ambassador to Rabat Diez-Hochleitner, who assured that the presence of a Spanish hotel chain in Tangiers shows that we are countries that have a lot to do together. The Barcelo Tangier hotel reopened at the end of July after a period of restoration. It is a 1970s building located opposite the citys seafront with more than 200 rooms. Barcelo Vadell affirmed the willingness of the group to contribute to the development of tourism in Tangier, stressing that the group currently has six hotels in Morocco, including in Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Agadir and Tangier, and plans to expand and strengthen its presence in the country. He expressed appreciation for Moroccan authorities support to this project, and reiterated his groups commitment to bolster its investments in Morocco and to contribute actively to the promotion of the tourism sector. Tangier is the main city in the north of the country, which, thanks to its ports, enjoys a high traffic of travellers. According to official figures, more than 97,000 international travellers stayed in Tangier hotels during the summer of 2022. This is 12% more than in the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. A state watchdog has raised concerns about an increase in serious injuries among children involved in Nebraska's child welfare system during the past year. But Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare Jennifer Carter said, in her latest annual report released Thursday, that the state has made improvements in dealing with two previous crises. Those were the formerly troubled state institutions for juvenile offenders, called the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers, and the now-terminated contract with St. Francis Ministries, a Kansas-based nonprofit that was tasked with managing the care of children in the Omaha metro area. "In general, after two years of major system-level challenges ... the child welfare and YRTC systems appear to be more stable than they have been in over two years," Carter said. "However, the absence of crises does not equate to an absence of significant issues." As an example of issues, she pointed to two deaths and 10 serious injuries among youngsters who were current state wards or had been involved with the child welfare system at some point in the previous 12 months. The children ranged in age from infants to a 17-year-old who was injured in a shooting. Carter said it was the highest number of serious injury and death cases since 2015 that her office is required by state law to investigate. All involved possible abuse or neglect. Her office is not required to look into deaths and injuries that occurred by chance. Her office is still investigating the cases, she said, but pointed to the disruptions and stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential factor behind the increase. She noted that many professionals are reporting rising mental health problems. "We are only beginning to understand all the long-term ramifications of the pandemic," Carter said. She also noted an increase in incidents and complaints related to cases in which child welfare officials had used a different, less adversarial approach to working with families. In the approach, called alternative response, child welfare workers help families without taking them to court or making a finding that there had been abuse or neglect in the family. Four serious injury cases involved children whose families had gone through alternative response in the previous 12 months, Carter said, noting that her office has not received such reports in the past. However, she noted that Nebraska's use of alternative response has increased significantly in the last few years. In 2021, the state handled more child abuse and neglect cases through alternative response than were substantiated and handled through the traditional process. Among other issues, Carter said the availability, stability and quality of placements for children has become a growing concern. She said there have been reports of problems placing even children who have been easy to find care for in the past, such as infants. High caseloads and turnover among case workers also is a concern, she said. In June, only 38.6% of workers in Douglas and Sarpy counties had caseloads that complied with state law. Continued failure to meet state caseload standards contributed to Nebraska's decision to end its contract with St. Francis Ministries, which was responsible for child welfare case management in the Omaha area. The decision was announced in December and all of the cases were transferred to state workers over the next six months. In a previous report, Carter had called for an end to the contract and to Nebraska's experiment with private case management. In the newly released report, she said incidents and complaints about St. Francis that her office reviewed had confirmed that ending the contract "was the correct choice." The new report also noted signs that Nebraska's juvenile offender institutions were stabilizing, three years after Department of Health and Human Services officials removed all the female offenders from the state's Geneva institution after staff shortages, inadequate programming and deteriorating buildings combined to make the facility unlivable. The girls were moved to the formerly male-only juvenile offender center in Kearney, where they remained for 18 months. The state has since closed the Geneva facility and moved the female offenders to a center in Hastings. The state also opened a facility in Lincoln for juvenile offenders needing more intensive mental health care. A 16-year-old was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Friday evening in Russell County. The teen, of Hurtsboro, was driving a 2004 Saturn Ion and was killed at the intersection of Alabama 26 and U.S. 431 after being struck by a pickup truck, according to the Opelika Post of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. An 18-year-old passenger in the Saturn was also injured and transported to an area hospital for treatment. The truck, a 2001 Ford Super Duty, was driven by Justin L. Lowell, 24, of Columbus, Ga. Lowell and a female passenger were both injured and transported to Piedmont Midtown Medical Center in Columbus. The crash occurred about 15 miles west of Hurtsboro. Nothing further is available as Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate. Woody Allen Announces His Retirement https://t.co/wDyhrQADdq Variety (@Variety) September 18, 2022 * While in Europe to work on his 50th film, Woody Allen told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that he intended to retire from making movies and to dedicate more time to writing during his twilight years. What is now set to be his final film is set in Paris and will be shot entirely in French in a couple of weeks.* Allen described his upcoming film to be similar to Match Point, in that it would be exciting, dramatic and also very sinister.* In his long career, Allen has received a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay. He has won four Academy Awards, including one for Best Director for Annie Hall (1977). Despite his success, he has always been noted for shunning award ceremonies.* In recent years, he has been blacklisted for many following allegations made by his former partner Mia Farrow that he molested their child. Allen has always denied the allegations and continued to work. General Hospital [ Spoiler ] Also Diane is suspected to be the next victim and perhaps might be killed off?? Days of Our Lives The Young and the Restless The Bold and the Beautiful This Week in Soaps history... September 21st-25th, 1998 This week on the US Daytime Soaps...CBS hasn't uploaded B&B's new promo yet.Gillian had a revelation. David impressed Liza, and they grew closer. Allie tried to get pregnant, but Jake found out about the scheme. Mateo learned that he was still married to Raquel, and Hayley was furious with him for hiding that fact. Jake had a solution for Allie's situation. Palmer's treasure went beyond the masterpieces, and Mike vowed to find it. Palmer was almost captured, but he eluded Mike and Adrian with the help of a "mystery man."Bruno helped Cindy keep her memory recovery a secret. Marley attacked Vicky. Chris and Toni agreed to take some time apart. Josie worried she might be pregnant with Cameron's baby. Vicky found Marley's letter to Jake. Marley told Vicky that Donna had run Marley down while trying to kill Vicky.David made his demands of Holden. Julia was to carry the ransom money. James and Lucinda supported each other but they got locked in the cellar at the farm. Emily found out that Margo was pregnant, and she had plans of her own. Going to a private family party, Emily did everything she could to get Tom to learn that Margo had an appointment with the abortion clinic. When Tom did learn about the abortion, he wouldn't believe Margo knew nothing about it. They had a terrible fight, and Tom left the house and went straight to Emily. Camille wanted to be intimate with Ben, but he wanted to wait until they were married; this made Camille afraid that he couldn't face her after the surgery. John returned from vacation, and Barbara overheard him confess to Lisa what he felt for her; she ran straight to Hal. Hal was cold to Carly; when the baby moved and she tried to get him to feel it, he accused her of using the baby to her own advantage.When tensions arose in her relationship with Ridge, Taylor considered quitting her job. Afraid that he had gone to far, Bailey put Taylor under again and removed the "Doc" suggestion but suggested that she take Pierce's advice. Taylor planned a dinner party, hoping that Ridge and Pierce would get to know each other better and become friends. Brooke found out that Amber was living with Stephanie. Lauren encouraged Brooke's relationship with the most eligible bachelor of Los Angeles -- Pierce. Sheila got in a little target practice.Greta's knew Billie's secret about Georgia. Wayne and Earl didn't recognize Greta. Bo, Greta, and Billie tried to escape the bayou. Hope threw a party on the Empress Express, and the guests began to tell her about her life as Princess Gina. Hope exposed Rudolpho as Stefano DiMera. An explosion brought the Empress Express to a halt. Sami was charged with first-degree murder, and the D.A. was seeking the death penalty. Kate paid Sami's bail. Carrie defended Sami in the newspapers. Carrie was dreaming more of Mike. Kate was desperate to get to Lucas, but Roman questioned him first. Lucas lied to Roman about that day. Jay questioned Taylor about Nicole's life.Jax, Jerry, and their father were arrested on the day of Brenda's memorial. Ned bailed out Jax, who later headed to Malibu. Nikolas and Lucky worked to find Emily's blackmailer. Jason and Robin moved out of the penthouse and into Brenda's cottage.Vanessa told Dinah about Cassie's pregnancy. Dinah went to the Lewis home to slip a note under the door, not knowing that only a few moments earlier, someone had attacked Hart outside in the bushes. Hearing someone on the porch, Hart hit the person, who happened to be Dinah, with the full force of the door. Dinah was taken to the hospital, where she lost the baby. Matt, who had been left at the country club alone -- again -- had a few drinks with Beth. After Beth got a little tipsy, he took her home, and she made a pass at him. He promised to sit beside her until she went to sleep -- then he fell asleep and didn't get home all night. Ross learned the truth, took the twins, and left Blake. Jesse finally told Michelle the truth about his finances.Blair took the tape from Max, but it was the wrong one. Becky Lee arrived in Llanview. Lindsay tried to get Bo's medical records back but failed. Barbara caused Cassie to fall out of bed. The police questioned Dorian and R.J. about Drew's murder. Todd faxed the "Bo Steals Stiff" story to the Sun with Blair's name on it. Dorian made a deal with Congressman Graham. Roseanne moved into Todd's penthouse. Jessica confided to Todd that she had slept with Will.Lucy and Scott manage to free themselves from the bed theyre handcuffed to as the cabin burns down around them. The falling debris pins Lucy down and the two eventually find themselves trapped in a tunnel.Serena and the residents of Port Charles mourn the presumed deaths of Scott and Lucy.Kevin remembers that he wasnt the one who killed Marcia, it was Ryan.Desperate to consummate things with Gregory, Annie slips him a Niagara pill. However, in his unexpected state of arousal, Gregory finds himself trapped in an elevator with Olivia. AJ and Annie are able to get Gregory and Olivia rescued from the elevator before things get even more out of hand.Despite being in his house, Ben manages to narrowly miss seeing Dana (amnesiac Maria).Francesca tries to weasel her way back into Coles life.Dru arrived in Genoa City and surprised Neil and Victoria. Dru was stunned to learn that Neil and Victoria planned to marry. Dru and Neil reached an amicable agreement, but Victor was not happy when he spied them in a comforting hug. The judge ruled that Jill's claim to the Chancellor estate was valid. Tony broke off his engagement to Grace and walked out. Diane found that Michael had gone missing, but Phyllis wasn't concerned. Paul asked Charlie what his intentions were concerning Mary. Mary visited the beauty shop and had a makeover. Christine made plans to go to Norfolk to investigate the mystery man she had seen there, but she told Paul she was going on legal business. Before leaving for Norfolk, Christine accepted Victor's offer to work for him. After Nikki asked for Jack's help in the Diane mess, Jack thought the time was right for him to get serious about his plan. When Brad wouldn't talk to him on the phone, Jack made reservations for a flight to Rome.THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 22nd-26th, 2003Theresa was devastated by Ethan's decision to move far away from her. Gwen saw the television footage of Ethan and Theresa kissing, and she returned to the apartment building, where she and Theresa had an intense face-off. Julian pushed Eve to fight for her marriage even though, in his heart, he wanted her for his own. Liz was upset when TC chose Eve over her. Charlie tried to kill Luis, Hank and Antonio. Sheridan said good-bye to her baby. Charlie and Beth dumped Sheridan in the ocean, and Beth prepared to kill Charlie. Antonio questioned Luis about his feelings for Sheridan. Wil VanLoh, head of private equity group Quantum Energy Partners: theres no bailout coming, U.S. producers cannot pump a lot more. The threat of power rationing across Europe persists even after EU officials held an emergency meeting last week to starve off the impending winter energy crisis. EU countries have increasingly relied on US energy imports, though shale bosses warned the ability to boost oil and gas supplies would be challenging. "It's not like the US can pump a bunch more. Our production is what it is," Wil VanLoh, head of private equity group Quantum Energy Partners, one of the shale's most prominent investors, told Financial Times. "There's no bailout coming," VanLoh added. "Not on the oil side, not on the gas side. Europe can thank the Democrats and the Biden administration for their war against crushing the US energy industry that led to massive divestments across the sector, which crippled oil production growth and refining capacity, and pressured/shamed the world into withdrawing any capital allocations to fossil fuels. Ben Dell, chief executive of private equity group Kimmeridge Energy, said the shale industrys investors on Wall Street would not give their blessing to a big production increase, preferring a low-production, high-profit model. Investors generally dont want shale companies to pursue a growth model, he said. The capital availability is extremely limited. Rig counts in the US have started to fall and production has flatlined well below pre-pandemic levels... On top of the Democrat-led crippling of the US energy industry, EU leaders have been on an ESG-crazed mission to decarbonize their power grids with renewable (now finding out -- not so reliable) energy and are frantically bringing back crude oil, coal, and natural gas power generators ahead of the cold season. Some EU countries are even extending the life of nuclear power plants. The problems don't end there -- in 80 days, or on Dec. 5, the EU will embark on another suicide mission of banning seaborne imports of Russian crude. Then on Feb. 5, 2023, a ban on Russian petroleum product imports kicks in. These sanctions were enacted over the summer. However, piped imports of Russian crude and petroleum products will be exempt in some EU member countries, like Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Back to the US shale patch where Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources, explained significant production increases aren't coming online: "We're not adding [drilling] rigs and I don't see anyone else adding rigs," said Sheffield, who runs one of the biggest oil producers in the US. He added that crude prices could rise above $120 a barrel this winter as supplies tighten. Shale's inability to rapidly increase crude production is no surprise, regarding Halliburton Co.'s CEO Jeff Miller and Exxon Mobile's Darren Woods's warnings over the summer that markets will remain tight for years due to a lack of production growth. A perfect storm of factors plagues Europe: the inability of US shale to ramp up production (because of Democrat's war on oil), Russia reducing energy exports, grid decarbonization, and EU's Russian oil embargos. ... and why could crude prices have bottomed earlier this week? Well, maybe Bloomberg's report that Biden administration officials plan to refill the SPR when crude falls around $80 a barrel. Also, SPR draws end in October, which means less crude on the market and possibly higher prices. Even as demand in China slumps, cities are reopening from Covid lockdowns, a sign demand could soon rise in Asia. By Zerohedge.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: This is exactly the sort of curiosity-piquing observation that sends scientists diving down rabbit holes for months on end, Prof. Tomkins said. The lead scientist on the research team, Prof. Andy Tomkins, said the rare diamond's mysteries drove him to continue researching ureilite meteorites in his lab. Scientists from Australia and the UK have proven the existence of rare dwarf planet gems after examining a stony meteorite. Tiny folded diamonds that fell to Earth from an ancient dwarf star may sound like something from an intergalactic feature film, but researchers from Australia and the United Kingdom have proven the existence of the rare gems after examining a stony meteorite. Scientists from Australia and the UK have established the existence of lonsdaleite, a rare hexagonal diamond, no bigger than a human hair, that researchers note is layered into a distinctive folded pattern, unlike the earth-formed diamonds that have a cubic structure. The existence of Lonsdaleitenamed after the pioneering British crystallographer Dame Kathleen Lonsdalehas previously been the subject of debate because its very existence could not be proven. The lead scientist on the research team, Prof. Andy Tomkins, from Monash Universitys School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment, said the rare diamond's mysteries drove him to continue researching ureilite meteorites in his lab. Tomkins said it was a case of curiosity-driven science. This is exactly the sort of curiosity-piquing observation that sends scientists diving down rabbit holes for months on end, he said. Naturally formed ureilite meteorites contains a higher abundance of diamond than any known rock on Earth. They are also one of the few opportunities to study the mantle layer of dwarf planets. The samples are created when asteroids collide with a planet while still hot, creating the ideal conditions for lonsdaleite and diamond growth due to moderate pressure and rapid temperature drops in the fluid and gas-rich environment. These findings help address a long-standing mystery regarding the formation of the carbon phases in ureilites that has been the subject of much speculation, Tomkins said. Tomkins also collaborated with researchers from the CSIRO, RMIT University, the Australian Synchrotron, and Plymouth University to discover samples of lonsdaleite in nature, offering an insight into potential replication of the process for industrial purposes. These diamonds are quite special, said Alan Salek, physicist and RMIT PhD researcher. Normal diamonds that you would find here on Earth, like on an engagement ring, have a specific atomic structure thats cubic. These special diamonds are hexagonal in structure. Its pretty exciting because its a new form of material. The unique shape is believed to be why lonsdaleite is stronger than any other diamond. Significant Implications For Mining and Manufacturing CSIRO scientist Colin MacRae in a media release, said the discovery has enormous potential for industries like mining. If something thats harder than diamond can be manufactured readily, thats something industry would want to know about, MacRae said. Macrae noted that the discovery meant they could find a way to reproduce the mineral. Lonsdaleite could be used to make tiny, ultra-hard machine parts if we can develop an industrial process that promotes the replacement of pre-shaped graphite parts by lonsdaleite, he said. At present, the current method for producing industrial diamonds involves chemical vapour deposition, in which diamonds are formed onto a substrate from a gas mix at low pressures. By Zerohedge.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement could be a contributor to the region's post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, according to an ASEAN joint statement released on Sunday. The statement was issued after the inaugural RCEP Ministers' Meeting held in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, on the sidelines of the 54th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Economic Ministers' Meeting. According to the statement, the meeting welcomed the entry into force of the RCEP agreement on Jan. 1, 2022 and looked forward to its ratification by all signatory states. The mega-regional trade pact comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 ASEAN member states-Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. "The meeting shared the view that the RCEP could contribute to the region's post-pandemic recovery efforts and to creating a more resilient supply chain," the statement said. "In this regard, the meeting highlighted the need to promote greater utilization of the RCEP agreement to deepen regional economic integration." The meeting also noted the progress of the work of the RCEP Joint Committee and welcomed the establishment of subsidiary bodies under the joint committee's supervision, it said. "The meeting encouraged officials to work to expand the utilization of the RCEP agreement and to monitor and review the implementation of the RCEP agreement to improve business environment in the region," the statement said. Also, the meeting looked forward to the expeditious establishment of the RCEP Secretariat, on terms to be agreed by the parties, to provide secretariat and technical support to the RCEP Joint Committee and its subsidiary bodies, it added. "The RCEP trade deal is an important instrument to boost the post-pandemic economic recovery in the region," Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Undersecretary of State and Spokesman Penn Sovicheat said during a press conference after the meeting. "For Cambodia, the RCEP has injected new momentum into our foreign trade growth, and we have seen a remarkable rise in our export to the RCEP member countries in the first half of this year," he added. Sovicheat said Cambodia's total export to the RCEP member countries had increased to 3.28 billion U.S. dollars during the January-June period of 2022, up 10 percent from the same period last year. Thong Mengdavid, a research fellow at the Phnom Penh-based Asian Vision Institute, said the RCEP established the biggest trade bloc in the world's history, covering nearly a third of the global population, around 30 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), and 28 percent of global trade. "With free flow of products and more relaxing trade barriers among the 15 member states, RCEP provides various benefits and opportunities for the bloc to diversify their markets and enhance the production capability," he told Xinhua. "Additionally, the RCEP will enhance the roles of multilateralism based on a rule-based international order, henceforth, promoting more cooperation and peaceful trade activities in the region," Mengdavid said. NEAR HARRISBURG, Neb. 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 of a mile away from the missile silos. Earlier this year, the military changed its policy. Now turbines cant be within 2 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. * * * John Jones was driving his tractor one day 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, farmer Tom May said. Every acre of Mays property sits within 2 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, county officials said. 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 2 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 gut punch. 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 2 miles away. Now you know why were pissed, right? * * * Nebraska built its first wind turbines in 1998 two towers west of Springview in north-central Nebraska. 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 applied only 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 could have shrunk taxes. Now, Nebraska has enough wind turbines to generate 3,216 megawatts, moving to 15th 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 State Sen. Tom Brewer. In April, Otoe County Board members imposed a one-year moratorium on wind projects. In Gage County, officials passed restrictions that would prevent any future wind development. Since 2015, county boards 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. Some 80% 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 Banner County 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, said Brady Jones, John Jones son. 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 Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. An Omaha attorney will spend 100 days in jail, maybe more, after a period of madness that included three DUIs, a handful of domestic disputes and several violations of a protection order his former mistress took out against him. Douglas County Judge Daryl Lowe sentenced Ben Maxell last week to the jail term and extended a probation term to November 2023. Maxell, 46, still faces sentencing for a third DUI, which took place near Red Oak, Iowa, and which could add to his time behind bars. Lowe allowed Maxell to stay out of jail while he gets his affairs in order. He is then to report by Sept. 26. Judges typically dont allow defendants that much time. I threw the book at you, Lowe said. But it wasnt a big book. Maxell could have faced more than a year in jail had the judge run the sentences one after the other. Lowes official sentence was 180 days. Because sentences are reduced for good behavior, Maxell will serve about 100 days at the Douglas County Jail. Maxell told the judge that his life began to unravel with the death of his grandfather, essentially his surrogate father. Every three months, he said, something else would happen and he would sabotage himself and jeopardize his career. Maxells law license was suspended in June 2021. A referee with the Nebraska Supreme Court will hear ethics charges against Maxell and recommend anything from reprimand to suspension to disbarment. The high court will then decide. In addition to citing the misdemeanor convictions against Maxell, Kent Frobish, assistant counsel for discipline with the Nebraska Supreme Court, has filed ethics violation charges over allegations that Maxell collected $9,000 of client fees in three different civil cases and did little to no work for the clients. Maxell, an attorney since 2003 who not long ago had his name on the marquee of an Omaha law firm, told the judge that he has lost a lot. He had an affair with a neighbor, ending his marriage. The girlfriend then accused Maxell of drunkenly assaulting her, pouring beer on her, spitting on her and urinating on her and a pile of her clothes. Its just been a nightmare, Maxell said. I should have known better. I was just so lonely and lost. ... I lost tens of thousands of dollars. I have lost, most importantly, my friends. Maxell said a newspaper article on his travails was deeply distressing to some of his relatives. Judge Lowe blanched at that. They suffered because of your actions, Lowe said, not because the news media reported his actions. Further, Lowe said, I gave you chances. You didnt take advantage of them. Maxells actions, and second chances, were extensive. According to court records and police reports: At least five times between August 2020 and July 2021, Omaha police and Douglas County sheriffs deputies were called to incidents involving Maxell and the woman with whom he had an affair, a neighbor when Maxell was married. On Aug. 27, 2020, Maxell entered the womans house while she was getting ready for work, threw her on the floor and sat on top of her. A sheriffs deputy wrote that the woman said Maxell put his knees on both of her arms to ensure she couldnt leave and spat on (her) while she was pinned. According to the woman, he then said: It sure would be a shame if there was an accident and you fell down the stairs. On Sept. 25, 2020, Maxell forced open the womans front door, breaking the door frame. The woman said he began physically striking her, pinned her down on the floor and pressed his thumb in the center of her throat, making it difficult for her to breathe, a deputy wrote. On Nov. 27, 2020, the woman told Maxell that she was leaving his hotel room. He grabbed her to pull her back into the room and, as they struggled, Maxell struck the woman in the lip and the eye, possibly with his elbow, the woman said. Omaha police wrote that the woman had a bruise on her lip and her left eye was swollen. In April 2021, the womans 19-year-old son called 911 and reported that Maxell almost killed his mom. The woman later wrote that Maxell waved a screwdriver in her face, stating, I should just kill you! The woman wrote in a sworn affidavit that he took nude photos of her, urinated on my washed hair and spit on me. In addition to those incidents, Maxell was cited for drunken driving three times, twice in Douglas County, and several times for driving while his license was suspended. His blood-alcohol content in one Douglas County case was .21, more than 2 times the legal limit of .08. For the Douglas County driving infractions, John Ashford, an assistant city prosecutor, told the judge: These arent mistakes; these are decisions Mr. Maxell made. This is a jail case. Period. Douglas County prosecutors said they reduced several misdemeanor domestic assault cases against Maxell because of the victims reluctance to testify. Lowe originally gave Maxell probation after he pleaded to a couple of disturbing the peace misdemeanors. Thursday, he pleaded to several probation and protection order violations. Maxell violated the protection order by texting the woman numerous times and begging her back. Prosecutor Rachael Henderson asked Lowe to extend Maxells probation to November 2023 so that he will continue to be under the supervision of the court. At her request, Lowe also required Maxell to participate in a batterers intervention program. Henderson took issue with Maxells attorney, Peder Bartling, telling the court that Maxell was not an accomplished drinker. While on probation, prosecutors say, tests showed Maxell had both alcohol and amphetamines in his system. I would argue that hes accomplished quite a bit while drinking, Henderson said. However, Bartling and Maxell said, the drinking stopped six or seven months ago. Bartling noted that Maxell hasnt failed a urine test during that time span. He has sought therapy for chemical dependency and other issues. The woman who was the subject of Maxells obsession has moved to Texas; the two havent had contact in months, Bartling said. Mr. Maxell has spent a lifetime adhering to the law with the exception of this period of madness, Bartling said. It was an aberration. It was atypical. It was out of character. Simply put, this is not who Mr. Maxell is. When the Nebraska Crime Commission released its 2021 Crime in Nebraska report in July, the reports authors included one crucial caveat to drawing any conclusions from the data: Crime reports from Omaha were missing. The Omaha Police Department has yet to comply with the FBIs National Incident-Based Reporting System, which became the standard for reporting data in January 2021. The Police Department is unable to submit data to be included in official state and national reports until it meets the system requirements. The system requires law enforcement agencies to report much more in-depth data. For example, while summary reporting required only the tallying of the occurrences of certain crimes, under the system, agencies now are required to report incident date and time, demographic details, location data, drug types and quantities and whether the activity was gang-related, according to the FBIs website. The old summary system also allowed reporting of only the most serious crime from each incident, while under NIBRS, all crimes that took place during an incident can now be reported. A total of 18 agencies in Nebraska didnt submit 2021 data to the FBI and are therefore considered noncompliant with NIBRS, according to the crime commissions report. Those agencies include two sheriffs offices and 16 police departments, according to the crime commissions 2021 report. Most of those agencies are very small, but the commissions report stated that the lack of data from Omaha means the 2021 statistics are missing more than 60% of the states crime volume. The lack of a significant portion of the states data could mean eligibility and fund level issues for state and federal grants, and may mean a lack of data from Nebraska in national reports, according to the report. The FBI also has said that it will not publish crime data for states that do not have data representing at least 80% of the states population, according to the report. The Omaha Police Department has had issues working with its field reporting system vendor to make the necessary changes to be NIBRS-compliant. David Van Dyke, the Police Departments deputy director for technology and reporting services, said he thinks the department will meet the new requirements by January. The challenge that large agencies like the Omaha Police Department face is weve gone from a simplified version of what we have to report to a far more complex version, Van Dyke said. Large agencies across the country that have been able to meet the requirements often have had to invest a lot of money into updating their reporting systems, Van Dyke said. While getting up to standard is a priority, Van Dyke said he wants to ensure the Omaha Police Department is using taxpayer money efficiently. Only 62% of the nations agencies are reporting data for 2021, which covers about 65% of the country, according to an article in The Atlantic titled The FBIs Next Set of Crime Data is Going to be a Big Mess. Thirty-nine of the 90 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. that are larger than the Omaha Police Department, which includes two federal agencies, did not report 2021 data, according to the crime commissions report. Van Dyke said the sheer amount of reports a large police department files means making any system changes becomes more difficult. Its a different ballgame for an agency like the Omaha Police Department, Van Dyke said. Versus a smaller agency where they dont do near the volume of reporting that we have to do. The crime commissions report detailed the timeline of the Omaha Police Departments struggles to meet standards. Commission officials declined to comment beyond what was stated in the report. Monthly meetings among Omaha police, the commission, the FBI, and the U.S. Justice Department on the transition began back in September 2019, according to the report. By mid-2021, it became clear that the Police Department might not meet the standards by the end of that year, so the commission began assisting the department to help work toward compliance. The commission had further meetings with Police Chief Todd Schmaderer and the Omaha Mayors Office, the report said. At the commissions September 2021 meeting, members were optimistic with the Police Departments progress toward compliance. Compliance appeared so certain that discussions were underway on how to load data from the rest of the year so that OPD is both NIBRS-compliant and current by the end of 2021, the report stated. However, in October 2021, it became clear that the department had many data-related issues to solve. On Oct. 8, commission staff sent a report to Omaha police detailing 100 errors and 1,227 warnings the department would have to resolve to reach compliance. While the department did correct many of the issues, the standards require agencies to meet a 4% or less error rate with uncorrected data. Ultimately, the commissions director declined to issue a certification letter to the department, as the issues had yet to be resolved. The issue for Omaha police isnt that they arent collecting the detailed data, but that the systems they use dont allow them to share that data in a way thats coded for the system, Van Dyke said. Van Dyke said the Police Department is working with its field reporting vendor, Central Square, to develop a field reporting system that is NIBRS-compliant. Van Dyke said that Omaha police initially had issues getting Central Square to respond to the departments needs, but that by mid-September they had developed a system that would work. The next hurdle, Van Dyke said, will be getting that new system up and running. For the Lincoln Police Department, the transition to NIBRS was more feasible. However, Lincolns and Omahas transitions arent directly comparable, said Brian Jackson, assistant Lincoln police chief. Adjusting to the requirements meant Lincoln police had to rewrite parts of its reporting system and adjust how documents are channeled through the system, Jackson said, but the department was able to make those changes. Van Dyke noted that the Omaha Police Department has been tracking and continues to track all major crime information, and regularly publishes its own data on its website, Van Dyke said. This is not a question of the Omaha Police Department not presenting that information to the public, Van Dyke said. This issue is, are we able to feed it to the FBI so they can see it? While the department still has work to do, Van Dyke said he thinks Omaha police will be on track for certification by the beginning of 2023. Were getting close, he said. The Omaha Police Department has never stopped working on this problem and this challenge. One Omaha high school is using a different tactic to improve student attendance this fall. Burke High School announced a new policy earlier this month that prohibits students who have more than three unexcused absences from attending its homecoming dance on Oct. 8. The single most important factor contributing to student achievement is school attendance, Darren Rasmussen, Burke principal, said in an email to families. Burke High strongly believes that daily attendance is critical to the academic success as well as social and emotional well-being. Students can get their absences excused if they are missing class for a variety of reasons including sickness, court appearances, bereavement or transportation issues, according to school board policy. Unexcused absences include students who are truant, missing class for a reason that doesnt qualify for an excuse or are unverified, meaning no one can confirm why the student is gone. In recent years a majority of absences have been unexcused, according to Omaha Public Schools district data. Burke High is the only OPS school that has implemented the homecoming policy, said Bridget Blevins, spokeswoman for OPS. Each school has its own initiatives for improving things like absenteeism, she said. The district reported in the 2020-21 school year that nearly 60% of students were either chronically absent or at risk for chronic absenteeism, which is defined by missing 10% or more of school days. While 62% of Burke students were chronically absent or at risk in 2020-21, Burke High had the best attendance rate out of the districts seven high schools. Nicole Seymour, executive director of Greater Omaha Attendance and Learning Services Center, said she hasnt heard of schools in the area using extracurricular activities like homecoming as a strategy to increase attendance. Seymour said while this type of motivation to go to class might work for some, the GOALS Center focuses on research-based initiatives. The strategies that are recommended to be used are ones that are not punitive but are supportive and rehabilitative, Seymour said. I dont want to speak on the strategies any school is using within their own programs, I just look at the research. Seymour said chronic absenteeism is the worse its ever been. And the problem is not limited to Omaha. Statewide, nearly one in five students met the criteria for chronic absenteeism during the 2020-21 school year, according to recent reporting by the Flatwater Free Press, a nonprofit news outlet in Nebraska. It reported that chronic absenteeism surged across the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On the national level, between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years the percentage of students considered chronically absent grew from 19.7% to nearly 29%, according to the National School Boards Association. OPS introduced Strive for 95 in the 2018-19 school year to combat absenteeism rates, Blevins said. The initiative focuses on efforts to get students to attend at least 95% of the school year, or miss less than nine school days. The number of students who attended 95% of the school year grew by 2% between 2018-19 and 2019-20, according to district data. It then fell by roughly 8% in 2020-21. Seymour said in order to decrease absenteeism, communities need to focus on addressing the obstacles students face at home that keep them from going to class, such as parental concerns, poverty and basic needs issues. We know there are root causes that are keeping chronically absent students out of school and they are outside of the control of the school, Seymour said. We have to work with kids and families on addressing, supporting and overcoming those barriers that keep them from getting to the school building. A group made up of Omaha city officials and nonprofit and business leaders this week will review and possibly approve a long-awaited step that would advance the development of a climate action plan. Metro Smart Cities, the group tasked with developing the plan, is expected to approve a request for proposals (RFP) at a meeting Wednesday, but its decision will be made out of public view. The City Law Department does not consider the Metro Smart Cities meeting to be a public meeting subject to the states open meetings act, according to the Mayors Office. A message left on the Metro Smart Cities phone line wasnt returned Friday. The meeting comes after significant back and forth between Omaha Mayor Jean Stotherts office and City Council President Festersen over the lack of progress developing the plan. Festersen told The World-Herald on Friday that he feels the overall process would benefit from additional transparency. City officials solidified their support for creating a metro-wide plan to address climate change in November 2021. At the time, council members who approved a resolution supporting the effort were told that an RFP to hire a consultant would be created and issued within a couple of months. The consultant would then create the plan. Festersen voiced his frustrations in August that an RFP still hadnt been approved. On Tuesday, he introduced and passed a resolution that would allow the city to hire a consultant using a surplus in the 2022 city budget, cutting down on time needed to move the plan forward. Originally, funding for the climate action plan was to come from a mix of public and private dollars, with Metro Smart Cities playing a prominent role the fundraising effort. Metro Smart Cities was formed as a regional initiative to solve transportation problems through the use of technology. The groups members include Council Bluffs, Bellevue, the Omaha Public Power District, the Metropolitan Utilities District, the Greater Omaha Chamber and the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency. Work on an RFP started in July 2021, even before the City Council approved its resolution supporting the creation of a climate action plan, according to the Mayors Office. At the time, the city intended to create a regional climate plan. However, based on community feedback gathered earlier this year, a Metro Smart Cities working group recommended a city plan, rather than a regional one. The change required drafting a new RFP, which contributed to the delay. Its been very difficult to determine an actual timeline for the last 10 months, Festersen said Friday. This weeks City Council resolution was successful in that it finally helped identify (a timeline). Its discouraging, however, that a plan wont be completed for implementation until at least 2024 or 2025. Festersens proposal was among 11 budget amendments approved by the City Council this past week. Stotherts office has raised several issues with his climate action plan proposal, including the fact that efforts to develop such a plan are already underway through Metro Smart Cities. The Mayors Office also cited Festersens request that 2022 city budget dollars be used to pay for the consultant as a hurdle. The finance director and city attorney advised us this is not allowable, said Carrie Murphy, a spokesperson for the Mayors Office. 2022 funds cannot be encumbered for the consultant because the consultant recommended through the RFP process will not be selected and sent to council for approval until early 2023. Stothert has the option to veto any of the amendments approved by the City Council, including the climate action resolution. The council would need five of seven votes to override a veto. As of Thursday, the mayor was reviewing the amendments and hadnt yet made a decision on vetoes, Murphy said. The first public hearings required under a new Nebraska law aimed at pressuring local elected officials to reduce property tax growth are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Theyre the meetings that were announced in postcards mailed last week to property owners in Douglas and Sarpy Counties and across the state. The Douglas County postcards were mixed up though. The mailers, about 230,000 of them, gave people information about somebody elses property instead of their own. The county said it is sending out new, corrected cards this week. The Douglas County meeting is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Wednesday in the legislative chamber of the City-County Building, 1819 Farnam St. The Sarpy County meeting is set for 6:05 p.m. Thursday at Papillion La Vista South High School at 10799 Nebraska Highway 370 in Papillion. Representatives of nine political subdivisions in Douglas County and five in Sarpy County will make presentations on their budgets for next year, and take comments from the public. The postcards and hearings are part of a state law officially titled the Property Tax Request Act, but dubbed by supporters as Truth in Taxation. The law was passed in 2021 but took effect this year. Advocates such as Jim Vokal, CEO of the Platte Institute think tank, say the law will force elected officials to admit that they are increasing property taxes even when they keep their tax levies steady. Thats because of increased property valuations, set by county assessors. Elected officials like to say they kept taxes the same, Vokal said. When they collect more and spend it, theyre actually raising taxes. The law requires the major local taxing entities in Nebraska to send out the postcards and have joint public hearings when they propose increasing their property tax requirements on existing property by more than 2%. The hearings must be held before the political subdivisions formally adopt their budgets and set their property tax rates. Higher tax collections resulting from real growth, that is, new construction or property improvements, do not count toward the 2% threshold. The political subdivisions in the Douglas County meeting will be the City of Omaha, City of Ralston, Douglas County, Metropolitan Community College, and the Omaha, Bennington, Millard, Elkhorn and Ralston public school districts. The hearing will be televised on Cox Channel 18 and streamed live on Douglas Countys board meetings webpage: bit.ly/DougCoBoard. The Sarpy County meeting will involve the City of Bellevue, City of La Vista, and the Bellevue, Gretna and Papillion La Vista public school districts. Those are not the only entities that collect property taxes in the counties. Smaller political subdivisions are exempted by the state law. Others are keeping their property tax collections below the threshold established by the law. The end result: The postcards and meetings wont give taxpayers a complete picture of their property tax bills. They wont know that until they get their tax statements, which typically arrive in late December. The political subdivisions all set their budgets and decide their tax rates in open public meetings already. This added step from the state requires them to have a joint meeting after 6 p.m. The idea is to make it more convenient for the general public. In Douglas County, eight of the nine political subdivisions participating in the meeting propose to keep their property tax rates the same or slightly lower next year. The City of Omaha, for example, proposes to keep its tax levy the same in 2023, at 46.922 cents per $100. But the city would take in $13.4 million more in property tax revenue, or 6.8%, next year because of rising valuations. Omaha City Finance Director Stephen Curtiss said the increasing revenue from rising valuations has allowed the city to avoid raising its tax levy to make payments on the $200 million street bond issue that voters approved in 2020. Were trying to just take these valuation increases and use that to pay for the street bonds without raising the tax levy, Curtiss said. In Sarpy County, the fast-growing Gretna Public Schools will have the largest percentage growth in total property tax revenue next year. Its proposed total property tax request will go up $8.2 million, or 16%, in the 2022-23 tax year. Assistant Superintendent Travis Lightle said bond debt for school construction, approved by Gretna voters in 2020, is the main reason the school district is over the tax increase amount set by the new state law. The 2020 bond issue is funding construction of a new high school, middle school and elementary school. Lightle also cited the cost of hiring more faculty because of growing enrollment, and yearly increases in salaries and benefits. Vokal said he hopes that the hearings and notifications eventually will lead to local governments reducing their tax levies instead of spending the money generated by increasing valuations. Hopefully, this will lead to more transparency and more accountability, he said. The Archdiocese of Omaha is not alone in attempting to tackle the gender identity issue in its schools, or in getting blowback for it. Other bishops across the country in Springfield, Illinois; Arlington, Virginia; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and in the state of Minnesota, to name a few have penned similar policies anchored in church teaching to guide their schools and parishes. Like in Omaha, those policies were criticized but also praised by Catholics glad to see their church leaders affirm Catholic teaching. The disputes come as a divided America wrestles to establish the right path forward on a highly emotional issue that both sides say can have life-altering consequences for children and families. John Grabowski, a Catholic theologian with Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., said the challenge for church leaders writing these policies is to embrace church teaching while also welcoming people who are experiencing gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is widely described as a feeling of mismatch between ones biological sex and the gender with which one identifies, which can cause the person distress or discomfort. The church has to be true to what scripture gives us, and what we believe about the human person, said Grabowski, author of the book Unraveling Gender: The Battle Over Sexual Difference, published this year. But we have to present it in a way that can be heard as an invitation to love, an invitation to healing, not we dont want you. That is not just a tall task but an impossible one in the eyes of Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director for DignityUSA, an organization that supports the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people in the church and society. She is a married lesbian Catholic with two adopted children, one who is transgender. How do you feel at all at home in a church that recognizes you only as a sinner, as deeply flawed, only as the technical term is objectively disordered, as a threat to the family, Duddy-Burke said. She said that church teachings need to be drastically changed and that the LGBTQIA community and families need to be in the forefront of what is deemed an acceptable teaching. The Archdiocese of Omaha policies, originally intended to take effect Jan. 1, covered the use of pronouns, dress codes and participation in sports, saying those should be determined by biological sex at birth. They also banned gender-affirming psychotherapy, use of hormone medications and surgery, all things that run counter to Catholic tenets on human sexuality. The policies said that students, parents and volunteers who did not abide by church teaching could be dismissed from school or lose their jobs. Omaha Archbishop George Lucas delayed implementation after some critics, among them Catholics, objected. Several religious-order high schools including Creighton Prep, Mercy, Marian and Duchesne said they would not adopt, citing a different governance structure from archdiocesan schools that they said allows them to make their own policies. Lucas wrote that the archdiocese plans to share a revised policy by the end of the calendar year for inclusion in school policy manuals for the 2023-24 school year. The revised policy, taking account of feedback, will be more clearly focused and will not compromise the teachings of Jesus Christ and the church, Lucas wrote. Deacon Tim McNeil, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Omaha, said the initial policies were based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as statements from popes and the Vaticans education arm. The Catholic Diocese of Lincoln does not have a written policy specifically addressing gender identity in schools, according to Dennis Kellogg, director of communications for the diocese. Kellogg said the diocese follows guidance from long-held church teachings, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, other church documents and sacred scripture. Last winter, Bishop James Conley addressed gender in a column urging people to oppose a City of Lincoln ordinance adding sexual orientation and gender identity to a list of protected classes. He wrote that children are especially harmed when they are told that they can change their sex, further, when they are given hormones that will affect their development and possibly render them infertile as adults. Yet, he wrote, people who are confused about their gender and identity deserve mercy and compassion. He wrote that mercy without truth is a false kind of mercy, a mere sentimentalism. And truth without mercy is a cold and cruel dictate that does not recognize the struggles and weaknesses of our fallen humanity. The emergence of gender identity policies at the diocese level can be traced to a perceived lack of direction from the upper echelons of the Catholic Church, according to Grabowski, a professor of moral theology and ethics who has served as a theological adviser to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Pope Francis appointed him in 2015 to serve as an expert at the Synod of Bishops on the Family. In 2009, he and his wife were appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the Pontifical Council for the Family. Grabowski said the U.S. bishops had prepared an instruction about four or five years ago on how to deal with gender identity in Catholic parishes, schools and institutions. Grabowski was an adviser to the bishops working on the instruction, which he described as very detailed and very charitable. But the bishops heard that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome was working on its own document. The bishops didnt want to get out ahead of the Vatican, so they put theirs on the shelf. Then the Vatican ended up not moving forward on its document, which left a vacuum on how to implement church teaching more concretely, he said. So now what you have are individual bishops who see this problem in their Catholic hospitals and their Catholic schools, and are saying, Well, if we as a conference cant say something, and if the Vatican isnt going to say something more on this right now, then were going to have to try to give some policy guidance for the Catholic institutions in our diocese, he said. Grabowski said gender identity has been addressed by Popes Francis and Benedict and explained in a 2019 document issued by the Vaticans education arm, the Congregation for Catholic Education. The church has delivered a very strong no to the assertion that gender is a personal choice, he said. Theres some room, however, for prudential judgment in how church teaching is applied and implemented in a Catholic institution, he said. One of Pope Benedicts clearest statements on gender was in his final Christmas address to the Vatican bureaucracy, the Roman Curia, in 2012, Grabowski said. Benedict said that gender ideology calls into question the very notion of being of what being human really means. The ideology, he wrote, denies nature and rejects the duality of male and female as created by God and as expressed in the creation account of the Bible. The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes mans fundamental choice where he himself is concerned, Benedict said. From now on there is only the abstract human being, who chooses for himself what his nature is to be. In a 2016 document, Pope Francis spoke of various forms of an ideology of gender that denies the difference and reciprocity in nature of a man and a woman and envisages a society without sexual differences, thereby eliminating the anthropological basis of the family. This ideology, he wrote, leads to educational programs and legislation that promote a personal identity and emotional intimacy radically separated from the biological difference between male and female. Consequently, Francis wrote, human identity becomes the choice of the individual, one which can also change over time. Francis emphasized that biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated. In 2019, the Congregation for Catholic Education explained church teaching in a document aimed at educators. The document, Male and Female He Created Them, carries some weight, but not the same weight as a papal exhortation or encyclical, Grabowski said. It affirmed what the popes said. Biological and medical science, it said, shows that dimorphism division into distinct male and female forms can be demonstrated by fields such as genetics, endocrinology and neurology. Male cells differ from the moment of conception from female cells, it said. But the document left room for medical professionals to intervene when a persons sex is not clearly defined. In such situations, parents cannot make an arbitrary choice on the issue, let alone society, it said. Instead, medical science should act with purely therapeutic ends, and intervene in the least invasive fashion, on the basis of objective parameters and with a view to establishing the persons constitutive identity. Grabowski said the science is on the churchs side. He said the church has to come up with a way to accompany people who are struggling but do it in a way that doesnt disrupt the identity and reality of the school or the parish as a whole. The people who are struggling with their identity are looking for love and acceptance and should be offered more than just a surgical quick fix, he said. We need to help them find that wholeness and healing elsewhere, through appropriate psychological intervention and through friendship and welcome and acceptance within the Christian community, he said. Duddy-Burke, who describes herself as Catholic to my core, says the church has it wrong. I love the churchs liturgy. I love the sacraments, I love the good that it does in the world, and I am pained every single day by the amount of trauma it is inflicting on my people. And we need to hold the entire church accountable and press for changes. Policies that require kids to be identified by their biological sex at birth are incredibly dangerous to people with gender identity issues because they suppress their identity, she said. She said shes worked with adults who recognized as children they were in the wrong body but spent decades trying to live according to the gender they were born into rather that the gender they believed themselves to be. And much of that was because of their religion, she said. Much of that was trying to pray the otherness away for many years, and it just didnt work. The Vaticans view on gender is simplistic and outdated, she said. Depicting gender dysphoria as something people can turn on and off at a whim, and make it a choice, is dismissive of what is widely understood to be a reality of the human condition for some people, she said. Polling by the Pew Research Center earlier this year showed Americans are divided about the fluidity of gender, but the percentage who believe gender is determined by ones sex at birth has grown in recent years. Six in 10 U.S. adults polled said that whether a person is a man or a woman is determined by their sex at birth. That was up from 56% one year ago and 54% in 2017, the survey said. Among Catholics in the U.S., 62% said a persons gender cannot differ from sex at birth. That number was up from 52% a year earlier and 51% in 2017. The survey found that 37% of U.S. Catholics believe society has gone too far in its acceptance of transgender individuals up from 27% in 2017. In contrast, a solid majority of atheists and agnostics responded that whether a person is a man or a woman can be different from their sex at birth. Duddy-Burke said theres a contradiction when Pope Francis calls on church members to accompany all people a word the church uses for welcoming and helping but he doesnt change church teaching. Its really hard to know how these things can coexist welcoming and affirming people without characterizing us as greater sinners, or as incomplete human beings or flawed human beings, in denying us full range of access to the church sacraments, Duddy-Burke said. Duddy-Burke said shes glad Archbishop Lucas plans to revise the policies. I appreciate the fact that he has heard the cries of the community, and I really hope that he enters into genuine and productive dialogue with people, she said. I always think that thats a really important part of the process and left out too often. How do droughts compare? With about 88% of the state in drought and the rest nearly so, how does 2022 compare to droughts of the past couple of decades? Al Dutcher, Nebraska's state climatologist, says it's most similar statewide to some of the droughts of the early 2000s, rather than the extraordinary drought of 2012. The main reason, he said, is that the intensity of this drought has varied across the state, as it did in the early 2000s. In those droughts, as with this year, extreme to exceptional drought wasn't widespread. This year, about 30% of the state northeast and southwest Nebraska is considered in extreme to exceptional drought. In 2012, virtually the entire state was in such dire straits, and many communities were curtailing water use. The heat intensity of this drought hasn't been as extreme, statewide, as 2012, he said. While it has been hot across the western third of the state, the number of days reaching triple digits there is about half of 2012, he said. Still, each farmer's experience is different and some will say this year is matching 2012 in their fields. Those areas of Nebraska in best shape should see their soil moisture content restored with normal precipitation between now and spring, he said. Above normal rain and snow would be needed to restore streams, ponds and lakes. Harder hit areas will need more to recover. Farming is never simple. The land needs rain to recover, and the sooner the better. But farmers need dry fields to harvest. Then again, fields are so dry that harvesting equipment could spark fires. I invite Nebraska Treasurer John Murante to consider the Catholic Churchs teaching in regards to climate change and attend a related upcoming free, public event at Creighton University. Fossil fuel divestment is a form of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing. ESG says investors should consider moral principles and refuse to purchase companies that obviously harm people and planet. ESG investors are increasingly divesting from fossil fuel corporations in response to the moral dimensions of climate change. The effects of climate change including drought, food and water stresses, and rising sea levels are already hurting and killing people, especially the poor who have done least to cause this crisis. Since at least Saint John Paul IIs 1990 World Day of Peace Message, the Catholic Church has explicitly recognized climate change as a moral issue. To avoid rapidly accelerating climate change, the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns humanity must limit global warming to 1.5-degrees Celsius. To have at least a 50% chance of reaching this goal, scholars in the discipline-leading journal Nature calculate that globally nearly 60% of oil and fossil methane gas, and 90% of coal must remain unextracted. To protect their profits, fossil fuel corporations have a well-documented history of ignoring such science, confusing the public, and lobbying against clean energy policies. Many people find these practices unethical. Many ESG investors thus call for divestment from fossil fuels and investment in climate-conscious companies. Murante says these climate conscious ESG investors are extremist global elites. This implies investors should only care about profit. The Catholic Church disagrees. Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes that every economic decision has a moral consequence which all must consider. He also observes, It is not hard to see that environmental degradation is often due to the lack of far-sighted official policies or to the pursuit of myopic economic interests. Saint John Paul II calls this narrow pursuit of immediate profit an idolatry of the market. To avoid this idolatry, Pope Benedict XVI stresses, When making use of natural resources, we should be concerned for their protection and consider the cost entailed environmentally and socially as an essential part of the overall expenses incurred. The Church thus calls for ecological economics that incorporates ethical concerns into assessments of which companies to support. In particular, the Vatican and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops support discerning fossil fuel divestment and encourage values-based investment in companies committed to address climate change. In other words, the Church calls for the sort of ethical, climate-conscious ESG investing that Murante disparages and works to penalize in other states. So far, Murante has not penalized climate-conscious banks in Nebraska. This is good for our economy. As the world follows science and rapidly shifts to clean energy, fossil fuel investments are increasingly risky and likely to incur devaluation. Barring divested entities from government contracts would, by default, compel our state to contract with institutions invested in fossil fuels and exposed to excess financial risk. This is not in our states interest. Even if he supports penalizing those who practice ethical, climate conscious investing, Murantes fiduciary responsibility to Nebraska should prevent him from doing that here. To further consider these topics, I invite the treasurer and all readers to a free public lecture on Sept. 20 at Creighton University (7 p.m., Harper Center Room 2046, 602 N. 20th St.). The event, Idolatry of the Market, features Anthony Annett, Ph.D., an economist at Fordham University, Climate Change and Sustainable Development advisor at the Earth Institute (Columbia University), former speechwriter at the International Monetary Foundation, and former informal Vatican consultant. Annett will describe how values-based, ecological economics that considers more than profit is essential to morality which applies to all who inhabit our common home. Last months story about Nebraskas scrap metal drive in World War II is a reminder of how our states residents can work together to accomplish something good. It happened 80 years ago. That makes it old news to some Nebraskans who lived through it, and forgotten history to many others. The fascinating story told by World-Herald staff writer Steve Liewer surely opened the eyes of some readers. In the summer of 1942, seven months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, some aspects of the American home front war effort were struggling. A drive to gather scrap rubber to make tires and tank treads had fizzled, and steel factories were in danger of having to shut down production because of a shortage of scrap metal. Omaha World-Herald president Henry Doorly decided to take action, launching a statewide scrap metal drive designed to, as Liewer wrote, harness the competitive spirit of men, women and children in every corner of Nebraska. It sure did. In just three weeks, Nebraskans had gathered 67,000 tons of scrap metal from attics, basements, farm fields and businesses. It worked out to 104 pounds of scrap metal for every person in the state. Manufacturing companies brought in surplus equipment. Farmers gave up tractors. Children scoured alleys for tin cans and even tossed their toys onto the scrap piles. Families whose sons were going off to war were particularly motivated. One Omaha woman, a widow, donated an iron stove, cooking pans and some iron pipes and bars. She told a reporter that her son was leaving for the Army in three days. I saw the housewives of Omaha go to war, wrote World-Herald reporter Bill Billotte, just as surely as if they were embarking for the front lines with a tommygun under each arm. But it wasnt just Omahans. The genius of Doorlys scrap metal drive was that it set up a competition in which Nebraskas 93 counties tried to collect the most material, in pounds per capita. The statewide winner was Grant County in the Sandhills, which collected 638 pounds for each of its 1,327 residents. Douglas County had the most scrap metal, amassing a 12,500-ton mountain of the stuff, but finished in the middle of the pack on a per capita basis. Through it all, the Omaha World-Herald and Nebraskas other newspapers drummed up support for the drive with extensive coverage. Its a reminder of how local journalism can play an important role in not only informing readers but also helping our communities come together to take action on the important issues of the day. In fact, the World-Herald won the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for public service for spearheading the drive. The Nebraska effort became the model for a nationwide drive later that year. In that fall campaign, a competition among states, Nebraska added another 80,000 tons of scrap metal, or 123 pounds per person. That was good enough for sixth best in the nation although Nebraskans were proud to point out that their combined 227 pounds per person in the two drives was far more than any other state. Theres no question that Nebraskans made a difference in the war effort. In the Nebraska campaign alone, the statewide haul was enough to build 1 million anti-aircraft shells, 130 Navy PT boats or 200 57-ton tanks. Beyond that, Henry Doorlys idea energized the home fronts commitment to victory, both here and across the nation. In todays polarized world, it might be hard to imagine Nebraskans rallying behind a single goal like the 1942 scrap metal drive. But thats an overly pessimistic view, filtered through the divisions we saw recently over how to respond to the pandemic. When the chips are down, Nebraskans have a long track record of working hard, getting the job done, and doing things that strengthen their families, communities and even the nation. Its useful for all of us to remember that as we face todays challenges. MANILA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos left for New York on Sunday to participate in the 77th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, with his priority focus on food security, energy and climate change. Marcos is expected to deliver the Philippines' statement on Tuesday. "I will outline our expectations of the United Nations, the role our country will play, and our contributions in strengthening the international system," he said in his departure speech. Marcos will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and "leaders of long-standing and important partners of the Philippines." "I will discuss with them opportunities for stronger cooperation in food security, agriculture, renewable energy, and climate change," he added. Marcos will also participate in business activities "to forge more partnerships to advance our national economic and sustainable development agenda" and attend "a number of bilateral meetings and business engagements" on the sidelines. Marcos assumed the presidency on June 30. The 65-year-old president visited Indonesia and Singapore early this month as his first official foreign trip. Research indicates that cognitive decline is not common in healthy individuals under the age of 60, becoming much more common, as we age. With almost 10,000 Americans reaching age 65 each day and at least 5 million Americans living with dementia, cognitive decline has broad implications for managing ones finances. Experts say that cognitive decline is not necessarily a sign of dementia. However, taking steps to slow cognitive decline and being aware of how it affects financial decision-making is important. According to the Stanford Center on Longevity, problems with financial decision-making can appear many years prior to a dementia diagnosis. Power of attorney The 2020 Understanding America Study revealed that only 39% of Americans aged 60 and above have a Power of Attorney (POA) that legally names someone to manage their financial affairs if they can no longer handle it themselves. Every adult should have a POA for property and healthcare, regardless of the size of their estate, granting their agent the power to handle their finances and make medical decisions, during the grantor of the powers lifetime. The Illinois Power of Attorney Act provides a heightened standard of care that the agent owes to the principal when acting on their behalf. A POA makes sure that financial decisions regarding your property are made for you if you are too ill or injured to make decisions for yourself. You can determine what powers to give your agent. However, keep in mind that making the powers too restrictive may defeat the purpose of the POA. You must be mentally competent to create a POA. Therefore, do not delay this decision by thinking that you will create a POA when an illness or injury requires that you do. Meeting with advisers Meeting with your financial adviser, estate planning attorney, and tax preparer collectively, can help provide coordinated planning, assists you in making informed decisions, and may allow them to observe cognitive decline, should it occur. Your advisers can assist you in making informed decisions and, along with your family members, may recognize any changes in your decision-making abilities. Include family, POA Including your family members and your POA in meetings with your professional advisers is a valuable first step toward providing them with education regarding your objectives and better equipping them to manage your assets, in the event of your incapacity. Restaurant Row is my name for the six very successful restaurants on the east side of the 400-900 blocks of North Hershey Road in Bloomington. (The restaurant blocks are consecutive but numbering skips 600 and 700). This string of six restaurants reminds me of the first Restaurant Row in Bloomington where the first restaurants opened in the mid-1970s when Bloomington-Normal was beginning to boom. However, lets first take a look at the current Restaurant Row. When coming north on Hershey Road from East Washington Street, Hacienda Leon is the first of the six restaurants. Next is Pop Up Chicken that was recently relocated from the Bloomington VFW to the former Hooters/JPs Wheel and Ale House location. Rob Dobs is the third, then across Castleton Drive to the north is Culvers. Finally, kind of hidden behind a tire and auto service store, are both DR McKays and Herradura Mexican Restaurant. Another restaurant opening soon that will be the seventh on Restaurant Row is Egg Republic, although it is located one block to the east of Hershey Road on Chancellor Drive in the former Caffe Italia building that is undergoing a major remodel. Egg Republic is described by the owners as an upscale breakfast/lunch restaurant. A possible eighth restaurant for Restaurant Row is Keglers Pub located in the 800 block on the west side of Hershey Road. The general manager told me Keglers will have an entirely different look later in 2023 after undergoing a $600,000 bar, kitchen and dining room remodel. Now, lets go back almost 50 years and take a look at the first Restaurant Row. The first two restaurants on the 700 block of Eldorado Road that soon would become known as Restaurant Row were the current Monicals Pizza and the long-gone Irelands. Both, I believe, opened in 1974. They were followed in no particular order by Dennys, Sirloin Stockade, Western Sizzlin, Red Lobster, Butterfields, Bill Baileys Speakeasy, Dixons Fish Dock, Shakeys, Bonanza, Eldorado Dining Co., Hardwood Cafe, Taj Mahal, Jose Wongs, Yen Ching, Erics Great Steaks, Redmondos, Smiling Moose and many others over the years. Maybe sometime just for fun, I should make a list of all the restaurants that have been on the 700 block of Eldorado Road. I suspect that possibly 40 restaurants or more have called that block home. From Larry's notebook Chicken Salad Chick The fourth location in Illinois is planned for Veterans Place at 506 IAA Drive, Bloomington. It was founded in Auburn, Alabama, when a stay-at-home mom began selling her chicken salad door-to-door and the local health department told her that she needed a permit, since selling food made at home was prohibited. She devised a plan to open her own store in 2008 and now it is franchised with 205 restaurants in 17 states. Scooter's Coffee Scooters is a drive-thru and will be located at 1508-1510 N. Main St., across from Tobins Pizza on the former Shooting Star/Owens Nursery & Florist location. It was founded in 1998 by a husband and wife in Bellevue, Nebraska, and now is approaching 1,500 locations in 30 states. Grand Cafe Owner Jimmy Mapugay announced that the Grand Cafe on East Oakland Avenue in Bloomington will double in size when it expands into the vacant space to the south that formerly housed Hansons Cleaners. The new area will have a dining room with seating for about 100 and a full bar. Lupita's Mexican-American Grocery Store New owners have had the store for about a year and have made many changes that in my opinion significantly improved the store located in Market Square Shopping Center at 1512 W. Market St. They have greatly expanded their produce section and now twice a week use their own refrigerated truck to bring produce they personally select at an International produce market in Chicago. They said business is up at least 70%. Jimmy John's Bloomington resident Marc Largent is the local Jimmy Johns franchisee who now, at age 35, owns 35 Jimmy Johns franchises. He purchased the five B-N Jimmy Johns from Mary Strack in 2018, then in the last three years has added 30 more franchises in Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois. BLOOMINGTON The Bloomington-Normal branch of the NAACP presented several awards during its annual Freedom Fund Gala on Saturday night. The sold-out event drew a crowd to Bloomington's Parke Regency Hotel, where the evening began with Tia Moore singing the Black National Anthem and Bishop Larry Taylor saying a prayer before dinner was served. Taylor, senior pastor of Center for Hope International Ministries, also served as keynote speaker for the event. The theme for this year's gala was This is Power. Were delighted and honored that the Bloomington-Normal community supports the efforts of the NAACP," said Dr. Carla Campbell-Jackson, first vice president of the local branch. Next years event promises to be monumental." The group announced during the gala that attorney Ben Crump will serve as keynote speaker for next years event, set for Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. Crump specializes in civil rights litigation and has represented the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. He has a plethora of racial discrimination lawsuits pending against major corporations, according to a news release from the Bloomington-Normal NAACP. Next year's gala will coincide with the NAACP's Illinois State Convention to be held in Bloomington-Normal that same weekend. Details on both events will be made available in 2023. The Freedom Fund Gala is the primary fundraiser for the branch in support of scholarships for high school students and community programs including financial workshops, voter registration and education. I think (the NAACP) is a longstanding, stalwart advocate for many people in the community, especially Ward 7," Mollie Ward, who represents Ward 7 on the Bloomington City Council, said Saturday evening. Our community would be a much poorer place without the NAACP. Awards were presented on Saturday to the following individuals: Nikita Richards, Merlin Kennedy Community Service Award. Richards, a U.S. Navy veteran and senior media specialist in communications with Country Financial, previously served as the City of Bloomingtons community relations manager. In 2018, she was appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to serve on his transition team for veterans across the state. She has since been appointed by Pritzker to serve her second term on the Illinois Council of Women and Girls, where she works to create policy that promotes equity and opportunity. Georgene Chissell, Roy Wilkins Award for exemplary service to the local branch. As chair of the Political Action Committee of the local NAACP branch, Chissell works to ensure voter empowerment and to increase awareness and participation in the electoral process. She also owns Divine Cleaning Services of Central Illinois and strives to empower other Black entrepreneurs in establishing their own businesses. Dr. Jeanne Morris, Woman of the Year. Morris was a curriculum and instruction professor at Illinois State University, where she had major responsibility for developing the universitys bachelors degree in early childhood education. Among the first Black professors at ISU in the 1960s, when Black students could not get housing on campus, Morris joined resources with other professors and bought four houses in Normal to rent to African American students. In June, the NAACP Youth Council did a documentary film on Dr. Jeanne Morris and her husband, Dr. Charles Morris, honoring their contributions to education. Cana Brooks, Harry Hightower Youth Community Service Award. Brooks, a senior at University High School and the daughter of Prentice and Shelley Brooks of Normal, has been instrumental in the Black Student Union at her school, helping to create an inclusive, safe and welcoming environment to discuss topics of race and other areas of social justice and to engage in service to the community. Through her organization, Cana Cares, she created opportunities for young people to serve groups such as the homeless, the elderly, victims of domestic violence, and children in foster care. She plans to attend college and major in psychology, with a future as a child psychologist. Additionally, scholarship awards were presented to Sean Halperin, Naomi Elliott and Michael Coleman. For more information about the Bloomington-Normal branch of the NAACP, go to www.bnnaacp.org. NORMAL The Normal Town Council on Monday will vote on almost $4 million for a water main replacement along Main Street. The project bid would be awarded to George Gildner Inc. of Bloomington for $3,942,980. Town Communications Director Cathy Oloffson said the ordinance would allow for the replacement of older water mains that are negatively affecting residents water quality, as well as existing valves, hydrants and water services. The public infrastructure work would replace approximately 4,920 feet of water main and take place on Main Street from Division to Virginia streets and from Beaufort Street to College Avenue. According to council documents, these sections consist of 4- and 8-inch cast iron water mains that are substandard and some of the oldest water mains in town. They would be replaced with new 12- and 8-inch ductile iron water mains with new valves, hydrants and water services. Bids for the project were opened Aug. 30 and the town received two separate bids, including one from Stark Excavating Inc. for $3,960,500. Although Gildners bid was the lowest, the towns water fund allocated for the main replacements only contains $2,540,000, and to complete the project, a budget adjustment of $1,402,980 will be needed. Luckily a portion of the project is within the Main & Osage Tax Increment Financing District, and the town anticipates approximately $1.9 million could be allocated to the water fund to support this project. If awarded, the project would not start until 2023, when materials would be delivered. If the project is delayed, the materials would not be ordered and could take up to 12 months to be ordered. According to council documents, the Illinois Department of Transportation has a five-year capital plan for road improvements on Main Street, so it is important for the town to proceed with the project before IDOT starts its own project, Oloffson explained. This puts construction in 2023 and into 2024, she said. Oloffson said residents and businesses could be impacted by the project. Commuters who travel through this section of Main Street may experience delays with one lane of traffic closed in the construction area, she said. Aside from flaggers on site to temporarily stop traffic for construction workers to enter and leave the site, Oloffson said the town is not expecting full road closures. Also on Monday, the town council will vote on an ordinance rezoning acres at the southeast corner of Parkside and Raab roads, where the Lofts at Northend are located. If rezoned, the property will change from a general business (B-1) to a medium-density multifamily residential (R-3A) designation and would allow for multifamily residential housing or duplexes to be developed. Approved in 2016, the Lofts at Northend is comprised of 6.14 acres of multifamily residential developments at the southwest corner of Raab Road and Trumbull Avenue, according to council documents. The 3-acre lot was originally zoned for commercial development and has since remained vacant. The property is an undeveloped part of the Heartland Community College campus and provides adequate utilities and transportation facilities as well as public services. Constitution Trail is also available east of the property. Other business for Mondays meeting includes: Reporting to receive and file the towns expenditures for payment as of Sept. 14; Approving the final plat for the fourth addition to Blackstone Trails at the northeast corner of Hershey and Shepard roads; Approving the final plat for the fifth addition to Blackstone Trails at the northeast corner of Hershey and Shepard roads. The council meets at 7 p.m. Monday on the fourth floor of Uptown Station. Council meetings are also livestreamed on the towns Youtube channel. A cherished urban legend has it that much of underground Bloomington, including downtown, is crisscrossed with coal mine tunnels. Although there were coal mines in Bloomington, maps held by the McLean County Museum of History show the tunnels generally running west of Morris Avenue between Washington and Market streets, an area on the fringes of the citys older west side neighborhoods. Coal was the lifeblood of the Industrial Age, indispensable to railroads, factories, municipalities and households. The City of Bloomington, to cite one example, needed a steady supply of coal to operate the boilers at its waterworks and electric light plant. Most homes were heated with coal, and most machinery could not run without it. During the late 19th and early 20th century, there were coal mines throughout Central Illinois. In Livingston County, the coal boomtown of Cardiff boasted a population of 2,500. When the mine closed in 1912, the village underwent a rapid decline and today exists in name only. In McLean County, there were mines in Colfax and Chenoa, as well as a short-lived venture on Bloomingtons north side near North Mason Street. For local residents, though, the most important mine was the McLean County Coal Co., located on Bloomingtons west side, north of Washington Street and just west of the Chicago & Alton Railroad mainline (today these tracks are shared by Union Pacific and Amtrak). It was the largest and most successful coal mine in the area, operating from 1867 until the late 1920s. In 1904, for instance, this mine accounted for 150,000 of 218,000 tons or 69% of all coal hauled out of McLean County. At its height, coal mining in Bloomington was second only to the Chicago and Alton Railroad Shops in economic importance. Financial backers of the McLean County Coal Co. included the Stevenson brothers, James B., William and Adlai Ewing I, the latter serving as U.S. vice president during Grover Clevelands second administration. The Stevensons erected a housing development for the miners situated south of Washington and west of Lumber streets. Aptly named Stevensonville, many of the developments homes still stand. Mining, of course, was a hard and dangerous occupation, and owners like the Stevensons were constantly recruiting new workers. Miners not only had to worry about cave-ins, mine fires or other accidents, but they also had to worry about black damp. Black damp, or choke damp, was where carbon dioxide and nitrogen slowly replaced oxygen in the mine. It was not combustible or poisonous, but a high enough level could lead to suffocation. The McLean County Coal Co. was not immune from strikes, either. The earliest strike occurred in 1870 when the company reduced the price per ton of coal paid to the miners. In 1894, miners ceased working not because of the management of the mines or wages paid, rather in sympathy for their less fortunate comrades in other parts of the country. These strikes, especially longer ones during the cold months, could often produce coal famines. Strikes like these were one of the reasons why many Swedes were brought to Bloomington by the owners of the McLean County Coal Co. James Stevenson brought the first sizable number of Swedes about 30 families, (Alexander G. Ericksons) and almost as many single men to Bloomington in August 1872 for this very reason. Stevenson traveled to Kewanee and Galva and recruited new workers, convincing them to relocate to the growing city. However, these workers were ignorant of the fact that they were being brought on as strikebreakers. A written history of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bloomington noted that they were entirely ignorant of the miners strike until they arrived, or they would not have come, but they were here and there was nothing to do but remain, suffer the consequences of strikebreakers, and make the best of it. It was common for young boys to work in the coal mines. Alexander G. Erickson (a Swedish immigrant who came to Bloomington with his family in 1872) recalled that at the age of 13 he dropped out of school and began working in the McLean County Coal Co. mine with his father. Erickson recalled later in life that there were no child labor nor school laws then. So it was the custom for the oldest boy in the family to begin early to help his father earn a living for the family. Erickson worked in the mines for nine years before becoming a clerk in a grocery store. In May 1899, the McLean County Coal Co. offered a rare glimpse of its operations to Madame Annette, a pseudonym for a local female newspaper reporter with a literary bent. Annette, who wrote for The Daily Bulletin, a long-defunct competitor of The Pantagraph, described in vivid detail life 500 feet below Bloomingtons far west side. Stepping from the elevator, one hears the sound of dripping water, catches a glimpse of twinkling lamps far down the dark galleries, she wrote, all so weird and fantastic as to cause the imagination to go farther into the realms of Pluto. At the time, mine production averaged 700 tons of coal per day, with a workforce numbering some 350 men. Annette noted the cosmopolitan crowd down under by identifying African-American, English, French, Irish, Italian, Polish, Russian and Swedish miners. In early 1903, local resident Edwin O. Ropp received permission to spend a day underground, recording his observations in a diary. During the long, dark day, he trailed a German miner he knew, as well as that miners work partner. In a side tunnel the party came upon two loaded coal cars pulled by a mule. We also passed the barn for this mule, Ropp wrote. It consisted of one stall with bits of hay scattered about. These animals have a dark life. It is said they never see the light of day. The museums annual Evergreen Cemetery Walk this year will feature the story of Alexander G. Erickson (who had a long career in the grocery business and local politics after his career in the mines ended). Performances for the walk will be held on Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 24-25 and Oct. 1-2, with tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at the museum, Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, or online at mchistory.org. Sen. Lindsey Graham has helpfully revealed that Republicans will pass a nationwide abortion ban as soon as they get the chance. Republicans are eager to deprive women, quickly, of their long-established rights. Sen. Graham can hardly contain himself. GOP strategists, of course, are livid that Sen. Graham threw his reveal party ahead of the midterms. He wasnt supposed to blab about abortion before the election -- it could wreck their chances. The plan is to end all access to abortion in every state. All abortions will be forbidden no matter what the circumstance, including the life of the mother. Not long ago -- like, last week -- Republicans were vocal advocates of states rights. Now this week theyre against states rights. Republicans fully intend to impose their plan by force, to control womens bodies and their privacy in every state. They promise to criminalize abortions, the women who seek them, the health care workers who provide them, and anyone who abets the crime by helping women in crisis. Throughout America, women in need of medical aid will have nowhere to turn. Women and girls will suffer and die. Victims of rape, incest, and problem pregnancies will receive no mercy. Individual situations and personal freedom will be heartlessly crushed. Infant mortality will skyrocket. The birth rate will plummet. Doctors, nurses, and others will face criminal prosecution. No state (including Illinois), no woman, no family will be safe from the snooping of the GOP. Constant surveillance and anti-abortion enforcers will be required. So thats the plan. No, really: thats it. Sen. Graham ran his mouth when he should have kept the plan secret. But now we know. Count on them to keep this one promise beyond any doubt. If Republicans gain the majority in Congress, they will immediately ban all abortions, nationwide, with no exceptions. Sen. Graham, thanks for the warning. Larry Gaylord, Normal 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. The Ghana Police Service says it has arrested the chief of Sefwi Elubo and his brother and are pursuing six others in connection with illegal mining in Sefwi Elubo township in the Western North Region. The suspects, Nana Anini Baffour and his brother Kwadwo Affi were arrested following Police investigation of a video circulating on social media showing illegal mining activities in some compound houses of the town," the statement signed by Director, Public Affairs, Chief Superintendent of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi said. Investigation has so far discovered dug-out pits from the compound leading to the bedroom of the chiefs brother, the statement added. As investigation continues, we would like to assure the public that all those involved will be brought to face justice, the statement concluded. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. says there is no need for government to declare a state of emergency against galamsey. He shared contrary views to propositions by some proponents of the fight against galamsey that a declaration of state of emergency will deter the illegal miners. Their reason is that it will inspire an intensive combative effort to clamp down on the illegal trade. Kwesi Pratt asked if it won't be the same security agencies and State authorities charged with the task to curbing the illegal mining whose services will be employed during the state of emergency, therefore finding this proposal absolutely unnecessary. "If we declare state of emergency, will we go to Heaven to employ Angels to enforce the state of emergency? Is it not the same people fighting against the galamsey, the Military and the Police, who will enforce [the galamsey]? "What's the meaning of the state of the emergency? If we declare a state of emergency today, is it not the same soldiers, Police and relevant government agencies that will enforce the state of emergency? Are they not the same people on the field right now and this thing has become a fiasco?", he queried. He held that the country is losing the fight because of the "lack of commitment" by the relevant authorities. Kwesi Pratt made these submissions on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" Friday morning. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video TOKYO, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan's southwestern region of Kyushu on Sunday braced for the possibility of a large and powerful typhoon landing, with the weather agency warning of unprecedented winds and waves. "The southern part of the Kyushu region may see the sort of violent wind, high waves and high tides that have never been experienced before," the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said Sunday, urging residents to exercise "the highest caution possible." A level 5 alert, the highest on Japan's disaster warning scale, was issued to more than 110,000 people in about 55,000 households in Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures, with level 4 evacuation orders in place in cities such as Kagoshima, Miyazaki and Amakusa, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday. According to the JMA, the eye of Typhoon Nanmadol is south of Kyushu as of Sunday morning. It is slowly making its way in a north-northwesterly direction over the sea 30 km southeast of Yakushima island and packing gusts up to 252 km per hour. Nanmadol, the 14th of the year, is forecast to make landfall in Kyushu on Sunday evening, before curving northeast and traveling across Japan's largest island, Honshu, through early Wednesday. The weather agency issued a special typhoon warning for Kagoshima Prefecture on Saturday night, an alert that is issued only when it forecasts dangerous conditions seen once in several decades, marking the first time the agency has issued a such warning for an area apart from Okinawa Prefecture. Weather officials also warned that rain and winds could intensify even in areas far from the typhoon. Heavy precipitation is expected in western and some parts of eastern Japan through Monday. Former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu, has proffered what he believes will be a lasting solution to the galamsey threat. According to him, galamsey can be solved only when more permits are issued to the miners at the illegal mining sites. In his view, the government is finding it difficult to curb galamsey because it is not looking at the option to license the miners. He asserted that, issuing permits to the miners to undertake their activities, will help government to put them in check. "Let's give the people permit to mine to stop those people who are destroying the lands . . . When we give more licences to the people and put measures in place to monitor and regularize the work they are doing, I am sure we will minimize it (galamsey) even if we are not able to end it," he argued on Peace FM's panel discussion programme "Kokrokoo". Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video NDC Member of Parliament for Builsa South constituency, Clement Apaak says the governing New Patriotic Party owes former President John Dramani Mahama an apology. According to him the apology should come without delay. The National Communications Director for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah in his latest comment suggests that there is truth in the claims by John Dramani Mahama that he is not receiving benefits due him as a former President. Speaking to TV3 in an interview on their 'Ghana Tonight' Show, the 2020 presidential candidate of the NDC disclosed that he has been denied several benefits he is supposed to enjoy including an office and payment of his bills. 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. But Mr. Ahiagbah in an interview has disclosed that there is conversations to get an office for ex-President John Dramani. 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. But speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that the former President said the absolute truth about his entitlements and that government's decision to politicize it is just much ado about nothing. "Government should admit that they have erred and that they will work on the demands of the former President and have them provided to him, but to agree in part that there is a conversation to get an office for the former president is an admission that you have erred and therefore need to render an apology to the person of the former President," Clement Apaak said. "It is imperative to note that former President Mahama's demand is not personal, it is his right as provided by the constitution and if you are unable to provide them for him, you don't drag his hard earned reputation in the mud. What I think the NPP government should be doing is that they should apologize to the former President rather than justifying their perverse action," he added. Watch Video Below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Displaced families, who fled their flood-hit homes, jostle to get relief aid distributed by soldiers of Pakistan rangers, in Dera Allahyar, in Jaffarabad, a district of southwestern Balochistan province, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. The devastating floods affected over 33 million people and displaced over half a million people who are still living in tents and make-shift homes. The water has destroyed 70% of wheat, cotton and other crops in Pakistan. Credit: AP Photo/Zahid Hussain The World Health Organization raised the alarm Saturday about a "second disaster" in the wake of the deadly floods in Pakistan this summer, as doctors and medical workers on the ground race to battle outbreaks of waterborne and other diseases. The floodwaters started receding this week in the worst-hit provinces but many of the displacednow living in tents and makeshift campsincreasingly face the threat of gastrointestinal infections, dengue fever and malaria, which are on the rise. The dirty and stagnant waters have become breeding grounds for mosquitos. The unprecedented monsoon rains since mid-June, which many experts link to climate change, and subsequent flooding have killed 1,545 people across Pakistan, inundated millions of acres of land and affected 33 million people. As many as 552 children have also been killed in the floods. "I am deeply concerned about the potential for a second disaster in Pakistan: a wave of disease and death following this catastrophe, linked to climate change, that has severely impacted vital health systems leaving millions vulnerable," WHO's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a statement. "The water supply is disrupted, forcing people to drink unsafe water," he said. "But if we act quickly to protect health and deliver essential health services, we can significantly reduce the impact of this impending crisis." Displaced families, who fled their flood-hit homes, jostle to get relief aid distributed by soldiers of Pakistan rangers, in Dera Allahyar, in Jaffarabad, a district of southwestern Balochistan province, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. The devastating floods affected over 33 million people and displaced over half a million people who are still living in tents and make-shift homes. The water has destroyed 70% of wheat, cotton and other crops in Pakistan. Credit: AP Photo/Zahid Hussain The WHO chief also said that nearly 2,000 health facilities have been fully or partially damaged in Pakistan and urged donors to continue to respond generously so that more lives can be saved. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif left for New York on Saturday to attend the first fully in-person gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly since the coronavirus pandemic. Sharif will appeal for more help from the international community to tackle the disaster. Before his departure, Sharif urged philanthropists and aid agencies to donate baby food for children, along with blankets, clothes and other food items for the flood victims, saying they were desperately waiting for aid. The southern Sindh and southwestern Baluchistan provinces have been the worst hithundreds of thousands in Sindh live now in makeshift homes and authorities say it will take months to completely drain the water in the province. Displaced families, who fled their flood-hit homes, get relief aid distributed by soldiers of Pakistan rangers, in Dera Allahyar, in Jaffarabad, a district of southwestern Balochistan province, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. The devastating floods affected over 33 million people and displaced over half a million people who are still living in tents and make-shift homes. The water has destroyed 70% of wheat, cotton and other crops in Pakistan. Credit: AP Photo/Zahid Hussain Victims of heavy flooding from monsoon rains stand beside their tents at a relief camp in Dasht near Quetta, Pakistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. The devastating floods affected over 33 million people and displaced over half a million people who are still living in tents and make-shift homes. The water has destroyed 70% of wheat, cotton and other crops in Pakistan. Credit: AP Photo/Arshad Butt A child suffering from dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, is treated at a hospital, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Pakistani health officials are battling an outbreak of dengue fever in several parts of the country following the devastating floods, which have affected more than 33 million people and displaced more than 5 million people who are still living in tents and shelters. Credit: AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad Victims of heavy flooding from monsoon rains attend class at a relief camp in Dasht near Quetta, Pakistan, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. The devastating floods affected over 33 million people and displaced over half a million people who are still living in tents and make-shift homes. The water has destroyed 70% of wheat, cotton and other crops in Pakistan. Credit: AP Photo/Arshad Butt Nationwide, floods have damaged 1.8 million homes, washed away roads and destroyed nearly 400 bridges, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Imran Baluch, head of a government-run district hospital in Jafferabad, in the district of Dera Allah Yar in Baluchistan, said that out of 300 people tested daily, nearly 70% are positive for malaria. After malaria, typhoid fever and skin infections are most commonly seen among the displaced, living for weeks in unhygienic conditions, Baluch told The Associated Press. Pediatrician Sultan Mustafa said he treated some 600 patients at a field clinic established by the Dua Foundation charity in the Jhuddo area in Sindh, mostly women and children with gastrointestinal infections, scabies, malaria or dengue. Khalid Mushtaq, heading a team of doctors from the Alkhidmat Foundation and the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, said they are treating more than 2,000 patients a day and were also providing kits containing a month's supply of water-purification tablets, soaps and other items. On Friday, the representative of the U.N. children's agency in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, said after visiting Sindh's flood-hit areas that an estimated 16 million children had been impacted by the floods. He said UNICEF was doing everything it can "to support children and families affected and protect them from the ongoing dangers of water-borne diseases." Explore further Waterborne diseases spread among flood victims in Pakistan 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing shows Chinese astronaut Cai Xuzhe conducting extravehicular activities, also known as a spacewalk, around the space station lab module Wentian, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Credit: Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua via AP Two Chinese astronauts went on a spacewalk Saturday from a new space station that is due to be completed later this year. Cai Xuzhe and Chen Dong installed pumps, a handle to open the hatch door from outside in an emergency, and a foot-stop to fix an astronaut's feet to a robotic arm, state media said. China is building its own space station after being excluded by the U.S. from the International Space Station because its military runs the country's space program. American officials see a host of strategic challenges from China's space ambitions, in an echo of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry that prompted the race to the moon in the 1960s. The latest spacewalk was the second during a six-month mission that will oversee the completion of the space station. The first of two laboratories, a 23-ton module, was added to the station in July and the other is to be sent up later this year. The third member of the crew, Liu Yang, supported the other two from inside during the spacewalk. Liu and Chen conducted the first spacewalk about two weeks ago. They will be joined by three more astronauts near the end of their mission in what will be the first time the station has six people on board. China became the third nation to send a person into space in 2003, following the former Soviet Union and the United States. It has sent rovers to the moon and Mars and brought lunar samples back to Earth. In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing shows Chinese astronaut Cai Xuzhe exiting the station lab module Wentian to conduct extravehicular activities, also known as a spacewalk, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Credit: Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua via AP In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing shows Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe, top and Chen Dong conducting extravehicular activities, also known as a spacewalk, around the station lab module Wentian, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Credit: Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua via AP In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing shows Chinese astronaut Cai Xuzhe exiting the station lab module Wentian to conduct extravehicular activities, also known as a spacewalk, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Credit: Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua via AP 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. GLENS FALLS The Glens Falls City School District held a community meeting on Friday to address new security procedures at the middle and high schools. After an incident on the first day of school involving a student with BB gun and a middle school student with replica toy gun resulting in a lockdown on Sept. 14, the district instituted book bag checks for all middle and high school students at the Quade Street campus. Students have also been assigned lockers, where backpacks must remain throughout the school day, as they are no longer permitted to be taken from class to class. Superintendent Krislynn Dengler said that some of the safety measures were already planned, but some were as a result of the recent weapon concerns at the school. Safety is a priority to me, just because thats the kind of person I am, Dengler said to the families gathered in the high school auditorium and a little over 100 viewers watching the forum via livestream. Dengler is new to the district and began her position as the first female superintendent in Glens Falls on July 1. She served as the superintendent of the South Kortright Central School District prior to coming to Glens Falls. Dengler also has experience as an adjunct professor, a principal and elementary school teacher. The meeting began with a review of the SHELL procedures put in place by the district to handle emergency situations. SHELL stands for shelter/hold-in-place, evacuation, lockout and lockdown. The procedure is available for public viewing on the district website. The superintendent told the audience she does not have the authority to share information regarding the incidents that took place during the first week of school, but that in similar cases, students have not been allowed to return to campus. Immediate changes were made after both of the incidents, but the most noticeable changes were implemented after the toy gun was spotted in the middle school. Students were required to comply with bag searches and use the locker assigned to them. The lockers are there to use. They should be used. The taxpayers paid for over 1,600 lockers in the high school for only some to be used, Dengler said about the new locker use policy. Parents and students expressed concerns about medical supplies or feminine hygiene products that needed to be carried with students in the hallway, to which the superintendent said policies would be put in place to allow hygiene products and medical supplies with a parent or doctor note. Parents also raised concerns about the time-consuming process of bag checks and the possibility of a metal detector wand taking away from learning time. We are learning as we go. The second day we did the bag checks, we were much faster than the first, she said. Middle schoolers were inside before 8:45 (a.m.) and high school was finished by 8:39 a.m. I believe, the superintendent told the crowd. She said these new safety measures would continue indefinitely and plans would be made for the colder weather, as bookbags are currently checked outside. One of the new regulations slated for the new school year before the question of safety was raised, is the use of a Raptor ID scanner, which will screen visitors by scanning their government-issued ID and printing a sticker determining whether or not the individual is suited for visiting a school building. The possibility of ID swipe cards for students and an increased number of law enforcement sweeps were also proposed. Dengler encouraged families with questions to reach out to her or the school-employed counselors and social workers available to discuss the impact of the recent events. Dengler has also created a Superintendents Cabinet, comprised of 14 students interested in voicing the concerns of their peers that will meet with the superintendent during an agreed-upon lunch period. The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund this week announced that U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, received an A+ grade, based on voting record, the highest grade possible. Stefanik is running for re-election in the 21st Congressional District. Democratic challenger Matt Castelli, a former CIA counterterrorism official who lives in Glens Falls, received an "F" grade, based on his public statements on gun issues. In the 20th Congressional District, Republican candidate Liz Lemery Joy, a former blogger and speaker from Schenectady, received an AQ grade, based on her answers to a questionnaire. She is challenging Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, who received an F grade, based on his voting record. In other regional political news: Streamlining Medicare U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, announced that bipartisan legislation which she and Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, both cosponsored to streamline and standardize the process for senior citizens to get preauthorization for medical care under federal Medicare Advantage plans passed the House by voice vote on Sept. 14. When our seniors need care, they should not have to spend unnecessary time waiting on authorization, Stefanik said in a news release. This legislation will streamline that process in a way that prioritizes patients over paperwork. The legislation HR 3173 had 326 cosponsors, 191 Democrats and 135 Republicans. CSEA endorsements The Civil Service Employees Association, a statewide public employees union, announced the following endorsements for the November general election: 20th Congressional District Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, who is running against Republican challenger Liz Lemery Joy, a former blogger and speaker from Schenectady. 21st Congressional District Democrat Matt Castelli, a former CIA counterterrorism official who lives in Glens Falls, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville. 43rd state Senate District Andrea Smyth, a health care and family issues policy advocate from Troy, who is running against state Assemblyman Jake Ashby, R-Castleton, for an open seat. 44th state Senate District Sen. James Tedisco, R-Glenville, who is running against Democratic challenger Michelle Ostrelich, a Schenectady County legislator. 113th state Assembly District Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, who is running against Republican challenger David Catalfamo, an economic development official and writer from Wilton. Facebook chat Republican state Assembly candidate David Catalfamo announced that he and Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo will hold a Facebook Live forum on public safety issues at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Dave for NY Assembly Facebook page. Catalfamo, an economic development official and writer from Wilton, is challenging Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, in the 113th Assembly District. Blood drive State Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, announced he is sponsoring an American Red Cross blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Salem Fire Department conference room. Stec is running against Democratic challenger Jean Lapper, a certified public accountant and financial adviser from Queensbury, in the 45th Senate District. Tonko endorsements U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, on Sept. 12 announced that the National Association of Social Workers endorsed his reelection bid. Strong support for social workers turns into stronger communities, Tonko said, in a post on his campaign Twitter page. On Sept. 7, Tonko announced that the New York State Public Employees Federation endorsed him. Stefanik endorsements U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, on Sept. 13 announced that the Detectives Endowment Association, an 18,000-member union that represents active and retired New York City Police Department detectives, endorsed her re-election bid. Hundreds of our members moved to Upstate New York and the North Country following their service and many are lucky enough to call Congresswoman Stefanik their representative, said Paul Digiancomo, the unions president, in a news release. On Sept. 15, Stefanik announced that 65 elected officials in Essex County, including one or more elected officials from each town in the county, endorsed her candidacy. On Sept.12, Stefanik announced that 50 elected officials from Jefferson County endorsed her candidacy. Catalfamo endorsement Republican state Assembly candidate David Catalfamo on Friday announced that Anthony Scirocco Jr., candidate for Saratoga Spring Department of Public Works commissioner, endorsed Catalfamo for Assembly. The one-party rule is not working in New York. Im supporting Dave because he will be a strong advocate for all of us, Scirocco said, in a press release. Catalfamo, an economic development official and writer from Wilton, is challenging Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, in the 113th Assembly District. QUEENSBURY Nicholas LaSorsa stood in front of the 1867 North Church Tuesday morning as light rain started to trickle down on his shoulders. LaSorsa purchased the historic structure in November 2021 and has turned the renovated worship house into a short-term rental property. Its nice that other people can experience it, said the Florida resident. Because its not a church anymore, you cant just come for a service. Its nice for people to be able to come in and see it. LaSorsa said he feels like hes simply the current caretaker of the 155-year-old North Church at 2283 Ridge Road, the first church built in the area. While the church is part of his future, he has become a piece of its history. I love the old history, he said, and being in Florida, its devoid of history. The old history The North Church sits on upper Ridge Road in what was a farming and lumbering hamlet called Brayton. The area was also known for its summer business, wealthy boarders who arrived in the hotter months and occupied hotels like the Trout Pavilion. That was a worshipping age, one which took the Fourth Commandment seriously, according to an article written to celebrate the churchs 90th anniversary in the 1950s. The summer people could not spend two whole months remote from a place of worship. But their summer home was churchless. In 1864, a group of summer and year-round residents organized a Sunday school, which met at Sheldon Point on the lawn of the East Lake George House or at the schoolhouse on upper Ridge Road. This arrangement served for a time, but, in the summer of 1866 plans for a well defined organization with its own place of worship were made effective, the article explains. In the summer of 1866, they formed the East Lake George Union Sabbath School Society, declaring the group would welcome a union of all denominations of evangelical Christians. The charter and certificate of organization was filed in the Warren County clerks office in what was then Caldwell on Sept. 18, 1867. Kattskill Bay farmers Job and Miranda Mattison gave the land and farmer Sidney Irish provided the timber. to build a church structure. Benefactors included Rev. Wesley B. Lee and Curtis L. North, both summer residents from Brooklyn, and Mr. Boice, of which little is known. Rev. Jacob Fehrman donated the chandeliers, which were imported from England. John Antwerp of Saratoga Springs built the church. The church was also known as the Union Church, and sometimes called the Fish Church because of a bronze fish that was mounted on the steeple that looked like a weather vane, according to an article published when the church celebrated its 100th anniversary. The bronze fish, the article explains, was a symbol used by early Christians to designate their secret meeting places in the catacombs of Rome. The cornerstone of the church was laid on Nov. 5, 1867. The following year on the evening of August 27, 1868, the annual business meeting of the Society was held in the complete church, the 90th anniversary article explains. The bell in the new belfry was made in Troy and could be heard as far north as Pilot Knob. That same bell still sits in the tower today, LaSorsa said. He has rung it, himself. Later, a parsonage was built, as well as a 16-staff horse shed and an academy. LaSorsa recently uncovered the original stone pathway that once skirted the church lawn. The edifice was dedicated in November 1868 and became North Church in honor of its benefactor Curtis L. North. North Church in the 20th century The church closed around 1910, while Rev. Laing was pastor. The closing was symbolic of the times and if one could have boasted the gift of prescience he could have foretold even then the catastrophe that overtook us in 1939, the article said. The closing of the North Church was merely the visible local sign of a universal spiritual blackout. The only people paying attention to the closed church, the article says, were vandals, who sought to strip of its material elegance. Someone stole the bronze fish weathervane from the steeple. Once that was removed, there remained little else to attract attention and the North Church settled back in its protective greenery to undisturbed decay, the article said. The fish weathervane was found in New York City and eventually returned. It disappeared again in the 1950s and was returned. Once more, it was stolen in April 1981. It was brought back several months later and eventually donated to the Lake George Historical Museum, according to a 2010 Post-Star article. The church had fallen into disrepair by December of 1945, the edifice crumbling and disappearing into the brush at the edge of the Harris Bay swamp. It reopened for a special Christmas program that year. A Post-Star article noted that the bell, silent for 25 years, would ring out once again on Christmas Day 1945. The historic church observed its 100th anniversary in August 1966 with a special program. And regular worship services continued on Sundays throughout the year. The North Church was rededicated in a service in the mid-1970s after several years of renovations, including paneling the sanctuary, new ceilings and rugs, rebuilding the stained glass windows and the repainting the buildings exterior, according to an article in The Post-Star on Aug. 23, 1975. By the early-1980s, the church was once again abandoned for lack of membership. The church was put up for sale and the trustees decided to distribute the proceeds from the sale among five area churches. Artist Scott Johnson and his wife purchased the church and restored the building, turning it into their residence. Johnson used stone from the rectory to construct a large fireplace in the center of the sanctuary, according to a 2004 Post-Star article. North Church in the 21st century Johnson, who had been confined to a wheelchair after a 1990 diving accident, died in the church in 2002. The church was eventually sold to Justin Talarski and Melissa Klebes. In 2004, the church was the subject of a television episode of Ghost Hunters. Paranormal investigators hunted for ghosts in the former church. LaSorsa, who was born in Queens, was looking for a second home in New York, when he stumbled upon the listing on Zillow in November 2021. The Florida real estate agent flew up and made an offer the next week. When I bought it, there were definitely mice, definitely other creepy crawlies, tons of spiders, but it was not haunted, said LaSorsa, who started renovating the church-turned-home. He put in new kitchen cabinets with quartzite countertops, installed new windows, replaced rotten siding, installed custom-made doors and refinished the 100-year-old floors. The guy who did the floors thinks theyre about 100 years old and the church itself is 150, he said. I think theres another layer underneath. There is one bedroom downstairs, and he replaced the steep stairs to the second level, which boasts two more bedrooms and a second bathroom with a balcony that overlooks the open-concept first floor. LaSorsa purchased the property as a viable financial investment with the intention to rent it out on Airbnb and Vrbo websites. He has been vocal in his displeasure with the town of Queensburys recent decision to mandate a five-day minimum for all renters, allowing short-term rental operators to rent only 120 days of the year. The regulation is supposed to prevent weekend warriors who only rent for two to four days and disturb the other residents of a neighborhood. There are currently 657 short-term rentals registered with Warren County, of which 82 are in the town of Queensbury. Immediately right off the bat, youre hurting property values, LaSorsa said this week. The North Church started accepting renters in August, and was solidly booked for the first month, he said. I really felt a responsibility to restore it and keep it around for another hundred years. Even if Im only here for another 10 years, it doesnt matter, he said. Im happy the community will still have it. EASTON Less than halfway through the first day of its weekend clinic, more than 100 patients had come for free medical, vision, and dental care from Remote Area Medical, said Ronnie Hatfield, one of the organizations staff members. The nonprofit was holding its second annual clinic at the Washington County Fairgrounds. RAMs mission is to provide free quality healthcare to those in need. Patients dont need to show proof of residency or ID. Volunteers started registering patients at 6 a.m. Saturday. There were several dozen cars in the parking lot when we opened, said marketing manager Poppy Green. The clinic served around 300 patients last year and early indications were that there would be at least that many this year. People need everything, Hatfield said. Dental care tops the list, followed by vision care, general medical care and womens health care. You can improve someones life right away with dental and vision care you can alleviate the pain of a sore tooth and give them new glasses. We see that everywhere, he said. Patients are mostly folks who are a little older, Hatfield said. State programs usually ensure health care access for children. There are more gaps for older folks, he said. RAM fills the gap. Patients go through an intake process that includes a medical history and basic checkup and bloodwork. Its a lot of everything, said Terrence Fine, a physicians assistant who was helping at the medical clinic. People mostly have general medical problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes and no medical insurance, he said. From the medical clinic, patients can go on to the dental and vision clinics, which is what they really need. RAM will put patients in touch with local health care providers for follow-up care. Fine works in emergency rooms in the northern Adirondacks. He became involved with RAM last year as a community host, one of five people who led efforts to bring the clinic to the area. The services here are phenomenal, Fine said. RAM is easy to volunteer with and well organized. They accomplish their mission, which is a tremendous thing. Many patients are indigent farm workers who dont qualify for public health care coverage, Fine said. There are also significant numbers of people with disabilities and retirees. Theyre people who just need basic health care, vision, and dental, he said. Almost 200 volunteers signed up for the two-day clinic. Typically theres a 20 to 30% no-show rate, but thats not happening today, Hatfield said. Volunteers include doctors, dentists and optometrists, as well as student health care professionals practicing clinical skills under their professors supervision. Other positions include medical specialists, translators, data entry technicians, and just plain people who assist patients and other volunteers, set up, take down and do any other job necessary. Colleen Carroll is a dental hygienist from Hebron who was volunteering for the first time. I saw a memo about the clinic and thought, What a great way to give back, Carroll said. She was taking X-rays for patients at the dental clinic. There are a lot of patients who need extractions, Carroll said. The X-rays show that they havent had a decent cleaning in 10 to 15 years. They have periodontal disease and extreme decay. They need full-mouth reconstruction. Dr. Michael Seitz and his wife Young Kim, from Cornwall, were working at the 20-station dental clinic. Kim, an anesthesiologist, was serving as her husbands assistant. I started doing RAM missions seven years ago, Seitz said. He has done medical mission around the world, but the missions stopped during the worst of the COVID pandemic. Working with RAM is a little easier: Its a two-day commitment and I get to meet new people, see new places and drink new beers, he said. Seitz specialty is root canals. RAM wasnt doing them, but theres a big need for it, he said. The other dentists bring their patients over. Its a good service to provide, especially with front teeth. You dont want to take the tooth out. The vision clinic does eye exams and gives prescriptions for glasses. About half the patients need glasses, said Colleen Riley, a volunteer from Wisconsin, who was running the clinics on-site eyeglass laboratory. Patients choose their frames from RAMs stock and the lab makes glasses in 10 to 20 minutes. Compared to medical or dental, it seems less flashy, but it impacts peoples lives, Riley said. If a prescription is too complicated for the lab, RAM has the glasses made elsewhere and mails them to patients. Karen Weinberg, from Shushan, serves on the community host group with Fine and three other local people. This years clinic has a tremendous amount of community support, Weinberg said. Donors and supporters include businesses, health care organizations and professionals, farms, and civic groups. For example, the Mary McClellan Hospital Foundation gave a grant to cover the lease of the fairground for four days, Weinberg said. Farms and businesses donated food for staff, volunteers, and patients. Glens Falls Hospital is did free cancer screenings with referrals. BOCES students and 4-H members prepared meals and snacks for people at the clinic. Narcan training and HIV and Hepatitis C screenings were available this year thanks to grants and community support, she said. This is high-quality health care for people who need it, Weinberg said. What we are trying to do is have regular clinics at the same time each year that people can depend on. Its one-stop health shopping. The RAM clinic continues today from 6 a.m. to roughly 6 p.m. at the Washington County Fairgrounds, Easton, on a first-come, first-served basis. Face coverings and COVID tests are required to enter the clinic. For more information, visit ramusa.org. FORT EDWARD Washington County will be lead agency for replacement of a bridge owned by the Warren-Washington Industrial Development Agency, county supervisors decided Friday. The bridge, on Lock 8 Way in the town of Kingsbury, goes to land the IDA wants to develop as an industrial park. The bridge consists of a temporary steel superstructure and concrete deck on a permanent concrete foundation. Department of Public Works Superintendent Deborah Donohue said the temporary section, known as a Mabey bridge, was installed for vehicles going to the dewatering plant at the end of the road. The IDA has applied for a federal Marchiselli grant to build a permanent bridge. Federal transportation aid projects are extremely complicated, Donohue said. They want someone who knows what theyre doing to administer the project. We do them all the time. According to the resolution the board approved Friday, the IDA has neither the funds, the project application, management skills or staff necessary for the project. The county would apply for the funds, manage the project and pay all costs up front. Donohue said the federal grant would reimburse the county for 80% of the cost and the state 15%. The IDA would repay the remaining 5%. Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff said the boards public works committee agreed that the county would receive the Mabey bridge as part of its reimbursement, since the bridge can be installed for other bridge replacement projects. He was concerned that the resolution did not specify that the bridge would go to the county. County Attorney Roger Wickes pointed out that the resolution authorizes him to negotiate an agreement with the IDA, and the bridge could be included. Haff also wondered who would pay for the Mabey bridges removal. Hebron Supervisor Brian Campbell said that will be part of the project. In other business: The board set a public hearing at 10:05 a.m, Oct. 12, at the supervisors chambers, on a local law to extend authorization to collect occupancy taxes for another three years. State law allows counties to collect occupancy taxes from hotels and motels defined as having four or more units. White Creek Supervisor Jim Griffith and Wickes said the county has a contract with Airbnb to collect the tax on their short-term rentals as well, although short term rentals are considered one unit and thus fall outside the state law. The county received between $115,000 and $120,000 from Airbnb rentals last year, Griffith said. Collecting the tax on STRs not with Airbnb would require a change in state legislation, Wickes said. A review of medical records showed that three county residents, ages 59, 60, and 73, died of COVID-19 in August, according to Tim Hardy, deputy director of public safety. One was in a skilled nursing facility and the other two were hospitalized before they died. As of Friday morning, the county had 95 active cases and a 6.9% positivity rate. Seven residents were in a hospital, he said. County Public Health has started administering the new bivalent Moderna vaccine, Hardy said. Vaccinations are available by appointment every Wednesday at the Public Health office. This week is already full. Easton Supervisor Dan Shaw and Haff questioned why the state is requiring the county to develop a domestic terrorism plan. Who is developing this and what will it cost when its developed? Shaw asked. Wickes replied that the county will hire a consultant to draw up a plan. The county has a state grant and must submit a plan by Dec. 31. The plan will come to the board for discussion before any funds are allocated. Haff said the definition of terrorism keeps changing. He was concerned this will be political warfare on law-abiding citizens who own guns. Whatever comes up, we need to look at this very closely. Campbell, chairman of the finance committee, told the supervisors that the first draft of a proposed 2023 county budget is in your mailboxes. Tax income is up $3.5 million, but the county has $30 million in capital projects ahead, Campbell said. He regretted that supervisors insisted on a zero percent tax increase for 2022. Campbell said because of federal aid, people had money and could have absorbed a tax increase. Now youre at a point where people dont have money, we dont have zero percent (in the proposed budget), and I dont know how well get there. Campbell was grateful, however, that the supervisors gave raises to county employees in the 2022 budget. Where would we be if we hadnt done that? he asked. Our timing was impeccable. Were in a great position now. Supervisors praised last weeks Granville Community Days, held Sept. 9 and 10 to mark Telescope Casual Furnitures 100 years in Granville. Telescope has gone through tremendous challenges, said Hampton Supervisor David OBrien, also chairman of the Warren Washington IDA. The family-owned company has fought off competition from China and has rejected all offers to sell out or move elsewhere. Theyre committed to the community. Without them, Granville would be a completely different place, he said. Campbell called the celebration a great event. Im impressed by what the company did to survive. The company has started a Granville community foundation that already has $1 million and aims to build to $5 million in 10 years, he said. Telescope has contributed to all the towns, Salem Supervisor Sue Clary said. Their generosity is incredible. OCEAN CITY Students, parents and some teachers gathered Sunday morning on the Boardwalk and marched around Ocean City High School in a public display of support for LGBTQ students in the district. The gathering was in part a response to an earlier demonstration near City Hall, held Sept. 8, supporting legislation to create a parents bill of rights and criticizing new state education standards. Organizers of that event say they did not intend to exclude anyone, but those gathered Sunday point to derogatory remarks made about gay and nonbinary people during the earlier event. We belong, shouted those gathered outside the school, some carrying signs or waving rainbow flags. Several participants wore T-shirts that said, We Belong. New state education standards enacted in 2020 and going into effect this year have become a flashpoint of controversy in Ocean City, especially elements related to sexuality and gender identity. After a close vote by the Board of Education in August, a new group called the Ocean City Alliance for Sensible Education, led by Robin Shaffer, vowed to keep the pressure up for their repeal. Shaffer ran unsuccessfully for school board last year and is again on the ballot this year for a one-year unexpired term. Hes one of three candidates for that seat, and there are six candidates for three full terms on the school board this year. In several public statements, Shaffer said the rally Sept. 8 was in peaceful support of the rights of parents, and argued it is the other side that has engaged in threats and intimidation. On Sunday, before the march began, Bob Merkh called on participants not to engage with critics. He said some may seek to provoke a reaction, and called on participants to take the high road. Merkh is a middle school social studies teacher in Upper Township, one of the districts that sends students to Ocean City High School. After the Sept. 8 rally, parents and community members formed their own organization, We Belong Cape May County, which organized the event Sunday. Several current and former students participated, including Jakob Pender, who was among the speakers at the graduation for the class of 2022, during which they discussed the COVID-19 pandemic. What a long, strange trip it has been, Pender said at the graduation, describing Ocean City High School as a refuge, providing stability and structure in a rapidly changing world. Now a student at Rutgers University, Pender is nonbinary. On Sunday, Pender said, I dont think I would have had the opportunities in high school that I did if I had been out. Online petition supports LGBTQ students at Ocean City High School OCEAN CITY An online petition with a message that LGBTQ students belong at Ocean City High Participating in the march was a way of helping future students participate fully in school life while being themselves, Pender said. Also at the event Sunday, Nate Ginet, a senior at Ocean City High School, said his senior year has been going well, with visits to colleges and participation in school activities. Joined by his mother, Pam Ginet, he said he has been working to create a PRISM club, what he said has been described as a Gay/Straight Alliance in other districts. In some school districts, the acronym for PRISM is listed as Pride, Raising awareness, Involvement, Support, Mentoring. So far, Ginet said, he has not been able to get the club started. He thought the district approval would come over the summer, but now he hopes to have a club underway and meeting regularly by December, or at least before he graduates. I hope it would be a safe space where people could gather and feel comfortable being themselves, Ginet said. More than 100 people participated Sunday. As the group walked around the outside of the building, there seemed to be little reaction or even notice. The Boardwalk was crowded on a hot morning, and the city was getting ready for an airshow along the beach and Boardwalk that afternoon. Fight over state education standards comes to Ocean City OCEAN CITY A statewide and national argument over how and what to teach in public schools Some at the event said someone yelled, Yay, liberals, presumably sarcastically, but drivers passing the scene honked in apparent support, drawing cheers from the crowd. Afterward, participants gathered to discuss future steps. Some say they plan to attend an upcoming school board meeting, at which members of the Ocean City Alliance for Sensible Education also indicate they will again address the board. Shaffer indicates it was never his intention to marginalize or exclude LGBTQ students or anyone else. In written comments, Shaffer described it as incontrovertible that those students belong in Ocean City schools, but also suggests that most of those signing an online petition live far outside Ocean City. Those criticizing his group cite comments made by the Rev. Gregory Quinlan at the Sept. 8 event, saying he spoke harshly about the LGBTQ community. Organizers of the event Sunday argue the rhetoric around the issue further traumatizes students who may already face bullying and discrimination. We are not Democratic operatives. We are parents, teachers, professionals, students, alumni, neighbors, and business people, reads a statement from Christine Stanford announcing the start of the We Belong organization. We are local Ocean City and Cape May County families who are fighting against the type of speech that Shaffers speaker brought to Ocean City hate speech, bigotry, and coded language to refer to the LGBTQ+ community as political and indoctrination. COPENHAGEN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Denmark-based pump manufacturer Grundfos is seeing innovation opportunities in the Chinese market as China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. "First and foremost, we listen and innovate more in order to support the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, as we call it 'in China, for China,'" said HP Nanda, Executive Vice President and Divisional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Grundfos Water Utility, in an interview with Xinhua. The top executive of the world's largest pump maker called the Chinese government's goal of achieving carbon neutrality "amazing" and acknowledged it as a business opportunity. Nanda noted that Grundfos is currently developing solutions in three specific areas in order to meet the challenges of the Chinese market. "The second is digitization, which lets us link systems and parts together. And finally, sustainability, not just in the products we make and that our customers use, but also in how you really keep thinking, systems, and buildings moving forward," said Nanda, who has lived in China and speaks Mandarin fluently. From September 11 to 15, 2022, the International Water Association (IWA) World Water Congress & Exhibition 2022 was held in Copenhagen, bringing together up to 10,000 leading water professionals and companies for talks over water solutions. Speaking to Xinhua on the sidelines of the event, Nanda praised the Chinese government for doing an "amazing job" in setting the goal of providing tap water to 88 percent of rural residents nationwide by 2025. Nanda said that water solutions containing innovative technologies developed by Grundfos were already in use in the Chinese market, citing the use of 20 pumping stations in Fuzhou, the provincial capital of Fujian, southeast China, to address wetland issues as an example. "There are numerous examples of this. Our group has worked in Shanghai, Chengdu, and other cities throughout China," said Nanda. Grundfos started using smart pumping systems in China in 2020 as the compact pumping systems went on sale in 2021. "It would require a lot of innovations, for which our team is already thinking how to contribute to this ambition of China for decades to come," said Nanda. The Davenport Community School District is working on a long-range facilities master plan to right-size the district, and it may involve closing schools. The district still has a ways to go in the process, as its Board of Directors will vote to approve a master plan proposal in December. The plan sets the vision and priorities for the district over the next 10 to 20 years, though nothing in the plan is certain. The district says it must balance its budget with its needs and capacity. District leader say they've been thorough and intentional with the planning. But months away from the boards vote, parents and staff alike have raised several concerns about potential closures. Dr. Austin Burt, a Walcott business owner, said hed like the district to address its excess capacity internally before making any decisions on a proposal. Because all they're doing now is closing buildings and cutting costs, he said. We want to be part of the solution, not part of a continued loss for the district. Proposed plans include tentatively closing/idling Buchanan, Washington, Jackson, Jefferson and Hayes or Monroe elementary schools and would convert Walcott K-8 into a junior high school. In one option, Williams and Smart junior highs are idled, but would relocate into the repurposed Jackson and Jefferson sites. District organizational chart proposals K-4, 5-8 grade configuration pathway options: #1: Idles Buchanan, Washington and Hayes or Monroe elementary schools. The district would invest in the remaining 12 elementary schools. Jefferson Elementary would close, and the district would re-purpose the building to house Williams. Jackson Elementary would also close and be repurposed to replace Smart. Walcott K-8 would become a 5-8 junior high for Blue Grass and Buffalo Elementary students. The district would also build a new junior high at Prarie Heights Park - serving Eisenhower and Harrison elementary students - to feed into North High School. #2: Structured similarly to the first, the only difference being to keep Williams at its current site, idling Jefferson. K-5, 6-8 grade configuration pathway option: This option supports three elementary schools for each of the five junior high schools. Here, the district would expand all elementary sites to add two preschool classrooms. Buchanan and Washington are the only two schools idled in this proposal, though Walcott would still convert into a 6-8 junior high to serve Blue Grass, Buffalo and Jackson elementary students. Superintendent TJ Shneckloth said the district has so much excess capacity it could absorb any one of its neighboring districts without adding a classroom, causing resources to spread thin. Still, parents say the changes will disproportionately affect low-income students. Buchanan's student enrollment is approximately 71% low-income. Helen Parks, Family Involvement Liasion at the school, said it's hard seeing the difference between how Title I schools, like Buchanan, and non-Title schools fare in these plans. It just seems to be that these are the schools where families might not be able to speak for themselves," she added. A lot of these families dont have transportation. If a child is running late while walking to school, its OK. But, if theyre late to catch a bus, they just wouldnt make it. Buchanan is near four mobile-home communities and the Fairmont Pines subsidized housing community, where a large portion of students live. Its a neighborhood school serving neighborhood kids, and I'd just hate to see them being bussed away from their homes to another building, Amy Rice, a Kindergarten teacher at Buchanan said. I just think all kids should have the same opportunities, regardless of what school or geographical location theyre in. April Berthiaume, a parent at Jackson, hopes the district addresses how students impacted by closures would adapt to the changes. How will they ensure that children caught in this transition get a quality education experience?" she said. It wouldn't sit well if my child became collateral damage for a long-term plan. However, she anxious to see how the district will use its resources more efficiently. They're spread so thin right now, she said. So I look forward to having more resources to address the issues students deal with daily. Members of the Walcott community came out in droves to the districts school board meeting on Sept. 12 to voice their concerns about the potential impact on their small, rural community. This would absolutely kill the town, Burt said. We have a ton of young families that, frankly, moved to Walcott because of our K-8 school." Case in point: DeWitt resident Kelly Burke, who wants to move to Walcott since her family business recent move to the town. She has two kids, both below PreK. Everything I wanted is in this community. But now, I wont even think about moving there if you guys close the elementary, she said to the board. Burke said shed be only two minutes away from the school while at work, giving her the ability to reach her kids quickly if needed. It was a factor several others said was a bonus in Walcott. But theres no point if you bus my kids 10 minutes somewhere else, she said. I might as well stay in DeWitt, but its easier to move to a small community that loves us. Lynnette Tarchinski pleaded with the board not to close schools. If you move our kids out, youre going to rip the heart out of our community, she said. Studies, committees drive district decisions Shneckloth, the superintendent, knows the district will need to change its transportation services, regardless of potential school closures. We plan on that being a part of our planning process before the vote occurs, he said. Because that will have a large impact on some of our families. To alleviate issues with busing, said John Mahon, an architect at a firm called Bray, theyll need to re-draw district boundary lines, pending the boards decision. The board selected Bray to lead the planning process in 2021, officially launching the initiative that fall. In September, the district contracted consulting firm MDRoffers to conduct an enrollment projection study to guide its planning. The study projected enrollment to decline by approximately 749 resident K-12 students by 2031 prompting the district to consider school reconfiguration. Capacity is only one piece of information in a bigger effort of understanding moves that are made within the district, so that's not a sole determining factor, Mahon reassured the public at an Aug. 25 planning meeting. Bray also made a 600-plus page facilities study document, analyzing the current needs at each building. Currently, the district has 17 PreK-6 elementary schools, four 7-8 junior high schools, three high schools, one K-8 and one specialized high school. The district tasked a Facilities Master Planning Committee (FMPC) - consisting of one staff member and parent from each school, district leadership, and a team from Bray - to propose pathways toward the following: The best grade configuration, number of school building transitions and pathway/experience for students The best path toward right-sizing the number of school buildings to align with current and projected student enrollments The district is considering two proposals: A K-4, 5-8 grade configuration, resulting in 12 five-track elementary schools and six junior high schools A K-5, 6-8 grade configuration, to yield 15 four-track elementary schools and five junior highs schools Envision a day when we have state-of-the-art facilities and our programs meet our student needs," Shneckloth said. "That's the direction we're heading. We need to be financially stable and competitive. I know it'll be difficult, but it's the right thing to do." The FMPC is not responsible for specific schools to be idled, closed and/or expanded. District leadership consulted with city leaders to propose organizational charts for each pathway, aiming to create true feeder schools for each high school in the district. Next steps In any case, proposed pathways and organizational changes would take the district years to implement, and the district is still taking factors into consideration, including parent input. Nevertheless, We will gain operational efficiencies, but that will be done through attrition. Im confident in that, Shneckloth said. Our buildings mean a lot to communities. But in this instance, we have to grow excellence for the future, he said. That means we have to be very intentional about how we move forward. Our goal is to have a clear path of communication for our staff members as we develop the new plans. The district has the plans on its website, and its sending out a community survey to every district household, the results of which will also be available on the districts website. This could set the tone for the next 10 to 20 years in our district, Shneckloth said. Rice, the Buchanan kindergarten teacher, attended one of the public planning meetings and encourages others to do the same. I felt like I was able to ask questions and get answers, not necessarily definitive answers because they dont know at this point. I watch school board meetings and get information there, too," she said. "If youre actively trying to find this information, youre going to find it. Others like Burt, the business owner in Walcott, said he and many others have felt blindsided. Last week, he started a petition titled Save Walcott School, which has over 2,000 signatures. We knocked on doors and handed out flyers, and many had no idea the change was being proposed. Burt said. Berthiaume, another parent, thinks information is accessible, but the district could improve its language. No one wants their school to close, she said. But parents at least need to understand what comes next. Another point of emphasis from the district was that even if schools close, the district would absorb those teachers and staff members at other schools. Mahon said the master plan should bring more job security for each district building, and would attract new staff to the district as it invests in new, improved facilities. Shneckloth said to teachers and parents: Its a very unsettling thing to go through what were talking about now. We care about you, were committed to you, and we want to make sure you know that as we go forward in this decision-making process. The East Moline School District No. 37 will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for its new East Moline Early Learning Center at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19. The address for the new center is 3100 4th Ave. in East Moline. The East Moline Early Learning Center serves approximately 200 students ages 3 to 5 in need of extra support before kindergarten. The early childhood program has been housed in Wells Elementary for the past 30 years We know that early intervention is extremely important for children, and our new school will allow our early learning team to work with students in an environment that is tailored to their specific needs, Superintendent Dr. Kristin Humphries said in a press release. Our Board of Education believes in infinite possibilities for all children, and they understand that the East Moline Early Learning Center is an investment in the future of our community. The initiative is funded in part by a State of Illinois grant. For more information, reach out to Dr. Humphries at khumphries@emsd37.org or 309-792-2887. The revelation earlier this week that federal prosecutors are involved in investigations of suspected voting system breaches across the U.S. is fueling questions about the security of voting machines just two months before the midterm elections. Security breaches at election offices in Colorado, Georgia and Michigan have been sometimes aided by local officials who allowed unauthorized access to people who copied software and hard drive data, and in several cases shared it publicly. Security experts say the breaches by themselves have not necessarily increased threats to the November elections, but say they increase the possibility that rogue election workers could access election equipment to launch attacks. CHICAGO - Republican candidate for governor Darren Bailey regularly rails against government spending while accusing Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker of trying to solve the states problems merely by tossing money into the four winds. Thats all we ever hear for solutions in Illinois more money, more spending, Bailey said at a campaign appearance earlier this month. That more money and more spending never comes with more accountability and more transparency. Thats all this mans done, is continue to spend and waste taxpayers money. But absent from Baileys criticism is recognition that his father, mother and sister have benefited from two transactions over the last two decades worth more than $8 million in federal and state funds tied to a sprawling spread of property the trio owned in southern Illinois, including $4.32 million from, oddly enough, the Pritzker administration, according to records obtained by the Tribune. In the little-noticed transaction in 2021, Pritzkers Department of Natural Resources bought from the Baileys more than 2,290 acres of mostly wetland about 100 miles south of Urbana-Champaign. The land is slated to become a public recreation and hunting area, according to state officials and financial records. Beyond the proceeds for selling the land, Baileys relatives also collected sizable federal government payments tied to most of that same property. They entered a contract to receive $3.74 million through a 2005 federal wetlands easement that required them to preserve the land as a natural habitat, according to local, state and federal records. The two multimillion-dollar transactions provide the public with the latest example of the intersection between state Sen. Baileys family and funding from governments that Bailey often decries as being too big and undisciplined with spending. Bailey, a downstate farmer and lawmaker, and his relatives also have collected millions of dollars in COVID-related assistance and federal farming subsidies over the years for their farms and other businesses. The Bailey family incomes are dwarfed by the billions of dollars amassed by entrepreneur and Hyatt Hotel heir Pritzker, a portion of which the Tribune previously found was held in several secret offshore shell companies. But the revelations about the June 2021 state land deal and the federal easement funds provide a broader picture of the extended Bailey family finances. Bailey last week released a portion of his federal income tax returns for the past five years. While the returns detail his income for those years, it does not account for the thousands of acres of downstate farmland that his business, Bailey Family Farm LLC, owns and farms or other assets. Pritzker has offered a similar glimpse of his massive financial wealth by releasing just the same initial pages of his personal income tax returns. A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the agency found no records to indicate the lawmaker contacted administration officials about his relatives land deal. Although the sale of the land to the state didnt benefit Darren Bailey directly, the purchase took place while he was minority spokesperson for the state Senates Agriculture Committee. Previously, as a state representative, Bailey served on House panels that dealt with farming, environmental and conservation issues. Bailey declined to be interviewed for this story. In response to several questions from the Tribune about the state purchase of land owned by family members, a campaign spokesman said in an emailed statement that the senator had nothing to do with the state purchase in any capacity. The statement also indicated the purchase didnt conflict with Baileys stances as a candidate for governor. It noted Baileys plan to implement zero-based budgeting for state government is just the requirement for the state agencies to justify their spending each year rather than getting automatic increases, and that such a policy would not have an impact on the federal funds in a grant program such as the one the state used to buy the land. Darren has made his spending priorities clear, the statement said. The GOP candidate for governor did not answer other written questions, including how he balances his philosophy that government spends too much with the state buying his familys land. Still, the oddness of a sitting governors administration engaging in such a major deal with his campaign rivals family is viewed as an unusual political juxtaposition, even among veteran state officials. This is a new one on me, said Brent Manning, who was DNR director under Republican Govs. Jim Edgar and George Ryan. Ive never heard of this before. In addition to the transaction involving Baileys father, mother and sister, it also involved his uncle, Don Bailey, a broker who says he served as a mediator on the deal. In an interview with the Tribune, Don Bailey also said his nephew absolutely was not involved in any part of the transaction, nor was he involved in any discussions with DNR officials. He was scared to death to get close because of his state and political positions, Don Bailey said. DNRs land purchases generally come down to agency priorities and what land is available, but like many issues in government the final decisions about how to spend public dollars often spark criticism and raise questions about regional needs. A Don Bailey flyer marketed the land as a sportsman paradise loaded with ducks, turkey, deer and other wildlife. And in a statement to the Tribune, the Illinois DNR said the property is a beautiful piece of ground thats benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of restoration under the federal wetlands easement program, making it essentially a turnkey site. But Jennifer Walling, executive director of the private Illinois Environmental Council, toured the site from several angles just before Labor Day and said it is clearly not ready for the public. She said she could not drive down one of the dirt roads leading to a main part of the site because there was a roughly foot-deep, water-filled pothole the length of several cars blocking her way. A sign stating the land was private property with a federal conservation easement was on the same post as another sign stating it represented a DNR boundary. Walling said she would prefer to see the state develop a broader strategy to address and promote recreation, outdoor tourism and climate adaptation. Im definitely disappointed that theyre prioritizing something like this when places like Chicago and surrounding suburbs have a really huge lack of natural areas, said Walling, a veteran environmentalist who was unaware of the land purchase before the Tribune spoke with her. There are zero state parks and natural areas that you can reach by public transit or by Amtrak successfully. Don Bailey had a different take about the public money spent on the site: I get aggravated about some of the monies down here sometimes, but then I tell myself, Well, theyre going to spend it. If it wasnt spent here, it would be spent in Chicago. DNRs plans call for opening the site as the Fox Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area in the fall of 2023, well past the Nov. 8 Pritzker-Bailey general election. Long courtship The story of how the Bailey trio cut deals worth more than $8 million with the federal and state governments dates back to 1998, when a good portion of the land was acquired by some of Sen. Baileys relatives from the Centralia Foundation, a group supporting that communitys activities and student scholarships, local records showed. How much the Bailey family paid for the property that stretches across the northeast corner of Wayne County and the southwest corner of Richland County remains somewhat in dispute. Messages were left for the relatives of Darren Bailey but only Don Bailey responded. Richland County records show a land transaction that cost the Baileys $533,600, and Wayne County tax stamps indicate a roughly $387,000 land sale, though it is unclear if there is any overlap in the total dollar amounts listed with the two counties. Centralia Foundation Chair William Sprehe, following a brief review of the nonprofits records, said the tally of the two figures together roughly $920,000 was damn close to the amount needed to help fund a teen recreation center in Centralia in the late 1990s, a move that followed the wishes of anonymous donors who gave the foundation a gift of land. Don Bailey estimated the price likely would have been closer to $2.4 million and recalled family members dealing with a private landholder rather than the foundation. But he acknowledged a purchase could have been quite possible through the Centralia Foundation after the original owner donated the land to the group. Either way, Sprehe said the recreational center could not have been built without the money it received from the Baileys and, while the Baileys did well in getting government funds, he doesnt regret the foundations sale. Officials said they became aware of the property as far back as 2000, when state conservation representatives were contacted while Republican George Ryan was governor. By 2005, the Baileys entered into an agreement for a permanent federal easement to preserve the habitat in exchange for $3.74 million, a move that would keep the easement in place when the state or any future owner would purchase the ground, records showed. In 2007, DNR officials under Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich heard a pitch for a much bigger tract than what was eventually acquired, but state officials rejected the purchase due to funding constraints, records showed. Under Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, DNR officials said, the agency renewed its interest and called the propertys listing agent, who by then was Don Bailey, to confirm the land was still available. They called up one day, Don Bailey said of DNR officials, and said, Were ready to write the contract, and I said, Well, OK. So we wrote the contract, and my brother accepted the terms. It took another year and a half to get the funding. Wayne Rosenthal, the DNR director under Rauner, said he did not think there was anything political surrounding the land sale, but that it was the No. 1 parcel the agencys team of reviewers sought for that southeast area of the state, part of DNRs mission to provide opportunities for people to get in the outdoors. The Don Bailey flyer, pulled from DNRs files, priced the ground at $2,100 an acre, but an appraiser later pegged it at $2,000, state records showed. A DNR technical reviewer called the amount both credible and supportable, but a spokeswoman said the final price was slightly less. Federal officials, given the U.S. government would pick up a third of the costs, reviewed the deal and signed off, as did the Illinois attorney general. The state took out an option on the land in 2020 under the Pritzker administration, but the final purchase came four months after Sen. Bailey of Xenia declared he would join the race to defeat Pritzker. To buy the property, the state used more than $3 million in federal funds and paid the rest with such proceeds as the sale of wildlife habit and migratory waterfowl stamps purchased by Illinois outdoorsmen, according to state officials. Political doubts The senators parents doubted the sale would go through, given that the governor is a Democrat, Don Bailey said, but he said DNR officials finally assured him they wanted the ground and had the money to buy it. Me and my brother both, the seller, thought theres no way in Gods green earth that this is going to happen, Don Bailey said. I mean, we were shocked totally when it went ahead and closed. Don Bailey said his nephew also had doubts the sale would go through. He said he occasionally mentioned developments to his nephew, the senator, even though he steered clear of the deal. Don Bailey described how Sen. Bailey may have been somewhat torn over the balance between his familys desires and his political life. He didnt want it to happen I mean, he wanted his dad to be able to do it, but the timing of it, he really didnt truly, he would have been happier if it did not happen, said Don Bailey, referring to his nephews life in politics. I mean, it was OK with him that it did. But he would have been just as happy if it had not happened. When state DNR officials finalized the purchase last year, the overwhelming majority of the states payments $4,041,066 went to the senators parents, Bill L. and Norma Jean Bailey, along with an additional $118,934 for Bill Bailey individually for a separate piece of property, according to state records. The final $160,000 went to their daughter, Ann Nicole Bailey-Hout, comptroller records showed. Illinois has a poor track record for setting aside wetlands, having lost 90% of the states original habitat and ranking low among states in preserving the settings that prevent flooding, reduce sedimentation in waterways and support wildlife. It is with that backdrop that DNR officials maintained the land was an acquisition priority for at least two decades. An annual report the state submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the fall of 2021 described shallow wetlands, emerging reforested areas and mature forest. The state explained in records to federal officials that the Bailey property purchase uniquely meets all the criteria of Illinois priorities in programs to bolster wetlands, wildlife, hunting and opportunities for viewing nature on public land in areas where opportunities currently do not exist. Before the site opens, DNR said, the agency plans to construct parking lots on the land. All but one, roughly 60-acre tract falls under the federal easement, which remained intact when the state took over. The special wetland designation requires federal approval of an overall management plan before DNR said it can move forward. Bailey money The Bailey family is familiar with how to tap into federal programs, based on records kept by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose funders include the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation. The senators parents have received about $5.6 million in federal farm subsidies from 1995 to mid-2020, and his sister, Ann Nicole Bailey-Hout, received more than $2.1 million, according to EWGs data. Sen. Bailey and his wife, Cindy, collected more than $3.5 million in federal farm subsidies during the same period, EWG reported. During the primary campaign, the Tribune reported that, on Feb. 26, 2021, Darren Bailey received one of his payments from the federal governments coronavirus business relief Paycheck Protection Program under the Small Business Administration $231,475 to support 11 jobs on his family farm. Less than a month later, he reported a personal loan of $150,000 to his campaign, listing Self-Employed (Bailey Family Farms) as his employer on state campaign finance disclosures. A database produced by investigative news agency ProPublica showed Bailey-related entities received hundreds of thousands of dollars more in federal aid, including PPP loans for a Christian school and coronavirus food assistance compensation for farmers that went to Bailey Family Farm. As was the case with most PPP loans, the loans were forgiven. Despite Sen. Baileys criticism of government handouts, free stuff and socialism, his campaign has defended Bailey Family Farm, saying it abided by the rules and took part in federal programs just like other businesses in Illinois. I, to this day, am proud that I was involved with it, proud that it came through, said Don Bailey of the land sale. But Im still a little amazed that it did happen and it did revive my belief in mankind and in politicians that some things that are right do happen. 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. 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. 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. MAPS Media Institute, going into their 19th year, is excited to open their doors for afterschool classes starting on Sept. 26. MAPS staff serve as a resource for processing huge amounts media content information. Young people are bombarded by media content through multiple forms of technology daily. The access to real-time information has never been greater and the impact on developing minds has remained a hot topic of youth-focused programs, educators, parents and guardians across the globe. MAPS Executive Director Clare Ann Harff, said the Montana nonprofit MAPS Media Institute tackles this question in every free media arts class they teach. MAPS classes are structured in ways which challenge youth's understanding of the power of the stories they tell through every kind of media they access. Media is an ever-evolving primary driver on how we communicate, create and interact, Harff said. By offering professional media arts educational opportunities, MAPS goal is for students to deepen their understanding in these varied mediums and to support them to confidently function in the workplace, college, careers, and life. Through MAPS professional media arts instructors, students learn about the importance, and power of the messages they view and share. They learn about the technology used to create the media they interact with (drone building, programming, video game design, graphic design, video creation), how messages are created, who they are created for, why they are created, and how those messages can impact them, their community, and society overall. As instructors encourage MAPS students, called MAPSters, to think more deeply about the role they play in the media they use, they often see ah ha moments as students begin to glimpse the bigger picture that is the world around them. Often this is when students start to understand that they have a unique voice and that their voice has power. These moments translate into stories that dont discount Tik Tok dances or selfies posted to Instagram but change the way students think as they produce and absorb quick content. Harff believes this awakening has many benefits. Having access to quality media arts education provides many things for todays youth, she said. It empowers students to learn how to effectively communicate and form their own style of creative inquiry while also connecting with other disciplines. It encourages students to research, design, and present ideas in new informed ways. Getting MAPSters to the point of media understanding is just one part of the equation. Once students understand the potential impact of the stories they tell, MAPS teaches them how to tell those stories using industry-level equipment. MAPS Program Director Cove Jasmin said it is important to bring MAPSters into the world of professional media arts. Putting next-level gear, such as industry-level filmmaking equipment, professional design/editing software, and studio-level music production equipment in a students hand is something many young people never get to experience, Jasmin said. We create access to this kind of experience at MAPS through a wide variety of free media arts classes. This access creates opportunity. The moment a student sets down their phone and steps onto a film set or creates music through technology, the way they view the media changes forever. Going into their 19th year, MAPS Media Institute is excited to open their doors for afterschool classes starting on Sept. 26. MAPS Communications and Marketing Director Janna Williams said the programming brings excitement. When MAPS classes start there is always a creative buzz in the air, Williams said. Even though I dont know what stories our MAPSters will tell, I know they will be representative of their individual voices. Those are the stories I cant wait to hear and share. The 2022 - 2023 school year offers three separate sessions filled with opportunities for 8th to 12th graders to create in film, music, design and new technologies. All of these classes support greater media understanding while offering students the chance to work with professional instructors, learn new skills, create more than ever before, and analyze the way they interact with media. MAPS Film Instructor Dillon Jenkins, who has worked with MAPS on projects across Montana, said he is looking forward to the startup and collaboration. "Having taught MAPS workshops in the past, I am excited to get into the classroom with new and returning faces this fall, he said. Walking students through the process of creating a film, from idea to screening, is an invaluable experience for them and for me. I can't help learning through them as I watch them build community with each other and the world around them. This kind of connection makes for some pretty incredible stories." MAPS Media Institute classes are always free-of-charge for 8th to 12th grade students. Every class is structured to support and welcome all abilities, and students may enroll at any time. The MAPS Hamilton Studio is located at 515 Madison Street in Hamilton and is open to students from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday. For more information about MAPS, and to enroll, visit mapsmediainstitute.com, call 406-381-7230, or email Cove Jasmin at cove@mapsmediainstitute.com. When Victor resident Sara Schroeder applied for the U.S. State Departments virtual teaching program, she had no idea where the students she would be working with would be from. She figured it would be an adventure. After all, she already teaches English to students in Japan, and enjoys getting to learn about different countries and cultures through her work. It wasnt until after she was accepted that she learned her new assignment may be more sensitive than her past projects. This fall she will be teaching students in the war-torn country of Ukraine. I was pleased because I didnt know where I would be matched, Schroeder said. "Ive been waiting to be matched to a project for a few weeks and it could have been anywhere in the world. When I found out it was Ukraine, I was really excited. Schroeder has been selected for the State Department's prestigious Virtual English Language Educator Program, new for the 2022-23 academic year. She will be working virtually with students and faculty at Kyiv's Shevchenko National University, teaching a class of college freshman as well as a group of seniors. Schroeder has taught at the University of Montana English Language Institute for 10 years and was selected as a Montana University System Regents Teaching Scholar in 2019. She regularly presents at teaching conferences and publishes in teaching journals. She has also developed an open-education resource website for podcasting with English-language learners. I've taught English for 10 years, but I've always almost exclusively taught students from other countries, she said. And I haven't really done that much traveling. Other than traveling to Russia, I haven't been out of the country too much, but this has been such a great way. I've taught students from over 80 countries at the University of Montana. So having the chance to kind of connect, especially to students from Ukraine right now, I think it's a pretty unique opportunity. Teachers applying for the program go through a rigorous application process, followed by an interview. Once accepted, they are put into a database of virtual educators to be matched with embassies from around the world. The State Department has always had these English Language Fellow and specialist programs, but they require time out of the country, Schroeder said. "And this one can be done virtually. So after I heard about it at the conference in February, I went ahead and applied. The Ukrainian embassy, they found me based on some of my background and contacted me about teaching for them. Schroeder is currently working through an orientation course provided by the State Department to help prepare her for working with students who are living in a war zone or have experienced other kinds of trauma due to the upheaval of war. A lot of the students are not returning to class in person right now. So they're just kind of talking about being flexible with the students and understanding that they may be unable to focus as well as usual, Schroeder said. They've encouraged me to give lighter homework then I would usually give and just to be understanding if students miss class. I've also been encouraged to record classes in case students have connection issues, or if they have to miss because there's an air raid or something along those lines. Schroeder will start teaching classes on Oct. 3. Her sessions will be from 7-9 a.m., which is 4-6 p.m. in Ukraine. She will continue teaching English to her Japanese students in the evening as she takes on this new challenge. Every time I work with students from other countries, I ended up learning so much about their country and their language. And I actually ended up kind of being able to learn even more about our country, said Schroeder. So I, as a teacher, I get to learn a ton from working with international students, which has been just invaluable to me. She also hopes that her classes can offer a break for students from the hardships of the war. I think that I have an opportunity to just be, I don't know, maybe a pleasant or friendly distraction from a stressful situation, she said. State authorities are investigating a collision between two boats that killed two people during a bass fishing tournament on Lake Chesdin on Saturday. Preliminary reports indicate a bass boat and an aluminum jon boat collided on the Dinwiddie County side of the lake near Oxford Drive, said Paige Pearson, a spokesperson for the Department of Wildlife Resources. The operator and passenger of each boat were ejected into the water. The occupants of one of the boats were rescued by a good Samaritan; the occupants of the second boat did not resurface and died, Pearson said. She added that no life jackets were worn. The victims bodies were recovered later Saturday. Their names have not yet been released. According to social media reports, witnesses said the two boats approached a curve in the lake from different directions and hit head-on. Lake Chesdin is a 3,100-acre water supply reservoir on the Chesterfield County-Dinwiddie line administered by the Appomattox River Water Authority. The crash occurred during the Lake Chesdin Summer Series Classic, a bass fishing tournament. Pearson said the incident is under investigation by the Virginia Conservation Police Boat Accident Investigation Team. The Department of Wildlife Resources is the state boating agency for Virginia and is accredited by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. Pearson offered these tips for boaters: No matter the time of year, always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Also, have a plan to re-board your boat in case the unexpected happens and you end up in the water. More information about boating laws in Virginia and information on boating, boating education and water safety can be found at dwr.virginia.gov/boating. It was almost 100 years ago that A. Duie Pyle launched his own shipping operation with nothing but two trucks that he managed to buy from a neighbor. Today, his eponymous company, Pennsylvania-based A. Duie Pyle, employs a team of over 4,000 who transport goods for clients across a territory that reaches as far north as the Canadian border, traverses south along the Atlantic coast, stretches westward into Ohio and now is leaping into Virginia with the grand opening of three facilities that give it a footprint in NOVA, Richmond and Roanoke. I want to thank the community of Roanoke for allowing us to be a part of your neighborhood, your home, said Peter Latta, grandson of A. Duie Pyle and the third generation of the family to lead the growing, supply chain services company. Roanoke where A. Duie Pyle now leases a 16-bay, cross-dock service center that created about 25 jobs offered key strategic advantages given its prime position on the Interstate 81 corridor, regional leaders said when the companys expansion was first announced earlier this year. The logistics providers entry into Virginia was touted by the governors office in a March bulletin. The companys three new facilities are eligible for state benefits through the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program. A. Duie Pyle anticipated its firm would be investing about $20 million in its new locations in Manassas, Richmond and Roanokes western end. The jobs created could pay up to $100,000 depending on the position and hours, a spokesperson said at the time. The new jobs based in Roanoke include drivers, technicians, managers and sales staff, officials said this week. A. Duie Pyle is already making plans to add a fourth facility in Fredericksburg. It estimates its total staff across Virginia will grow to 100 people or more. The move into the commonwealth felt like a natural next step for the company, officials said. It had done some business south of D.C. before but now has a fully supported operating network that will allow it to grow in that market. Company leaders echoed the significance of Interstate 81 in their expansion plans. That corridor is one of the major shipping arteries serving Northeast America. Adding Virginia to its portfolio also better positions the company to keep pace with the needs of its larger, multi-state clients, said Chief Operating Officer John Luciani. Our customers look at the Northeast region as inclusive of Virginia, he said. So when we have a national account or a significant customer, they consider Virginia a part of their service in the Northeast. We felt like it was a strategic initiative to expand into Virginia to provide full state coverage. The Roanoke facility, which sits at 3348 Salem Turnpike N.W. and spans over 14,000 square feet, opened in April but officials timed its ribbon-cutting for this past week to coincide with National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. The pandemic and its stress on supply chain lines made clearer than ever how vital the work of shipping companies is to every aspect of daily life, local leaders said, from grocery stores to medical supplies to auto parts and more. Pre-COVID, supply chain was a term used largely only in the business world, said Roanoke City Councilman Joe Cobb. Now, its ingrained in everyday vernacular. During COVID, I think a lot more citizens became aware of it, because we were always hearing, well, theres a break in the supply chain or a delay in the supply chain, Cobb said. The fact that you all do this work, and youre trying to be that bridge and strengthen that supply chain is significant. I want to thank you for that. A. Duie Pyle handles an average of 11,000 to 12,000 shipments a day. It shuttles goods for a variety of clients. The company will be marking its centennial in 2024. There arent many family businesses that turn 100, and can continue on for the next 100 years, said Latta, who is chairman and CEO, as he reflected on the companys history and expansion. ... Were blessed to have grown considerably. With that week being carved out as a time to recognize truck drivers, Latta added it felt right to be in Virginia to celebrate with the newest members of the companys team. People outside our business look at it and say, its about trucks, its about facilities, its about technology. Those are all tools of the trade. But, at the end of the day, were a service business, he said. Its people who provide that service And its the commitment of our people that really, ultimately distinguishes Pyle from our competition. He added later, I can think of no place better to be than here to thank our team in Roanoke. UN report exposes negative effects of racism on right to development Xinhua) 09:08, September 18, 2022 A sign is seen during protests against racial injustice to mark Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, June 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Individuals of African descent in the United States have a substantially lower life expectancy than the white population. In Australia and Canada, aboriginal peoples also have significantly shorter life expectancies than other ethnic groups. GENEVA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A group of United Nations (UN) experts Friday presented a thematic report exposing the negative effects of racism and racial discrimination on the right to development, urging the international community to prevent racism in all forms and fight inequalities. Mihir Kanade, chair rapporteur of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, presented the report to the 51st session of UN Human Rights Council. He said the experts hoped that the report would help to address racial discrimination and the obstacles it posed to social and economic development worldwide. Kanade said that racism and racial discrimination are among the biggest obstacles to the realization of the right to development, and the right to development and the issue of racism are two of the most overlooked areas of human rights advocacy. He cited the report as saying that inequalities based on race have not received the same attention as other forms of inequality set out in the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda. According to studies shown in the report, in Britain, women and men of African descent were, respectively, 4.3 and 4.2 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than their white counterparts. Data from the United States reveals that the COVID-19 death rate among African Americans is more than double that of other racial groups in the country, the report showed. A medical worker collects a swab sample from a man at a COVID-19 testing site on Times Square in New York, the United States, May 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Individuals of African descent in the United States have a substantially lower life expectancy than the white population. In Australia and Canada, aboriginal peoples also have significantly shorter life expectancies than other ethnic groups. Likewise, the report showed, Roma populations across Europe have an average life expectancy between 5-20 years shorter and face infant mortality rates 2-3 times higher than the general population. Friday's report also indicated that in the United States, black people are nearly three times more likely to be killed by a police officer than white people, even though they are 1.3 times more likely to be unarmed. A protester is seen under the sign "Black Lives Matter Plaza" near the White House during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) "As societies become ever more multi-ethnic, multireligious and multicultural, greater investments in inclusivity and cohesion are required to harness the benefits of diversity for all humanity rather than perceiving it as a threat," the report stressed. "The international community is called upon to reaffirm its commitment to universal human rights and shared values that enshrine equality and dignity for all within and beyond the framework of the right to development," it added. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) The guest speaker for CREDO (Civil Rights Educational Development Opportunity) will be Dr. Menah Pratt-Clarke, Vice President for Strategic Affairs, Vice Provost for Inclusion and Diversity and Professor of Education at Virginia Tech. Please join us as we learn more about Techs inclusion and diversity programs, including student opportunities and achievement. Also in the Sept. 25 meeting we will select a Nominating Committee to coordinate election of officers and four members at large for the 2023-2024 term. The Nominating Committee will interview and come up with a slate of candidates for the various positions from among eligible members. To serve on the committee, you must be a current member as of Aug. 25. To run for office, you must be a member of this branch as of May 1 (changed by National from April 1). Prospective candidates, please be thinking about a position you wish to hold. RICHMOND Virginias new Chief Transformation Officers work so far has focused at speeding up unemployment insurance benefits and cutting waiting times at DMV and now hes looking at a redesign of the states mental health services. In a report to Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the chairs of the General Assembly money committees, Chief Transformation Officer Eric Moeller said he will direct $1.3 million to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services for that redesign effort. He is looking for proposals about the structure and operation of Virginias mental hospitals the department operates eight for adults and one for children and teenagers. For decades, advocates, state legislators and even some state officials complained that Virginia spends too much of a limited mental health budget on hospitals and not enough on community services. But the political challenge of closing large institutions with hundreds of employees each has limited the states options. More recently, Virginias bed of last resort law and sharp rises in patients after courts send them people charged with crimes, have filled some state hospitals to capacity, and in some cases beyond. Moeller also wants a look at how the behavioral health department delivers regional services, as well as at the work of the 40 Community Services Boards, which the state and local government jointly fund. The boards are responsible for providing services in communities everything from responding when individuals threaten suicide to offering outpatient services to running group homes to having teams of doctors, nurses and social workers who make daily or even more frequent visits to individuals with illnesses so severe that they would otherwise have to be in a hospital. Virginias underfunded mental health system has been a challenge for legislators and governors for decades. A General Assembly joint commission has been digging into the mental health systems challenges and pushing reforms through the legislature for eight years. Its efforts so far include laws aimed at stopping streeting of people with mental illnessthat is, giving up on finding hospital beds for people in crisis. Another law pushed by the commission tries to make sure access to critical care doesnt depend on where an individual lives. This law requires all CSBs offer nine essential services, including same-day assessment for people with significant mental health issues, crisis services, primary care screening and outpatient services. Pressing the legislature to fully fund this effort and to tackle the chronic, and worsening shortage of direct care staff has been another major effort of the commission. Afraid there has not been much discussion of the Administrations plan, said state Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, who launched the legislatures commission after his sons suicide when he was unable to find a place for care in a crisis. Earlier this year, the Commissioner advised me they were thinking about a decentralization plan, but I have not been privy to the details, Deeds added, referring to the commissioner of the Behavioral Health department. State Sen. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg, another member of the commission, said it has been working hard to shift Virginias mental health spending split, now at 70% for institutions and 30% for community, to look more like the rest of the nation, where the split is more like 30% for hospitals and 70% in the community. Its always good when a governor is interested, he said. I just hope they look at the reviews and work weve been doing, and dont just try to start from scratch. Moellers redesign proposal, meanwhile, will also focus on departments services for people with developmental disabilities. Virginia has closed all but one of its institutions for these individuals and stepped up funding for community supports. It did so to settle U.S. Department of Justice findings of civil rights violations by keeping people in more restrictive situations than were necessary. Moellers report also details plans to direct nearly $2 million to a two-phase effort to improve the way the state buys goods and services, with an eye to securing quick win savings. The plan calls for $1 million for a consultant to help describe a strategy for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and $300,000 for a pilot program to develop common tools and language for state employee performance improvement plans. Hes also looking to direct a total of $870,000 for follow-up work to improve customer service and reduce the amount of manual processing of paperwork at the employment commission. There will also be follow-up work at the Department of Motor Vehicles to enhance customer service, improve management tools and reduce operating costs. In addition, he wants to use $1.3 million to create a pool of project management experts who can be dispatched to help agencies with high priority programs. Youngkin created the chief transformation officer post in a January executive order, to drive changes improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our government through tracking key performance metrics. The officer serves in the governors Cabinet. The Build Back Better Regional Challenge was a $1 billion U.S. Economic Development Administration program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Despite a valiant effort and a designation as a national finalist, a Virginia Tech-led coalition of 50 Southwest Virginia organizations did not win the challenge and the millions in federal funding that would have brought. The proposal Tech spearheaded drew on fields where the university and its affiliated companies and partners are already leaders: the development of automated and electric vehicles, and drone delivery. The fact that the proposal didnt grab the gold when winners were announced Sept. 2 demonstrates mainly that nothing is guaranteed when the competition is fierce. Notable: a Richmond-Petersburg-based project was one of the winners, the Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Cluster, which officials with organization partner Virginia State University said will expand the domestic supply chain for essential medicines and critical active pharmaceutical ingredients so Virginia did at least get about $53 million of that $1 billion. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, has cited Techs run at that challenge as an example of the kind of organizational experience needed to compete for one of the 20 regional technology hubs slated to be created by the CHIPS and Science Act that President Joe Biden signed into law Aug. 9. The act designates $10 billion toward these hubs, which need not be connected to semiconductor chip manufacturing. The White House issued a statement touting these hubs as a product of partnerships between state and local governments, universities, businesses, labor unions and community organizations that will spur innovation in such realms as clean energy and artificial intelligence. Left unsaid yet unmistakably clear, these hubs are intended to found high tech development in areas far outside the urban coastal cities where such industries have been hyper-concentrated. Not just buzz words The founder, president, chairman and former CEO of one of the New River Valleys high tech companies sees an opportunity for Southwest Virginia in development of precision agriculture, which envisions farming the land using advanced technology that makes up-to-the-minute adjustments to multiple patches of soil within a single field. This allows many different types of crops to be grown on subdivided microsites, instead of uniformly, mechanically tending a few crops on one large tract. The techniques can also be applied to animal husbandry and forestry. Entrepreneur Steve Critchfield said that his downtown Pulaski climate tech company, MOVA Technologies, is focused around precision agriculture, which he notes is singled out in the CHIPS and Science Act as a field, so to speak, to support. MOVA recently received a $174,000 Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Institute of Food and Agriculture to fund testing of an air filtration system meant to capture harmful chemical emissions from agricultural processes and not just clean the air of pollutants, but separate and recycle them into forms that can be reused or resold. MOVA is developing this system in a public-private partnership with Virginia Techs College of Agriculture the companys fourth collaboration with Virginia Tech. Climate tech, sustainable green tech is not a buzz word any more. It is a way of economic growth, and our future, Critchfield said. He hopes to see similar businesses attracted to the region by MOVAs work, ambitions not dissimilar to the Roanoke regions dreams for the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Growing a growth center Critchfield noted that the CHIPS Act technology hubs dovetail with recommendations made by a 2019 report from the Brookings Institute and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. The authors of The Case for Growth Centers argued that the concentration of high-tech innovation in a handful of major coastal cities has deepened our countrys economic and political divides, with 90% of growth from 2005 to 2017 happening in just five cities, the report said. That imbalance did not just apply to tech R&D industries. The study showed that every other industrial sector benefited from being in proximity to innovation sector growth an economic boon to which most of the nation had no access. For the sake of increasing economic opportunity and reducing division, the study advocated that the federal government should assemble a major package of federal innovation inputs and supports for innovation-sector scale-up in metropolitan areas distant from existing tech hubs. Further, the report asserted that numerous metropolitan areas in most regions have the potential to become one of Americas next dynamic innovation centers. One might find it discouraging that none of these areas of potential identified in the report were located in Virginia. Critchfield, however, said its no secret that Southwest Virginia has this potential. If we had been where we are now when the report was issued we should, would have been on it, he said. In a region that encompasses Botetourt, Roanoke, Montgomery and Pulaski counties, other counties to the west and east, and the cities and towns contained therein, theres much with potential for tech hub attraction, like the Virginia Tech Carilion healthcare partnership, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center and a larger educated workforce and population. Critchfields optimism and enthusiasm is contagious. As with the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, a tech hub for Southwest Virginia cant be counted as a sure thing but a group effort conducted with his attitude surely has a fighting chance. And even if we dont land a hub, the potential to evolve into a high-tech growth center will only grow larger. This article was republished with permission from CalMatters. You can read more of their coverage of California state government on CalMatters.org. " " Westminster Abbey stands against the London skyline as it has for centuries, with the relatively new London Eye watching from a distance. Jonathan Herbert I JH Images/Getty Images Some of the most momentous occasions in the life of Queen Elizabeth II her 1947 marriage to Philip Mountbatten, and her 1953 coronation took place in Westminster Abbey. On Sept. 19, 2022, her state funeral will be held there too, marking the end of a 96-year life and a seven-decade reign as the United Kingdom's monarch. Westminster Abbey has been the backdrop for important royal events for more than 1,000 years. Here are five fascinating things you might not know about the iconic World Heritage Site. Advertisement 1. Westminster Abbey Is Not Actually an Abbey at All The word "abbey" refers to a building used by monks or nuns; neither live at Westminster Abbey today. But the name is a holdover from the building's earliest days, explains Dr. John Cooper, director of the Society of Antiquaries of London, in an email interview. "Westminster Abbey was founded as a monastery of Benedictine monks around the year 960, a century before Anglo-Saxon England was conquered by the Normans," he says. "Benedictine monks wore black habits and were devoted to a simple life of poverty, chastity and obedience. But as the Palace of Westminster became the center of English royal government and ceremony, so the Abbey became the place where coronations and many royal burials were held." During the Reformation, King Henry VIII dissolved all the English monasteries. The Abbey is now something known as a "royal peculiar," because it technically belongs not to the Church of England, but directly to the monarchy. "The two most famous examples [of royal peculiars] are Westminster Abbey, where Queen Elizabeth II's funeral service will be held, and St. George's Chapel at Windsor, where she will be laid to rest with her late husband the Duke of Edinburgh in a private service," says Cooper. Perhaps most surprising: Westminster Abbey isn't actually the building's name anymore. "Formally," Cooper says, "it is the 'Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster,' but almost everyone calls it by its historic name of Westminster Abbey." " " Guests attend a Service of Thanksgiving for Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey, March 29, 2022. The grave of the Unknown Warrior is seen in the foreground. RICHARD POHLE/POOL/AFP /Getty Images Advertisement 2. There's Not Much of the Original Abbey Left While Westminster Abbey was originally dedicated in 1065 C.E., under the reign of King Edward the Confessor, most of that original building was demolished in the 13th century when Henry III rebuilt the church. "The earliest Abbey buildings survive only as archaeological traces," says Cooper. "But much of Henry III's Gothic Abbey of the thirteenth century can still be seen today, including the Chapter House with its tiled floor, the Purbeck marble shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, and wall-paintings of St. Christopher and Doubting Thomas that were rediscovered in the 1930s." And while the two iconic towers on the front of Westminster Abbey might look medieval, they're actually the youngest part of the building, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and completed in the 1740s. " " St. Margaret's Church features the rose window in the south transept, which depicts Christ surrounded by 16 symbolic figures of the virtues and orders of angels. Alla Tsyganova /Shutterstock Advertisement 3. It's Loaded With Bodies There are more than 3,000 people buried in Westminster Abbey, so most visitors can't help but walk over a lot of graves. But some tombs are more notable than others. For centuries, the Abbey was the final resting place of England's kings and queens; 30 of them, to be exact. The royal tombs are some of the most well-known spots in the church. "As a Tudor historian, my favorite place in the Abbey has to be the Henry VII Chapel in the east end," says Cooper. "As a king who had won the throne by conquest, Henry VII was obsessive about displaying his legitimacy to rule. By creating a magnificent new royal mausoleum in Westminster Abbey, he ensured that he and his successors would be remembered in perpetuity in England's greatest church." The last monarch to be buried there was George II, but sometime in the mid-1600s, a practice began of burying nonroyals in Westminster Abbey. Of course, it was an honor not bestowed on just anyone: These graves are a veritable who's who of English literature, science and culture, including Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare and more than 100 other poets and writers, the scientist Sir Isaac Newton, Prime Ministers Pitt the Elder and Pitt the Younger, and the naturalist Charles Darwin. The most recent burial at Westminster was for physicist Stephen Hawking, whose ashes were interred near Newton's in 2018. " " The tomb of Queen Elizabeth I lies in Westminster Abbey, along with those of centuries of royalty and a virtual pantheon of literary, scientific and cultural icons. Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Advertisement 4. It Houses the Most Famous Chair in the World The Coronation Chair is one of the most famous pieces of furniture in the world. It was originally commissioned in 1300 by King Edward I to hold the massive Stone of Scone, which Edward had taken from Scotland. Also known at the Stone of Destiny, the huge block of sandstone is where Scottish kings were crowned beginning in about the year 498. Once it was placed under the care of the Abbot of Westminster, the coronation chair a large throne made of oak was built to sit atop it. " " A conservator cleans the Coronation Chair on which King Henry VIII was throned in 1509. Since 1308, when it was commissioned by King Edward I, all but two monarchs have been crowned in the chair. Katie Collins/PA Images/Getty Images The Coronation Chair was painted with colorful plants, animals and birds, all highlighted with gold gilt. There have been 38 coronation ceremonies at Westminster, with the monarch-to-be sitting in the Coronation Chair, including Queen Elizabeth in the 1950s. The Stone was stolen from under the chair in 1950 by Scottish nationalists, though it was recovered in 1951. In 1996, the British government decided to officially return it to Scotland, and when it's not being used in coronation ceremonies, it's now held at Edinburgh castle. Advertisement 5. One of its Greatest Treasures Is Hiding in Plain Sight On the way into the Chapter House, visitors pass through a seemingly unremarkable, short wooden door. It's actually one of the last vestiges of the original abbey, and perhaps, says Cooper, Britain's oldest door. " " Britain's oldest door was constructed during the reign of Edward the Confessor. Westminster Abbey "The oak door in the Chapter House vestibule has been dated by modern dendrochronology to the time of Edward the Confessor's reign, just before the Norman Conquest," he says. "The ring pattern reveals that the timber came from eastern England." The door would originally have been about 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall, likely with an arched top. But, explains Cooper, it "was cut down to be recycled in Henry III's Abbey, built from 1245." According to the official Westminster Abbey website, "After the planks were fitted together probably both faces were covered with cow hide, added to provide a smooth surface for decoration (no trace of painting remains). Then the ornamental iron hinges and decorative straps were fixed. Only one of the original straps survives today with hide trapped underneath it (on the inner face of the door) ... In the 19th century the fragments of cow hide were first noted and a legend grew up that this skin was human. It was supposed that someone had been caught committing sacrilege or robbery in the church and had been flayed and his skin nailed to this door as a deterrent to others." In Westminster Abbey, even the simplest things are utterly remarkable. Now That's Important Westminster Abbey is open to the general public, but is still a living, working church, so make sure you visit the website to plan your visit before you go. MARION, S.C. More than 600 people gathered at Marion High School to attend Marion County Long-Term Recovery Groups No Place Like Home family housing event to receive helpful information Thursday. Marion County Long Term Recovery Group Chairman Bishop Michael A. Blue along with more than 50 volunteers rotated the group through several stations with representatives from Department of Social Services, legal aid, S.C. Housing and more. Blue said the event included information on rental and mortgage assistance along with financial counseling, heirs property issues, job opportunities and affordable internet service. More importantly help residents interested in home ownership or have rental needs. Housing is a fundamental need for every person, and in our communities, housing is one of the greatest concerns for our families, he said. The event included free food, gift bags and supply giveaways. Marion County Long Term Recovery Group Executive Director Linda Phillips said the housing event attracted more people than expected. We prepared for 500 and didnt think we would have so many people, Phillips said. People want information and theyre getting good information. Phillips called it a great response from the public and wanted to serve Marion and surrounding counties. We want people to know there is someone they can reach out for any housing stability need they may have, she said. Phillips said the Marion County Long-Term Recovery Group hope to organize another event in the future. Realtor and credit counselor Jessica Rogers was among the vendors participating and said she was happy to help inform others. Im so excited to be able to give this information out to our communities, Rogers said. We want to increase the rate of homeownership in our community. Buying home is not as hard as people think. Rogers said she wants to encourage people to own homes and generate wealth. She is based in Dillon but serves both South Carolina and North Carolina, focusing on the Pee Dee region and aware of several programs to help with assistance to first-time buyers. Me and my husband actually utilized a program five years ago and thats how we became homeowners, she said. I wish something like this experience was a round six years ago. You going to come away with knowledge that you need to become a homeowner. I think its very important for people to understand that you dont need perfect credit or a 20 percent down payment. Lets debunk those myths and really get homeownership information out to our communities. Marion County Long-Term Recovery Group board member and Marion County Planning and Special Project official Ogleretta D. White said she was happy to see so many people attend. Marion County Long-Term Recovery Group board member and Marion County Superintendent Dr. Kandace Bethea said her dual roles involve strengthening the partnership among the groups. This is such a great resource for our families in the district, Bethea said. Having access to all this information can help better their lives and its all in one place. This is just a dynamic event. Its truly been a blessing working with Dr. Blue and this committee. Its a heart of giving and every conversation is about bettering the community of Marion County. Im just glad to be a part of that team. Marion County Long-Term Recovery Group held activities in the past including organizing a community meeting at the Door of Hope Christian Church. Nearly a decade ago several of the same board members helped to attract more than 800 people for a Career Fair and Small Business Expo. For more information call 843-275-6080 or email us at marioncountyltrg@gmail.com. FLORENCE, S.C. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area is honoring Susan and Rick Goings as 2022 Champions for Youth on Tuesday at the SiMT building on the Florence-Darlington Technical College campus. Susan and Rick Goings have dedicated decades to serving children both in the United States and abroad, and are responsible for the establishment and ongoing operations of the Boys & Girls Club in Hemingway, said Neal Zimmerman Jr. He is executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area. The Goingses have made humanitarian and philanthropic efforts a cornerstone of their lives and left a legacy to youth in countless communities, Zimmerman said in a media advisory. While serving as chairman and CEO of Tupperware Brands, in 1998 at the urging of local Tupperware employees in Hemingway, the couple decided to open a Boys & Girls Club for Hemingway youth. It was a dream of many in the community to have a place for youth to go. The Goingses helped purchase a 30,000-square-foot facility and funded extensive renovations to get the Hemingway club up and running. Today, the Boys & Girls Club in Hemingway provides more than 350 youth annually with programs that empower them to become good citizens, excel academically, and lead healthy and productive lives, Zimmerman said. Rick Goings service to clubs began in 1990 when he was asked to assist Boys Clubs of America with their transition to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Almost 30 years of service followed on the National Board of Governors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), where he also served two separate terms as the organizations chairman. Susan Goings also contributed much to the organization, serving as the Chairman of BGCAs National Conference. She also serves on the Rollins College Hamilton Hold Board, states the media advisory. In 2019, the Goingses co-founded the World Federation of Youth Clubs. More than 4,000 clubs serve youth in 30 countries worldwide and address the growing need for international youth clubs for children and teens. The Goingses also provide financial resources for college scholarships and youth-development programs for at risk youth through their foundation. The Pee Dee area has been blessed by many years of support the Goingses have provided to the youth of Hemingway, Zimmerman said. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area is proud to honor Rick and Susan as their 2022 Champions for Youth. Others who have been recipients of this award: 2019, William T. Billy Jarrell; 2018, Tom Ewart; 2017, Rob Colones; 2016, Buddy Brand; 2015, Dr. Tammy Pawloski; 2014, Florence Boys & Girls Club 50th Anniversary; 2013, East Florence Mission/ Center Day School; 2012, Rev. Dr. William P. Diggs; 2011, Darla Moore; 2010, Ralph R. Porter, Jr.; 2009, Dr. Allie E. Brooks Jr.; 2008, Richard C. Harrington Jr.; 2007, Rep. James E. Clyburn; 2006, Sen. Hugh Leatherman Sr.; 2005, Dr. Luther F. Carter and 2004, Frank Avent. The Boys & Girls Club of the Pee Dee Area provides services to more than 3,500 youth a year through six club sites in three counties: Florence, Hartsville, Hemingway, Lake City, Pamplico and Timmonsville. We offer children four pillars: A safe place to learn & grow; Ongoing relationships with caring adults; Life enhancing programs & character development exercises; Hope & Opportunity, Zimmerman said. He said the club is making a difference in the lives of children. Ninety-eight percent of club members maintain a passing grade point average in school Ninety-seven percent of their members teachers say members homework is completed on a daily basis. Eighty-eight of their members teachers notice club members care more about learning and the same number say members behavior has improved. Ninety-seven percent of their members parents say their children learned how to set goals and eighty-five percent of their parents say Club services help them hold a job. Funds are raised through this event to help area children with various levels of sponsors and tickets. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). FREE SHIPPING on Over 250,000 Products Shop now and get Free Value Shipping on most orders over $49 to the contiguous 48 states, DC and to all U.S. Military APO/FPO/DPO addresses. Enjoy our FREE RETURNS We want to ensure that making a return is as easy and hassle-free as possible! If for any reason you decide that your purchase just isn't for you, simply return the item within 30 days of receipt and we'll cover the cost of return shipping. Learn more about our Return Policy. Wetland 3 1.47 ONE INNOVALE3031 ONE INNOVALE2800 600 MIAMI QUAY 5 8.5%1.5 80.1% 91.5 116.46% 4 12 2008 -B 2022 SEC1.56 650 3 13357% 110.8% Wetland 31033 ONE INNOVALE2750 1.058 33% 1610 NORTH SIOUX CITY Mike Chicoine has a plan for McCook Lake. The South Dakota resident wants to construct an estimated 1,500-foot-long, 90-foot-wide canal on the southeast end of North Sioux City's oxbow lake. But that plan, which would compliment a new housing development, has come under fire from townspeople and been questioned by city officials for its potential to put additional strain on what's considered a drought-stressed body of water. "If it goes through then we wont have a lake. It would be devastating," said Renae Hansen, a resident and caretaker with the McCook Lake Izaak Walton League whose mission is to "protect the natural resources of McCook Lake and the Siouxland region." McCook Lake, so named, in part, for John Cook, a Union general in the Civil War, is considered a natural "oxbow lake" which is a very specific body of water formed when a curve of a river, creek or stream is cut off from the flow of water. When the course of the Missouri River changed in the 1800s, McCook Lake came to be. The McCook Lake Association is the organization tasked with working to maintain water levels in the oxbow and does so by pumping water some 7,500 feet from the Missouri River into the lake. At least $10 million has been spent between the Lake Association and the local Izaak Walton League chapter for maintenance over the years. In 1987, the Association helped to put in a dike across the southeast end of the lake near where the proposed canal would go. That structure went in to maintain water levels. Dirk Lohry, the McCook Lake Association's president, said the organization also advocates for the 230 lakefront owners by lobbying to governmental bodies such as the North Sioux City Council. He said when he and the group's members first found out about the canal proposal, they were quite concerned. "We are against any expansion of the lake. And theres a lot of reasons behind that. The main reason is theres a real risk of having excessive leaching. In the past, we were responsible for dredging the lake and found out that the south side has a couple of layers of gravel that turned out to cause excessive loss of water," Lohry said. Lohry said "extending" the lake with a canal would mean pumping more water into it and could create more potential for leaking. North Sioux City City Administrator Eric Christensen is similarly worried about the strain a canal could put on McCook Lake as it's presently constituted. "(The) city has some very serious concerns," Christensen said. "The developer wishes to begin a former river channel in order to create an artificial body of water. Right now, McCook Lake only exists because the Lake Association spends money to pump water into it to keep it full." Christensen said he's been worried too about specific plans and figures and estimates being shared with the public. "The developer hasnt communicated that with the city or the Lake Association or anyone with an interest in this project," he said. Chicoine did not immediately respond to the Journal's multiple calls last week to phone numbers associated with him. On Friday, a Journal reporter also stopped by an address for a property in Chicoine's name but no one answered the door. In late August, Chicoine told Siouxland News that "the installation of a canal would benefit the lake, create more habitat for the fish and increase the shoreline." Chicoine was scheduled to have a meeting with the city's engineering firm on Thursday but "pulled out of the meeting at the last minute," according to a memo dated Friday that city staff prepared for a City Council meeting. The city said in the memo it would require Chicoine to agree to certain construction standards before they would issue him a permit. According to the city, Chicoine's applied for permits to the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department as well as the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In the memo, city staff said, "The City has also reached out to its Washington DC delegation concerning issues found with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit that was issued." Along with proper permitting, the city has concerns about "free-riding." "This person whos developing this property wishes to connect to a lake and take advantage and reap the benefit of all the money the Lake Association pays to just keep the existing McCook Lake full of water and use that water for his project to benefit him financially without being required to cover any of the costs the Lake Association incurs," Christensen said. Plans to develop the canal have come at a time when the region, for months, has experienced drier-than-normal conditions. "It wouldnt be a big thing if we had plenty of water, but we dont," Lohry said. SIOUX CITY -- The Northwest Iowa Regional Board of Realtors has announced the hiring of Jill Wooster as the organizations new chief executive officer. Wooster, who grew up in Mapleton, Iowa, and has lived in Sioux City since 1995, has an extensive background in organizational leadership, with previous roles at the Sioux City Journal, March of Dimes, 2011 Red Cross Tour of Homes event planner, American Heart Association, and as a mobile notary signing agent. Wooster will succeed Kelly Burge, who has served as the organizations CEO for the last 24 years. Earlier this year, Burge announced her intention to step down for full-time retirement at the end of December. The Northwest Iowa Regional Board of Realtors encompasses nearly 500 members, who are real estate professionals in a 13-county region across the northwest quadrant of Iowa. The organization also provides the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for the region. Realtors are the backbone of life in our communities, and they are the defenders of homeownership and private property rights," Wooster said. "I am excited for this new opportunity and look forward to working with so many fantastic people. . When Mary Peltola won last months special election for Alaskas sole seat in the House of Representatives, she became the first Democrat to take the position in half a century. Her supporters found a variety of reasons to explain how shed pulled it off: Peltola is unusually kind and warm, they said. An Alaska Native, she speaks knowledgeably about the challenges faced by rural Indigenous communities. And, they pointed out, her pro-fish platform attracted a broad base of voters. Advertisement Republicans had a different take on why a state that went for Trump by 10 points in 2020 would send a Democrat to Congress. They blamed the system. The system, in this case, is ranked choice voting. Starting this year, for every statewide election in Alaska, candidates from all partiesor no party, evenmust run in open primaries, all on the same ticket. The top four vote-getters then move on to a general election in which voters rank all four candidates in their order of preference. (They can also choose just one, two, or three candidates, if they wish.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has made for an unusually exciting and unpredictable election season in the Last Frontier. Peltolas election was the first to use this system, which was established by a ballot measure that narrowly passed in 2020. It started with 48 candidates, including one Democratic Socialist named Santa Claus (his real name), and ended with Peltola beating two Republicans on the ballotSarah Palin, who was backed by Donald Trump, and Republican businessman Nick Begich, who has the endorsement of the Alaska GOP. Peltola is now serving out the remaining four months of the term of Republican Don Young, who was in Congress for 49 years and died in March. Advertisement Advertisement The win for a Democrat was big news, and Republicans across the country were shocked and incensed. Palin railed against ranked choice voting as a crazy, convoluted, confusing schemean experiment that disenfranchised the 60 percent of voters who had ranked either Palin or Begich first on their ballots. But, for all their indignation, many Alaska Republicans had anticipated this exact outcome: With two Republicans on the ballot and only one Democrat, they had worried that the conservative vote would be split. Sure enough, liberals and center-left moderates joined behind Peltolas candidacy, earning her a plurality of first-choice votes and enough second-choice votes to clinch the victory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This wasnt the result of a devious partisan scheme. Ranked choice voting was actually built to prevent spoiler candidates and reflect ideological nuance, which is well established in Alaska. If a voters first-choice candidate comes in last place, that candidate is eliminated and the voters second-choice vote gets countedwhich means a second- or third-place candidate can come from behind to win. If all Palin and Begich supporters had just ranked the other Republican as their second choice, one of the two would have won. But they didnt. Which is why Republican officials and a smattering of conservative influencers have made it their mission to ensure a different outcome for the next Alaska election. This November, voters will return to the polls to rank these same three candidates (plus a Libertarian Party addition) all over again, and the winner will serve a full two years in Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans now have a little less than two months to convince right-leaning voters to participate in the systemeven as it is being increasingly disparaged by many other members of their party. Even if you despise the other Republican, these advocates are pleading, to defeat the Democrat, you must rank the red. Will anyone listen? May the Best Fish Win On a gloomy Saturday morning in August, in an industrial-looking church right off the highway in Palmer, Alaska, a man in a polo shirt decorated with the Declaration of Independence told a few dozen people how to fill out ranked choice ballots. Heres the bottom line: Vote. The. Red, Mike Coons told the assembled crowd. As president of a chapter of the Association of Mature American Citizens, a right-leaning alternative to the AARP, Coons had tailored his presentation to his audience: older conservative Alaskans who remain suspicious of ranked choice voting. They had come to the Real Life Church in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, a fast-growing region that has become a driving force in right-wing Alaskan politics, to hear about the election process from people whose ideological bona fides they trusted. Advertisement Advertisement At the front of the church, Coons stood alongside an American flag, a tree-trunk cross adorned with a crown of thorns, and a teddy bear with a mop of flaxen hair dressed to look like Donald Trump. It was a few days after the special election, and the final results had yet to be announced. Advertisement Coons asked the people in the pews if theyd voted that week, and everyone nodded. How many of us would like to kick in the rear end the person who came up with this ranked choice system? Coons asked. Every attendee raised a hand. Coons nodded. People are angry about this, and theyre using it as a reason to vote only one candidate. Advertisement Thats the wrong play, he explained. To elucidate why, he laid out an exquisitely Alaskan, fish-themed analogy: Say that halibut and king salmon are both Republicans, and pollock is a Democrat. Maybe you give your first-choice vote to halibut. You really like halibut, but you could eat king salmon, too, Coons said. It might not taste as good, but to make sure pollock doesnt win, because I really dont like pollock, I vote king salmon second. Bound by AMACs tax-exempt status, Coons said he could not endorse a specific candidate. But it wasnt difficult to decode his metaphor. By golly, Im a never-king-salmon, he said, of his own voting preferences. King salmon is a Johnny-come-lately that came into this race only after king crab leftdied. (Begich declared his candidacy for the House seat in 2021; Palin only entered the race after Young leftdied.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And yet, in Coons view, king salmon would be the next best outcome. So, hed ranked it second. They should, too, he said. Or, if they preferred salmon, they should put halibut in the No. 2 slot. Advertisement Advertisement If all the people that voted for halibut, voted for halibut, period, end of conversation pollock takes over, and we have a Democrat in the U.S. House representing Alaska for the first time in 50 years. His voice rose with intensity. Do we want to do that? No. One woman in the audience raised her hand and told the group that Democrats had been behind the ballot measure that established the new voting system. (In fact, many prominent Democrats opposed the measure.) Whats the scam? she said. Advertisement Another attendee was leery of the instructions printed on the special-election ballot, which said voters could choose to rank only one candidate if they wished. She wondered if that might indicate a nefarious scheme by election officials to discourage people from strategically voting for multiple candidates. Is that a ploy? As Coons considered his response, it was clear that he had to walk a thin line. How do you validate someones concerns about Democrats stealing elections via voting systemsconcerns that you may share, and that are central grievances of your favored political partywhile also building their trust in the system so that they make full use of it? Advertisement They had to be able to show the different options, Coons said. As a ploy? I would hope not. Advertisement Of course it is, another audience member called out. Coons reassured the attendees that the ranked choice voting system could be repealed if Republicans took the state legislature in November. Until that happens, this is, by law, what we have to deal with. So, what we do is, we use it to our advantage. We dont like it. I had to hold my nose and fill in that second. I did not want to fill in that second! But even though, as he put it, I believed in halibut and I still believe in halibut, Coons put salmon second. Advertisement The Elephant(s) in the Room From an outsiders perspective, ranking the red would seem like a no-brainer, especially because there is little daylight between the platforms of Palin and Begich. If a voter prefers one conservative Republican, youd expect that they would rather have a different conservative Republican in office than a Democrat. Advertisement But the recent special-election results tell a different story. Begich came in last place when first-choice votes were counted; then, according to the rules of the system, the ballots that had him first were redistributed to those voters second-choice candidates. Just half of themthose that dutifully ranked the redwent to Palin. Another 29 percent went to Peltola, and the 21 percent that didnt rank any other candidate were tossed. Peltola won, 51.5 to 48.5 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What was going on with that rogue half of Begich voters who didnt rank the red? For one thing, Alaska has an extraordinarily high proportion of independent voters, and there were a lot of intangibles at play in this race. Some Palin supporters dont trust Begich because he is the scion of a well-known Alaska family of Democratic politicians. (Palin has called him a wolf in sheeps clothinga conniving liberal sneaking his way into office under the Republican mantle.) And plenty of Begich supporters detest Palin for a number of reasons: She appears to chase celebrity and headlines; her record as governor belies her claims of fiscal conservatism; and she resigned midway through her gubernatorial term to seek her fortune in the Lower 48, raising doubts about her commitment to serve the interests of everyday Alaskans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever the reasoning, the results of the special election showed that more than 1 in 4 Begich supporters appear to prefer sending Peltola to Congress over Palin. (Only around 6 percent of Palin voters ranked Peltola second.) These are not necessarily the voters that Coons and his fellow advocates are trying to reach. The 21 percent of Begich voters and 35 percent of Palin voters who placed no candidate in the second slotthe so-called bullet voters, who only chose one single candidateare the target. Why those voters didnt rank any other candidates is anyones guess. But based on my conversations with Alaska voters and the conservative leaders who are trying to reach them, there seem to be a few common reasons. One is the counterintuitive quality of filling in a bubble next to a candidate one dislikesit just doesnt feel right. People are used to choosing a favorite candidate, not assessing the full slate. Advertisement There is also plenty of misinformation about the voting system floating around. Bernadette Wilson, the state director of the right-leaning Americans for ProsperityAlaska, has spent the past several months trying to educate Alaskans about ranked choice voting. Shes done it via Facebook videos, live events, and a column for a local conservative blog in which she answers questions from readers. Advertisement Advertisement A common misconception Wilson has heard from voters is that ranking more than one candidate might somehow split ones vote and dilute support for a first-choice candidate. Thats not true; second-choice votes are only counted if a ballots first-choice candidate is eliminated for having the fewest votes. But it remains a concern. Wilson also regularly encounters a related fallacy: the idea that if a voter ranks the same candidate in every single slot, it will function like a super-vote by preventing other candidates from getting any support from that ballot. Advertisement Advertisement And then theres the elephant currently looming over any discussion of voting practices in this country: the false claims made by Donald Trump and many of his supporters, including Palin, that the 2020 election was rigged and that Joe Biden is not the rightfully elected president of the United States. Republicans who are convinced that a more complex ballot could make it easier for Democrats to steal an electionor who are angry that the ranked choice system passed in the first placemay be tempted to semi-boycott the new system by voting for just one person. In their appeals to voters, the two Republicans in the race have taken opposite approaches on ballot strategy. Palin has repeatedly told voters to rank her alone; Begich has asked them to put him first but rank the red. Advertisement Advertisement For Wilson, who campaigned against the ballot measure that created the system she is now trying to help conservatives use, it is frustrating to watch Palin swoop in at the last minute, gripe, and sow misinformation. You can complain about ranked choice voting all you want, and you can go out with Donald Trump and say, Its rigged, and its this, and its that, she said. Meanwhile, theres a lot of people like myself sitting there saying, Listen, we battled this a year ago. Where were you? Spreading the Gospel of Rank the Red It would be tough to conjure a better ambassador to the political right for ranked choice voting than Wilson. A former conservative talk-radio host and leader of numerous right-wing campaigns, she exudes a steely femininity and cool-under-pressure poise. As she led me through the Anchorage office of Americans for Prosperity on the day of the special election in August, Wilson trod over a bearskin rug in a pair of sparkly American flag pumps. Advertisement Advertisement One of my team members shot that, she said, pointing to the bears head. Wilson never expected to spend so much of her time helping people use a voting system she had actively opposed. But dont get it twisted: I tell people all the time, its important to not misconstrue our efforts to educate people as necessarily an endorsement of ranked choice voting, she said. Advertisement Advertisement In one of Wilsons videos, she stands in front of a whiteboard wearing an approachable grin. Using stacks of neon Post-it notes, with each color standing in for a candidate, she plays out a mock election to show how ranked choice ballots are counted. (Though AFPs political arm has endorsed Begich, Wilson doesnt use any of the candidates namesinstead of fish, she subs in colors.) Wilson demonstrates that if a ballot ranks only one candidatethe pink Post-it notethat ballot is discarded after the first round of counting if the pink Post-it comes in last place. Advertisement Dive into the comments on one of Wilsons other Facebook videos, and youll see the attitudes rank the red advocates are up against: Disregard the ranking choices, all that it is only a manipulation of our votes, do not play their dirty game. And: Rank choice is designed for cheaters to cheat. Also: Best way to commit election fraud ever seen in the US. The two Republicans in the race have taken opposite approaches on ballot strategy. Palin has repeatedly told voters to rank her alone; Begich has asked them to put him first but rank the red. The rigged election part, we get asked all the time, said Jason Grenn. As the executive director of Alaskans for Better Elections, the organization that campaigned for the election-reform ballot measure, Grenn has traveled the state giving informational presentations on the system. Advertisement He quickly realized that if he hoped to build confidence among conservative voters, some of whom have consumed a great deal of misinformation about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, hed have to bone up on the particulars of Alaskas voting machines. Advertisement Advertisement Grenn frequently describes the whole process to skeptics, he said, and then gave me an abbreviated spiel: Our machines arent connected to the internet, we use paper ballots, we use TSA-secured armored guards at the airports when we mail in our ballots to our central location. The day after the special election, at a coffee shop in Anchorage, Grenn was buzzing with boyish excitement from the first go-round of the system hed worked to implement. I told him that Id encountered a Republican voter at the polls who said shed ranked Begich in every single slot for fear that if she left any bubbles blank, a left-leaning election worker might come in behind the scenes and fill in the rest of her ballot. Advertisement Grenn was familiar with that particular concern. He walked me through how difficult it would be to commit that kind of fraud, much less do it on a large enough scale to make any measurable impact. I can explain to you what happens and why that is impossible unless every one of these poll workers is in on the fix, he said. Yesterday, every one of the poll workers was over 75. Do you really think theyve organizedlike, my mom and your grandmahave all organized to fill in some bubbles? Advertisement Advertisement A longtime Republican who became an independent in 2016, Grenn takes a studiously nonpartisan stance when he talks about the voting system. To reach voters whod rather take their cues from someone who shares their ideological priors, Alaskans for Better Elections has also hired ambassadors from across the political spectrum. On the conservative side, thats Sarah Erkmann Ward, a Republican communications consultant who has been spreading the rank the red gospel at events across the state. Advertisement Advertisement Erkmann Ward campaigned against the ranked choice system when it was on the 2020 ballot, so she was hesitant to accept Alaskans for Better Elections as a client. But after giving it some thought, she decided she could get behind a straightforward voter-education driveespecially because, as she now tells gatherings of Republicans, Its here, its the law, and we have to operate within this new system or were gonna lose. (In Wards presentations, she models her choices as Sour Patch Kidsand blue always gets axed in the first round.) Erkmann Ward expects her schedule to get even busier in the wake of Peltolas win. Ranking the red becomes easier to swallow for conservatives, she said, when its described as harm reduction, or just voting for the Republican because you dont want the Democrat to win. (As one instructional graphic posted to Facebook by a Republican womens organization put it: Dont let your vote get stolen out of pride.) Is this messaging strong enough to change the trajectory of the November race? Its still a gamble. After all, if every Begich bullet voter from the special election had decided to include a second-choice vote, Peltola could still have won. Republicans must also accept that the group of Alaskans that casts ballots in November will look different than the one that turned out in August. In all likelihood, there will be a greater number of casual and low-information voters in the mixpeople with more moderate politics, less experience with ranked choice voting, and weaker partisan ties. Its not exactly a population that favors a party-loyalty inducement. But as Begich and Palin continue to direct their most vicious barbs at each otherrather than Peltolaa message pleading for GOP unity is Alaska Republicans only hope. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gestures as she speaks on Ukraine at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Wednesday, September 14, 2022. (Source: AP/Jean-Francois Badias) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled European leaders did not take Anna Politkovskayas warnings seriously for a long time. The assassinated Russian journalist, and one of Putins critics, wrote in her 2004 book Putins Russia, that the West is reacting sluggishly to Putins anti-terrorist operations in the Caucasus region. She did not stop there. The reporter criticised Europe for its reckless consumption of Russian commodities. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The West gets on well with many things - vodka, caviar, gas, oil, bears, people of a special mould... In December 2019 the European Union still did not reject Russian gas. Instead, it signed an agreement on the long-term transit of Russian gas via Ukraine to Europe, describing Russia as its reliable supplier. We are sending a powerful message to both consumers and the industry, clearly demonstrating that the EU is guaranteeing warm homes, stable markets and competitive prices, the European Commissions Vice-President Maros Sefcovic claimed at that time. This is what a resilient Energy Union is about, the EU official, who comes from Slovakia, added. But Russias war in Ukraine, launched in February 2022 and funded through Russias raw materials exports to Europe and elsewhere, and an unfolding energy crisis across the EU have pushed the Commission to admit its misjudgement about Putin and to work out quick-to-implement solutions to the crisis, while still supporting Ukraine. One lesson from this war is that we should have listened to those who know Putin, the Commissions President Ursula von der Leyen said in her third State of the European Union (SOTEU) address on September 14. They have been telling us for years that Putin would not stop. The presidents guest of honour, Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska, watched and listened to the address at the European Parliament. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, left, Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, centre, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for photographers at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Wednesday, September 14, 2022. (Source: AP/Jean-Francois Badias) We have to get rid of this dependency [on Russian energy] all over Europe, added Von der Leyen, wearing a yellow blazer and a blue blouse in support of Ukraine. Slovak politicians and experts agree but it appears to be a tough nut to crack, despite many solutions already on the table. https://sputniknews.com/20220918/catastrophic-hurricane-fiona-makes-landfall-in-puerto-rico-after-shuttering-islands-power-grid-1100936630.html 'Catastrophic' Hurricane Fiona Makes Landfall in Puerto Rico After Shuttering Island's Power Grid 'Catastrophic' Hurricane Fiona Makes Landfall in Puerto Rico After Shuttering Island's Power Grid Puerto Rico last encountered major hurricane-related power outages in September 2017, when the island of enchantment was bombarded by severe flooding and... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T20:38+0000 2022-09-18T20:38+0000 2022-09-18T20:35+0000 americas hurricane puerto rico flooding electricity power outages power grid /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/12/1100936844_61:0:2857:1573_1920x0_80_0_0_739f0e60ba9dff9e91a902efd7a4ace3.png Hurricane Fiona made landfall along Puerto Rico's southwestern coast on Sunday, touching down on the island with estimated maximum sustained wind speeds of 85 miles per hour.An updated bulletin issued by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) notes the Category 1 storm made its landfall near Punta Tocon at about 3:20 p.m. AST. The storm is presently continuing to move in a northwest direction at a pace of 9 mph.Once considered a tropical storm, the cyclone was upgraded to a Category 1 storm early Sunday after exceeding maximum wind speeds of 74 miles per hour. An earlier advisory released by NHC indicates the system will have reached the northern coast of the Dominican Republic by late Sunday.Current forecasts place the hurricane on track to pass by Turks and Caicos on Tuesday before making a sharp shift eastward toward Bermuda, where it will have turned into a "major" hurricane by early Wednesday.Alerts issued by the NHC have warned that both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are likely to record "catastrophic flooding," as the Caribbean island is expected to dump up to 25 inches of rainfall. Storm surges of up to 3 feet are anticipated.Fiona's hurricane-force winds are extending some 30 miles from the storm's eye, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching out up to 140 miles.Shortly before the system made landfall on the island, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced that the entirety of the island's power grid had been shuttered by Fiona's growing intensity. Tracking website PowerOutage.us listed the island as being 100% without power.The power outage comes five years after the island's power grid was devastated by Hurricane Maria, which left many locals without electricity for months. However, in light of outage concerns preceding Fiona's landfall, authorities on the island stressed that protocols were in place to prevent a repeat of Maria's electricity downfalls."This is not Maria, this hurricane will not be Maria," Abner Gomez, who heads the public safety and crisis management at LUMA Energy, stressed earlier. LUMA Energy is the private company in charge of transmission and distribution of electricity in Puerto Rico. Hurricane Fiona's landfall comes two days before the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria.US President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration to free up federal resources for the hurricane-battered island. Pierluisi previously informed the public that some $550 million in emergency funds had been earmarked for the storm's aftermath. americas puerto rico Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International hurricane, puerto rico, flooding, electricity, power outages, power grid https://sputniknews.com/20220918/china-slams-czech-delegations-visit-to-taiwan-as-violation-of-its-sovereignty-1100916381.html China Slams Czech Delegation's Visit to Taiwan as Violation of Its Sovereignty China Slams Czech Delegation's Visit to Taiwan as Violation of Its Sovereignty BEIJING (Sputnik) - The visit of a Czech delegation to Taiwan seriously violates China's state sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese embassy in... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T04:34+0000 2022-09-18T04:34+0000 2022-09-18T04:41+0000 world china taiwan us czech republic /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/08/03/1098072173_0:320:3072:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_19d425323c3f4d2d407b944a774ca903.jpg On Saturday, the Taiwanese foreign ministry said that a 14-member Czech delegation led by Senator and former president of the Czech Academy of Sciences Jiri Drahos will arrive in Taiwan on Sunday with a six-day visit.The embassy noted that the visit of the Czech delegation to Taiwan undermines the political basis of bilateral relations between China and the Czech Republic.On Thursday, Drahos told Taiwan's Central News Agency that European countries intend to deepen ties with Taiwan in culture, science, and other areas of soft power. On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged the Czech side to respect the One China principle.The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Despite this fact, several countries, including France, Lithuania, the United States, and Japan, have sent their delegations to the island since then, further increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan a territory with its own elected government maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable. china czech republic Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International china, taiwan, us, czech republic https://sputniknews.com/20220918/civilian-drones-from-mainland-china-reportedly-trolling-taiwanese-military-1100921753.html Viral Videos Show Civilian Drones From Mainland China Trolling Taiwanese Military Viral Videos Show Civilian Drones From Mainland China Trolling Taiwanese Military In early September, the Taiwanese military announced that an unidentified civilian drone crashed into the sea after it was shot down; it had purportedly... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T10:51+0000 2022-09-18T10:51+0000 2022-09-18T18:04+0000 world china taiwan military drones video tensions /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107903/88/1079038804_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_6a51c9659ad44baec1455a7b4bbffeaa.jpg Several videos have emerged on the Chinese social media platform Weibo showing what appears to be civilian-grade drones from mainland China trolling Taiwan's military.The short clips, which have been circulating on the platform since late August, show military installations and personnel stationed in the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands. They are accompanied by soundtracks ranging from ballads to dance music and plenty of emojis.One clip showed four Taiwanese servicemen respond to the intruding drone by throwing stones at the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The clip zooms in so close that the soldiers' faces are visible.While the Taiwanese military confirmed the drone incursions from Chinese soil, Beijing brushed off the claims as no big deal. When asked about civilian-grade UAVs flying over the Kinmen area, a Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, Chinese drones flying over China's territory - what's there to be surprised at?"The remarks followed an unknown drone being shot down by the Taiwanese military earlier this month after the UAV entered the islands airspace off the Chinese coast.Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang argued that the downing of the drone was the most appropriate thing to do after repeated warnings, adding, They repeatedly ignored our warnings to leave and we had no choice but to exercise self-defense and shoot.The developments come as tensions are running high between Beijing and Taipei after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August despite warnings from China to refrain from her trip.Beijing slammed Pelosis visit as provocative, arguing that it violates Chinese sovereignty, and launched large-scale drills in waters near the island as part of retaliatory measures.Taiwan is an autonomous, self-governing territory which Beijing perceives as an integral part of China. Washington continues to bolster relations with Taiwan, in particular, by delivering weapons and maintaining bilateral relations, which Beijing sees as a violation of Chinas integrity. https://sputniknews.com/20220829/taiwans-defense-ministry-says-china-sent-37-military-aircraft-8-vessels-to-taiwan-strait-1100129692.html https://sputniknews.com/20220804/pelosis-taiwan-trip-how-china-could-wreak-vengeance-on-taipei--washington-1098124195.html china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg china, taiwan, military, drones, video, tensions https://sputniknews.com/20220918/founder-of-collapsed-terra-and-luna-crypto-tokens-claims-he-is-not-on-the-run-1100929250.html Founder of Collapsed Terra and Luna Crypto Tokens Claims He is Not 'On the Run' Founder of Collapsed Terra and Luna Crypto Tokens Claims He is Not 'On the Run' The Terra stablecoin a variant of crypto token that supposedly follows an exchange rate of a selected currency rapidly lost all of its value in May 2022... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T14:09+0000 2022-09-18T14:09+0000 2022-09-18T14:09+0000 science & tech cryptocurrency south korea us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/12/1100930584_315:0:1074:427_1920x0_80_0_0_4a7b307806f62a9d71de3c893163ac00.jpg The founder of Terraform Labs and creator of the Terra stablecoin, Do Kwon, has stated that he is "not on the run" or anything of that kind even as authorities in South Korea and the US are seeking to have a tete-a-tete with him regarding the collapse of his crypto-product.Do Kwon claims to be cooperating with authorities as numerous investors, who had lost approximately $500 billion investing in his crypto tokens, accuse him of fraud. And yet, the Terra founder did not reveal his current location in his comments on Twitter.His last known location was Singapore, where Do Kwon gave his most recent interview following the collapse of Terra and its sister token Luna and where he reportedly has a work permit that is due to expire in December.However, the Singapore police force (SPF) said that Do Kwon was no longer in the country. The SPF said it will still assist the South Korean colleagues the best they can in searching for Do Kwon.The two crypto tokens invented by 31-year-old Do Kwon collapsed one after another in May 2022 with their value dropping to zero, thus resulting in huge loses for its long-term investors. Its collapse sent shockwaves through the already-volatile crypto market, in no small part due to Terra being considered a stable coin.Stable coins normally do not experience huge price fluctuations like other cryptocurrencies and instead pick one fiat currency and follow its exchange rate. Normally, these tokens are also backed up by a real value, like cash or stock reserves that are used to maintain the appropriate price on par with a chosen fiat currency.However, TerraUSD tried to do so using software algorithm instead, which apparently failed at some point. The cause of the failure is yet to be determined, but investors, who filed lawsuits against Do Kwon in South Korea, believe that Terraform Labs had engaged in a fraud. The founder of the two cryptocurrencies, who is now wanted in his home country, South Korea, denies all accusations. https://sputniknews.com/20220521/ethereum-creator-says-he-is-not-a-billionaire-anymore-as-cryptocurrency-market-tanks-1095686858.html south korea Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg cryptocurrency, south korea, us https://sputniknews.com/20220918/how-west-uses-climate-agenda-to-keep-africas-oil--gas-underground-to-satisfy-own-appetite-1100931199.html How West Uses Climate Agenda to Keep Africa's Oil & Gas Underground to Satisfy Own Appetite How West Uses Climate Agenda to Keep Africa's Oil & Gas Underground to Satisfy Own Appetite Hydrocarbon-rich African countries are viewing the unfolding energy crisis as an opportunity to monetize their untapped reserves and eliminate the continent's... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T14:18+0000 2022-09-18T14:18+0000 2022-09-18T15:04+0000 africa us europe russia opinion oil gas africa nigeria morocco /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103344/93/1033449398_0:288:5521:3393_1920x0_80_0_0_cacc5523d92501bf900963460187f23f.jpg "The West puts so much importance on the climate change agenda in [Africa]," commented Dr Mamdouh G. Salameh, an international oil economist and a global energy expert. "I would hazard two explanations for the Wests attitude. The first explanation is that the West is under the misjudged and erroneous view that any future energy assets - like investing in oil and gas production and building pipelines - will end up after 2030 as stranded assets. The second explanation is a more sinister one, with the West wishing to keep African energy resources underground in order to satisfy its own appetite for energy in the future."On September 15, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Morocco to build a 7,000-kilometre offshore gas pipeline running across 13 African countries. According to the Nigerian daily The Nation, the endeavor will be supervised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It is expected that the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) will improve the living standards of African nations, boost economic integration within the sub-region and tackle desertification through sustainable and reliable gas supply.Earlier, a number of Central African countries, including Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, Chad, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo, signed an agreement on September 8 to create a regional oil and gas pipeline network by 2030 to ensure energy security, tackle energy poverty and boost the internal supply of hydrocarbons.Likewise, Uganda and Tanzania are planning to build the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which could become the world's longest heated crude pipeline stretching 1,443 kilometers (896 miles). The pipeline will transport crude from Uganda's oil fields to the port of Tanga, Tanzania, on the Indian Ocean.However, numerous western-backed environmentalist entities, the EU parliament and Joe Biden's climate czar John Kerry are up in arms about Africa's bold energy projects. The EU has advised member states not to assist in the implementation of Uganda's oil and gas projects either diplomatically or financially with 20 western banks and 13 insurers already voicing opposition. For his part, Kerry warned against investing in long-term gas projects in Africa while speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Dakar, Senegal.Energymonitor.ai, which describes itself as a "non-partisan voice," cites "civil society groups" arguing that Africa's hydrocarbon projects will not benefit African people and that the investment would be better spent on a new green economy. According to the website, $400 billion worth of new energy projects could be implemented in Africa.Still, Africa-based groups claim that the continent's natural gas pipelines pose a "threat" to "Africas energy sovereignty" and "accelerate the already run-away climate crisis." They go on to employ Africa's anti-colonial sentiment by insisting that the continent's "corrupt governments" will sell all the fuel to the Global North anyway, leaving the people of the region in poverty. Most of the civil society groups arguing this position, however, either maintain partnerships with EU and US environmentalist funds and non-for-profits or belong to western climate networks.Their stance is nothing new, given that in 2018, 40 European and African organizations signed a petition against the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline. The petition insisted that the increase in the extraction of fossil resources would exacerbate global warming; that the initial section of the pipeline was built "without consulting the populations"; and that the pipeline is simply "bad for the region, our peoples and the planet.West's Climate Change Hypocrisy"The continent of Africa accounted in 2020 for 3.8% of the worlds emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuels and industry," Salameh explained. "In the last two decades, the continents contribution to the global greenhouse gas emissions fluctuated between 3.4% and 3.8% - the smallest share among all world regions."Furthermore, climate groups who call for an abrupt end to fossil fuels and a sudden adoption of renewable energy fail to recognize the obvious lack of logic in this, according to him.Meanwhile, EU countries which promote climate change and the need to accelerate energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, have abandoned their green credentials to resurrect coal-fired electricity plants because of rising prices of gas and oil, Salameh pointed out.Similarly, western multinational corporations have never stopped investing in oil and gas behind the scenes, the oil economist continued, noting that they "will be more than happy to twist their green credentials and exploit loose climate regulations in African countries."While denying Africa's right to push ahead with its own energy endeavors, the West would be eager to offer investments and technological know-how to the continent in exchange for receiving the lion's share of the regional hydrocarbon wealth, according to Salameh. "The West doesnt care whether African countries are experiencing severe energy poverty or not as long as it gets its hands on these reserves," he said.Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline: Russia to the RescueMany argue that Africa needs its bold energy projects to ramp up the continent's development. In this light, the Nigeria Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) is of great importance, according to Akinyinka Akinyoade, a Nigeria expert and Senior Researcher at the African Studies Center Leiden.Therefore, if meeting the energy needs of neighbors helps to reduce the environmental disaster brought by flaring in Nigeria, then exports via the NMGP gas pipeline should be supported, argued the Nigerian expert. Moreover, "gas use in the countries along the gas pipeline would contribute to increases in the use of clean energy and reduction of carbon emissions in the countries involved," he noted."Lessons are being learnt on associated environmental issues on the current stretch of WA gas pipeline - Nigeria-Benin-Togo-Ghana; these lessons must be integrated to minimize the environmental impacts feared for the extension to Morocco," continued Akinyoade.When it comes to the pipeline's economic impact, "stretching the supply chain further to Morocco expands not only the South-South/intra-African economic cooperation that has been clamored in the continent for so long, it also helps to smoothen the accession of Morocco in the ECOWAS sub-regional body that it has applied to join," the Nigerian expert underscored."Nigeria and other African countries need to evolve energy policies that will help address the issue of energy scarcity and to utilize multiple energy sources that will help meet the needs of its teeming population while reserving the right to grow at a pace that will not be inimical to its youthful population," said Olufola Wusu, a Lagos-based oil and gas expert and policy consultant who was part of the team that helped review Nigeria's National Gas Policy 2016. "Nigeria needs to grow at its own pace, even if other nations are keen on abandoning their oil and gas projects for reasons best known to them. Nigeria and other African nations need to ramp up their oil and gas production to be able to meet the growing demand for energy in Africa and to be able to improve the standard of living of its people."Meanwhile, the implementation of the NMGP project requires investments and expertise from foreign specialists in order to see the light of day, according to Salameh. Given the West's environmental manipulations, he suggests that if African countries want to strike fair and beneficial energy infrastructure deals, they should turn to either Russia or Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Thus, earlier this month, the Russian United Metallurgical Company announced that it might supply metal products to meet the needs of the construction of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline. In addition, the Russian Ministry of Energy has signaled that Moscow is ready to develop joint projects with African countries in order to increase energy supplies to African markets. https://sputniknews.com/20220917/as-african-countries-kick-off-local-energy-projects-west-rolls-out-climate-agenda-based-opposition-1100891384.html https://sputniknews.com/20220912/energy-experts-russia-could-be-instrumental-in-building-central-african-oil--gas-pipelines-1100691562.html russia africa nigeria morocco european union Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova us, europe, russia, opinion, oil, gas, africa, nigeria, morocco, european union, energy crisis https://sputniknews.com/20220918/japan-issues-tsunami-alert-as-72-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-off-coast-of-taiwan-1100918539.html Japan Issues Tsunami Alert as 7.2 Magnitude Quake Brings Destruction to Taiwan - Photos, Videos Japan Issues Tsunami Alert as 7.2 Magnitude Quake Brings Destruction to Taiwan - Photos, Videos Japan has been suffering from various natural disaster over the past days: around two million people were ordered to evacuate on Sunday due to the extremely... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T07:05+0000 2022-09-18T07:05+0000 2022-09-18T10:53+0000 japan taiwan tsunami warning japan meteorological agency (jma) world /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/12/1100919560_0:137:3153:1910_1920x0_80_0_0_2be10119fbf634be3fe08236434293cc.jpg Japanese authorities declared a tsunami warning for the island of Miyakojima in Okinawa prefecture after a powerful earthquake hit the eastern part of Taiwan on Sunday.According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake had a magnitude of 7.2, and its epicenter was situated 86 kilometers (52.2 miles) east of Yujing district at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Later in the day, the China Earthquake Administration said that the earthquake was 6.9 in magnitude and its center was in Hualien County on the eastern coast of Taiwan.There were no immediate reports of casualties.A clip and footage showing the aftermath of the quake in Taiwan was published by China Central Television.At the same time, other photos and videos depicting the aftermath of the earthquake were circulating online.According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, one-meter-high waves may hit the coast, sweeping through communities and and damaging houses. The agency warned residents to avoid coastal areas and remain at home.The tsunami warning comes as the country is bracing for the powerful Nanmadol typhoon, as up to 2 million people have been ordered to evacuate. At the same time, a level 5 alert - the highest possible level - has been declared for nearly 68,000 people living in the cities of Izumi and Nishinoomote in Kagoshima Prefecture. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Evgeny Mikhaylov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/07/1080390164_0:0:1440:1440_100x100_80_0_0_46c187f2ab0908f86849a7d09a7def57.jpg Evgeny Mikhaylov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/07/1080390164_0:0:1440:1440_100x100_80_0_0_46c187f2ab0908f86849a7d09a7def57.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Evgeny Mikhaylov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/07/1080390164_0:0:1440:1440_100x100_80_0_0_46c187f2ab0908f86849a7d09a7def57.jpg japan, taiwan, tsunami warning, japan meteorological agency (jma) https://sputniknews.com/20220918/liar-in-chief-twitter-slams-biden-as-potus-rolls-back-arrest-claim-on-1990-mandela-meet-1100926736.html 'Liar in Chief': Twitter Slams Biden as POTUS Rolls Back Arrest Claim on 1990 Mandela Meet 'Liar in Chief': Twitter Slams Biden as POTUS Rolls Back Arrest Claim on 1990 Mandela Meet POTUS Joe Biden has claimed on multiple occasions that he was arrested in 1990 while trying to visit South Africas first president, Nelson Mandela, the day he... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T14:53+0000 2022-09-18T14:53+0000 2022-09-18T14:53+0000 south africa cyril ramaphosa joe biden nelson mandela lies twitter africa /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/12/1100929797_0:124:3201:1924_1920x0_80_0_0_cf098a1ffc061fc58a2f323d34e8069d.jpg US President Joe Biden fessed up that he wasnt arrested in 1990 trying to visit Nelson Mandela during current South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's visit to the White House on Friday. The statement comes after the POTUS claimed the contrary at least three times in 2020, as per the New York Post.One of the great moments of my career was when the first time Nelson Mandela came to the United States [in 1990]. And we were in I was a senator at the time, and we met in the Senate Foreign Relations executive committee room. We all stood there and said hello to him and the like and afterwards, he asked if he could come by my office and he came by to say thank you because he heard I had been stopped trying to get to visit him, to see him in prison, Biden told Ramaphosa. South Africas first president and anti-apartheid activist Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government.And I said once I said I got arrested. I wasnt arrested, I got stopped, prevented from moving. But he [Mandela] was extremely gracious, the US president added.In 2020, the POTUS repeated several times that he was detained in Soweto, South Africa, in 1990, accompanying statements with vivid details.This day, 30 years ago, Nelson Mandela walked out of prison and entered into discussions about apartheid. I had the great honor of meeting him. I had the great honor of being arrested with our UN ambassador on the streets of Soweto trying to get to see him on Robbens Island, former vice president Joe Biden said in remarks in Columbia, South Carolina, on February 11, 2020.After he [Mandela] got free and became president, he came to Washington and came to my office. He threw his arms around me and said, I want to say thank you. I said, What are you thanking me for, Mr. President? He said: You tried to see me. You got arrested trying to see me, Biden shared in remarks made in Las Vegas on February 16, 2020.Twitter users turned sarcastic about Bidens latest confession, although most appeared not to be surprised.Surprised he remembered, said @Mitt302.He also graduated top of his class, drove a big rig, took the train to work and was greeted by a guy working the train who called him Joey Baby, had three degrees from college and said he went to college on a full scholarship. None of which was true. Plagiarized a speech also, replied @SteveOBourbon1.I'm surprised he didn't say that he had never been to Africa, noted @2bsteve.Liar in Chief, @ottomul resented.Well, it is easier to list the things Joe hasn't lied about. It is ZERO, @1timby1 agreed.I'd be more surprised if he actually told the truth at this point, @twilight_zone17 said hopelessly.And hell lie about it AGAIN!!! @federalistman1 joked.Biden is only good at one thing; Lying and he's not even good at that. , laughed @CatWoma24027331.He's also falsely claimed to be a teacher, a truck driver and a president, @ToddisOK remembered.Marking Biden's one-year term in the White House, CNN categorized all the doubtful claims made by the US president into several groups dedicated to POTUS' own past, Afghanistan, the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic.In 2021, talking to technical college students standing near a truck, Biden claimed that I used to drive a tractor-trailer, though only for part of a summer. Similarly, he had alleged at a Mack Trucks facility in the same year that, I used to drive an 18-wheeler, man. However, the White House later refuted the information.As for political untrue claims, President Biden asked: What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point, with al Qaeda* gone? in an address to the nation in August 2021. Although al Qaeda wasnt gone.About the Corona Virus, the POTUS claimed in July 2021: If youre vaccinated, youre not going to be hospitalized, youre not going to be in the ICU unit and youre not going to die, which turned out to be false as well.*Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries https://sputniknews.com/20220616/watch-biden-struggles-to-pronounce-lgbtqi-as-he-signs-inclusive-federal-policy-order-1096383508.html https://sputniknews.com/20220913/why-bidens-latest-approval-rating-surge-may-be-just-a-mirage-1100736386.html south africa Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Olga Borodkina Olga Borodkina News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Olga Borodkina south africa, cyril ramaphosa, joe biden, nelson mandela, lies, twitter Germany Renounces Special Relations With Russia by Supplying Weapons to Kiev - Ambassador By supplying weapons to Ukraine, Berlin refused special relations with Russia, which allowed Germany to be an intermediary in Moscow's dialogue with the West, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev said in an interview with RIA Novosti. "In fact, the German authorities are refusing special relations between our countries and peoples, which were painstakingly built by previous generations and bound us even in the most difficult times. This is what has always distinguished the Germans from the ranks of the collective West, has allowed Berlin to act as a mediator who knows and understands Russia and its interests better than others," Nechaev said. Nechaev added that for decades Germany had refrained from sending weapons, especially heavy equipment, to zones of armed conflicts. "There was a broad internal political consensus on this matter. The practice has changed only now and only in relation to Russia. Of course, such a turn will have a negative impact on our bilateral relations. Especially when it comes to the issue of supply of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, which is now being very actively discussed," Nechaev said. https://sputniknews.com/20220918/liz-truss-top-adviser-questioned-by-fbi-over-alleged-election-bribery-plot-in-puerto-rico---report-1100914294.html Report: Liz Truss' Top Adviser Questioned by FBI Over Alleged Election Bribery Plot in Puerto Rico Report: Liz Truss' Top Adviser Questioned by FBI Over Alleged Election Bribery Plot in Puerto Rico The politician was allegedly a part of a plot to undermine Puerto Rico's democracy, a US territory in the Caribbean. The accused conspirators "struck a blow to... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T03:13+0000 2022-09-18T03:13+0000 2022-09-18T04:10+0000 world uk liz truss fbi fbi investigation adviser advisor bribe alleged bribe bribery /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/12/1100914799_0:321:3071:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_61b285f5feb94b26b83eaef982d4ab33.jpg FBI investigators questioned British Prime Minister Liz Truss' chief of staff over an alleged illegal scheme to pay a US politician and sway an election, the Times reported on Saturday.According to the newspaper, the chief of staff of Downing Street, Mark Fullbrook, is the prime minister's principal adviser and plays a key role in determining the direction of the government. He directed the Truss leadership campaign and has given advice to former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Margaret Thatcher and John Major, among other international leaders.Fullbrook was reportedly interviewed as a witness by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI. The investigation allegedly involves a London-based businessman accused of bribing a US politician. Agents from the federal government set up an interview with the 60-year-old adviser by getting in touch with their counterparts in the UK's National Crime Agency and Scotland Yard.Fullbrook, who is said to be married to former Tory MP Lorraine Fullbrook, has retained a leading white collar US legal firm and has been cooperating as a witness with the FBI while strongly denying any misconduct. Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson promoted Fullbrook's wife to the House of Lords in 2019. The then-governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vazquez Garced is the subject of charges that Julio Martin Herrera Velutini, of London, and the owner of the Puerto Rican bank Bancredito, bribed her.Fullbrook reportedly refuted the accusation that Herrera Velutini and former FBI agent Mark Rossini offered the former governor a $300,000 bribe through Crosby's company to aid in her unsuccessful reelection campaign in 2020. In the UK, meanwhile, the Electoral Commission's records supposedly revealed that between December 2019 and June 2022, a firm created by Herrera donated 650,604 (over $750,000) to the Conservative Party.According to the report, federal prosecutors said that Herrera bribed Vazquez in order to fire her financial watchdog who was looking into his bank. The Tory party donor wished to appoint a replacement for the prominent figure. Additionally, according to the prosecution, Herrera and Rossini tried to pay off Vazquez's replacement, identified in court documents as "Public Official A."However, Fullbrook's purported assistance was ineffective. Eventually, Vasquez lost the election, and the FBI initiated an investigation that resulted in accusations, guilty admissions, and convictions, according to the report. Fullbrook became the official "subject" of an FBI investigation in April this year. At the prestigious American law firm White & Case, he assembled a criminal defense team. Since then, he has reportedly cooperated as a witness and signed a "proffer deal" that allows him to provide FBI evidence that will not be used against him in legal processes.More to the story, the sources of the publication reportedly said that people in inner circles are puzzled by how Truss could enlist his chief of staff in a criminal plan being looked into by Britain's closest ally - the US. The Biden administration has made stopping foreign meddling in US politics a priority. Nevertheless, Fullbrook has claimed he is "confident" the banker acted legally, and that he was ignorant of the banker's purportedly corrupt objectives, per the report.According to the US Department of Justice, Vazquez, Herrera, and Rossini are each facing charges of conspiracy, federal program bribery, and honest services wire fraud, which, if proven true, could result in a 20-year sentence in a federal prison.The Australian-British lobbying firm CT Group, founded by Sir Lynton Crosbie, where Fullbrook worked as the company's chief global project officer, was reportedly used to pay the Puerto Ricans. Fullbrook reportedly sent hundreds of emails to prosecutors about his work in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico.Noteworthy, Pedro Pierluisi, the current governor of Puerto Rico, is not involved in ongoing investigation. https://sputniknews.com/20220826/puerto-rico-super-pac-chief-sentenced-to-14-years-for-dark-money-scheme---us-justice-dept-1100047005.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Kirill Kurevlev Kirill Kurevlev News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Kirill Kurevlev uk, liz truss, fbi, fbi investigation, adviser, advisor, bribe, alleged bribe, bribery, election, us https://sputniknews.com/20220918/london-reportedly-may-agree-with-eu-on-northern-ireland-protocol-1100936058.html London May Reportedly Agree With EU on Northern Ireland Protocol London May Reportedly Agree With EU on Northern Ireland Protocol MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Prime Minister Liz Truss and her Irish counterpart, Micheal Martin, believe that the European Union and the United Kingdom may forge... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T18:19+0000 2022-09-18T18:19+0000 2022-09-18T21:33+0000 world uk liz truss european union northern ireland protocol /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/07/17/1083447846_0:84:1920:1164_1920x0_80_0_0_c001eac81113fbe7149aad5b199d8429.jpg According to the reports, Truss and Martin met in 10 Downing Street on Sunday. The leaders reportedly discussed the "depth and breadth" of relations between the UK and Ireland and the need for unity in resolving major issues. Both Truss and Martin agreed that the EU and the UK have an opportunity to reach a negotiated outcome of the issues related to the Northern Ireland Protocol, the RTE reports.The visit of the Irish Prime Minister was not declared an official bilateral meeting and no press release followed.The UK and the EU completed the Brexit transition in January 2021, when a trade and cooperation agreement between the parties came into effect. Under the terms of the deal, the UK left the single market and the EU customs union. Northern Ireland also left the EU as part of the UK, but remained in the European single market and customs unions.Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, all goods and animal-based products coming from the rest of the British territories must be checked upon arrival to Northern Ireland to ensure their compatibility with EU sanitary regulations.In June, the UK government introduced a bill unilaterally revising the provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol, arguing that the deal is not working, as it causes delays and interruptions to goods moving between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. This move drew the ire of the EU and spurred Brussels to take legal action against London.The bill stipulates the establishment of a "green channel" for goods transported from the UK to Northern Ireland, as well as the change in the tax rules, stripping the European Court of its role as the sole arbiter of disputes. https://sputniknews.com/20220722/brussels-flexes-muscles-over-ni-protocol-suing-uk-for-second-time-1097699729.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International uk, liz truss, european union, northern ireland protocol https://sputniknews.com/20220918/questions-remain-as-biden-appoints-special-representative-to-transfer-remaining-guantanamo-1100915095.html Questions Remain as Biden Appoints Special Representative to Transfer Remaining Guantanamo Prisoners Questions Remain as Biden Appoints Special Representative to Transfer Remaining Guantanamo Prisoners Even if Biden succeeds in whats being reported as an effort to transfer prisoners from Americas most notorious overseas torture facility, at least four... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T03:35+0000 2022-09-18T03:35+0000 2022-09-18T03:32+0000 americas cuba guantanamo guantanamo bay detention center prisoners transfer biden administration /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/04/05/1082540984_0:29:3072:1757_1920x0_80_0_0_2968c9511c2ed9d76aa1d5089895bb15.jpg The Biden administration has appointed a special representative to oversee the transfers of some of the last prisoners remaining in the notorious Guantanamo Bay detention camp operated by the US government, according to a new report.Efforts to relocate those imprisoned in Guantanamo will reportedly be led by Tina Kaidanow, the Defense Departments former director of international cooperation. While Kaidanow was most recently a Pentagon fixture, her career began in Foggy Bottom. Upon leaving the State Department in 2018, Kaidanow was lauded by a State Department official for officially expanding opportunities for U.S. industry; and helping drive American jobs and innovation through defense trade.Of the 36 men who remain detained in the prison camp where the CIA pioneered new forms of torture, 20 are reportedly being considered for transfer to other prisons either within the US or abroad. Another 12 prisoners are either currently on trial or awaiting judicial proceedings.But questions apparently remain about whether the effort to transfer those still imprisoned can go forward.Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal wrote Saturday that moving the men out has proven harder than the Biden team expected, and even if they succeed, four detainees are being held indefinitely without charge because authorities consider them a security risk.The US government has reportedly spent close to $10 billion on the illegal facility, widely condemned as a torture camp, which sits on a patch of Cuban land the US military seized by force in 1898 and has occupied ever since.The judges overseeing the five cases which are currently ongoing are not civilians but rather members of a special military commission established by former US President George W. Bush under military order just two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.Unlike a US civilian or military court, only two thirds of jurors or commission panel members, in Guantanamo jargon need to sign off to declare a defendant guilty. At the outset, the tribunals were seen as so unfair that even the prosecutors privately complained the military commissions were rigged, having been packed with handpicked members who will not acquit the detainees.Those accused are not permitted to view all the evidence against them, and are only allowed to use military attorneys and the handful of civilian lawyers with the necessary security clearances.Per the ACLU, there is no guarantee that, in the unlikely event that a detainee were actually acquitted by a military commission, he would be released from custody, because rather than designating detainees as either members of a military or civilians, the US labeled Guantanamo prisoners unlawful combatants. https://sputniknews.com/20210719/white-house-biden-aims-to-close-guantanamo-bay-prison-no-timeline-set-1083415826.html americas cuba guantanamo Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Wyatt Reed Wyatt Reed News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Wyatt Reed cuba, guantanamo, guantanamo bay detention center, prisoners, transfer, biden administration https://sputniknews.com/20220918/russian-artillery--air-force-strike-us-pmc-base-and-local-command-centers-in-ukraine--1100922884.html Russian Artillery & Air Force Strike US PMC Base and Local Command Centers in Ukraine Russian Artillery & Air Force Strike US PMC Base and Local Command Centers in Ukraine According to Russia's Defense Ministry, thousands of foreign mercenaries traveled to Ukraine to fight alongside Kiev's forces amid Moscow's special military... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T10:51+0000 2022-09-18T10:51+0000 2022-09-18T11:23+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine russia us ukraine private military company /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/12/1100922695_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_4fca8bb25cdf7c8178c859e26ebfa67c.jpg The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that its artillery and Air Force landed a series of strikes against Ukrainian command centers and footholds, as well as a local base of the US private military company helping Kiev's forces. The ministry specified that the mercenary base belonged to the Academi PMC formerly known as the notorious Blackwater company. It was situated near the town of Krasatorsk, in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).The strikes also hit the foothold of the Kraken nationalist battalion and centers for coordination of Ukrainian missile strikes located near the town of Shurino, Nikolaev region. During the operations, 47 Ukrainian artillery positions and 127 Ukrainian troops and military equipment positions were struck in the last 24 hours.The strikes came as part of the continuing Russian special military operation in Ukraine, which was launched on February 24 by President Vladimir Putin at the request of the DPR and Lugansk People's Republic (LPR). Both Donbass republics have suffered from Ukrainian shelling since they declared independence in response to the West-backed coup in Kiev in 2014 that brought nationalist politicians to power. https://sputniknews.com/20220917/dod-fears-sending-long-range-missiles-to-kiev-could-provoke-war-after-moscows-red-lines-warning-1100907274.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia, us, ukraine, private military company https://sputniknews.com/20220918/us-veterans-if-nato-didnt-want-ukraine-grid-hit-it-shouldnt-have-taken-part-in-kievs-offensive-1100916066.html US Veterans: If NATO Didn't Want Ukraine Grid Hit, It Shouldn't Have Taken Part in Kiev's Offensive US Veterans: If NATO Didn't Want Ukraine Grid Hit, It Shouldn't Have Taken Part in Kiev's Offensive US defense officials have advised the Biden administration against supplying Kiev with the longer range missiles, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems... 18.09.2022, Sputnik International 2022-09-18T05:09+0000 2022-09-18T05:09+0000 2022-09-22T12:11+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine us opinion russia ukraine europe us pentagon nato power grid kharkov /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/09/0f/1100803632_0:171:3072:1899_1920x0_80_0_0_c4c2560ead101d8613d02097d0edb189.jpg "I believe that if the Ukrainian government acquired long-range missiles, they would use them against the territory of the Russian Federation. I think that's a decision they've already indicated that would take place. So it's not a question of 'would they do it?' the question is: 'Are they going to be provided with the means to carry out this intention?'" says Scott Ritter, a military analyst and former US Marine Corps intelligence officer who served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm and Iraq.Having received High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the US, Kiev has doubled down, urging Washington to provide long-range missiles, something that the Biden administration has declined to do so far. The latest request from the Ukrainian leadership shared with American lawmakers and viewed by The Wall Street Journal contains dozens of types of weapons Kiev claims it will need "to press its offensive into 2023". Among them are ATACMs boasting a range of about 190 miles (305 kilometers). Currently, the maximum range of US-provided missiles to Ukraine is around 49 miles (78.8 kilometers).Russia's special military operation was launched on February 24, 2022, after the Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples Republics (DPR and LPR), recognized by Moscow as independent states, appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian eight year-long attacks against the breakaway region and its civilians. As the special operation continues, Kiev persists in shelling the territory of the Donbass republics targeting not only military and industrial facilities, but also residential areas and infrastructure. In addition to that, the Ukrainian military has repeatedly struck residential areas of Russia's border regions. On September 16, two civilians sustained injuries and one died, according to the local authorities, after Ukrainian troops shelled the town of Valuyki in Russia's Belgorod region. It appears that the Biden administration "has subordinated US national security policy to the Zelensky regime," which refuses to hold peace talks while "it is the US that should be setting clear and achievable objectives and calling for a peace conference based on those objectives in the realization that there is no chance whatsoever that Ukraine can defeat Russia in this war," according to Pyne.'Surgical Move to Reshape the Battlefield'Meanwhile, US politicians and lawmakers have leveled accusations of "terrorism" against Russia and blamed it for targeting electrical grid in Kharkov and a dam on the Ingulets River amid Kiev's counter-offensive.The first thing one needs to understand about Russia's strikes is that the damage that was done was not permanent in nature, the military analyst says, adding that most of the targeted electric facilities were back up and running within 24 hours. Likewise, the way Russia attacked the dam, "it can be readily repaired and the situation returned to normal in a relatively short amount of time," he adds. This means that "the Russian targeting was very precise" being "a surgical use of military force to shape the battlefield so that Russia could rebuild its defense," according to the military analyst.The same thing can be said about the dam, continues Ritter: "The strike against the dam was designed to raise water levels along a strategically important river to remove bridges that had been built across this river by Ukrainian forces with the assistance of NATO that were used to sustain a significant Ukrainian military buildup that was threatening Russian forces. By removing these bridges, the Russians denied the Ukrainians the ability to supply these troops. These troops are now isolated and being subjected to military action by Russia designed to reduce the threat."The former US Marine Corps intelligence officer elaborates that the timing of the measure "was linked to a critical moment in the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kharkov, where Russian troops were trying to reestablish themselves on a new defensive line" after they faced "a Ukrainian counteroffensive that was conducted by what in essence was a NATO military."US Military Doctrine Envisages Eliminating All Critical InfrastructureBoth US military experts agree that Washington's stance with regard to Russia's special military operation is nothing short of hypocritical given the Pentagon's record of military invasions and brutal tactics of destroying civilian areas and critical infrastructure."US military doctrine is to take down the enemys critical infrastructure at the onset of a conflict," explains Pyne. "During the 1991 Iraq War and the unprovoked 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia, the US attacked the enemy power grid within the first few days of the war."Ritter was a participant in Operation Desert Storm that began on January 17, 1991. He says he is "very familiar" with the strategic air campaign that the United States waged against Iraq.From day one of the special military operation Russia has made it clear that its objective is to minimize harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, Ritter underscores, adding that "if the United States was involved in this war, the Ukrainians would never have been able to move a single battalion, let alone six brigades worth of troops into the battle zone."For his part, Pyne notes that many Western military analysts thought that Russia would employ far more assertive methods of war and would disable Ukraines critical infrastructure including its internet, electrical power, command and control and transportation system. Neither did Russia resort to unconventional technologies including cyber and Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) weapons, he acknowledges."If the Biden administration has any issues with the level of death and destruction occurring in the war in Ukraine, it should take positive steps to mediate a compromise peace agreement to end the war rather than doing everything it can to prolong it unnecessarily," Pyne says.Ritter voices a similar stance: "If NATO didn't want the electrical grid and the dam [hit], then NATO shouldnt have built up an army that threatened the Russian positions. This is the reality of war."Kiev Bears Responsibility for Rejecting Peace TalksAt the same time, Pyne believes that "Russia is justified in attacking Ukraines critical infrastructure given that its mostly reasonable peace offers have been rejected by Ukraine over the past six months."The EMP Task Force scholar refers to a series of Russo-Ukraine peace talks which led to preliminary agreements on March 29 in Istanbul and Moscow's voluntary withdrawal of troops from Kiev. Nonetheless, the Zelensky government made a U-turn after that and backpedalled on peace negotiations.In December 2021, Russia proposed draft security agreements to the US and NATO. The documents looked to diffuse tensions sparked by the transatlantic alliance's decades-long eastward expansion and Washington's efforts to arm Ukraine and create new military installations on Russia's doorstep. The drafts envisaged Ukraine's non-admission to the military bloc, non-deployment of offensive weapon systems near Russia's borders, and the return of NATO's European capabilities and infrastructure to 1997 levels. However, the US, NATO and the EU rejected the agreements' key provisions leaving Moscow no other alternative but to take preventive measures of demilitarizing and de-Nazifying Ukraine.The only hope Ukraine has of winning is with a fair and reasonable compromise peace agreement, Pyne emphasizes. As of yet, however, Kiev has shredded any calls to broker peace with the US State Department-funded Ukrainian Center to Counter Disinformation denouncing Pyne, the author of the 15-point Russia-Ukraine peace proposal, as "an information terrorist subject to being tried as a war criminal." https://sputniknews.com/20220915/kiev-utilizing-strategy-wargamed-by-pentagon-in-southern-ukraine-security-analyst-tells-sputnik-1100820817.html https://sputniknews.com/20220916/thanks-but-no-tanks-bundestag-lawmaker-reveals-why-berlin-isnt-sending-heavy-armor-to-ukraine-1100851172.html https://sputniknews.com/20220914/us-to-be-dragged-into-conflict-with-russia-if-kiev-gets-long-range-missiles--antonov-1100785569.html russia kharkov Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova us, opinion, russia, ukraine, europe, us pentagon, nato, power grid, kharkov, dam, civilians, infrastructure, iraq war, bombing of yugoslavia Forced to retreat early by a hot pace, Birthday blew out those hot candles late when he pounced on the tiring leaders and captured a division of the $55,750 Keystone Classic on Saturday (Sept. 17) at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. Hecandancencruise took the other division of the stake for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers. Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. sent Birthday for the top from post three but tucked in fourth when Captain Cowboy threw down a contested :25.4 opening panel. I was hoping to get away a little better, ideally a trip behind one of the favourites, Wrenn said. Once they were rolling out of there, I had no choice but to surrender. My horse is very willing to pass late. Moving widest of all in the lane, Birthday edged Layton Hanover by a head in a career-best 1:50, with the first-over Code Cracker third. Ron Burke trains Birthday for Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. Not only did the Sweet Lou-Breakheart Pass lift his career earnings to $228,185, but he also probably punched his ticket to next weeks Little Brown Jug. That was what we were looking for from him, so well probably send him, Burke said. He has better last year than at the beginning of this year, but with the equipment changes weve been making, hes improved. Hes figuring it out. Dave Palone pulled the pocket with Hecandancencruise down the backside and made the move pay off, edging 1-5 favourite Energetic Hanover by a neck in 1:50, a lietime mark, with Unsung Hero third. Dave gave him the trip that he needed to be right there, said Mark Harder, who trains the A Rocknroll Dance - She Can cruise gelding for Philip Steinberg and Dana Steinberg. The horse fights; hes okay. Hes improving and he looks after himself. Just a nice horse. Hecandancencruise vaulted over $100,000 in lifetime earnings but isnt eligible for any of the rich year-end stakes. Will he return to race at four? Why not? Harder said. A lot of people are looking to get horses like this, and weve got one. Palone and Burke each notched four wins on the 12-race card while trainer Brandon Presto and Wrenn each enjoyed a three-bagger. The Meadows is dark next week for track maintenance. When racing resumes on Sept. 27, it will kick off the fall-winter schedule of live harness racing each Tuesday-Friday. (MSOA) The owners going into Saturdays (Sept. 17) two $35,000 eliminations of the Shes A Great Lady for rookie pacing fillies at Woodbine Mohawk Park were hoping to earn a spot into next weeks rich final, but one maybe a bit more than the others. Diamond Creek Stud has been home to the races namesake for close to two decades and it would mean the world to them to win the race while the now 30-year-old mare is still alive. That dream grew closer to reality when their homebred, Charleston, was an impressive winner in the first division (defeating another filly bred by the Pennsylvania nursery, Horizontal). With Dexter Dunn at the controls, Charleston settled into fifth early in the field reduced to six with the scratch of Savethelastdance. Horizontal and Sylvain Filion set the tempo of :27.3 and :56.2. Dunn pulled the right line just past that marker and grabbed cover from Treacherous Penny as they passed the three-quarters in 1:24.3. Down the stretch, Charleston sailed on by to hit the wire in 1:51.3, followed by Horizontal, who held off Treacherous Penny for place. The top five from each division earn a spot into the final so Front Page Story and Reggae Hanover will also compete. It was the fifth win in six starts (the other was a second) and a lifetime mark for Charleston, a daughter of Downbytheseaside bred and owned by Diamond Creek and trained by Brett Pelling. Charleston is a half-sister to Pure Country, a winner of more than $2.6 million in her career. Shes obviously a really nice filly, really fast, she rallied good, Dunn reported. As for the tepid fractions up front he smiled and said, I was quite happy with them, we werent too far off the speed. As Brett said shes getting better every week. In the second division, Sylvia Hanover extended her streak as she notched her fourth straight for Bob McClure, who sent her to the top early and never looked back. The fractions were :27.2, :57.3, 1:26 and she reached the finish in 1:52.1 Pocket-sitter Bellisima Hanover finished second with Proud Mary, who tried to launch a challenge first up, third. Cheesy Smile and Windsun Tiara also qualified for the final. Sylvia Hanover, by Always B Miki, has five wins and a second in six starts to date. Shes earned over $218,000 so far for owner Hudson Standardbred of Quebec. Shawn Steacy handles the training for the $135,000 yearling purchase whose dam, Shyaway competed in the 2010 Shes A Great Lady finishing second in her elimination and seventh in the final. Her first foal was $2 million winner Western Fame. McClure was effusive in his praise for the young filly. Shes a little green up front still, shes a big kid having fun but for the racing part she dials right in. She kicked home in :26.1 on her own. She knows its business from the half on, theres no end to her. There doesnt seem to be a way to get her tired. Shes great gaited, has a great attitude, just a lot of fun to sit behind. If you dont get excited about a horse like that youre in the wrong game. The draw for the final was made following the second division and the fillies will line up as follows next Saturday night: 1 Windsun Tiara 2 Front Page Story 3 Bellisima Hanover 4 Charleston 5 Sylvia Hanover 6 Proud Mary 7 Reggae Hanover 8 Treacherous Penny 9 Horizontal 10 Cheesy Smile AE Caviart Davia A top pacing mare during the mid 1990s, Shes A Great Lady earned just under a million dollars during her three year career, which saw her win 26 of 52 life starts. Shes been retired from breeding since her last foal in 2012 and is part of Diamond Creeks Golden Girls retirement group. To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park. (Woodbine) The two $40,000 Metro Pace eliminations for two-year-old pacing colts Saturday (Sept. 17) at Woodbine Mohawk Park saw a heavy favourite, Save America, and a longshot, Tip Top Cat, emerge victorious. The top five finishers from each division qualified for next Saturdays $900,000 Metro final. In 2018, Stag Party was an impressive winner in the Metro Pace final and his little brother Save America is looking to make that a family tradition after capturing the first test. In that elimination, the lead changed hands several times with Huntinthelastdolar first on the front at the :27.1 opener. Aces Of Aces popped out to grab the lead by the :56 half, but he was covered immediately by Moment Is Here. First up at that point was favourite Save America, who was at the leaders wheel by three-quarters in 1:22.4. Those two rookies battled down the lane, with Save America taking over in the late going to win in 1:49.4. Moment Is Here held strongly for second with Ace Of Aces taking third. The final two to qualify for the final were Huntinthelastdolar and Gung Ho. A son of Captaintreacherous owned by the 3 Brothers Stable and Caviart Farms and trained by Nancy Takter, Save America now has four wins in five starts this year for $188,000 earned. Despite coming into the contest riding a three race winning streak, the last two also Grand Circuit events at Mohawk, Gingras said that in tonights effort Save America finally felt like the colt he first started driving in the spring. The first couple of starts here [at Mohawk] he was a little bumpy at times, last week he was too aggressive on top of that, tonight I got the horse back that I really liked in the spring baby races. He was a gentleman to drive, two finger, I did whatever I wanted with him with no steps, Gingras said. He was loaded with pace tonight, he only won by a length but I never really called on him, didnt kick the plugs. It was a crazy good mile, especially off a half in :56 and I was sitting at least five lengths back. He was the colt I thought I had at the beginning of the year; I loved him. Theyre babies, you have to tinker with them and change a few things. Nancy found the key to him and it was great tonight. In the second elimination, all eyes were on Stockade Seelster, who came into the contest undefeated in six starts to date. Unfortunately, that streak ended tonight. With Jody Jamieson in the bike, Stockade Seelster had some company from Tickertape Hanover when he hit the opening panel in :27, but that rival instead tucked behind him and sat in the pocket when the half was hit in :55. There was lots of action in the back field when Stockade Seelster hit the three-quarters in 1:23. Down the stretch, Jamieson had the ear plugs popped on Stockade Seelster, who had company on both sides of him in Tickertape Hanover on the outside and Tip Top Cat on the inside. In the late going, Doug McNair slid Tip Top Cat up the inside and on by Stockade Seelster and hit the wire first in 1:50.1. Tickertape Hanover also managed to get in front of Stockade Seelster, who had to settle for third for the first time in his young career. Captain Batboy and Ants Marching also qualified for the rich final. Hes always been a stop and go type colt, they liked him training down. I didnt really like him two starts ago, he never really paced through the wire. Last week, he raced very good. He got a big last quarter and he showed hes a pretty nice colt, said Doug McNair, the colts regular driver for his dad Gregg, who trains for owners Scott Horner and Timothy Murray. Around the last turn he felt really good, there were two nice colts he was following. I just wanted to get him qualified for the final, I wasnt expecting to win. Ive been watching [the Metro] since I was a little kid, and its great to be in it too. The Metro would be a feather in Dads cap, it would be really special, but we have a long way to go yet. A son of Always B Miki, Tip Top Cat recorded the second win from six starts in his young career. The draw for the Metro final will be held on Monday (Sept. 19) during the simulcast pre-game show. The $900,000 final will be contested next Saturday night (Sept. 24), Canadas richest night of racing anchored by the Mohawk Million. To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park. (Woodbine) Test Of Faith didnt have the easiest of trips, but she somehow found a way to make it look easy in taking the $230,000 Milton Stakes on Saturday night (Sept. 17) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The journey to the winners circle didnt play as her connections envisioned, but one of the sports top pacing mares navigated her way to yet another dominant victory against a talented group of rivals. Watch Me Now N sprang to the front soon after the field of 10 was sent on its way under the Milton, Ont. ovals lights, with Amazing Dream N and Grace Hill lining second and third, respectively. David Miller, in rein to Test Of Faith, wasnt able to find a spot along the pylons and powered into the first turn. Watch Me Now N set the tone through an opening quarter in :26.3, but Grace Hill, who won her Milton elimination last week, was soon on the march and wrested the lead away from the pacesetter. Miller then called upon the four-year-old daughter of Art Major-Cannae Cammie and ushered her to the front just prior to the :54.2 half. Taking charge, Test Of Faith, last years U.S. Horse of the Year, took the field through three-quarters in 1:21.1. After an action-filled trip, the bay mare was then tasked with holding off her foes down the lane. Under the tutelage of trainer Brett Pelling, she was up for the challenge. Holding a 2-1/2-length advantage at the stretch call, she crossed the wire a 2-1/4-length winner, stopping the teletimer in a stakes-record time of 1:48.1, just one-fifth of a second off the track and Canadian record. She was very sharp tonight, said Miller. I didnt want to be first-up tonight, and I didnt want to be coming from fourth, so I thought Id go ahead and try to get her around a few, and a couple from the outside left. She was getting away fourth again, liked I kind of figured, and when Doug [McNair, driving Grace Hill] moved, I went with him. She takes care of herself, she takes her time. But tonight, when she crossed over, she usually just relaxes, but she actually took of hold of me, and I felt pretty confident. It was the 30th victory in 39 starts for the superstar, who swept the pair of mare hardware offered by Woodbine Mohawk Park after coming up roses in the Roses Are Red earlier this year. Pelling continues to marvel at his uber-talented superstar. She just does nothing wrong," Pelling said. "Like David said, you cant really drive her bad. You just do anything you want with her and thats what makes her special. Theres no real trick to her. She is just absolutely a total professional. That was probably one of her better runs tonight just because of the action in the race, and the way race set up. It ended up being a great race. She really looked like she was toying with them which was pretty awesome for me to see. Owned by Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Eddie Gran, Test Of Faith was bred by Frederick Hertrich. The earner of more than $2 million returned $2.70 to win. The trophy presentation was made by Gord Krantz, Mayor of Milton, a post he has held since 1980. To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park. (Woodbine) ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo.At a high alpine lake here, researchers with clipboards and pens are conducting painstaking surveys that may be essential for saving butterflies and other insects from extinction. Someone has to stand up for the little guy, Elise Willcox, 29, said on a recent morning as she hiked around it. She was scanning intentlyeyes attuned to anything flying aroundfor the fluttering bright wings of wood nymphs, fritillaries, and the Rocky Mountain Parnassian. If invertebrates disappear, thats a big problem for us humans. These counts coordinated by the Colorado-based Butterfly Pavilion are part of widening international efforts to deploy a sort of collective radarbeyond what government wildlife agencies doand monitor insect species declines. A growing body of scientific evidence shows bugs worldwide are decreasing in abundance and diversity, prompting warnings of an insect apocalypse. Scientists estimate 40% of known species are declining and hypothesize that losses could trigger large-scale ecological collapse. Insects pollinate crops, recycle nutrients, aerate soil and provide the essential base protein in food chains. Butterfly Pavilion officials aspire to avert a collapse. Theyre expanding from their current zoo into a new $55 million, 81,000-square-feet facility north of Denverto be the worlds largest stand-alone invertebrate zoo and hub for research and habitat recovery. Theyve launched projects on three continents. And theyre teaming with developers to create a model 1,200-acre insect-friendly mini-city for people to live surrounded by life in Broomfield. But the broader rescue mission hinges on mass mobilization of citizen-scientist volunteers for often-tedious monitoringstarting with butterflies. Beyond their beauty and role as pollinators, butterflies are super-sensitiveregarded by entomologists as ideal early-warning sentinels for die-offs that ultimately affect larger animals. And even here at the protected Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, multiple intrusions threaten harm: roads bring gas-burning traffic and bright lights; hikers taking selfies chatter and trample lakeside host plants; asphalt parking lots replace forests; and anglers wade waist-deep through the water. Its a microcosm of impacts that degrade natural habitat around the planet. Willcox and her lepidopterist colleague Shiran Herschcovich, 25, blocked out tourism as they weaved through thrumming shrubs and grasses surrounding the lake. They saw dragonflies patrolling, precision predators, like tiny assault helicopters keeping mosquitos in check. Over a three-quarter mile survey loop, Willcox spotted five butterflies. She recorded these on her clipboard sheet with notes about host plantsinformation shed upload later into a national butterfly database. On previous surveys when more flowers were blooming, she counted up to 20 butterflies on this route. It can be frustrating when you dont see butterflies. But even if we dont see many, the data gives us a baseline, she said. Establishing that baseline is important so that we can track change. And, we may find indications of what habits humans might need to change to preserve wild spaces like this. The efforts to systematically monitor insects in Colorado began in 2013 with four volunteers on five routes. This Butterfly Pavilion-run Colorado Butterfly Monitoring Network has grown with 63 volunteers covering 61 routes. Pavilion officials aim for a tenfold expansion over five years to cover habitat in every county. They plan to broaden counting to include dragonflies and fireflies starting next summer. Colorado data builds on surveys around the United States by more than 50 groups linked together as the North American Butterfly Monitoring Network, a consortium that follows similar research protocols. Elsewhere, more than 600 volunteers systematically monitor insects in Britain and efforts in other countries are beginning. Waiting on universities and government agencies to track insect populations is seen as too slow in the face of what entomologists describe as accelerating extinctions. At Rocky Mountain National Park, there are no staff entomologists and park officials have relied on outside researchers to identify more than 100 species. Butterfly populations fluctuate, and the trendlines are fuzzy, said Scott Esser, the parks director of research learning. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials now list 94 insect species as endangered or threatened, up from 57 in 2008. Federal wildlife biologists concentrate on mammals and fish, though theyre also responsible for monitoring officially imperiled insects such as the Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly, which survives on high mountain slopes in southern Colorado, and stream-dwelling stoneflies dependent on shrinking Rocky Mountain glaciers. Meantime, United Nations officials warn of unprecedented accelerating extinctions worldwide and in 2019 released a study that found 1 million species, including insects, are likely to vanish. Bug surveys over the past decade in Europe documented a 50% decrease in butterfly populations since 1990, and researchers have estimated in multiple studies that 45% of known insect species could go extinct within two decadesdeclines driven by habitat destruction as cities expand, pesticides, and climate warming. If insects vanish, the consequences for food production will be catastrophic, said Herschcovich, the manager of Butterfly Pavilion lepidopterists. Invertebrate species are disappearing faster than we are discovering them, she said. It is self-interest that we should be conserving all invertebrates. We cannot save the rhino, or the polar bear or whales, without the invertebrates first. They are the base for every ecological system we know, deeply connected to every other life form. But mobilizing people to conduct slow and tedious surveys appears difficult, Butterfly Pavilion officials say, aiming to use their expanded facility for recruitment. Many visitors know insects primarily for their stings, sometimes venomous. Diseases that mosquitos spreadincluding malaria, dengue, West Nile Virus and otherswork against peaceful coexistence. All invertebrates are important. They recharge our soil. They decompose dead things. They filter the water we drink. They pollinate the food we eat. One-third of the food we eat is there thanks to pollinators, said wildlife biologist Rich Reading, Butterfly Pavilion vice president of science and conservation, who also serves on the Colorado Wildlife Commission setting state policy toward other species. Reading worked previously for the Denver Zoo and for 26 years on wildlife habitat projects in Mongolia, where the government has honored his service. Insects are the little things that run the natural world, the foundational species, he said. And theyre going down. A global rescue mission like this marks a shift for zoos, which traditionally focused on displaying pachyderms, monkeys, lions and tigers. Back in 1995, Colorados Butterfly Pavilion opened northwest of Denver on an 11-acre site in Westminsterthe first stand-alone nonprofit facility accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to house exotic insects. It grew from 7,200 square feet to 25,000 square feet and can handle up to 300 visitors per hour in a tropical vegetation area where people mix with brilliant-colored butterflies from around the planet. Robust revenues, including sales from a gift shop, fund 60% of an annual budget around $6.5 million, projected to reach $14.5 million at the new facility. Taxpayers in Colorados seven-county metro Denver Science and Cultural Facilities District contribute $1.1 million a year. The pavilion is scheduled to open in 2025, glassy with a five-story observation zone and underground cave, jungle canopy walkways and a greenhousejust west of Interstate 25 in Broomfield within a 70-acre bug-friendly park. This complex will fit into the 1,200-acre mini-city where McWhinney, a multibillion-dollar Denver-based real estate company, is building toward 9,200 homes along with solar-ready industrial buildings equipped with electric vehicle-charging stations. Like the current Butterfly Pavilion, this new facility will be regulated. Federal agriculture officials prohibit breeding of non-native speciesguarding against escapes that could hurt food crops. Butterflies often live less than 50 days. And the regulations compel Butterfly Pavilion operators to rely on imports. Butterfly pupa (the chrysalis early life stage) purchased from butterfly ranches in Asia, Africa, Central America and South America arrive at Denver International Airport. Denver-based London Pupa Services houses these at U.S. Department of Agriculture-permitted warehouse facilities. When these future butterflies reach Butterfly Pavilion backrooms each week, retired software developer Steve Chady, 66, a volunteer, removes them from cotton and foam packing and updates transaction documents. Then he glues each chrysalis to a wooden rod on a display board. Gradually these hatch, and butterflies emerge, delighting visitors, especially children. Twice a day, staffers release new butterflies into the Tropical Wings display. The Butterfly Pavilion would not exist without a constant supply of butterflies, said Chady, who also conducts butterfly surveys with his spouse on suburban open space. Were looking for long-term trends in the numbers and kinds of butterflies. We need more people monitoring on the Eastern Plains, on the Western Slope and in the mountains, he said. I feel almost obligated. . I expect butterflies are probably going to continue to decline overall. But hopefully, we will turn it around before it gets dire. If the numbers get too low, we could hit a point of no return. Around the world, Butterfly Pavilion teams have launched multiple projects designed to build partnerships and conserve natural habitat: Helping construct hanging beehive fences in Tanzania to promote coexistence of elephants and farmers. This project tries to give villages an economic stake in healthy habitat, discouraging poaching, with economic gains from pollination of crops and honey. Aggressive bees in Tanzania buzz around the eyes and trunks of elephants, driving them away from crop fields. Surveying and campaigning in Mongolia to gather data on threatened Parnassian butterflies, related to the Rocky Mountain Parnassian, and combat illegal poaching of endangered butterflies by collectors Creating a butterfly farm in Sumatra, Indonesia. Funds from butterfly sales aid surrounding villages and some are earmarked for efforts to save endangered rhinos on healthier habitat. Poaching to remove horns for sale in Chinese markets threatens to drive rhinos extinct. Guiding government leaders in Saudi Arabia in managing and improving protected natural areas suitable for insects and other wildlife. In Colorado, the emerging Baseline District mini-city north of Denver is meant to serve as a model for sustainable urban livingan alternative to concrete-intensive development that squelches species diversity. All plants and landscaping favor bees, dragonflies, beetles and other insects that, in turn, enable larger wildlife populations. The biological infrastructure for the development requires irrigating habitat and open space interspersed with buildings, and absorbing stormwater that can infiltrate soil instead of sluicing it away through drainage culverts. We want places for people to live surrounded by life, said Amy Yarger, the Butterfly Pavilions horticulture director, who serves on a seven-member Design Review Committee that guides landscaping in the district. The committee directs planting of native vegetation: aster and penstemon flowers, prairie grasses, rabbit brush and milkweed. Members recently nixed use of a daisy, compelling removal and re-planting. Initial surveys on what was a dusty, degraded site in 2019 found few pollinators could survive. Earlier this year, a follow-up survey found bumblebees, leaf-cutter bees and occasional butterflies, Yarger said. Everybody plays a role in saving invertebrates, and Butterfly Pavilion can lead the way. To reverse the declines were seeing, were going to have to have people think differently about what they do with their landscapes. McWhinney developers have envisioned a city of up to 23,000 residents, equal distances from Boulder and Denver, a 21st-century version of the Tech Center on the south side of metro Denver. We are 100% supportive of the Butterfly Pavilion mission, both the educational component and the research component. They really want to ramp up the research, and we are excited about that, McWhinney chief executive Ray Pittman said, adding that universities will play a role. We see the potential to do national and global-level research, to have real impact on the challenges our communities and the world face. A model pollinator district where residents and wildlife coexist would be transformational, Pittman said, and help ensure growth respects the necessity to take care of our planet. In Europe and Australia, theres a community of like-minded developers, he said, and we tend to follow each others work. Eventually, Butterfly Pavilion officials plan on breeding native insects such as dragonflies and fireflies to aid in recovery work. And frontline volunteers say theyre finding that survey work can double as recreation, though protocols require walking slowly and precisely recording observations. For Cindy Cain, 64, a full-time nurse who takes care of children with diabetes at the University of Colorados Anschutz medical complex, a background in science has been helpful in identifying host plants for butterflies. She conducted repeated surveys this summer along nine different routes in mountainous foothills, working for up to six hours on days off. For goodness sake, were on this planet and we have to learn to take care of it. Its never too late, Cain said. There are so many species to save. But bugs are everywhere. And they pollinate the food we eat.) For a day or two every year, a local farmer sets aside his usual farming routine to delve into science. Dan Fitts stands on his mint still to oversee the steam distillation process to lift the plants essential oil for use in mouth care products. It is all simple ideas, its not that complicated, Fitts said. You just have to get it set up and make sure its all working the way it should be. The Fitts farm corn, dry edible beans and sugar beets in the Melbeta area and realized an opportunity to work outside the box when they took over a peppermint meadow. Well, long story short, a guy that grew up here went to Idaho and learned about mint, he came back here and started this, Becky Fitts said. He was going to tear it up and we just took it over. The peppermint plant is a perennial that is planted by rhizomes, or roots, not seed planted like many other crops. The biggest investment is getting the plant started, Becky Fitts said. You dont plant every year, it comes back kind of like alfalfa does. You dont plant by seed, ideally you have to use certified roots to plant. Weve done some planting and we have expanded the acres out. The Fitts have taken the original peppermint meadow that is east of Melbeta and gradually added a few acres to the stand to reach 33 harvestable acres. Peppermint and spearmint plants are mostly commercially grown in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Dan Fitts said the plant really likes water, and weather conditions in the Panhandle can be tricky for the plant and a timely harvest. Usually in the spring, we get enough water to get going, but this year it didnt start growing until we could irrigate, he said. Mint plants are similar in nature to the alfalfa plant and is harvest with the same type of equipment. Unlike alfalfa, mint is only harvested once a year. Depending on the weather conditions, the Fitts usually swath mint in late August but this year it was about two weeks later. Harvest depends on the plant it grows up, lays over, grows again and then harvest is just before blooming, Fitts said. The peppermint plants commodity is its essential oil found on the underside of the leaves. Harvest time can be altered by weather because late heavy rainfall could potentially wash away the oil. Once the harvest day is set, the plant is cut down similar to hay into wind rows. The mint plant is left to dry until it is just beginning to wilt, about half the time alfalfa is left down. When the downed plant is near wilting, a forage harvester picks up and chops the rows, shooting the mint into wagons or tubs that are outfitted for steam distillation. The tubs are sealed and moved to a mobile still where the oil will be extracted. Whats unusual about the still is we can move it anywhere, it just needs a water source, Fitts said. In addition to water, the still uses diesel fuel to run a generator and boiler. The unique still can support four tubs at a time, each taking around 90 minutes to process using steam. Heated water is pumped into the closed tub floor to reach 20 pounds of pressure. We start at 20 pounds of pressure until (the oil) breaks, then back off and cook it slow, Fitts explained. The steam heats the mint leaf to release the plants essential oil that will mix with the water vapor. Then the steam is collected from the top of the tubs. The oil and water mixed vapors continue to naturally rise out of the heated tubs where it is funneled to cold condensing chambers. The vapors flow through coils surrounded by cold water in condensing pots. Im always messing with the gauges to keep the flow right, keep the temperatures where I want them, Fitts said. To little flow, the water gets too hot, it starts baking off and too cold, it will also do that. Cold water changes steam back into an oil/water liquid blend. The clear liquid flows from the cold condensing chambers into a pot for separating. Water molecules are denser than oil so the two naturally separate. Fine bubbles of the peppermint oil gradually pop to the surface of the liquid pool and water settles on the bottom. Once the separated oil reaches a spout near the top of the pot, Fitts increases the flow to skim the final product off and funnel it into the storage barrel. Water from the steam distillation process is pumped to the ground and the mint sludge by-product is used for compost on fields in the spring. The barrels of pure mint oil are hauled to Idaho and sold on contract to Labbeemint, a company that supplies peppermint and spearmint essential oils for products like gum, mouthwash and toothpaste. You can smell mint when its cut, then its pretty potent when Dans cooking it, it really cleans out your sinuses, Becky Fitts said. Mint yields are calculated by gallons of oil and sold by the pounds of oil. The Fitts peppermint field typically produces 90 pounds of oil per acre. Hot and dry is a good condition to harvest in, but where its been so hot and dry the yields will be down, Dan Fitts said. This is our third year in a row with really dry, hot weather so were ready for a change. People flocked to the freshly turned ground at the Legacy of the Plains Saturday, Sept. 18, to fill bags with potatoes, check out farm machinery and learn about history. The 26th annual Legacy of the Plains Harvest Festival spotlighted potato harvest by hand, mule and machine. Dave Wolf, the Legacy of the Plains Museum executive director, said the crowd bagging potatoes was the largest he has seen in a while. A lot of people showed up to dig potatoes. I really dont know if we are going to have any left after this weekend, Wolf said. Wolf and other volunteers manned a tent selling three sizes of bags for people to pick their own russet potatoes. We were only able to get one type of potato, russet, not the two we usually have, Tim Maxcy, a Legacy of the Plains volunteer, said. We get the potatoes from a seed dealer in Alliance, he donates whatever he has left. Two popular attractions were the hay bale fort and the barrel train geared toward young kids. Kieler sisters, Kiera, 4, and Moana, 5, raced across the bales while waiting for an open seat on the barrel train. They love it here, we come every year and they really like (the hay fort) and the animals, the girls mom said. The volunteers added to the museums tractor display and were on hand to circle the festival in a true parade fashion. Joining the tractor parade were volunteers on horseback and in horse- or mule-pulled carts. The volunteers could be seen explaining their less than modern farming equipment and letting people pet the horses. Beyond the potatoes and tractors, shouts and screams could often be heard from inside the corn maze. Jessica and Sadie Gurnsey raced ahead of their dad, eager to reach the end of the maze. Jessica said she was just the right height to slip down the corn path quickly. This is fun, Im not worried, we will get to the end soon, she said. Whether riding in a tractor pulled cart or walking through the festival, people could also take turns hand shucking, try cowboy coffee fresh off the fire, snow cones for sample the tasty smells coming from a food truck. Festival goers could experience live demonstrations in the Blacksmith shop and wonder through time in the Wiedeman House and Gentry Cabin. Nancy Haney, a Legacy of the Plains Museum volunteer, could be found in the Wiedeman Farms historical house sharing stories from when the house was built and moved to the museums land. When the family said they would really like to move the house, we had the basement remade like it was in 1930 and we did the upstairs like it would have been in the 1950s, she said. Haney was greeting the visitors to the historical house by pointing out a photo of David and Marie Wiedeman that originally built the house. The countertop in the basement shows just how short of a lady Mrs. Wiedeman truly was, she said. People of all ages found the historical home a highlight of the festival. Emmett Aaberg shouted to his sister, Allison, to rush to the basement so he could show her something. Hurry up, youve got to come down here and see whats really cool, he said. I think this is a dads room. Theres all this stuff thats cool and a really soft hat. He commented that the 1930s style long underwear looked like a jumpsuit and couldnt believe a man would have worn them underneath pants. If you missed the annual Harvest Festival Saturday, it will be up and running for its second day Sunday, Sept. 18, beginning with a church service at 9 a.m. Following the service, potato digging will continue and the festivities will all run again until 4 p.m. Across the world, one person takes their own life every 40 seconds. And with many of these tragic deaths, several others are left behind with pain, grief, and sorrow. Just as waves spread outward when a single pebble is dropped into a pond, suicide too creates a ripple effect, causing heartache for countless others. Those left behind, suicide loss survivors, may be friends, family, or loved ones. Oftentimes, suicide loss survivors face an intense grieving process, which commonly includes feelings of guilt, anger, abandonment, confusion, and hopelessness. However, suicide can often be prevented. If you see a loved one struggling, reach out. You can save not just one, but several lives that would be affected. This month is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month a time to raise awareness and learn how to support your friends. Suicide awareness is so important. Its crucial that each and every one of us notice the signs of someone who may be contemplating suicide and get them the help they need, said Suja Raju, a psychiatrist at Iredell Psychiatry. Recognizing the signs of suicide in a friend, family member, coworker, or classmate is the first step. Important warning signs Many people who are contemplating suicide feel as if there is no way out of their sadness, that they have no purpose, or that they have no control. These thoughts and feelings can lead to outward signs. Warning signs you may notice in someone who is having suicidal thoughts may include isolation and a lack of engagement with others, verbalizing not wanting to live, or giving away belongings, said Raju. Other signs may include: Making threats or talking about hurting themselves Talking or writing about death or dying Acting reckless Having dramatic mood swings If you notice these signs in a loved one, offer your help and support. It may feel uncomfortable and scary at first, as suicide can be a sensitive topic to approach, but it is crucial to start the conversation with them. How to help a friend To help a friend you believe is at risk of suicide, you should start by finding a private environment that would make them feel comfortable and safe, if possible. After you are in a safe environment, tell your friend you are worried about them, and ask them to express their feelings. Talk to them about how they are feeling. If you are close to them, try to get them to open up about their thoughts, said Raju. Asking about suicide will not cause your friend to consider it. Instead, it will show that you care and allow them to talk about their problems. Offer a non-judgmental, listening ear. Give your friend your full attention as they open up to you. Never make light of or ignore your friends concerns, and do not act shocked or surprised. When you respond, do so in a supportive, encouraging way. Telling them to get over it will not help. It minimizes how they are feeling. Instead, react by providing support. Make your friend feel safe by reassuring them that you are there for them, said Raju. Let them know they are not alone and that everyone feels sad and depressed sometimes. Make sure they know there is hope and they are much stronger than they even realize. I think one of the misconceptions about those who are suicidal is that these individuals are weak. When, in fact, they are going through a difficult time that got them to that point, and this does not make them weak, said Raju. According to Raju, if your friend is having suicidal thoughts, you should try to get rid of anything they could use to harm themselves, such as medications, guns, razors, and knives. Lastly, encourage your friend to talk to a trained professional. Seek help from a mental health agency in your community, a therapist or counselor, a doctor, or a suicide-prevention or crisis center. You can also call a suicide hotline, as they offer access to trained phone counselors. After they visit a professional, continue to follow up with them. Ask your friend how they are feeling rather than bringing up the topic of harm, said Raju. Keep watch if your friend suddenly starts to seem better without speaking to a professional. Without proper treatment, feelings of depression and thoughts of suicide often return. If your friend seems actively suicidal, do not leave them alone. Call 911, a crisis center, or take them to the emergency room immediately. Suicide hotline To reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, you can call or text 988. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org/chat. The Lifeline connects people to trained counselors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Lifeline counselors will listen, ask questions, and offer their advice. They can also help you get immediate assistance. Helping a loved one get the assistance they need can be a difficult task. Make sure to take care of yourself and always reach out if you need support. Raju practices at Iredell Psychiatry and is accepting new patients. If you would like to learn more or schedule an appointment with Raju, call 704-380-3620. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, a Republican who is running for governor in Arkansas, was released from a hospital Saturday after undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer. Following successful surgery on Friday to remove her thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes and in consultation with her physician, Sarah was discharged from an Arkansas hospitalcancer free, said Sanders spokesperson Judd Deere. She will spend the remaining portion of her recovery at home. Deere told The Associated Press that Sanders, 40, plans to resume campaigning soon, but it was not known precisely when she would return. Sanders said Friday when announcing the surgery that a biopsy earlier this month revealed she had thyroid cancer. Dr. John R. Sims, a surgeon at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock who is one of Sanders' doctors, said Sanders cancer was a stage 1 papillary thyroid carcinoma, the most common type of thyroid cancer and said she has an excellent prognosis. Sims said Sanders will need adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine and long-term continuing care. Sanders, who served as former President Donald Trumps spokeswoman until 2019, is running against Democratic nominee Chris Jones. She is the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Jones and his wife, Jerrilyn, on Friday issued a statement saying their family was thinking of Sanders and praying for her. Sanders is heavily favored in the predominantly Republican state of Arkansas to win the office currently held by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is leaving office in January due to term limits. Shes run primarily on national issues in the Arkansas race, promising to use the governors office to fight President Joe Biden and the radical left. iPhone 14 Crash Detection feature will alert emergency services like police and hospitals in case you are in a car accident. Here is how. Unfortunately, many people lose their lives to car crashes on a daily basis. Many of them could have been saved if only the authorities like police and hospitals were informed on time. However, during and in the aftermath of an accident, there is often nothing that the injured can do except hope and wait for ambulance to arrive. Now, just imagine if there was an automatic warning system that would alert authorities. It would be a boon. In fact, iPhone 14 Crash Detection feature will come in very useful during such fraught times as it will automatically send warnings to authorities as it can detect car crashes. Apple has introduced Crash Detection- a new safety feature in its recently launched iPhone 14 models (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max) and Apple Watch models (Watch Series 8, Watch SE, Watch Ultra). Here is all you need to know about the Crash Detection feature. What is Crash Detection feature By the name itself you can guess that the feature will detect crashes. If your car meets a severe accident and if you are using any of the iPhone 14 models, the Apple device will detect the crash and will automatically help you connect to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts. How Crash Detection works According to the information provided by Apple, when your iPhone detects a severe car crash, it will display an alert and will automatically initiate an emergency phone call after 20 seconds unless you cancel. If you are unresponsive, your iPhone will play an audio message for emergency services, which informs them that you have been in a severe crash and gives them your latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates with an approximate search radius. When a crash is detected, Crash Detection will not override any existing emergency calls placed by other means. Also, if your iPhone has Crash Detection turned on and is connected to your vehicle through CarPlay, the Crash Detection features (dialing emergency services) will go through your iPhone. While, if you are wearing your Apple Watch at the time of the event, dialing emergency services will be placed by iPhone but Crash Detection features will be routed through Apple Watch. Here is how you can Crash Detection on or Off: How to turn Crash Detection on or off 1. Crash Detection is on by default. 2. You can turn off alerts and automatic emergency calls from Apple after a severe car crash by going to Settings. 3. You will have to then select Emergency SOS, then turn off Call After Severe Crash. 4. If you have third-party apps registered to detect crashes on your device, they will still be notified. Yes, Google does make hardware and we have seen them in the form of Pixelbook, Pixel phones or even Chromebooks, but hardware is just not central to the big profit picture that Google is actually painting. For Google, it is not the gadgets that are important, it is the user data and for that its software is doing a fine job even as other hardware companies do the hard work or making and selling their products on which Goggle software is riding. They are also taking the risk of making products that may or may not sell, but that is something that Google does not need to worry about. What Google is doing making hardware is to test the waters with its software and perhaps even gently prod manufacturers down pathways that they should go. Then Google sits back and collects the user data that flows through its software on other companies' hardware- phones to computers and more. Providing an example is Android Central. Take for instance what happened to Pixelbook. Google simply cancelled the line! Now, the fans of the product were much displeased, but as far as Google was concerned it all made perfect sense. After showing other companies the product' capabilities, Google withdrew and other companies, which manufacture laptops, took over. In that respect, Google resembles Microsoft rather than Apple simply because it creates software for other people to put in their products while the latter builds products and also tailors software for them. Yes, both Google and Microsoft also manufacture products as was mentioned earlier, but the intent is entirely different. Google makes products in order to test and improve its software to the greatest extent possible. Through these products Google tries out "specialised hardware configurations", as Android Central said, to improve its other businesses. That is why Google has a long list of products it makes including cameras, wi-fi routers and more. The end result is ultimately always a desire to collect more and more users data even though it may well be losing money on these hardware products. And user data is where Google actually makes its money. "I think that their final aim may be the information of users obtained through the device use rather than generating revenue through device sales itself," said Sujeong Lim, research analyst at Counterpoint Research. In effect, it is a win-win situation for all involved, from companies to the users themselves- as long as they don't find their privacy being exploited. And this strategy is likely to be deployed in the Pixel Watch too. Once the other smartwatch manufacturers pick up and run with similar products, Google is likely to step back once the target is achieved. and if the product fails, it simply stops making them. One thing is clear though, if Google was able to get everything it wants from other companies' hardware, it would most probably not be in the manufacturing business at all. Since it cannot, it has to do it. So, killing off its hardware for Google is just part and parcel of the business that goes to fatten its profits. Last March 9 had the potential to become a tragic day at Bryan High School. However, quick-acting students, teachers and nurses made it an almost miraculous one when CPR and an AED saved Raelynn Burtons life. Burton, who is now a junior at Bryan High, was changing clothes in a bathroom after completing a physical training test during ROTC when she collapsed, suffering a freak heart arrhythmia not connected with any heart conditions or exercises. It was just a regular day. It was just a little PT test for ROTC, she said. Ran a mile, did some sit-ups, did some push-ups, and then right after I finished my mile is where my memory kind of stopped. Apparently what I was told was for like a solid 40 minutes, we were walking back to the classroom and I was laughing and talking, and then I went to go change, and I just collapsed. Lyndsey Miller, a nurse at the high school, said it shortly after 11 a.m. when a teacher came to get her, saying she did not know what was wrong but was asked by a student to find a nurse. She followed the teacher around the corner to the bathroom and found Burton collapsed in one of the stalls. Luckily, there were other students in there, and so the collapse was witnessed, and thats when all of the right interventions began with the students, Miller said. Miller said she recognized the seriousness of the situation almost immediately, and started doing chest compressions after checking for a pulse. I told them to get the AED, and what was really remarkable for a campus this size especially is [teacher Kristen Schuler] knew exactly where it was. And then her and [teacher Sharonda Williams] both knew how to use it, Miller said, noting the group already had called 911 before Miller reached the bathroom. They deployed the automated external defibrillator twice, Miller said, and it did its job. All in all, CPR went on for over eight minutes, she said, noting she and fellow Bryan High nurse Monse Alvarado took turns performing CPR. I have the printout of the EKG. We got a pulse back right before EMS got there, and then they took her away. Burton was stabilized locally and was then flown to a childrens hospital in Austin where she was treated and recovered before returning to school just six weeks later in April. Burton said she does not remember any of the incident until she woke up in the hospital, not realizing what had happened. At the hospital, it was discovered her collapse was caused by a freak accident and not connected to the heart condition she was treated for as a child, related to a leaky valve in a different area of her heart. She said doctors do not know why it happened. Basically, I collapsed because my heart skipped a beat, and then started freaking out and went too fast for it to count as a heartbeat, Burton said, comparing her hearts readings to a hummingbirds wings. To ensure it does not happen again, she has regular appointments with six cardiologists, and has an internal defibrillator that is connected to her heart to monitor her heartbeat and help prevent another arrhythmia. It also will distribute a shock to the heart to get it back into a rhythm if she does have another arrhythmia. To thank those who helped her and responded accordingly, Burton brought cupcakes with Marvel and DC superhero rings along with a handwritten note. The teachers, nurses and Burton and her family were recognized during the Aug. 15 Bryan school board meeting. Alvarado said district employees receive training on AEDs, but that does not guarantee they know where they are located or how to use them. But the way they stepped in; they knew how to put it on, and they knew how to act, and they didnt panic, she said. At the hospital, you have a code team; everyone knows their role. At that moment, everyone knew what role they were going to take on without really knowing. Alvarado said she noticed Millers urgency when she radioed for her. When I got there, I was in shock, Alvarado said. I knew it was going to be something serious, but not like that. The entire time they were working within the confines of a bathroom stall, Miller said. Miller, who worked in an emergency room before moving over to school nursing, said this was the first time she had to use CPR on someone outside of a hospital setting. She said she keeps the printout of Burtons EKG on her desk as a reminder of why she is a nurse. Its easy with any job, how you can get caught up in the more minor things, but just a reminder that at any point, on any given day, something more serious could happen, Miller said. Not that the more minor things arent important; and not just for medical, but for lay people. Thats exactly why you train and have those skills, and hoping not to use them. But when you do, you know what to do, and you dont even think about it too much. You just go into action. Alvarado, whose previous experience was with end-of-life care, said she was panicking inside at the time but kept her composure. I just thought to myself, Please make it; like you better make it, almost as if Raelynn could have read my mind somehow, she said. Miller said the reward has been seeing Burton back at school and getting to know her more. Burton said she is still able to participate in ROTC, but is more restricted in some of the exercises or extracurricular events she can perform. However, her doctor, a Navy veteran, said she would not be allowed to participate in basic training due to the pacemaker. Burton said everything went from cloudy to very real when she heard she could not do what she had envisioned in the future. I went from most of my high school believing that I was going to join like the Navy or the Coast Guard, and just be able to work my way through that, get my college paid for without having to dive into my savings, she said. And then I basically lost most of the muscle in my legs, so I had to relearn to walk mostly. I had to relearn how to use my body from the waist down. She is now considering a possible career in the health field. Burton will have a patient care technician certificate when she graduates high school. Specifically, she said she would like to earn a degree in psychology from Texas A&M and focus on mental health. Burton said she struggles with depression, anxiety and, now, post-traumatic stress disorder, but can see the progress she has made since February when it comes to depression and anxiety. She was very much mentally ill, she said, before the incident. Since March, she has had fewer lowest days and they are less intense. Im able to feel like myself more and more; able to show my family that Im all right without not being OK, she said. Im able to start doing more things. The change began at the end of her second week in the hospital just before being released. I was able to go outside, see the koi pond, see the birds in the sky, feel the wind, she said. I just started appreciating nature a little bit more than I thought I was, than I did originally. Thats definitely a cool aspect that I got, just the living things kind of amaze me. Theyre a lot more beautiful than they were. HONG KONG Hundreds of Hong Kong residents are lining up in front of the British Consulate General for hours each day to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, leaving piles of flowers and handwritten notes. The collective outpouring of grief after her death last week is perhaps the most ardent among the former British colonies, where mourning has been generally subdued. Its seen by some experts as a form of dissent against increasingly intrusive controls by communist-ruled Beijing, which took over the territory in 1997. Some Hong Kongers are nostalgic for what they view as a past golden age under Britains not entirely democratic colonial rule, when the city of about 7 million people gained stature as a world financial center and tourism destination. The queens death has sparked a flurry of interest in British memorabilia, among other things. The Queen is nicknamed si tau por in Hong Kong. Pronounced see-tao-POHR in the local Cantonese dialect, that translates to boss lady. We used to call her si tau por when we were under her rule. Its simply a way of showing respect to her. There was a feeling of kindness from her, shes not the kind of boss who is up above you, said CK Li, a resident who queued for over two hours to pay his respects. Another resident, 80-year-old Eddie Wong, said she was there out of true feelings from her heart. People in Hong Kong love her, Wong said. Because when we were under her rule, we enjoyed democracy and freedom and we were very grateful. I want to bid farewell to si tau por who is in heaven. With its July 1, 1997, takeover China promised to leave Hong Kongs Western-style civil liberties and institutions intact for at least 50 years. Many raised in the former territory grew up hoping for still greater freedoms. But following months of anti-government protests in 2019, Beijing imposed a tough national security law on the city, seeking to stamp out public dissent. News outlets deemed overly critical of Beijing have been forced to shut down and dozens of activists have been arrested. The mass protests ended. Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents have chosen to emigrate to the United Kingdom and other places such as Taiwan. So far, the authorities have allowed the orderly, somber shows of respect to continue. I would imagine that some people are going there not so much for nostalgia reasons, but as a kind of protest, now that dissent is suppressed, said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong. Some people, for example, who agree with the kind of universal values that the U.K. stands for, and that were incorporated in our Bill of Rights at the end of colonialism could participate in this as a form of protest. Emotions in Hong Kong are running high, said former Democratic Party chair and ex-lawmaker Emily Lau, given the citys political situation and its struggles in fighting COVID-19. There are some who are genuinely nostalgic and have sentimental feelings for the Queen, but there are also people who have grievances about the current situation in Hong Kong, Lau said. We cannot rule out that some have used this occasion to express that. At the same time, public figures in Hong Kong are being scrutinized over their response to the queens passing, and drawing criticism if they are viewed as too admiring of her reign or British rule in general. Commenters on mainland Chinese social media sites have blasted veteran actor Law Kar-ying for posting a selfie outside the British Consulate on Instagram with a caption including the line, Hong Kong was a blessed land under her reign. Harshly criticized for attributing Hong Kongs prosperity to British rule, Law deleted the post and issued a video apology on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo. He appealed to people not to read too much into what he said. I am Chinese and I will forever love my motherland. Im sorry, Law said. Not all Hong Kongers are sentimental about British rule. Some resent Londons decision not to grant them full British citizenship, instead giving them British National Overseas passports before the handover, which do not guarantee a right to live in the U.K. The British took away the rights of those born in Hong Kong before 1997. They didnt protect those rights, said Leslie Chan, who said he had no plans to show his respects to the queen. When the British government discussed with China about the future of Hong Kong, Hong Kongers were cut off from the discussion. Some in Hong Kong are only focusing on the last few decades of British rule before the handover to China, when the city became increasingly prosperous and the colonial government burnished its legacy with new parks, train lines and other modern amenities. British rule in Hong Kong benefited the territory in some ways but colonialism is ultimately harmful for its hegemony and racism, Burns said. When youre talking about the benefits of colonialism, you cannot just take the last 10 years or 20 years in Hong Kong, he said. You have to look at the whole thing. Thirty years ago, Betty Frausto immigrated to the United States from Chihuahua, Mexico. Decades later, she has dedicated her life to advocacy, and in October will be honored as the YWCA of Grand Islands 2022 Woman of Distinction. The honor serves as an affirmation of the significance and acknowledgment of womens work, which is continually expanding. Officially, Frausto is the Lead Client Advocate for the Multicultural Coalition. Unofficially, she is a lifeline for people of color in need. Audrey Lutz and Lina Sutton nominated Frausto for the honor. In her nomination, Lutz said: Betty is the consummate role model to people in this community, but specifically for the immigrant community and aspiring leaders of color. In Mexico, Frausto was a teacher and held a masters degree. When she arrived in the United States, her masters degree was not recognized. Frausto had been working in the service industry. It was time, she decided, to get a second degree her masters degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Restarting her teaching career was work, but she said it was when she saw the injustices against immigrant students her true calling began. She went from teacher to advocate, particularly working with immigrant communities to overcome barriers. Since then, the list of ways Frausto has helped others is lengthy, but one thing has stuck with her since long before she arrived in the United States education. While teaching ESL, women approached her, wondering where they could get basic medical care, like mammograms and cervical screenings. Some of them hadnt been examined by a doctor for several years, Frausto said. As Frausto began searching for resources, she learned of both resources and obstacles for immigrants. The most challenging part about that is finding resources for the people that are falling through the cracks because they dont fulfill the programs requirements. When asked about being named Woman of Distinction, Frausto gracefully pivots to discussing the needs of those she helps and what resources she has found. What I do is not out of the ordinary, its just regular, Frausto said. Probably, I am a little bit more passionate than others. With some encouragement, Frausto talked about some of the things she loves most about what she does. The satisfaction that it gives you, that the one that was not helped before will get the assistance and the care needed. In a news release, YWCA Executive Director Amy Bennett said, Betty Frausto is exactly the woman we want to uplift and honor as a Woman of Distinction. She is a woman who has dedicated her life to the mission of YWCA working to eliminate racism and empower women. And she has done it without a thought about herself, always thinking of those around her. In her nomination, Sutton wrote, Betty has fought to be where she is and will often say that she is glad that those coming after her, the younger generation of women, will have it easier because of the work she has done. Young women who will be inspired and feel valued, setting them on the path to becoming the next Betty Frausto. When Bill Koller went to Atlanta in July, he had no idea a big award was waiting for him at the Elks national convention. After he arrived, the Grand Island man found out hed received a national honor. He was presented with the Chairman of the Year Award for state chairs of the Elks Drug Awareness Program. The Elks Magazine reports that the Drug Awareness Program chairman award is presented annually to a state chairman who has gone above and beyond expectations and has made a significant contribution to the state in reducing the harm caused by illicit drugs and in educating the children of their state. Drug use prevention is a priority of the Elks, which should be no surprise. After all, the organizations full name is the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. As the saying goes, Elks care and Elks share. Koller is a member of Elks Lodge 604 in Grand Island where he has been the Nebraska Elks drug awareness program chair for seven or eight years. Koller was presented with a plaque at the convention and an elk made of crystal is on its way. Even without awards, Koller is proud of his work. He puts lot of time into staying up to date with the latest information about illicit drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration provides financial support and data to the Elks. Started in 1982, the Elks drug awareness program has steadily grown. Right now the Elks drug awareness program is the largest all-volunteer standalone drug awareness and prevention program in the United States. And our No. 1 backer is the DEA, he said. In addition to brochures and in-person talks, the Elks have online programs to try to reach the kids, Koller said. Last year, Koller gave presentations in Broken Bow, Giltner and Elba, and would like to do more. When he visits a school, he does one talk for middle schoolers and one for high school students. He also has a talk tailored to parents. Koller is a strong believer in the drug awareness program. I get out in front of anybody. I dont care who it is. You get me 10 people, Ill be there, he said. The drug awareness chairs receive additional training each year at the national convention. Koller, 70, is motivated by his own experience. In 1980, he was arrested for driving under the influence. It was a pretty rough period, he admitted. In addition to alcohol, he was taking pills. I used uppers to stay awake during the day, and downers to get to sleep, he said. But he entered a recovery program, where he received good counseling. I have not had a drink for 42 years, he said. When he talks to alcoholics who are struggling to stay sober, he tells them to closely follow the program. Its not your program. Its THE program, he says. It takes only three uses to become addicted to something, he says. But to begin begin to break free, users must go 21 days without even thinking about the substance. At that point, youre at the beginning of breaking free of addiction. Koller, a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, became a Nebraskan in 1971, after serving four years in the Air Force and being wounded in Vietnam. He served in the Army National Guard from 1986-2004. Later, Koller lived in Iraq for four years, working for a company called Kellogg Brown & Root. He was in Kuwait on Sept. 11, 2001. Koller, who works part-time at Laser Works, has been a member of the Elks for 10 years. Hes a past exalted ruler of the Grand Island lodge. Koller wrote up a short story about the Elks Drug Awareness Program. We might not be able to save every life, but we do have ... great opportunities to talk with our youth early in life so they can make that informed decision of which way their life may go, Koller wrote. Through that interaction, if each of us is lucky enough to save one life, then we can truthfully say we have achieved success. Great Place to Work and Fortune Magazine have once again honored Tiffany Square in Grand Island and Vetter Senior Living as one of the 2022 Best Workplaces in Aging Services. This is the fifth straight year Tiffany Square has earned the recognition, placing 24 on the list this year. Tiffany Square is a member of the Vetter Senior Living family of companies. I am so proud of everything our team members do to make the work environment in our facilities a special place to be, said Glenn Van Ekeren, president of Vetter Senior Living. The Best Workplaces in Aging Services award is based on analysis of confidential survey responses from more than 140,000 employees from Great Place to Work Certified companies in the aging services industry. In the survey, 81% of team members say it is a great place to work compared to 57% of employees at the average U.S. company. Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is. The Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce wants to form a committee to spearhead the county's celebration of the United States' 250th birthday in 2026. The effort will piggyback on the state's South Carolina 250 campaign to observe the nation's milestone birthday. We are one of the only counties that does not have a committee set up, Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce President James McQuilla told Orangeburg County Council during a meeting earlier this month. McQuilla asked county council if the chamber could be designated as the County 250 Committee, allowing the group to spearhead the planning for a 250th anniversary celebration. There is money for this, McQuilla said. There are grant funds. McQuilla noted that Orangeburg County was the site of many Revolutionary War battles, including the Battle of Eutaw Springs. Council Chair Johnnie Wright said the county will get back with McQuilla on the matter. I am sure that most of us will have no problems, especially if we can find the way to get the funds, Wright said. In an effort to ensure that all counties across the state have Sestercentennial programs highlighting their unique role in the American Revolution, the state's SC250 Commission is issuing grants to each county to aid in the formation of a committee. According to the South Carolina 250 website, each county can receive a $3,000, non-competitive grant toward the implementation of the committee. There is no local grant match. McQuilla also informed council that the chamber has seen exponential growth over the past few months in comparison to historical growth trends. He said since June 2020, the chamber has added a total of 84 new members. It has added 44 new members since Jan. 1. We are actually on pace by the end of the year to hopefully add another 30 to the 44 we currently already, McQuilla said. The chamber has had an aggressive outreach effort. We felt it was necessary to grab hold of the narrative and not let people believe what they want to believe about Orangeburg but to tell people about what Orangeburg is really about, he said. McQuilla said the chamber has built a new website that is updated daily to focus on tourism-related events and activities. The chamber has also worked with the county's municipalities to help promote their events and has striven to form relationships with local schools, health care entities, the faith community, law enforcement and the farming community, he said. South Carolina State Universitys annual Career Week will be conducted Sept. 19-23. Informational sessions, seminars, interviews and a career fair will be held in various locations on campus. Students are talking and excited about our upcoming in-person Career Week activities and event, said Joseph Thomas, director of the SC State Career Center. The purpose is to provide a venue for students to engage with employers and graduate schools and explore a wide variety of internships and full-time employment opportunities. Thomas noted that the events will be conducted in person for the first time in two years, and the university will continue to take precautions against COVID-19 during the events. We are most excited about the freshman class this year attending the career day extravaganza. They seem to be excited and hungry for change and the possibilities ahead, Thomas said. Activities during the week will include: AgFirst Bank Monday will be hosted by SC States employer of the year, on Monday. AgFirst Farm Credit Bank will provide students with an informational session concerning career opportunities. The kickoff take place from 1-3 p.m. on the second floor of Belcher Hall. Toyota Tuesday on Sept. 20 will provide similar informational service sessions through Toyota headquarters employees from Plano, Texas. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, students will be greeted by informational guest speakers during classroom sessions. The event will run from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The Career Center Extravaganza will take place Thursday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center with more than 60 businesses, industries and school districts on hand. Also, graduate and professional school representatives will be in attendance. Nearly 200 professionals are scheduled to be there. In addition, during the Career Day Extravaganza on Thursday the Career Center will recognize the following employers for their contributions/donations to students and the center: AgFirst Farm Credit Bank, Toyota and Enterprise. Friday, Sept. 23, will consist of interviews conducted by Career Week participants. Located in Belcher Hall 2nd floor Suite 250, the center is available to all students with any major. The centers purpose is to create outlets for career opportunities when students graduate. While enrolled at SC State, students can take advantage of the Career Centers services. The center provides training resources through partnerships and services offered. Developing student skills helps them to be recruited by employers. Laptop Loaner Service Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas and his team noticed students were using their phones to complete coursework. They partnered with their top employer AgFirst Farm Credit Bank, which they then provided resources to buy loaner computers for students who did not have one. The Career Center has helped over 100 students since the start of the pandemic, and they continue to do so. Internship Scholarship Initiative Several companies partner with the Career Center to provide students with college funding outside of their internship roles. Through these internship opportunities provided by the Career Center partnerships, students are also eligible to be offered scholarships, housing aid, and tuition funding. The center offers several services inside and outside the office: Career Counseling Resume and cover letter writing Job interview preparation (including virtual) Business etiquette Decision making Job search techniques Graduate & Professional school info Soft skill revision Career Resource Center Seminars & workshops Meetings with recruiters Job referrals Career Fairs We saw the need to help our students in a variety of ways. We have evolved into more than just a career center, Thomas said. For more information, contact Joseph Thomas at 803-536-8577 or jthoma21@scsu.edu. Saturday marked the annual commemoration ceremony for people who lost their lives in the Nazi concentration camp in Hinzert near Trier. The event was held at the 'Hinzerter Kraiz' ('Hinzerter Cross') in Luxembourg City. Centre of this year's ceremony was the general strike organised in Luxembourg 80 years ago. At the end of August in 1942, people from across the Grand Duchy went on a strike, which the Nazi occupiers punished by executing 21 Luxembourgers. 20 of them died at the Hinzert concentration camp. An estimated 10,000 people from 20 different countries were imprisoned in Hinzert during World War II. 321 individuals, including 82 Luxembourgers, were either executed or died due to negligence in the camp. The children's playground in the Merl park, which despite its name is actually located in the Luxembourg City district of Hollerich, was first set up in the 1980s and will undergo renovations in 2023. The playground is scheduled to be modernised in winter 2023 so that it becomes more accessible to wheelchair users and offers a more inclusive range of attractions. Luxembourg City Alderman Serge Wilmes, who is in charge of municipal parks, commented on the project: "Regardless of whether children are bound to a wheelchair or a pram, they should be able to make use of the playground. That is why a course with ramps that anybody can use will be set up." Making the playground more inclusive is however not the only reason why the modernisation process will take place, noted the politician from the Christian Social People's Party (CSV). He further shared the municipality's intention of installing solar sails to protect children from sun rays and bad weather in general. The municipality of Luxembourg City also took proposals from citizens into consideration ahead of the construction launch. Alderman Wilmes thus explained that only natural materials, such as wood, will be used on site, as this was important to people living in town. The playground in the Merl park extends over a surface area of 8,000 square metres. None of the nearby trees need to be removed during the modernisation works. The centre piece of the playground will be a large ring of swings, announced the CSV politician: "Swings remain the most popular attraction among children and parents, which is why we will add many more." Furthermore, there will be water-based games and areas specifically dedicated to infants. The municipality estimates that renovation costs will amount to a minimum of 3.3 million. A call for construction plans will be launched in autumn this year. Video report in Luxembourgish On Saturday, police were called to Luxembourg City's Gare district to respond to an attempted burglary as well as a case of assault. Around 2.30am on Saturday, police were alerted to a brawl outside of a bar in Luxembourg City's Gare district. Once officers arrived at the scene, they found one person loosing a significant amount of blood from a facial wound. The victim explained that two individuals had attacked them earlier on and fled the scene. An ambulance brought the victim to a nearby hospital while police opened an investigation into the assault. Shortly after 6pm, clerks of a store in Gare noticed how a thief was trying to escape with goods worth 600. They managed to detain the perpetrator until police arrived at the scene. Officers then arrested the man by order of the prosecutor's office. Later on Saturday, the man faced an examining magistrate. A longtime member of the Natrona County school board said at a recent state board meeting that hes disappointed in the lack of progress in the districts schools and backed those trying to establish a charter school in the community. One of my disappointments is year after year after year, we look at how schools are performing compared to state standards, and it seems like were not making a lot of progress, Clark Jensen, current vice chair of the Natrona County school board, said at the Sept. 6 meeting. Jensen did not return the Star-Tribunes request for further comment by deadline. Three proposed charter schools won approval on Wednesday from the State Loan and Investment Board, which is comprised of Wyomings five top elected officials. Its the first time that the state board has authorized charter contracts. Before, only school districts could do that. The schools still have to go through contract negotiations, but if those are successful, they will likely open their doors in fall 2023. There are currently five charter schools in Wyoming. One of the schools that won approval is the Wyoming Classical Academy, which will be in Mills. Former Speaker of the House Russell Donley, who played a big part in pushing through the legislation that changed the authorizing requirements for Wyoming charter schools, chairs the board of that school. Jensens term is up this year. Hes not running for reelection. But he said during the meeting that Donley has told him off the record that he has a place for him on the schools board. Thats not in stone, but I plan on continuing to help education in Natrona County, and I feel like I can do more good working with this group than I can with the district, Jensen said. Natrona County has a pretty unique education ecosystem. All of its schools are traditional public schools. But theres still a wide array of options that families can choose from. Casper Classical Academy, for example, bases its education on a classical curriculum. There are several schools in the district that offer Mandarin Chinese and Spanish dual language immersion programs. The district is also home to the Pathways Innovation Center, an extension of the districts high school system where students can spend part of the day working toward industry certifications or participating in an internship. On top of that, the school district lets students go to whatever school they want, rather than making students attend the school near where they live. But all these facilities are still traditional public schools, so theyre held to certain requirements that charter schools dont have to abide by. Charter schools have their own boards, and they can choose their own curriculums, for example. Proponents of charter schools like that flexibility. I appreciate the fact that we think out of the box a little bit in Natrona County and try to look for ways to do it better, Jensen said. But sometimes its difficult to change things and move things along. Jensen said hes optimistic that Wyoming Classical Academy will set the bar in reading, in math, in science, in many other areas and teach the heritage of the United States in a way thats needed greatly. Besides Wyoming Classical Academy, Prairie View Community School in Chugwater and Cheyenne Classical Academy won approval from the State Loan and Investment Board on Wednesday. The school in Chugwater will have a curriculum thats project and place-based. The schools in Mills and Cheyenne are based on a classical and American curriculum. Theyre both connected to Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan that has opened several charter schools across the country. Some people have said theyre concerned about the latter two schools connection with the college and the curriculum the school has developed for its charter schools. Dave Throgmorton, a resident of Rawlins, said at the Sept. 6 meeting that the college has created an ideological stance that its promoting through its charter schools. Casper resident Josh Thompson, speaking at a May meeting about the proposed Mills charter school, questioned whether the school would remain secular, noting that the meeting had opened with a prayer. Others, including Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, who sponsored the 2021 bill that changed the authorization requirements for charter schools, say that charter schools are still obligated to be secular under the state constitution. For Natrona County, Jensen also said he thinks Wyoming Classical Academy fills a need thats not being met by the district right now. I think there are a lot of homeschool families who would consider this as an alternative to the public school system, he said at the state board meeting. After Mills lost its only school in 2018, Mills Mayor Seth Coleman said he threw his support behind the proposed Wyoming Classical Academy. (The school will actually live in the old Mills Elementary building for a year before moving to a property on the corner of Robertson and Poison Spider roads). If you look at what their curriculum will be, it lines up with a lot of beliefs of people in Mills, you know, back to basic and more of a reading, writing and arithmetic focused school, Coleman previously told the Star-Tribune. Donley said at the meeting on Wednesday that there are about 300 students interested in attending the Mills school. Star-Tribune staff writer Ellen Gerst contributed to this report. The state GOP voted Saturday to censure Sen. Cale Case and threw its support behind Republican nominee for secretary of state Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, amid attempts to challenge his likely ascent to the position. The votes follow efforts by a group of lawmakers, including Case, R-Lander, and other traditional and more moderate Republicans as well as some Democrats, to find an independent challenger to face Gray in the November elections. Chuck Gray got less than half the votes, just barely less than half, but almost half the votes in a partisan primary, and I dont feel that thats necessarily entitling someone to win the general, Case told the Star-Tribune last week. (Gray won 49.5% of Republican votes.) The effort to find an independent candidate ultimately failed, making it all but assured that Gray will ascend to the position following the general elections. Gray beat out his closest Republican challenger, Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, by roughly 13,000 votes in the August primary. Hes a 2020 presidential election denier who focused his primary campaign on voter fraud and banning ballot boxes. There arent any candidates from other parties to face him in the general election, which means that its all but assured he will replace the last secretary of state Ed Buchanan. Case, a lawmaker since 1993 whos known for his Libertarian leanings and willingness to break from party lines, has already been censured once in May by the Fremont County GOP. That censure cited his support for Medicaid expansion, calling it government overreach, and accused him of spreading misinformation in the media, the Star-Tribune previously reported. The state GOPs resolution to censure Case also mentions his April column in the Cowboy State Daily, in which he said that the party is increasingly characterized by hate, threats, and even violence. The resolution to censure Case says that his recent efforts to buffer Grays ascent to secretary of state were the proverbial straw which breaks the camels back. We have a pattern of behavior, Vince Vanata, Park County GOP committeeman, said Saturday. The resolution to censure Case also says that the party will deny him financial or other support in any future political endeavors and asks that he change his party affiliation. Case didnt attend the meeting. He told the Star-Tribune that he would be away at an energy council meeting in Texas. He said then that hes unlikely to do anything in response to the resolution. Case is one of a group of more moderate-leaning Republicans who have become the subject of the GOPs ire as it has pulled farther to the right in recent years. Some at the meeting called for taking similar action against other members of the party, like Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, who proposed at a Joint Corporations Committee meeting last month to draft a bill that would strip elections administration duties from the secretary of state position, a move that Vanata called egregious and unconscionable. Those duties would instead be overseen by a separate agency. The committee will review the drafted bill in October. GILLETTE Thursday morning began with Saturday night fever. Just after 8 a.m., the suns light filtered through the smoky air, and the quirky jams of the Bee Gees Stayin Alive glided in the breeze from a Bluetooth speaker set up outside Rawhide Elementary School. John Travolta and Karen Gorney were nowhere to be seen, but in their place stood the dancing crew of Hallard Jackson and Mary Knudsen. The two, complete with their fanny packs and stop signs, greeted the children coming in for breakfast and their school day ahead with contagious smiles and goofy dance moves. Although morning duty can sometimes be known as one of the most trying shifts of the day, no fatigue was seen in either Knudsen or Jacksons faces. They instead ran to their posts and transferred the passion with which they approach nearly every day to the students, receiving high fives and hugs from children who have now come to expect the new tradition that began outside the school last year. Were just trying to get the kids excited for the day. Sometimes you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and you need a little cheer and joy before going into school for the day, Jackson said. School can be tough sometimes. Both of the schools teachers have seen students who previously passed them by without making eye contact start to blossom, reciprocating the infectious spirit with a smile or nod. The tradition started in 2021 after Jackson started his teaching career at the school about 10 miles north of town. The novice physical education teacher was assigned morning duty alongside his mentor, Knudsen. It was there that he saw an opportunity. Im a DJ and love music, Jackson explained. When I found out I had morning duty, I decided to bring out my speakers. It kind of started organically from there, so now I get to play music and dance and be goofy. Knudsen is teaching music at the school for her seventh year and said that in years past, shed only tried playing some music outside on Fridays or sometimes in the hallways, but it never stuck. It just didnt jive too well, she said. But when he brought out that portable speaker, his vibe and energy were so fun and I just fed off of it. The kids loved it and I remember he said, Why cant every day be a Friday. Since then, the two have made it a point to bring the party to the front no small task given the tempestuous Wyoming weather. Thursday morning was smoky, Friday morning was rainy and cold but the teachers now have expectations to uphold. Ive gotten in some trouble from the kids a few times now, Knudsen said with a laugh. When Jackson is gone for a day or in meetings, she said it is now on her to run and set up the speaker outside, or else. Jackson has also gotten an earful from kids when he starts the music just a few minutes late. Sometimes kids show up a little earlier and we get the music going a few seconds late and theyre like, Wheres the music? he said. Then, the two apologize and get right back into the groove, filling the space outside with a rocking vibe. But the good fun is also two-fold. The music, cheer and joyfulness on full display outside creates a space where children feel safe and relationships are built. Its also a place where the smiles of the kids bring happiness to the teachers who also have their tough mornings. I think its really important that were doing this, Jackson said. As teachers, we want to make sure were building those relationships and it starts first thing in the morning. Youve got to break those shells. By seeing the two dancing and having fun outside like big kids, the teachers believe it helps open the door for kids struggling to approach them. Even though its a little more professional in the classroom, the children know that the two at the front of the class are still the same people they saw outside just an hour or two before. When you can show a little of your personality and really get down on their level, even if its doing a high kick or a spin, thats important, Knudsen said. She said that as a child, she was the student that always needed a little extra attention, whether that be a smile or nod of approval. But she also pointed out that the times teachers are living in now allow for a little extra groove. Her mother taught in the 1980s and at that time, a certain look and style of the buttoned-up professional was expected. Now, Knudsen believes teachers have more freedom and can be a little more carefree. Its important for kids to see you dont have to be a person in front of them in a power position where theyre fearful if they mess up and make a mistake, she said. The antics outside allow the students to see that the two are human, just the same as they are. They are not solely the educators of the next generation but also fun-lovers and dancers who have their own personalities students may otherwise not see. And since they are human, the two experience some days when its hard to bring the same energy. On those days, the students help the teachers. It makes me emotional thinking about it because I never think about how teachers are people too and we have bad days, Knudsen said. But as the music goes on and those kids come at you with smiles on their faces, its those days that (the music ritual) makes me a happier teacher, too. The kids bring it more out of us on certain days. The stop signs are new to the duo this year, ensured by Dane Weaver the schools new principal. They were meant to help direct the traffic going in and out of the school and they do, but just like everything else the two teachers do, the signs also have a dual nature. (Weaver) probably did not know that he gave me a new tool and prop to use as well, Jackson said with a chuckle. Its a microphone, piano, tambourine, sometimes the kids look a little concerned because they dont know what Ill use it for. His props help complete and enliven the music each day, ranging from old rock to country to Kidz Bop. Its like a musical education all wrapped up in 30 minutes. But most of all, its the knowledge that students now expect from the two teachers. The knowledge that the two will be outside to greet them, dancing and smiling, every day. And as far as the two teachers are concerned, they dont mean to stop. We are the show, Jackson said. And we will keep on with it and keep putting smiles on the kids and our faces, showing you can have some fun, even at school. For every student who enters the doors at Rawhide, they can rest easy knowing that the day ahead contains at least one moment of joy, which for some is just enough to keep returning every day. By any measure, working at a state penitentiary isnt easy. You spend long shifts in a stressful environment where making a mistake can have real consequences. At stake is the safety of fellow workers, the prisoners and the community, to say nothing about the fact that prisons should also provide opportunities for rehabilitation. And yet Wyomings correctional workers are considerably underpaid. Jobs at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institute in Torrington the states biggest prison start at just under $18 an hour. A few miles to the east in Nebraska, a similar worker would start at $22 to $27 an hour and get a $15,000 hiring bonus thats paid out of over three years. Some jails in Wyoming pay their workers more than prisons, even though prisons house a population that has been convicted of more serious crimes. (Jails house people who are awaiting trial or whove been convicted of crimes that require less than a year behind bars.) The results of the pay disparity are easy to see. The Wyoming Department of Corrections has about 200 unfilled positions. That includes a shocking 90 at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins, the states highest security prison, and 52 at the Torrington facility, according to figures provided earlier this month. That understaffing has profound consequences. Take the prison in Rawlins. Lockdowns are more frequent. There are fewer classes that can help prisoners integrate back into normal life once they get out. Officers are working overtime, and some case workers are pulling security shifts. It stands to reason that a worker whos racking up overtime or who is working a job outside their area of expertise is more likely to make a mistake or miss something. Theyre also more likely to burn out and leave, exacerbating the understaffing problem. This problem, for all of its scope, has a relatively easy fix: raise the pay of corrections workers. If Nebraska can afford to pay its employees $4 to $9 more an hour, we can certainly find a way to give Wyoming workers a bump. Working in a prison isnt an easy job, so if someone has an option to earn more from a municipality or in the private sector, they likely will. Wyoming needs to make these jobs more competitive. Money talks. The next legislative session is approaching, and we hope Gov. Mark Gordons budget will include pay raises for corrections workers. We also hope lawmakers approve those raises. The statehouse has never been excited about spending more on government, but this isnt about feeding a bloated bureaucracy. This is about making sure that our prisons system is safe. If we are committed to locking up folks, we better be willing to provide the funds to manage that population. And now is the right time to do it. Wyomings last revenue report, released in July, showed an improved outlook for the state. We have more money to spend than we thought. Lets be judicious about that spending, but also make sure that we are investing in a corrections system that is safe and that provides opportunities for prisoners to turn their lives around. When it comes to our corrections system, pinching pennies costs us more in the long run. 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. FOR SALE: The property of the CL Financial subsidiary, Home Construction Ltd, includes Trincity Mall, which is on the market to be sold. For months, Colleen Hoover's millions of fans on TikTok, Instagram and elsewhere have been talking up and posting early excerpts from her novel "It Starts With Us." By summer, the author's sequel to her bestselling "It Ends With Us" had already reached the Top 10 on Amazon.com. It might have climbed higher but for competition from other Hoover novels, including "Ugly Love," "Verity" and, of course, "It Ends With Us," the dramatic tale of a love triangle and a woman's endurance of domestic abuse that young TikTok users have embraced. They helped make Hoover the country's most popular fiction writer. Hoover's extraordinary run on bestseller lists, from Amazon to The New York Times, has been Beatle-esque for much of 2022, with four or more books likely to appear in the Top 10 at a given moment. "It Starts With Us" had been so eagerly desired by her admirers CoHorts, some call themselves that she broke a personal rule: Don't let "outside influences" determine her next book. "I never allowed myself to entertain a sequel, but with the amount of people emailing me every day and tagging me in an online petition to write about (those characters), their story began to build in my head in the same way my other books begin," she told The Associated Press in a recent email. "Eventually I craved telling this story as much as I did my other stories, so I owe the readers a big thank you for the nudging," Hoover said. Hoover's new book should help extend what has been another solid year for the industry. Booksellers are looking forward to a mix of commercial favorites such as Hoover, Anthony Horowitz, Beverly Jenkins and Veronica Roth alongside what Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt calls a "really strong" lineup of literary releases. A little more than five years ago, Kindred co-founders Tenecia Phillips and Dana Moore had an idea: what if there was a group of Black staff at Pima County Public Library (of which there were already very few) whose goal was not only to provide dedicated outreach to the librarys external and internal communities, but also to try to build up the presence of Black library staff both by helping to increase the numbers and by offering mentorship, guidance and community to a core group of people willing to do the work. After a few informal conversations with other potential members of this group, there was a long planning session to establish the formal mission and goals of the group, and develop the reasoning for the teams existence. We thought heavily about what we would be interested in and what we would be willing and able to do as staff members who all had dedicated work outside of this team. With thoughts of family and community, as well as a nod to the great Octavia E. Butler, Kindred was born. Since then, members have come and gone, but the core mission has remained the same: to reach, support and celebrate the Black community. And weve worked hard to do that in ways Pima County Public Library hadnt before. From the start, the primary goals were external. Events were coordinated at library branches across Pima County, but we also tried to go out into the community. We partnered with the Dunbar Pavilion, an African American Culture and Arts Center in the historic Dunbar neighborhood, to host library programming led by experts and cognoscenti in Tucsons Black history and present. The Historic Dunbar Neighborhood along with the area around Quincie Douglas Library is one of the few neighborhoods where Black residents of Tucson were not only encouraged, but allowed to live in the earliest days, and where many continue to reside. Weve gone to schools for the annual TUSD Black History Month Read-In, and worked to not only reveal local Black stories to Pima County residents, but to provide programs about personal health, starting a business, and doing research to the local Black community. Once the group got settled, the first effort to stretch our legs came in the form of One Book, One Community. Instead of using the book from which our name was inspired, we went with another title by Octavia E. Butler: The Parable of the Sower, an ever-important book about an increasingly closer and more possible future and the young Black woman who survives her way through it. We held some amazing conversations in person and via Twitter having no idea that the project that would come out of it would be pushed online, never to return. When the pandemic lockdown hit in March 2020, Kindred had been planning a new endeavor. A quarterly book club was born out of questions at those OBOC conversations in which so many people wanted to be able to come back to the table (as it were) and discuss books by Black authors about all kinds of topics. Our plan had been to share out several titles on a theme, much like the Rainbow Reads Book Club does on odd months. But when we realized nobody would be talking about books face-to-face for an unknown amount of time, we pivoted that first meeting to Facebook. Since Kindred has a dedicated Facebook page, we utilized that space to gather some peoples favorite books on our first theme: Black women. By the next quarter, we were able to host Zoom meetings and invite members of the public, so we held our first Read Black Pride event, in which we shared books by Black members of the LGBTQ+ community. In September, we had the same kind of discussion about Afrolatine books, and our December meeting would have been about new books released that year, but alas, circumstances. What we heard from everyone who attended was that they wanted more. They wanted to talk about a specific book and dig into the nitty gritty, and I was happy to make it so. So in 2021, we established Read Black as a monthly book club, still taking a break in June for Read Black Pride and in December for our overview of new books we loved. Weve discussed hard nonfiction and fluffy romance novels, cozy mysteries and contemporary fantasy. Some books were a bit of a bust, and others led to unforgettable conversations. Some attendees are homebound, while others are only in town part of the year. Some are retired, and others are in high school. Everyone comes away from each discussion with something to think about. And even as we begin to have more in-person programming, I hope well be able to figure out how to offer those same kinds of conversations to people who cant make it into the building once a month. As we look forward to the next five years, I hope well be able to continue to have those life-changing book events weve had, whether it was hosting book discussions or sponsoring a discussion with a local scholar at the Tucson Festival of Books. Well keep working on internal goals, including mentoring new Black staff and providing resources to veteran staff. But I hope we also continue to get to do projects like our most recent, Our Story: A Communities of Color Curation Project. Well be able to offer underrepresented communities in Pima County equipment and education to help them preserve the stories and memories that families and communities lose as we lose our elders. And no matter what, well be there to reach, support and celebrate each other and the community. Kindred style. For the first time, Sun Shuttle will expand its services and provide public transportation to the Picture Rocks area. The one-year pilot program will launch on Oct. 24, a news release from Sun Shuttle said. Since at least 14% of the Picture Rocks population has unmet transportation needs, community members have spoken up about the importance of public transportation to provide access to social services, medical services and employment opportunities. The Regional Transportation Authority has listened to residents of Picture Rocks and their call for public transportation, RTA Executive Director Farhad Moghimi said in the news release. We are interested in working with the community through this pilot project to test the interest in using Sun Shuttle. We encourage residents to provide their input at the upcoming meeting to be part of the process to deliver the best possible service to the community. The pilot program will provide service to destinations such as the park-and-ride at the local Dollar General, Safeway, the Tucson Premium Outlets and connection points to additional transit routes. This pilot program is part of our ongoing commitment to providing quality transit service throughout southern Arizona, Moghimi said. The shuttle service will be open to anyone, and will be a great time to try this neighborhood transit option. Program managers will use the pilot program to assess the success of the service and evaluate how to best serve the area after the year-long pilot, the news release said. The transit fares for the service will remain free through Dec. 31. Community members are encouraged to attend an input meeting on Monday, Sept. 19, as transit planners are working out the schedule and frequency of the new service and need help from the public. The meeting will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Picture Rocks Community Center, located at 5615 N. Sanders Road. International travel to Arizona has surpassed pre-pandemic levels during the summer and at a higher rate than the other three southern border states. The number of travelers coming into Arizona through a port of entry either by land or plane surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time in April, at nearly 2 million travelers compared to about 1.9 million in April of 2019, according to data from Customs and Border Protection. Arizonas tourism industry continues to do an outstanding job of marketing our states amazing experiences and wide-open spaces to leisure travelers, said Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism in a statement. Theres strong competition and plenty of work ahead, but were very happy that visitors are seeing and selecting Arizona as one of their favorite vacation destinations. Arizona is the only southern border state that sustained higher-than-pre-pandemic levels through July, the last month with available data. And its increase in travelers is a higher percentage than in any other border state. Nearly 16 million international travelers crossed into Arizona from April through July, more than 3.6% higher than in those months in 2019. New Mexico saw a 2.25% increase while international travelers to Texas border region during those months remained more than 1% lower than in 2019 and Californias was more than 7% lower. This federal data includes people coming to the state as tourists and those who cross the border for things like jobs, doctor visits and commercial trade, meaning this data represents economic impacts in more than just the tourist industry and beyond Arizona. Both exports and imports through Arizona border ports are well above prepandemic levels as well, according to data analysis from the University of Arizona Eller College of Management. The rebound in tourism has to do with the investment in marketing as well as Arizonas outdoor recreation opportunities, including more than 50 state and national parks and recreation areas, says Arizona Office of Tourism spokesman Josh Coddington. Arizona is blessed to have a lot of varied terrain that you can visit, a lot of different types of landscapes and areas, from desert parts of the state all the way to Flagstaff and northern Arizona, he said. Spending, overnight stays Tourism to Arizona has been rebounding since 2021. Data comparisons from 2021 show the states recovery of both visitor spending and overnight stays outpaced the national average, according to research released by the Arizona Office of Tourism in July. In 2021, overnight visitors spent $23.6 billion across the state, which was equivalent to 92% of the all-time high in 2019, compared to visitor spending being 76% of 2019 levels nationwide. Although this research has not been conducted on 2022 numbers yet, there is some 2022 data available that shows pandemic recovery is still tentative. Despite the number of international travelers entering the state being above pre-pandemic levels, overall visitor spending was still below in July. Visitors to the state, domestic and international, spent $1.5 billion this July, compared to $1.78 billion last July and $1.6 billion in July 2019, according to data provided by the Arizona Office of Tourism. Coddington attributed this in part to pent-up travel demand leading to more people traveling earlier in the year. Total overnight visitation, including domestic, showed similar results as spending, with 40.9 million visitors to Arizona in 2021, equaling 87% of the 2019 level, compared to 85% of 2019 levels nationwide. The 2021 research shows that international overnight visitation remained heavily impacted by the pandemic. Three million international visitors chose Arizona as an overnight destination in 2021. While that number was more than in 2020, it was just 51% of 2019 levels. Of those 3 million overnight visitors in 2021, 2.5 million were from Mexico, compared to about 3.8 million in 2019. Mexican spending important to economy Mexican visitors account for the largest portion of all spending by international travelers to the state. Weve been working hard to rebuild international tourism, and Mexican visitors are really critical to Arizona because they account for one-third of all spending by international visitors, Coddington said. The nonprofit Visit Tucson has arranged a series of events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The inaugural year of Viva Tucson! kicked off Thursday night with a free Mexican Independence Day Concert with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra at the Fox Theatre, hosted in coordination with the Mexican Consulate in Tucson. Visit Tucson expects a lot of out-of-town visitors to come for the month of events, says spokeswoman Megan Evans. There are Hispanic cultural elements that are omnipresent in Tucsons food, art, music, events and the sense of community, so it makes sense for us to create cohesion among all of those events, she said. It made sense for us to connect them all together to create Viva Tucson so that people can really look at our destination as being one that is super cutting edge and welcoming to people from all countries, but specifically, our Latin American and Mexican friends. For a full list of events go to visittucson.org/viva. More than 300 were taken to hospitals after fights broke out. In the U.S., hurricane experts question whether islanders should even try to rebuild as storms get stronger and deadlier each year. See the latest photos in our news roundup. The remnants of a typhoon have been battering Alaska's western coast since late Friday, bringing flooding powerful enough to uproot buildings and forcing residents to seek shelter. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Saturday declared a disaster for impacted communities as heavy rains lashed the coast, filling roadways with water and debris. By Saturday night, the governor was reporting impacts to roads, oil storage and possibly sea walls. Authorities were still assessing whether the storm affected water supplies and sewage systems in the state's western towns, Dunleavy said in a Saturday night briefing. About 450 residents in coastal communities have sought shelter in schools, according to Bryan Fisher, director of the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities related to the storm as of Saturday night, said Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe of the Alaska National Guard, adding that "there likely will be a military response" with aircraft ready to help with evacuations if necessary. Water continues to surge early Sunday, with levels expected to peak above the high tide line of 3-5 feet at Deering, 4-6 feet at Kotzebue, and 5-7 feet at Shishmaref and Kivalina, according to the National Weather Service. "These are concerning numbers," NWS tweeted. Coastal flood warnings continue across the western and northern coasts of Alaska through Sunday as several locations see extremely high water levels, according to CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. The water will remain at or near peak levels for up to 24 hours in some locations. Winds are expected to weaken as the storm pushes inland but water levels along the coast are expected to remain elevated through Sunday. Homes are being knocked off foundations The storm is shaping up to be the state's strongest in over a decade, according to forecasters. Creating a "very angry sea" in the city of Nome, according to the National Weather Service in Fairbanks, the storm has brought "waves and storm surge pushing into the community." The water level is still going up and is expected to peak Sunday afternoon before slowly receding, affecting the city's population of over 9,800 people. The water level in Nome stood at 8.47 feet Saturday night, down from a high of 10.52 feet earlier in the day. The levels exceeded those seen during significant storms in 2011 and 2004, according to the National Weather Service. A floating building hit a 300-gallon tank in Nome around 6 p.m. local time, resulting in a spill, according to Jason Brune, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The scale of the spill was still unknown Saturday night. Nome resident Simon Kinneen said he was driving past Snake River in the Belmont Point area when he saw a home float away. "The wind came up high enough to float the house and the wind and surge blew the house to the northwest," he told CNN. In a video taken by Kinneen, an entire house is seen floating on the river before it gets lodged between the river and a nearby bridge. In Golovin, where a few homes floated off of their foundation, residents were evacuated to a local school on higher ground Saturday, authorities said. "Water is surrounding the school, homes and structures are flooded, at least a couple homes floating off the foundation, some older fuel tanks are tilted over," the National Weather Service in Fairbanks tweeted. Golovin has a population of about 175, according to the US Census Bureau and is located south of the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. The-CNN-Wire Most of the intricately woven, uniquely designed baskets that brought Tulsa artist Shan Goshorn international fame, and that once filled the work room of the midtown home she shared with husband Tom Pendergraft, are long gone. Theyve all been bought up, Pendergraft said. Just about all of them are in museums now. There are a few family items I still have. Goshorn, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, worked in a variety of media including photography and painting before she began combining traditional Cherokee weaving techniques with her passionate activism for Native American rights. She created baskets made out of archival paper, on which were printed everything from historic documents to photographs, to create objects of beauty that also contained stinging social commentary. Her work was featured in group shows and solo exhibitions throughout the country before her death in December 2018. In 2021, Gilcrease Museum created an exhibit that showcased Goshorns work and her influence on fellow Native female artists, titled Weaving History into Art: The Enduring Legacy of Shan Goshorn. A year before Goshorn died, she pledged the bulk of the research materials she had accumulated for her work, along with a selection of personal papers, notebooks and photographs, to the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of the American Indian. This past week, Rachel Menyuk, a processing archivist from the NMAI, came to Tulsa to begin the process of cataloguing and transporting Goshorns archive to the museum. Goshorn had a long relationship with the National Museum of the American Indian. In 2013, she was awarded a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship to research some of the historic materials for her baskets. The museum also owns several of Goshorns baskets. Most people who come to a museum see the objects on display and maybe have no idea of all the archival material associated with those objects, Menyuk said. But the archival materials are vitally important, because they provide the context for a given object, so that we can better understand not just how an object was created, but why. Menyuk said she visited Tulsa in 2016, accompanied by one of the museums curators, to get an overview of what Goshorn was offering to the museum. I remember that Shan and I both laughed when one of them I think it was Rachel opened one of the file cabinet drawers and said, Oh, you have got to come see this everything is alphabetized! Pendergraft said. Ive worked with a lot of archives where they have basically dumped everything into some boxes and shipped it out, Menyuk said. Thats why I get a little excited when I work with someone who was as organized as Shan was. Goshorns meticulous record-keeping was underscored when Menyuk discovered on this trip a folder labeled Facebook Posts, which contained print-outs of the posts Goshorn had shared on social media of Menyuks previous visit. It is items such as that, Menyuk said, that show how archives are not the stereotypical collection of dusty books and yellowed papers, but a way of keeping a creative spirit alive. Were dealing with the lifes work of an individual, she said. And what makes it really special is that it allows you to show all aspects of a persons life and work the things she made, and the things that were going on in her mind when she made them. It helps tell a complete story about this individual and her art. <&rule> Tulsa World Scene podcast: Route 66s Blue Whale in Catoosa turns 50 Several members of Oklahomas delegation have taken up the Republican talking point that the flood of illegal fentanyl into the country is the result of President Joe Bidens immigration policies. This historic crisis was created by the presidents halting of border wall construction, tying the hands of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and zero enforcement of existing border policies, 4th District Congressman Tom Cole said last week in a news release. Illegal border crossings have reached a record high and immigrants from more than 150 countries have illegally crossed the border, and tragically the abundance of fentanyl is now the leading cause of death in American adults ages 18-45. And its not just members of Congress. Oklahomas John OConnor has joined other Republican attorneys general in calling for fentanyl to be designated a weapon of mass destruction and blaming illegal immigration for its proliferation. This narrative has played into complaints about record southern border apprehensions since the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic and the reversal of some Trump administration policies. But some familiar with the fentanyl epidemic say little if any of the powerful synthetic opioid is smuggled into the country by illegal immigrants. The probability theyre going to carry some kind of illicit narcotic is probably close to zero, Victor M. Manjarrez Jr., a former Border Patrol agent who is now director of the Center for Law and Human Behavior at the University of Texas-El Paso, told National Public Radio last month. Manjarrez said cartels may sometimes use illegal immigrants to distract law enforcement but that for the most part illegal fentanyl is brought into the country through regular ports of entry. Thats because its so strong, so cheap and so easy to make that it can be efficiently smuggled in small, easily concealed packages. According to Customs and Border Protection, about 85% of fentanyl seized by its agents thus far this fiscal year has been taken at regular ports of entry. Statistics indicate that the problem is more complex than simply or even mostly illegal immigration. The sharp increase in illegal fentanyl seizures actually began in the last seven months of the Trump administration and was higher in his last month in office than in each of the first three months of Bidens. The amount seized in June was slightly less than for the same month in 2020 but then it rose sharply in July. Thats not to say illegal immigration isnt a problem or plays no part in drug trafficking. How many more people are trying to get into the country without proper documentation is hard to say. Some experts think the interdiction numbers are misleading because many immigrants immediately returned to their country of origin under COVID-19 protocols are also reentering the U.S. that much faster and wind up being counted as multiple illegal entries. Others contend that illegal immigrants are more likely to surrender quickly than previously, in the hope of being allowed temporary asylum stays that can easily stretch into years. That gets back around to administration policy and operations. Featured video: Officials see wave of rainbow-colored fentanyl across 21 states About 500 metric tons of durians grown in Vietnams Central Highlands were exported to China on Saturday, marking the first time the Vietnamese durians had been shipped to China through official channels. Twenty shipping containers, each carrying about 25 metric tons of durians grown in Dak Lak Province, were exported to China via official channels for the first time, as marked in a ceremony on Saturday. The shipment was part of a protocol signed between Vietnams Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and General Administration of Customs China (GACC). This was a result of the four-year negotiation between the two countries, according to Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan (R, 3rd) visits a durian farm in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam. Photo: The The / Tuoi Tre The official export of fresh durians to China is very important because this is the largest consumption market in the world, Hoan continued. It will also help businesses and farmers in Dak Lak Province and Vietnam in general earn higher profits from this fruit. This will open up new opportunities for other agricultural products of Vietnam to enter the Chinese market in the near future, the official stated. Y Giang Gry Nie Knong, vice-chairman of the Dak Lak People's Committee, said that this is a chance for Vietnam to develop a modern, high-quality, safe, and sustainable durian farming industry. Durians are processed in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam before being exported to China. Photo: The The / Tuoi Tre There will also be challenges as there are many technical requirements that need to be met, Knong elaborated. As per the protocol, Vietnamese durians will be exported through all Chinese border gates that are allowed by the GAAC. China requires all durian farms as well as packing facilities that participate in the export to register with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and GACC. Information on processing dates, packing dates, and growing areas must be traceable. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories: COVID-19 Updates -- The Ministry of Health documented 2,479 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the national tally to 11,456,558, with 10,578,390 recoveries and 43.138 deaths. Society -- Local authorities are verifying a video clip in which about 60 Vietnamese citizens are seen fleeing a casino in Cambodia and running toward Vietnams southern Tay Ninh Province on Saturday. -- A Vietnamese fishing boat was operating off Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago on Friday last week when it was attacked and robbed by an unidentified speedboat, authorities confirmed on Saturday. -- Police in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City said on Saturday they were investigating a case where a 30-year-old man allegedly attacked his six-year-old son with a knife, causing the victim to be hospitalized. -- Officers in north-central Nghe An Province have arrested a 70-year-old security guard of a kindergarten on suspicion of raping and impregnating a sixth grader. Business -- About 500 metric tons of durians grown in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak were exported to China on Saturday, marking the first time the Vietnamese durians were shipped to China through official channels. -- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting with foreign-invested enterprises and business associations on Saturday, during which he pledged to create favorable conditions for FDI companies to invest successfully and sustainably in Vietnam. -- Vietnams import-export revenue of agro-forestry-aquatic products reached US$66.2 billion in the first eight months of 2022, up 8.7 percent year on year, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as saying. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Authorities in both Cambodia and Vietnam are verifying a case in which a large number of Vietnamese workers fled a Cambodian casino and ran toward the Vietnamese border on Saturday. As shown in a video clip and in the comments of a social media post on Saturday afternoon, more than 60 Vietnamese people dash toward the Moc Bai border gate in Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam after escaping a casino in Cambodia. The fleeing happened amid a downpour and some people fell and were recaptured by those wearing security uniforms. A witness recounted that a group of as many as 70 workers, all Vietnamese, were running away from the Cambodian casino, located near Moc Bai, around 3:00 pm that day. We came here from Vietnam for work and were asked by our employers to set up social media accounts and then lure people to pay for online games and gambling offered by the casino, the witness said. This person cited news reports as saying on Saturday that the casino owners, who spoke Chinese, had run away bringing along their money, appropriating several months wages of workers. We therefore called for each other to flee the casino to return to Vietnam, the witness narrated. At 5:00 pm on Saturday, H.D., one of the runaways, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he was in a border area in Cambodia where the escapees had flocked to in order to return to Vietnam. Cambodian authorities are taking testimonies from the fleeing people, D. said. The exact number of the runaways and the cause of the incident have yet to be determined so far, according to Tuoi Tre sources, which added that agencies concerned of both countries have been verifying the case. Chairman of the Tay Ninh administration Nguyen Thanh Ngoc confirmed to Tuoi Tre on Saturday afternoon that 56 Vietnamese workers had fled from a casino in Cambodias Svay Rieng Province and rushed to Tay Ninh. According to initial reports, the fleeing resulted from a conflict between these workers and their employers. Tay Ninh and Cambodian authorities are following procedures to repatriate these Vietnamese workers, Ngoc said. Earlier on August 18, a group of 42 Vietnamese workers fled the Rich World Casino in Cambodias Kandal Province and tried to swim across the border via Binh Di River in Vietnams An Giang Province to return to their homeland due to overwork and unpaid jobs. Among the escapees, 40 reached Vietnam, one died during the river crossing, and the remainder was recaptured by the casino guards. But he was later rescued and repatriated. Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 1 said a total of 89 Vietnamese nationals had been rescued and repatriated from Cambodia after being tricked into taking high-paying easy jobs by human trafficking rings. By joining hands with Cambodian authorities, the agency has so far this year repatriated more than 600 citizens who were duped by human traffickers into working in Cambodia in miserable conditions, the ministry reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! After fully reopening its doors to international visitors on March 15, Vietnam has streamlined immigration policies, with e-visas being issued within only three working days, a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office said on Wednesday. Vietnam has issued e-visas to citizens of 80 countries. With its e-visa policies, Vietnam has facilitated foreign experts, investors, and tourists entering the country. More and more foreigners prefer this way to enter Vietnam, the official said. However, foreign guests should visit the official website of the Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office to apply for e-visas as there are many fake websites, the representative noted. Foreigners in need can access the website of the Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office to apply for 30-day e-visas regardless of purposes. Vietnam will also issue e-visas to citizens from more countries, the representative said. Vietnam started granting e-visas before the COVID-19 pandemic, but foreigners have been paying more attention to this service when the pandemic first broke out in 2020. The number of issued e-visas is increasing. In addition, investors temporary residence cards are now valid for 10 years instead of five years as earlier. Regarding the general director of Furukawa Automotive Parts Vietnam Inc.s complaint about a long wait for visa application for experts, the representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office said the firm completed visa application procedures during the peak period when there were up to 500 applications per day. However, the number of visa applications has fallen so most of them have been handled in the course of the day. We have also advised enterprises to submit applications for e-visas to obtain them within three working days instead of using the traditional method, the representative informed. As for the proposal of a German firm owning a factory in Vietnam to extend the visa validity period for foreign investors and experts, the immigration official said Vietnams visa duration for foreigners is 90 days. To extend the duration, enterprises need to submit dossiers, including a copy of the business license, the NA16 form (registration form for the seal and signature of the legal representative of the enterprise), and form NA2 (form of request for a foreigner's entry into Vietnam) to the Ho Chi Minh City Immigration Office. The visa extension purpose must be declared as for technology transfer. E-visas will be extended 30 days after the issuance date for those visiting their relatives in Vietnam, and those having work permits or investment certificates. Earlier, many foreign tourists and investors complained about Vietnams visa woes. According to current visa policies, investors with contributed funds of less than VND3 billion (US$126,793) are only eligible for visas of one year or shorter while investors with contributed capital of more than VND3 billion can apply for a visa with validity of up to three years. For investors who currently live in Vietnam and want to continue their stay, a tax report must be submitted to authorities and their Vietnamese business must have been in operation for at least three years. Such regulations have hindered foreign investors and tourists from entering Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has asked police to look into an issue in which the ministrys official logo has been modified illegally to show the image of a snake holding an envelope in its mouth. Spread on social media on Saturday, the wrong logo was used at a ceremony to launch a contest for the promotion of civil servants ranks and public employees professional titles held by the health ministry on September 10 at Hanoi Medical University. Instead of featuring a snake coiled around a staff, an internationalized symbol of the Vietnamese medicine sector, the wrong logo depicts a snake with an envelope held in its mouth. Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday evening that the ministry had requested the Internal Political Security Department under the Ministry of Public Security to probe the origin of the modified logo. The official logo of Vietnams Ministry of Health is seen. Photo: Ministry of Health Tuyen affirmed that the logo template sent by the ministry to Hanoi Medical University is correct, while the image used at the contest was taken from the Internet by the schools technical staff and is not the same as the official one. The wrong symbol was used not only at the competition but also on the cover page of a manual issued by the ministry to contestants of the language examination which was part of the contest. The staff in charge of the manual for this years contest re-used the cover page that was created last year, without noticing that the logo on that page is a wrong one, Tuyen explained. Competent agencies are investigating the case and those involved in the use of the wrong logo at that contest as well as in the manual will be strictly punished, the official stated. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A Vietnamese fishing boat was operating off Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago last week when it was attacked and robbed by an unidentified speedboat. The Peoples Committee in Binh Chau Commune, Binh Son District, Quang Ngai Province announced the report on the incident on Saturday. At around 10:00 pm on September 9, fishing boat QNg 90962 hailing from Quang Ngai was operating about 40 nautical miles off Da Tien Nu (Pigeon Reef) in Truong Sa when it was approached by a group of unidentified people on a speedboat. These people then boarded the fishing boat and threatened the crew members. They rummaged through the boat and took four fishing nets and four flashlights. Before leaving, they fired a shot at the fishing boat, injuring a 52-year-old crew member. Authorities examine the fishing boat following the incident. Photo: V.T. / Tuoi Tre The victim, who suffered a leg injury, was taken to Pigeon Reef for first aid. The fishing boat returned to the mainland on Saturday morning and reported the incident to local authorities. The wounded fisher was admitted to a hospital for further treatment. Further investigation is being carried out by authorities in Quang Ngai Province. Fishing boat QNg 90962 departed from Sa Ky Port in Quang Ngai on August 22 with 12 people on board. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday again opened its door to visitors for one day as part of the European Heritage Days. The 150-year-old building welcomed visitors who were required to register in advance and divided into small groups for 30-minute tours from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm within the day. The tours took visitors to the special architectural spaces inside the Consulate General, the artworks and furniture of the Nguyen Dynasty (18021945) displayed at the venue, and a 1.5-hectare park home to ages-old trees. The visitors also had the chance to try specialties from France. A visitor takes a picture of an eight-piece folding screen displayed on the wall of the large living room at the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City on September 17, 2022. Photo: Huynh Vy / Tuoi Tre According to French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser, the European Heritage Days was initiated by the French Ministry of Culture in 1984 and has been celebrated around the world thanks to its success. The annual event offers opportunities to visit buildings, monuments, and sites, many of which are not normally accessible to the public. French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser (L, 2nd) introduces the statue of Marianne, the symbol of France, displayed at the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City on September 17, 2022. Photo: Huynh Vy / Tuoi Tre French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser sits at the French-style banquet table in the large dining room at the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City on September 17, 2022. Photo: Huynh Vy / Tuoi Tre Visiting the French consulate for the first time on Saturday, art researcher Ngo Kim Khoi said having the building open to visitors is a good way to educate about heritage and culture, as it is not easy for the public to have the opportunity to set foot in the 150-year-old edifice. Art researcher Ngo Kim Khoi admires an artwork by renowned Vietnamese artist Nguyen Gia Tri during his visit to the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City on September 17, 2022. Photo: Huynh Vy / Tuoi Tre In 2008, the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City welcomed more than 1,300 visitors on the occasion and a bigger number the next year. Visitors take pictures at the corridor while visiting the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City on September 17, 2022. Photo: Huynh Vy / Tuoi Tre The small living room with original cement floor tiles from 1872 at the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Huynh Vy / Tuoi Tre A green space inside the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Huynh Vy / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Britons have held a minutes silence to mourn the Queens death ahead of the state funeral. At 8pm on Sunday, the country observed the silence to remember the late monarch, with people marking the occasion privately at their homes and at community events and vigils. Liz Truss stood outside 10 Downing Street with her head bowed during the national moment of reflection, with people across the country following suit. However, Big Ben did not strike before and after the silence as originally planned due to a technical issue. A UK Parliament spokesperson said: We have investigated this as a matter of urgency and have identified a minor technical issue that has now been resolved. We will be testing the bell again later tonight and are confident that it will not affect the tolling tomorrow during the state funeral procession. Mourners could be heard applauding and cheering after the silence ended. Prime Minister Liz Truss and her husband Hugh OLeary observe the national minutes silence in memory of the Queen (Jacob King/PA) It came as presidents, prime ministers and royalty from across the globe arrived at Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by the King. Approximately 500 guests attended the event, among them the Prime Minister, US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden and Frances President Emmanuel Macron, who was joined by his wife, first lady Brigitte. The Prince and Princess of Wales and other working members of the royal family including the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester joined Charles and the Queen Consort in mingling with guests. Dozens of leaders of Commonwealth countries and members of foreign royal families also attended the reception. Kate earlier held an audience with the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska at the palace. Speaking about the Queen at Lancaster House, Mr Biden said: To all the people of England, all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you. You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years, we all were. The world is better for her. Story continues The US president and his wife also visited Westminster Hall for the Queens lying in state. Joe Biden visited Westminster Hall (Joe Giddens/PA) Security was tight and road crossings were closed ahead of his visit to pay his respects, as rumours spread through the crowd about the imminent arrival of Mr Biden and his entourage. Members of the public continued joining the queue for the final day on Sunday evening, with the late monarchs coffin to remain until 6.30am on Monday. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the estimated wait was at least eight hours, down from 14 hours earlier in the day. People had earlier been warned not to set off from their homes to join the queue as it is due to close later on. People continued to join the queue at 7pm on Sunday evening (Danny Lawson/PA) It came after Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the Chinese ambassador and accredited officials remain barred from the House of Commons. Asked about reports he had been leant on to allow people from a Chinese delegation into Westminster Hall, he told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: Nobody has been leaning on me at all. Far from it. My view remains the same, that we would not welcome (a) reception in Parliament. And thats when I stopped the ambassador and accredited Chinese from coming into the House of Commons. So lets be clear, to hold a reception in the House of Commons when MPs and a peer has been sanctioned is not acceptable. My view remains the same and nothing has changed. The sanction against those accredited officials remains in place and will remain so. There is a very easy answer. Lift the sanction, we can also then look to see whether we should have reception in Parliament, but this is not going to happen at the moment. However, a Chinese delegation attended Westminster Hall after the comments, standing on a platform to observe the coffin. The Chinese delegation view the coffin of the Queen (Joe Giddens/PA) Neither the Foreign Office nor the UK Parliament were able to confirm the names of the attendees. Meanwhile, Camilla paid a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her wonderful blue eyes, saying: I will always remember her smile. The Queen Consort also shared a personal memory of the Queen who saw the funny side of a shoe mishap on her wedding day. Speaking about the occasion on April 9 2005, Camilla said: I remember coming from here, Clarence House, (to) go to Windsor the day I got married when I probably wasnt firing on all cylinders, quite nervous and, for some unknown reason, I put on a pair of shoes and one had an inch heel and one had a two-inch heel. So, I mean talk about hop-a-long and theres nothing I could do. I was halfway down in the car before I realised and you know, she she could see and laughed about it and said, look Im terribly sorry and she did, you know, she had a good sense of humour. It came after the Prime Minister kicked off her meetings with world leaders on Saturday, speaking to her counterparts from New Zealand and Australia. At 10am on Sunday, Irish premier Micheal Martin entered Downing Street for a warm meeting with Ms Truss to discuss many issues in the context of the British-Irish relationship, before leaving just under an hour later. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau also met with the Prime Minister a few hours later. A Rohingya teenager was killed and six people were injured after a mortar shell fired by Myanmar exploded in Bangladeshs territory, marking the latest killing in a spate of violence. The youth, believed to be 18 years old, was killed after a mortar shell fired by Myanmar landed in a border area near Tumbru known as the Ghumdhum union, effectively a strip of no mans land between the two countries, on Friday night. Dil Mohammed, a Rohingya leader in the community where an estimated 4,000 members of the ethnic minority live, confirmed the killing and said Rohingyas in the border area live under an everpresent threat of attack from the Myanmar military. We are living here in constant fear. Anytime any catastrophe can happen, Mr Mohammed told Reuters. Local authorities said people in the area reported that five mortars were fired at around 8.30pm local time, and of them three exploded, Bangladeshs Daily Star newspaper reported. The man killed was identified as Iqbal Hossain Bari, while a number of others were hurt with serious injuries. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are caught in the crossfire between Myanmars military and the forces of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa), an armed group fighting for self-determination for ethnic minorities in Rakhine state. Hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled from Myanmar during a military crackdown in 2017 live in overcrowded camps in southern Bangladesh that comprise the worlds largest refugee settlement. A Bangladesh government official and border guards official said a strong protest would be lodged with Myanmar over the incident. Earlier in the day, another Bangladeshi youth was injured in a landmine explosion in the Headmanpara border area at Tumbru. The injured man, identified as 22-year-old Athwaing Tangchangya, lost a limb in the blast. It comes as Dhaka has already issued a statement expressing its deep concern over mortar shells falling inside Bangladesh territory, indiscriminate aerial firing from Myanmar in border areas, and air space violations from Myanmar. The Myanmar envoy to Dhaka has been summoned three times by the foreign ministry in recent weeks amid a series of incidents. Alain Robert, a free solo climber known as the French Spider-Man, celebrated his 60th birthday in a big way. Robert, who has climbed several large buildings in the world including the Burj Khalifa and the Empire State Building, climbed the Tour TotalEnergies skyscraper in Paris on Saturday, French news site Defense 92 reported. Robert, who turned 60 years old in August, scaled the 48-story building in 60 minutes, according to the news site. Alain Robert said he wanted to call attention to climate change when he climbed the 48-story skyscraper in Paris. (Photo: Michel Euler via Associated Press) Alain Robert said he wanted to call attention to climate change when he climbed the 48-story skyscraper in Paris. (Photo: Michel Euler via Associated Press) Saturdays feat is reportedly the 12th time Robert has climbed the building, which rises roughly 614 feet above the ground. The climber revealed to Reuters that he promised himself several years ago that he would climb the building for the occasion because 60 symbolizes Frances retirement age. I want to send people the message that being 60 years is nothing. You can still do sport, be active, do fabulous things, Robert told Reuters. Alain Robert, the free climber dubbed the French 'Spiderman,' scaled the Tour TotalEnergies, a 48-story skyscraper in Paris, to celebrate his 60th birthday https://t.co/kotWiUuSrUpic.twitter.com/WRClkrdQgW Reuters (@Reuters) September 18, 2022 Robert said he made the climb to raise awareness for global warming and compared the trek up the building to a ladder, according to Defense 92. The news site reported that he dealt with the buildings metal window frames using plasters on his fingers and a bit of tackle to reduce perspiration during the climb. Hes climbed several iconic structures over the years, including the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, Taipei 101, the Petronas Towers and Willis Tower. Robert has no plans to give up on his passion, Defense 92 reported. Story continues I will still continue as long as I am in good health, Robert told the outlet, according to Google Translate. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... FILE - Record producer Chaka Zulu looks through material on Sept. 2, 2008, in Atlanta. Zulu, who manages rap star and actor Ludacris, faces a murder charge in Atlanta in connection with a June shooting. Police reports show that Chaka Zulu, whose legal name is Ahmed Obafemi, turned himself in to face charges Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) ATLANTA (AP) The manager for the rapper Ludacris faces a murder charge in Atlanta in connection with a June shooting. The Atlanta Police Department said Chaka Zulu, whose legal name is Ahmed Obafemi, turned himself in to face charges Tuesday. Atlanta news outlets report that he was released on bail the same day. Police said they also secured warrants charging him with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and simple battery. Gabe Banks, a lawyer for the longtime music executive, issued a statement expressing disappointment in the decision to bring charges. Banks said evidence clearly shows Zulu who was injured in the incident defended himself while being attacked by at least four other people in the June incident. Zulu was among three people shot in the June 26 gunfire at a parking lot in the Buckhead area. One person died. Banks' statement said Zulu defended himself with a firearm he is licensed to carry. It is not lost on Mr. Zulu that someone lost his life, but had Mr. Zulu not lawfully defended himself, Mr. Zulu would have been killed that night, the statement said. Killed in the June shooting was 23-year-old Artez Benton, whose family described him as ambitious, hard-working and dedicated to his family. He did everything right, his father, Artis Benton, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the shooting. I never thought that this would be the end for him. The Prince of Wales meets members of the public (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire) Mourners squealed, cheered and broke down in tears after meeting the King and the Prince of Wales at close quarters during their surprise appearance at the public queue in central London. Hundreds of people who had been waiting for more than 10 hours to see the Queen lying in state were warmly greeted by Charles and William beneath sunny skies on Lambeth Palace Road. The royals arrived unexpectedly at around 12.30pm, sending shockwaves through a tired and bedraggled crowd waiting to pay their respects to the Queen. As they emerged, people surged towards the metal barriers, keen to share a few words with the King and the heir to the throne. Catherine Padbury, 28, broke down in tears, and the Prince of Wales paused to shake her hand and check on her welfare. Miss Padbury, who was with her parents Laraine, 59, and David, 64, all from Colchester, Essex, told the PA news agency: I just got completely overwhelmed that they came out to speak to us because theyre mourning themselves, and to come out and spend the time talking to us just means so much. I think he (William) saw that I was crying, paused and asked how the night was, checked that I was OK and asked who I was with. Fighting back tears, she added: I hope that its some comfort to them as well, when they see how much everyone loved Her Majesty. Emma Parrish, 28, who was with her friend Bex Mould, 34, said it was a moment they would remember forever and said Charles made a quip about holding them up in the queue. Ms Parrish, an e-learning content creator from Frome in Somerset, told PA: We were literally at the barriers. He (Charles) was taking his time and actually apologised for holding us up, which was really sweet really cute and funny. It was just a wonderful moment. Well remember it forever. She praised the royals for actually taking the time to look right into our eyes and have an actual moment with each person. Ms Mould, a teacher from Warminster in Wiltshire, added: Were yet to pay our respects to Queen Elizabeth II, so to have been in the presence of a past monarch, a present monarch, and then a future monarch, is quite something to behold. Story continues On a day like this when the sun is shining, I feel dumbfounded. She added: I said to Prince Charles that his mother would be proud of him, because Ive been watching him ever since last Thursday and I just think hes doing miraculously whilst dealing with grief. He said back, We were lucky to have her for 70 years. Karen Redford, 55, a former combat medic and police officer who was wearing several medals for her service, said meeting the royals was very emotional. Ms Redford told PA: The monarchy is of major importance to me, and always has been. Ive never been this close to either of them before. To see Prince William that close has just blown my mind. Im a little bit shocked. Carol-Anne Watson, 67, a retired nurse from Peterborough, said she expressed condolences to William, and described meeting him as overwhelming. No matter how long weve queued, it just gives us an amazing end to the day and its not over yet, she said. PA Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend the Queens state funeral, the order of service has shown. The nine-year-old future king and his seven-year-old sister will gather with 2,000 people in Westminster Abbey to remember their late great-grandmother on Monday, as millions watch the televised service across the globe. Read more: Queen: County Durham and Darlington join minutes silence The Northern Echo: The young royals will walk through the gothic church with the royal family, in procession behind the Queens coffin as it is carried by the military bearer party. Their grandfather, the King with the Queen Consort will process immediately behind the coffin, followed by the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, then the Duke of York, followed by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and then the Prince and Princess of Wales. George and Charlotte, who called the Queen Gan Gan, will be together, behind their parents, walking side-by-side in formation, followed by their uncle and aunt the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and other members of the royal family. The second and third in line to the throne are also expected to be at the committal service in St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle afterwards. The prince and princess four-year-old brother Prince Louis is not set to be there. His playful antics on the balcony for the Platinum Jubilee delighted royal fans and he is likely to be considered too young to attend. At the end of the service, following The Last Post, two minutes silence, the Reveille, and the national anthem, the Queens Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns, will play the traditional lament Sleep, Dearie, Sleep. Before the service, the tenor bell will be tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting the years of the Queens life. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, will say in The Bidding: Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth, and from the nations of the world, to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service. Story continues He will speak of the Queens unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth. With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear, the Dean will say. One of the hymns The Lords My Shepherd, Ill Not Want was sung at the Queens wedding, when she married the Duke of Edinburgh in the same abbey, as a 21-year-old bride in 1947. It was also sung at the funeral of the Queens father George VI in St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 1952, but with slightly different wording. The others hymns are: The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended; and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. The latter has often featured at royal weddings including William and Kates, Charles and Camillas wedding blessing, and Princess Eugenies. Prayers will be said by the Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, for Queen Elizabeths long life and reign, recalling with gratitude her gifts of wisdom, diligence, and service. The Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally will say a prayer for our most gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, Camilla the Queen Consort, William Prince of Wales, and all the royal family. Reverend Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group, will praise the Queens unstinting devotion to duty, her compassion for her subjects, and her counsel to her ministers. The Queens committal service at St Georges Chapel features several pieces of music that were also heard at the Duke of Edinburghs funeral in April last year and other major royal events. JS Bachs Schmucke Dich, O Liebe Seele Adorn Yourself, O Dear Soul (BWV 654) a piece for organ, will be played with a number of others as the mourners wait for the service to begin. Another is Vaughan Williams Rhosymedre, a firm favourite with the royal family with the music being performed at the wedding of Diana, Princess of Wales and Charles, and at Philips funeral. Nimrod by Sir Edward Elgar was heard at the Queens coronation in 1953 and will also be played before the committal begins. Lord Sentamu, the former Archbishop of York, was reportedly part of the team which helped devise the original order of service for the Queens state funeral. The cleric told BBC News the Queen knew the psalms by heart and Psalm 121 also featured at the Queen Mothers Funeral in 2002 will be sung at her committal. The service will end with Bachs Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (BWV 546) which will be played after the national anthem, and was heard at the end of the Duke of Edinburghs funeral. If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to The Northern Echo for as little as 1.25 a week. Click here. Most of Puerto Rico is without power after a category 1 hurricane bringing heavy rains and dangerous winds made landfall on Sunday evening, causing severe flooding and landslides and damaging infrastructure. Hurricane Fiona was causing catastrophic flooding in Puerto Rico early on Sunday evening, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Several landslides had been reported, government officials said. The storm forced the closure of roads while a highway bridge in Utuado town in the islands center had been washed away by a flooding river. Related: Statehood or independence? Puerto Ricos status at forefront of political debate Lights went out across Puerto Rico just after 1pm, leaving only those households and businesses with rooftop solar or functioning generators with power. Electricity was initially completely out across the island, said Luma Energy, operator of the islands grid. Some power had begun to be restored on Sunday night, with priority given to hospitals and other critical community services, energy officials said, but reconnecting the whole island would take several days. This has been catastrophic, Puerto Ricos governor, Pedro Pierluisi, told reporters in San Juan on Sunday night. We are responding to the emergency as weather conditions permit. The health minister confirmed earlier that a major cancer hospital in the capital of San Juan was without power after its backup generator failed. An emergency shelter in Sabana Grande in the south-west, where dozens of locals including some infirm residents had sought refuge, was also without power after its generator failed, according to Ruth Santiago, an environmental lawyer and campaigner for Queremos Sol, a grassroots movement to transition the island away from a centralized energy grid to rooftop solar. A mudslide blocks a road in Cayey. Photograph: Stephanie Rojas/AP The only thing that can save us this time is that Fiona is not as strong as Maria because so little has changed the whole transmission system is down, Santiago said from Salinas, a town being battered by gusty winds and torrential rains. The Fema money [federal funds to rebuild the energy system after Maria] should have been spent on rooftop solar if people die, the Biden government will have blood on its hands. Story continues Fionas center made landfall on Puerto Ricos south-western coast near Punta Tocon at 3.20pm ET (19.20 GMT) on Sunday with maximum sustained winds of about 85mph (140km/h), the NHC said. The storm was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Sunday morning. Ports are closed and flights out of the main international airport have been canceled. Flash floods, landslides and high winds have already damaged crops in the south of the island, with more dangerous conditions forecast through Monday. Hurricane #Fiona could produce 12-16" of rain, possibly up to 25", over portions of Puerto Rico. These rains will pose an extreme life-threatening flooding risk, especially over southern and eastern portions of the island.@NWSSanJuan: https://t.co/2iimGXc4sq pic.twitter.com/ohN1oWFg6r National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 18, 2022 Torrential rains and mudslides were also forecast for the Dominican Republic, where the hurricane made landfall in the early hours of Monday morning as it progressed north-westward. The Turks and Caicos Islands likely face tropical storm conditions on Tuesday, the NHC said. By Sunday night aid agencies in the Dominican Republic began evacuating residents from high-risk areas in the countrys east. President Luis Abinader postponed a trip to New York to participate in the United Nations general assembly. Puerto Rico is a tropical archipelago and US territory located a thousand miles or so south-east of Miami. The main island is mostly mountains surrounded by narrow coastal plains where the majority of the 3 million habitants reside in towns and cities. It is one of the most vulnerable places on the planet to extreme weather caused by the climate crisis. Storm damage to property in San Juan. Photograph: Thais Llorca/EPA It was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, when the delays in federal government help contributed to the high death toll and slow recovery. The US president, Joe Biden, has already declared a federal disaster for Puerto Rico, mobilizing the delivery of aid to the island. Parts of Puerto Rico could see up to 25 inches of rain on Monday, which the NHC warned pose an extreme life-threatening flooding risk. Storm surges could cause flooding of 1-3 ft above normally dry ground along the eastern and southern coast of the main island and the smaller ones of Vieques and Culebra, according to the NHC, which is part of the national weather service. Fiona is likely to further damage Puerto Ricos fragile centralised electricity grid, which Hurricane Maria exposed and exacerbated, and continues to fail residents with frequent power outages and extortionate bills. Related: The beaches belong to the people: inside Puerto Ricos anti-gentrification protests It headed to US territory after battering several eastern Caribbean islands, with one death reported in the French territory of Guadeloupe late last week. On Sunday, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said France would recognise a state of natural disaster for the island. Meanwhile, almost 5,000 miles away in Alaska, residents were waking up to a trail of destruction caused by a historic storm that impacted almost 1,000 miles of Alaskas coastline over the course of Friday and Saturday. The governor, Mike Dunleavy, issued a disaster declaration on Saturday after the powerful storm, the remnant of Typhoon Merbok, forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes as seawater surged as high as 50ft in some areas, with heavy rainfall and wind gusts up to 90mph. No loss of life has been reported. On Sunday, Dunleavy said the state needed to move quickly to assess and repair damage to infrastructure like roads and bridges, as freezing Arctic temperatures are likely to hamper efforts within a few weeks. Reuters contributed to this report The Queens funeral is expected to be one of the largest international events the UK has held in decades, with all eyes on Westminster Abbey for the service. Around 2,000 people, including world leaders and members of foreign royal families, will gather in central London on Monday morning to say a final farewell to Britains longest-reigning monarch. However, the events in the capital are only part of the schedule to celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II. (PA Graphics) After the service, which is expected to run from 11am until just before noon, a procession will set off at 12.15pm to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, arriving at 1pm. The state hearse, carrying the coffin, and the royal family will then travel to Windsor for a committal service at 4pm in St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle. The 20-mile trip from Hyde Park to Windsor Castle, west of London, should take around an hour. It will be the final leg of the Queens long journey from Balmoral, after she passed away in Scotland on Thursday 8 September. The route of the cortege from Wellington Arch to Windsor will be: Apsley Way South Carriage Drive Queens Gate Cromwell Road Talgarth Road (via Hammersmith Flyover) Great West Road (A4) Great South West Road (A30) London Road (A30) (via under Chiswick Flyover) Staines Road (A30) Windsor Road (A308) Albert Road (A308) to Shaw Farm Gate (PA Graphics) Many roads and bridges on the route will be closed and barriers will be in place to control crowds and keep key areas secure. The procession route from Albert Road to St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle is via 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. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council says 21 roads will be closed all day. A televised committal service will then take place in St Georges Chapel at 4pm. Thousands of people in Hyde Park watched the procession to Westminster Hall on Wednesday (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) At 7.30pm, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family, conducted by the Dean of Windsor. Story continues The Queens final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel - where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret. She will be buried with the Duke of Edinburgh, whose coffin will be moved from the royal vault. The BBCs programming will air from 8am until 5pm on BBC One and iPlayer. The King at the Vigil of the Princes in Westminster Hall on Friday evening (AP) ITVs programming will start at 9.30am, and all the days programming, from 6am to midnight, will be broadcast simultaneously on the main channel and five digital channels and the ITV Hub, the first time the broadcaster has done so. More than 100,000 people are expected to watch a broadcast of the Queens funeral on big screens at Hyde Park. Councils up and down the UK are also installing large outdoor screens to show the funeral. Gun salutes will take place on Saturday in Hyde Park and the Tower of London (PA Archive) Vue Cinema has cancelled all film screenings and will instead be showing the Queens funeral on the big screen. Some pubs, including Slug and Lettuces, are due to be open and show the funeral on televisions. On Friday evening, King Charles III and his three siblings held a vigil beside their mothers coffin. China's Shenzhou-14 astronauts complete extravehicular activities Xinhua) 09:09, September 18, 2022 Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 17, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronaut Liu Yang, who is inside the core module, supporting her crewmates who have successfully exited the space station lab module Wentian to conduct extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's Shenzhou-14 astronauts have completed their extravehicular activities (EVAs), the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Saturday. At 1:35 p.m. (Beijing Time), Cai Xuzhe opened the hatch of Wentian's airlock cabin. By 3:33 p.m., both Cai and Chen Dong were outside. The pair returned to the lab module at 5:47 p.m. after about five hours of EVAs, according to the CMSA, which has declared the mission a complete success. During the EVAs, astronaut Liu Yang was inside the core module, supporting her crewmates. They have completed a series of tasks, including the installation of extravehicular assistance handles and the extended pump set of the load circuits. They also verified the extravehicular rescue capability. The EVAs have further examined the coordination capability of astronauts and the small mechanical arm, and verified the functional performance of Wentian's airlock cabin and supporting facilities for EVAs. Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 17, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronaut Chen Dong (R) and Cai Xuzhe both outside conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 17, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronaut Cai Xuzhe closing the hatch of Wentian's airlock cabin after finishing extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 17, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronaut Chen Dong returning to space station lab module Wentian after finishing extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 17, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronaut Chen Dong (R) returning to space station lab module Wentian after finishing extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 17, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronaut Chen Dong (L) and Cai Xuzhe returning to space station lab module Wentian after finishing extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Sept. 17, 2022 shows Shenzhou-14 astronaut Cai Xuzhe returning to space station lab module Wentian after finishing extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) BEIJING (Reuters) - Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev will hold security consultations and meetings during a two-day visit to China starting Sunday, China's foreign ministry said. Patrushev will attend the 17th round of China's Russia strategic security consultations and the 7th meeting of the China-Russia law enforcement security cooperation during his visit, the foreign ministry said in a statement released on its website on Sunday. The meetings come after Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held face-to-face talks in Uzbekistan on Thursday, their first since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. Russia's war in Ukraine has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the global economy into uncharted waters with soaring food and energy prices amid the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. China has refrained from condemning Russia's operation against Ukraine or calling it an "invasion" in line with the Kremlin, which casts the war as "a special military operation". (Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) LONDON (Reuters) - King Charles thanked people from Britain and across the world on Sunday for their messages of sympathy following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth. The state funeral for Elizabeth will be held at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday, concluding 10 days of solemn ceremony and mourning during which hundreds of thousands of people have paid tribute to the monarch, 96, for her seven decades on the throne. "Over the last 10 days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world," Charles, who has toured the United Kingdom since his mother's death, said in a statement. "In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late queen. "As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief." Following the service at Westminster Abbey, the queen's coffin will be taken to Windsor where she will later be buried alongside her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip. That will bring to an end a period of national mourning in Britain, although royal mourning will continue for a further seven days. (Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Janet Lawrence) By Ivan Lyubysh-Kirde IZIUM, Ukraine (Reuters) - Dressed in white protective suits and wearing rubber gloves, Ukrainian emergency workers on Saturday dug up more bodies from a wooded burial site in territory recently recaptured from Russian forces, while townspeople looked for dead relatives. Ukraine says hundreds are buried at the site discovered this week, including at least 17 Ukrainian servicemen found in a mass grave on Friday and others who may be civilians buried in individual graves marked with flimsy wooden crosses. The causes of death have not yet been established, although residents say some of the graves near the town of Izium were of people who died in an airstrike. Ukrainian authorities have said at least one of the bodies had tied hands and rope marks on the neck. Moscow has not commented on the discovery of the graves. It regularly denies committing atrocities in the war or targeting civilians. Reuters saw workers carefully exhume at least five graves with shovels, while police experts and investigators documented the findings on camera and inspected the bodies on the sandy soil between trunks of pine trees. Investigators said the condition of the teeth showed some of the people were elderly. "Exhumations are under way. Their identities are currently not known," said Roman Kasianenko, a regional prosecutor. He said three bodies dug up on Friday had been identified. Clutching a neatly written list of names and numbers, resident Volodymyr Kolesnyk stepped between graves looking for relatives he said were killed in an airstrike on an apartment building shortly before the town fell in April, as the invaders swept through the northeastern region of Kharkiv. Ukraine last week took back dozens of towns and villages in the area in a surprise counterattack. Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov on Friday said he had been aware of mass deaths when shells hit a five-storey apartment block shortly before the Russian occupation. In May, a Ukrainian military official said more than 40 people died in an attack in the town. Story continues Reuters could not immediately verify details of the attack, or who buried the bodies. GRAVE 199 Kolesnyk said he knew his relatives had been taken to the burial site, and were in some of the graves marked with numbers, but that he had not dared visit while the town was under occupation. He paused before a cross marked with the number 199 and after checking the list, carefully hung a small sign on it bearing the name of Yurii Yakovenko, his cousin. Cross number 164, he said, was his cousin's wife. And 174, his cousin's mother, Kolesnyk's aunt. The list was given to him by a local funeral company that dug the graves, he said. "They buried the bodies in bags, without coffins, without anything. I was not allowed here at first. They (Russians) said it was mined and asked to wait. And there was a lot of them in the woods, so it was scary to come here," Kolensk told Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said officials have found evidence of torture on exhumed bodies, adding that around 10 torture sites have been found across the territory liberated this month. The head of the Russia-installed administration that abandoned the northeastern area around Izium last week accused Ukrainians of staging atrocities. "I have not heard anything about burials," Vitaly Ganchev told Rossiya-24 state television. (Reporting by Ivan Lyubysh-Kirde; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Alex Richardson) I cant get the moment that it happened out of my mind (AP) In the aftermath of the tragic Beirut port explosion on 4 August 2020, Lebanese poet Nadia Tuenis words were everywhere, on roads and walls around the city: Beirut has died a thousand times, and been reborn a thousand times (Beyrouth est mille fois morte, mille fois revecue) a hopeful reminder in a vulnerable situation. Yet Tuenis hyperbole only repeats and amplifies the widespread popular belief, verging on celebration, that Beirut has survived destruction so many times over the course of its long history. In the relative immediacy of the blast two years ago, it sounds hollow and without conviction. I cant get the moment that it happened out of my mind: the clocks stopped at 6:08 pm. There was a massive explosion, which killed at least 218 people. The loud blast resounds in my bones and in my ears, even now. When I think about it, I relive all of the shock, the disbelief, the grief. I remember what I thought in the aftermath: It's one more disaster. This country is cursed both cursed and loved. Its easy to think of Lebanon as cursed. Recent crises economic, moral, political and social are the bane of Lebanese peoples existence. What about our love for the country, too? Is that just a tragic fantasy? Wishful thinking? In 2020, it was easy to feel Lebanon had hit rock bottom all we could hope for was that the disaster would generate much-needed lasting change and reform. Yet, two years on, nothing has been done to change the status quo; in fact, the ruling elite have made it worse much worse. And nobody is listening. We are in the middle of economic meltdown, with a bankrupt state and the collapse of our currency. We have a ruined health system, an energy crisis, our industry has disappeared, people are struggling for money and our poor are starving. Nearly 80 per cent of Lebanese citizens now live below the poverty line. Since the Civil War, successive governments in Lebanon have implemented financial engineering policies that have led to a very real dystopia: the fiction of the Lebanese economic miracle. Story continues The coffers of the nation Lebanon was once known as the Switzerland of the Middle East are empty; the dark underbelly of its banking system (offering illusory interest rates) has been exposed. The former vault of Middle Eastern banking is nothing but a piggy bank with a padlock for anyone who failed to stash their cash under their mattress in time. With depositors and bankers engaged in a surreal, unethical and merciless free-for-all, we are being left to sink into collapse. It feels as though the ruling political clans have rejected and abandoned their people, abused their patience and goodwill, disavowed their trust, and enraged the younger generations who are now marching through the streets in protest. They have also succeeded in killing hope. To my mind, Lebanons politics is at the core of its malaise. The convoluted electoral laws preserve the politicians stranglehold over the people. Those in charge spend hours scrutinising and arguing about pointless tortuous details, while the structure, in effect, determines the outcome regardless of the peoples preferences. Whats worse is that we seem to widely accept, without any evidence, excuses about the interplay of external forces being to blame for the state the country is in. Lebanon is dominated by political elites with multiform loyalties. It is difficult to faithfully argue that any member of the political elite has the best interests of Lebanon in mind. Yet at every election, we vote for people of the same loose alliance. Lebanon is a pluralistic society. Its not easy to design an electoral law that addresses the fraught sectarian issues of this country. It involves a tough balancing act: 18 religious sects are recognised in the constitution. But how can we pretend its democratic when its not one man, one vote; but one vote for a list that does not remotely represent the voter? Politically and geologically, Lebanon is a country controlled by structural fault lines. We ignore them at our own risk. We are also on the brink of social catastrophe: Lebanon is no longer a country for young people. The educational system once the pride of the Middle East, if not the world has been gutted. It is collapsing right before our eyes. To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and comment sign up to our free weekly Voices Dispatches newsletter by clicking here Lebanon is, in effect, becoming a retirement home without a future. Is it any wonder that young people from all over the country from all regions and all religions are revolting against corruption? In the aftermath of the devastating port explosion, swathes of one of the worlds most beautiful cities now look like scenes from an apocalypse. As Tueni wrote during the Lebanese civil war: Those who live in the sunlight of the word, upon the runaway horse of slogans, those, shatter the windows of the universe. Her words still apply today, echoed in Beirut's shattered port, hospitals, shops, restaurants, houses, windows and the lives of its long-suffering population. Dr Sam Mattar is based in Lebanon and runs an independent consultancy to promote the use of system dynamics in understanding projects LOS ANGELES (AP) Caleb Williams and seventh-ranked Southern California showed off different aspects of their offense Saturday night, all while continuing to pile up points and yards. Williams threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for two more scores. Travis Dye and Austin Jones each ran for more than 100 yards as the Trojans beat Fresno State 45-17. A very big point of emphasis throughout the week, especially coming off to the Stanford game, was putting together a more complete game and I thought we did that, USC coach Lincoln Riley said. I think were growing each week. Theres a few less mistakes and a few more things right. Williams completed 25 of 37 passes for the Trojans, who have scored at least 45 points in each of the first three games for the first time since 2005. Dye had his second straight 100-yard game with 102 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown while Jones had 12 carries for 110 yards and a score. It is the first time since 2018 that USC (3-0) has had a pair of running backs reach the century mark in a game. The Trojans had 233 rushing yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. The Bulldogs (1-2) suffered a bigger loss though than the game. Quarterback Jake Haener was carted off in the third quarter with what coach Jeff Tedford said was high ankle sprain. The Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year had his right leg bend awkwardly while being sacked by Solomon Byrd at the Fresno State 46. Byrd also recovered Haener's fumble. Haener returned to sideline the on crutches and with his right foot in a boot. The senior was 10 of 17 for 117 yards with a touchdown and interception before the injury. Jordan Mims had 114 yards rushing. The Bulldogs also lost defensive back Evan Williams to a knee injury. Well it hurt to lose your two captains, your leader on offense and on defense. Its our job to step up," Tedford said. "Were playing a very good football team with a lot of athletes. They made us miss way too many times in space and then we tried to spread out and they ran it right at us, so theres a lot to improve on. Story continues USC scored on its first three drives to build a 21-3 advantage midway through the second quarter. After the Trojans won the coin toss, Williams rolled right and connected with Jordan Addison for a 3-yard TD to complete a 12-play opening possession that took nearly five minutes. The sophomore then scored his first two rushing TDs in a USC uniform. Williams had an 8-yard scramble late in the first quarter to make it 14-0. Following a field goal by Fresno State's Abraham Montano, Williams capped a 15-play drive with a 1-yard sneak. After having six scoring drives of five plays or less their first two games, the Trojans first three scoring drives against the Bulldogs were at least 12 plays. I try not to use my legs but that is an ability that I have, Williams said. I want to stand back there and deliver. I just had opportunities that opened up. Fresno State closed within 21-10 with 6:30 remaining in the first half after Erik Brooks scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass. Brooks caught a quick slant from Haener at the 35, caused Calen Bullock to miss a tackle and then outran the USC defense into the end zone. RARE DOUBLE USC tight end Malcolm Epps not only had his first touchdown of the season but also added an interception. Epps caught a 10-yard strike from Williams 13 seconds into the fourth quarter to extend the Trojans' lead to 42-17. On the last play of the first half, the senior picked off a Hail May attempt from Haener in the end zone. That snapped Haener's streak of 219 passes without an interception. THE TAKEAWAY Fresno State: Logan Fife completed his first 11 passes and was 11 of 12 for 140 yards, but Haener's loss could put the Bulldogs at a crossroads. USC: The Trojans had to punt twice in the first half, but shook off an early malaise to cruise comfortably in the second half. POLL IMPLICATIONS The Trojans entered the Top 10 for the first time since 2017 last week and should remain there after posting another easy victory. UP NEXT Fresno State: Has next week off before a road game against Connecticut on Oct. 1. USC: Travels to Oregon State next Saturday. ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the APs college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2 DAVID PRATT'S FOUR CORNERS: Putin and Xis awkward meeting was certainly not one of equals A friendship with no limits. These were the words of Russian president Vladimir Putin back in February this year when he shook hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the opening of the Beijing Olympics shortly before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. A lot has happened on the international stage since then and the measure of that friendship with no limits has well and truly been put to the test. Putin and Xi met in person for the first time last week since the start of the war in Ukraine and the outcome of that encounter on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan's ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand has been the subject of careful scrutiny by diplomacy pundits. In fact, few recent meetings between world leaders have been as highly anticipated as this one. As always words matter immensely in such encounters and Putins admission that he understood that Xi had questions and concerns about Russias war in Ukraine along with his praise for Chinas balanced position on the war only deepened the intrigue surrounding current relations between the two countries. But if the meeting between the two was meant to signal the strength of the relationship between Moscow and Beijing at a time of increasing animosity with the West and challenges to their agendas then that was not the impression that came across. The bottom line here is that as Russia attempts to recover from a humiliating military rout in north-eastern Ukraine and faces growing global isolation, Xi knows he holds more cards on the leverage front over Moscow than ever before. On the face of it, the Chinese government has echoed Russias insistence that US-led Nato encroachment in Europe was the real trigger for the Ukraine war, but Beijing to date has only paid lip service to such a message. Writing recently in Foreign Affairs magazine Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace summed up the thinking of many analysts response to the meeting between Putin and Xi. Story continues Russian President Vladimir Putins decision to invade Ukraine has forced Russia to turn to its fellow Eurasian giant, hat in hand, wrote Gabuev. China and Russia often appear as a pair, two great authoritarian powers seeking to revise the international order. But theirs is not a relationship of equals, Gabuev said, before going on to explain how Beijings dominance in its relationship with Moscow is only likely to increase as the war in Ukraine deepens. Even the timing of the meeting played out against Putin and in Xis favour. For Putin it came as the Russian leader is under tremendous domestic political pressure with battlefield setbacks in Ukraine and uncertainty over Russias ultimate objectives there. For Xi on the other hand the timing could not have been better giving him precisely the push in prestige he wanted for an internal audience just weeks ahead of a Chinese Communist Party congress at which he will secure an unprecedented third term in power. In all, Putins woes suit Chinas long-term interests say many analysts. Among them is Philipp Ivanov, CEO of Asia Society Australia a leading business and policy think-tank dedicated to Asia. China will unapologetically use its hard-headed and self-interested policy approach to Russias engulfment in its most significant crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union to derive the maximum benefit for its long-term foreign-policy objectives, was how Ivanov recently summed up Beijings likely approach writing in Foreign Policy magazine. There are other pressure points too in relations between the two nations. Both have conflicting interests for example in Central Asia, where some former Soviet republics have been unnerved by Putins military adventurism in Ukraine and are developing closer economic ties with China. Kazakhstan especially has become uncomfortable with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and growing pressure from the Kremlin. With China having invested heavily over the years in its relations with such countries in Central Asia Beijing is not about to blow that now. While few doubt that cooperation between Russia and China will continue, it would be a mistake to believe that things are as they were before February this year. Since then that friendship of no limits has been shown to be something of a myth and when viewed from Beijings perspective the confines and boundaries are growing. -------------------------------------------------- Ukraine: Where now does the war go from here? Having recently returned from almost a month of covering the war in Ukraine up close, Ive tried to step back this past week and take a broader view of where this conflict might be heading. It was my second visit to the country since the Russian invasion in February and so much has happened in the intervening period that the situation on the ground is scarcely recognisable compared to those early days when Russian tanks and troops were at the gates of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Today though the times are no less dark for many Ukrainians who like much of the world increasingly recognise the true nature of what President Vladimir Putins Russia is capable of. Just this past week the world was presented with evidence of yet more atrocities which have become the military modus operandi of Putins army. The grim discovery of hundreds of bodies, some with their hands tied behind their backs, buried in territory recaptured from Russian forces, are echoes again of the massacres elsewhere in places like Bucha that I visited these past weeks. What happened in both Bucha and now Izyum in Ukraines northeast point again to war crimes. That the head of the pro-Russian administration which abandoned the area last week accused Ukrainians of staging the atrocities at Izyum is yet more evidence too of the delusional mindset which prevails among those who do the Kremlins bidding. And speaking of that mindset what does it say about Putins Russia that video evidence also surfaced last week of what appears to be one of his allies Yevgeny Prigozhin the Russian oligarch and reputed financier of the Wagner mercenaries group attempting to recruit convicts to fight in Ukraine? Since July it seems, Wagner has been offering prisoners sentence reductions or cash incentives to sign up to fight. In the video the recruiter who appears to be Prigozhin said that he was looking for stormtroopers and warned the prisoners about the dangers of indulging in alcohol and drugs on the front lines, and of what he called marauding. All wars are ugly, but this is as ugly as it gets and stands as another reminder to any who doubt the thuggish, fascist threat posed by Putins Russia in the guise of defending itself against encroachment or engaging in a so-called denazification of Ukraine. As for where this war is heading, I for one dont for a minute believe Putins latest claim that Russia will do everything it can to bring its war on Ukraine to an end as soon as possible. Putin may be increasingly cornered and facing limited options in response to Ukraines remarkable counteroffensive but his capacity to inflict more suffering and destruction remains as much a threat as ever. In one breath he talks of ending the war, in the next the bullying returns with the claim that we so far have responded with restraint. Over the past month Ive seen what that restraint really means and those countless Ukrainians who have been on the receiving end of it. Make no mistake Putin will continue to bully and we in turn must do all we can to ensure that Ukraine has the capacity to resist him. ------------------------------------------------- Pakistan: The iniquity of who suffers the consequences of climate change The figures are mindboggling. More than 1,400 people have died and 33 million have been displaced while 1.7million homes have been damaged. Half of the countrys cotton crop has been washed away, and this years wheat production could be largely written off. Already Pakistans government estimates that the floods will cost $30bn thats 10% of the countrys GDP. Having visited Pakistan many times over the decades its a figure I find difficult to comprehend in terms of the countrys capacity to cope. The UN secretary general Antonio Guterres was right when he said after a visit last week that there are simply no words to describe the harm inflicted by the floods that have submerged the country during the past month. Even before this catastrophe Pakistan was a country already reeling from economic and political instability. As if there havent been warnings enough of the impact of climate change on our world here in the starkest terms is another. According to the conclusions of a rapidly conducted study of the disaster in Pakistan by 26 scientists from nine countries, as part of the World Weather Attribution group, climate change is estimated to have made the rainfall that caused the devastating flooding in the country up to 50 per cent more intense. The unusually hot summer also amplified the melting of Pakistans 7,000 glaciers that feed the Indus River, though the relative contribution of glacial meltwater to the flooding was unknown, the report said. What is certain though is that one third of Pakistan is under water, an area equivalent to the size of Britain. Amid this disaster there are lessons here for us all. From taking seriously the impact of climate change to taking heed of local warnings over deforestation to realising how poverty contributes to extremism and political instability in countries like Pakistan we ignore such things at our peril. Just recently Husain Haqqani, a former ambassador of Pakistan to the US, recently warned that Pakistan could become another Sri Lanka a nation already in dire straits. From Pakistans floods to drought in China and out-of-control fires in Europe, the climate crisis is wreaking havoc on planet earth on a new scale. What we are witnessing right now in Pakistan serves as the worst kind of reminder not only of the terrible cost of climate change but also the horrific iniquity of who suffers the consequences. ------------------------------------------------ Sweden: An election that casts the country in a different political light Welcome to the repatriation train. You have a one-way ticket. Next stop, Kabul!" read a tweet from the Sweden Democrats' (SD) law and order spokesperson Tobias Andersson weeks before last Sundays Sept. 11 elections. Now though the SD a party founded in 1988 by ultranationalist extremists and neo-Nazis find themselves political kingmakers. With Social Democrat Prime Minister Magdalena resigning on Thursday, it means Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson must now try to form a new government. He cannot do so without the support of the SD, who became the second biggest party with 20.5% of the votes Its perhaps not what many of us here in the UK who tend to view Sweden as a land of tolerance and openness might have expected. But then Swedens its politics and culture are often misunderstood by those looking inwards at a country with preconceived ideas of what it represents. It took a short period of residency there some decades ago to understand that myself. Not surprisingly the populist, anti-immigration partys rise to real power has civil rights groups and many immigrants worried about what the future might hold for the country. The SDs rise has come on the back of what many voters saw as failed immigration and integration policies. About 20 per cent of Swedens 10.5mn inhabitants are foreign-born, with some 240,000 asylum seekers having arrived during the European refugee crisis of 2014-2015. Tapping into anger over crime and gang shootings mostly by blaming immigrants for the violence the SD has set out a 30-point programme aimed at achieving the lowest immigration in Europe. This will include legislation that would make it possible to deny asylum to anyone saying they are fleeing persecution for being gay, or for changing their faith. Speaking to Reuters news agency last week Civil Rights Defenders, an international human rights watchdog and advocacy group based in Stockholm, said it had gone through all parties' proposals on law and order, democracy and immigration and found those from the Sweden Democrats troubling. In all these areas we see proposals that restrict human rights, that weaken rule of law and undermine democracy, Civil Rights Defender Legal Director and Deputy Executive Director John Stauffer said. How all this will yet play out remains to be seen. But if one thing is likely its that many looking in on Sweden from outside will almost certainly now see this Nordic nation in a very different political light. The "Year of Picasso" initiative will see more than 40 exhibitions held across Europe and the United States in honour of the Spanish artist, 50 years after his death in the south of France. From Madrid's Prado museum to the Pompidou Centre in Paris and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, 38 major art museums will stage 42 exhibitions from September 2022 and throughout 2023. The aim is to "show off all the facets" of Pablo Picasso, said French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak at a press conference unveiling the programme earlier this week. Picasso was born in the Spanish city of Malaga in 1881 and died in Mougins on the French Riviera on 8 April 1973. The celebrations will begin on 23 September at Madrid's Mapfre Foundation and will run until April 2024 with a closing exhibit at the Petit Palais in Paris. European focus Most events will take place in Spain and France, with others held in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Romania and Belgium. A series of talks about Picasso and his work will also be organised. The 12 events in France will take place at museums across the country, including in Paris, Lyon and Avignon. "We want to present Picasso exactly how he was" by highlighting his "artistic legacy" and the "permanence of his work", said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Picasso's art continues to resonate today said Abdul Malak, who called the artist's 1937 masterpiece Guernica "a manifesto for peace". The painting immortalises the massacre in the Basque town of Guernica, bombed by the Nazi air force in support of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War. This plea "takes on a special connotation" at a time "when war is raging at the gates of Europe and when we stand by the Ukrainian people", the French culture minister commented, referring to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Story continues Beyond the political and historical references, the retrospectives will also be an opportunity to look at the artist's excesses and contradictions, organisers said. The image of Picasso, long deified for his artistic genius, has been tarnished for several years by accusations of misogyny and violence towards his female companions, which have come under the spotlight since the #MeToo movement. The artist, who spent most of his life in France, was notably accused by journalist Sophie Chauveau in her book Picasso, le Minotaure of being a "jealous", "perverse" and "destructive" man. "It is important for the public to know Picasso better and also to know the violence that was in him. It is something that should not be hidden," said Abdul Malak, who said it was nonetheless important "not to reduce all of Picasso's work" to this subject. (with wires) Viet Nam's Tourism A shooting star In 2014, Elite Daily site voted Viet Nam and nine other countries as the most inexpensive destination in the world. And in 2015, Viet Nam continued being in the top destinations with the cost of approximately 10 USD a day, as voted by Gobankingrates - a famous website on personal finance and banking. Within the following years, Viet Nam entered the list of the most affordable destinations in the world. But only five to seven years later, things have changed drastically. Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, Viet Nam was still honoured by the World Travel Awards as Asia's Leading Destination 2022 and Asia's Leading Nature Destination 2022. At this year's awards ceremony, for the first time, a tourism enterprise of Viet Nam was honoured as Asia's leading travel group for Sun Group - the "father" of a series of large-scale tourism projects. The international community in Viet Nam has changed the outlook and position of the lands. Brands belonging to the Corporation and a series of hotel and resort projects of Sun Group were also honoured. Sun Hospitality Group - a resort brand under Sun Group, was also awarded the "Asia's Leading Resort Development" award for the first time. Four hotels invested by Sun Group were also honoured with noble awards like: Capella Hanoi - Asia's leading luxury Boutique Hotel; New World Resort Phu Quoc - Asia's leading family-friendly beach resort; Premier Village Ha Long Bay Resort - Asia's leading family resort and J.W Marriott Phu Quoc Resort - Asia's leading luxury wedding resort. "Over the past decade, Viet Nam's tourism industry has obtained various developments compared to most regions in the world. Viet Nam is truly going from a potential country that can develop into a leading country," said Mr Graham Cooke, President of the World Travel Awards. The companionship of businesses like Sun Group has contributed to bringing a different position to Viet Nam's tourism. Most recently, Cruise Passenger magazine has introduced Viet Nam as one of the world's leading luxury destinations in Asia. And over the past few years, Viet Nam has become a popular destination for the world's super-rich. Lands are more beautiful thanks to travel In 2021, the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the Sun World Fansipan Legend tourist area affirmed the role of this tourist resort and Sun Group in Lao Cai tourism. Mr Trinh Xuan Truong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Lao Cai, said: "The presence of Sun World Fansipan Legend Tourist Area and Sun Group not only contributes to a spectacular breakthrough growth for the local tourism industry but also becomes a premise for the transformation of Sapa tourism. Where things get difficult, there is Sun Group. Wherever there is Sun Group, there will be a success." There is no exaggeration in Mr Truong's words. Any land bearing the Sun Group's imprint, that place shall record the "take-off" of tourism. From an abandoned resort on top of the attractive Chua Mountain of Da Nang city, which once discouraged many businesses intending to invest as the roads there are too devious and dangerous, Ba Na has become a tourist area. Sun World Ba Na Hills is as beautiful as a fairy tale, attracting millions of visitors every year, even bringing the name of Da Nang beyond the continent, especially when they launched the Golden Bridge. Following Ba Na Hills, Sun Group continues bringing Da Nang a series of other class resorts, hotels, and parks, constantly making Da Nang more attractive as time goes by. This group also contributes significantly to helping Da Nang maintain its position as 'Asia's leading festival and event city' with jubilant festivals held throughout many months. We can think of the DIFF International Fireworks Festival and the Festival of Enjoying Da Nang Summer, with a series of epic 'Take me to the Sun' events and various large and small art events and activities year by year. The version of Sapa more than ten years ago, despite wild natural scenery, processed not much to attract tourists to stay for a long time. This town only received a few hundred thousand visitors per year. The entry of Sun Group 6 years ago made this land "blooms", reaping so many "sweet fruits". From 2016 - 2019, the number of visitors to Lao Cai increased by 144%. At the end of 2019, the province's tourism revenue was VND 19,200 billion, four times higher than in 2016. Following Da Nang, Sa Pa (Lao Cai), many new lands such as Quang Ninh, Phu Quoc, Nui Ba Den (Tay Ninh) and Thanh Hoa, most recently, were opened and sublimated with more and more imprints of unprecedented growth in visitor numbers and tourism revenue. Over the first six months of 2022, Sam Son (Thanh Hoa) held major festival events lasting nearly four summer months. These events are sponsored and organized by Sun Group. They helped the city welcome the most tourists nationwide (4.1 million visitors), surpassing Ha Long, Nha Trang, and Vung Tau. "It can be said that Sun Group truly shapes the level of tourism and service development for the places where this group invests. Da Nang is a prime example, followed by Phu Quoc, Ha Long, and Van Don. Perhaps there will be more coordinates here, such as Sam Son and Thanh Hoa. Those pillars make tourism a true spearhead of the Vietnamese economy" - Assoc. Dr Tran Dinh Thien - Former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, expressed. Mr Graham Cooke commented on Asia's leading travel group: "Corporations like Sun Group have been at the forefront of pioneering the way to comprehensive tourism development not only in Viet Nam but also throughout the world. Self-development of airports, private ports, 5-star hotel chains, luxury resorts, health care tourism destinations, and amusement parks are remarkable achievements. They also attach great importance to global integration when they have just launched their airline. This is the reason why Sun Group has conquered world tourism". HA NOI The first batches of Vietnamese durian from the Central Highlands Province of ak Lak Province that have passed stringent safety guidelines began their journey to China on Saturday. Eight producers have each sent between 60 and 100 tonnes of the fruit. It will take two days for the containers to reach Huu Nghi Border Gate in the northern province of Lang Son. With the approval from China, durian prices have increased from VN50,000 (US$2.1) to around VN75,000 ($3.17) per kilo. More durians from 23 China-approved growing areas are also on the way to a code-granted facility in ak Lak to be sorted and packaged for delivery to China. Transportation requirements include using cartons with air holes for ventilation and quality control. Qualified durians need to weigh three kilos each and meet stringent safety standards. They are required to have traceability stamps as well, which will be presented in English or Chinese and show the name of the packaging facility. Previously, Vietnamese durians could not go straight to China but had to be transported via Thailand. VNS SYDNEY Viet Nam was among top 10 most popular destination for Australian travelers in July, with more than 18,500 Australians visiting the Southeast Asian country in the month, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). In July, there were 968,490 international departures from Australia, a monthly increase of 87,630 from June. However, the figure represented a fall of 58.8 per cent from that in July 2019, or before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the bureau reported. New Zealand ranked first in the top 10 destinations for Australian tourists, with 96,180 arrivals, which was followed by Indonesia, the UK, the US, Fiji, India, Singapore, Thailand and Italy. After both Australia and Viet Nam reopened their borders, the number of Australians travelling Viet Nam has risen considerably. Compared to June, the number of Australian arrivals in Viet Nam in July rose by about 8,200, but fell by nearly 10,000 from the same month in 2019. ABS statistics showed that on the average, Australians spend 19 days for each trip abroad. VNS HA NOI President Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception in Ha Noi on Friday for a number of international scientists and Nobel laureates who are in Viet Nam to attend the Science, Ethics and Human Development conference within the framework of the 13th Meet Viet Nam programme. During the meeting, the President spoke highly of the theme of the conference, saying that the events contents are close to Viet Nams vision and development strategy. Opinions from scientists at the conference will be collected for reference during Viet Nams policymaking and administration work, he stressed. He highlighted the crucial role played by science - technology and innovation for promoting rapid and sustainable development in Viet Nam, noting that these areas are the leading national policy deciders and key motivation for modern and sustainable industrial development with high-growth. Viet Nam always focuses on comprehensive human development and promoting the creativity of its people, while ensuring social security, healthcare, improving living standards and leaving no one behind, he said. Viet Nam has been making efforts to implement the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs - 2030), he said, adding that Viet Nams decisions are geared towards sustainable development, so the application of science and technology or the allocation of resources are not aimed solely at high growth, but at the protection of its people and the environment. Last year, Viet Nam was named among the world's top 40 economies with the largest GDP in the world, and the 16 most successful emerging economies globally. According to the UN's 2021 rankings, Viet Nam ranked 49th in the SDG ranking and 115th in the global Human Development Index. The President said Viet Nam hopes to receive support and cooperation from the international community, especially from scientists attending the conference, helping it realise the goal of becoming a developed country with a high-income by 2045. More than 50 domestic and foreign scientists attended the Science, Ethics and Human Development conference held in Quy Nho City, the central province of Binh inh, from September 13-16. VNS HA NOI The investigation agency of the Ministry of Public Security on Saturday issued a detainment and prosecution decision against former Secretary of the Hai Duong Province Party Committee Pham Xuan Thang along with former director of the provincial health department Pham Manh Cuong. Both are under investigation for abuse of power in connection with the COVID-19 test kit purchases and bidding scandal at Viet A Company. More than 90 people, including several local and central-level leaders, have been put behind bars - most notably the former health along with science and technology ministers. Lieutenant General To An Xo, Chief of the Office and spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Security, said the Supreme People's Procuracy has approved the above decisions and orders. Thang and Cuong committed acts of "abusing their position and authority, to direct the violations of bidding law to help Viet A Company gain massive illegal profits, causing particularly serious losses to State assets," according to the police spokesperson. The Police Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security is continuing to expand the investigation; reviewing and freezing the assets of the accused to ensure thorough recovery of State finances. This is the latest development in the investigation into the case of violating regulations on bidding causing serious consequences, giving bribes, accepting bribes and abusing positions and powers while performing related official duties surrounding the price hike of Viet A's COVID-19 test kits. During a meeting of the Politburo and the Party Central Committees Secretariat chaired by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Friday, Thang was suspended from Party activities and positions while he awaits further disciplinary actions from the Party Central Committee, while Cuong was expelled from the Party. Previously in Hai Duong, the investigation agency prosecuted and detained Pham Duy Tuyen, director of Hai Duong Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Nguyen Manh Cuong, former chief accountant of the CDC. Tuyen was accused of accepting VN27 billion (US$1,140) in bribes from Viet A. Viet A Company has provided COVID-19 test kits to 62/63 localities in the country, collecting nearly VN4 trillion (US$169 million) in revenue. The director of the company Phan Quoc Viet, who conspired with several heads of CDCs to hike up the price of the test kits by up to 45 per cent, has been charged with bribery and violating bidding laws causing serious consequences. VNS HCM CITY Construction of a third passenger terminal at Tan Son Nhat international airport in HCM City has been delayed until next month after a prolonged delay due to issues related to land-use planning. According to a report by the Ministry of Transport, construction was expected to start in the third quarter, but the ministry was still waiting for 16ha of military land yet to be handed over. The transport ministry has urged the Ministry of Defence to hand over the land to ensure the new schedule. The report noted the new terminal will be completed and put into operation in 2024. In July, the Government approved a plan that requires the defence ministry to hand over some 28 hectares of military land for expansion of the countrys busiest airport. Of the land, 16ha will be for building the new passenger terminal and another 12ha for a road connecting the terminal and nearby streets in Tan Binh District. In 2020, the Government approved the project to build the terminal at a cost of nearly VN11 trillion (US$470.5 million), using the budget from State-owned Airports Corporation of Viet Nam. Construction is expected to take 37 months. The terminal has been proposed as a key and urgent traffic project for the city, so a prolonged delay in the construction could make the project investor incur heavy losses, experts have warned. At a recent meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged the construction of the new terminal to be started in the third quarter and completed by September 2024 amid growing complaints of overcrowding at the airport. Tan Son Nhat international airport was originally designed to serve 25 million passengers per year by 2020, but it has been serving almost 40 million per year since 2017. The airport currently has two terminals, with the T1 terminal serving domestic flights and T2 handling international flights. The T1 terminal can serve up to 15 million passengers a year, while the T2 terminal can provide service to 10 million passengers per annum. Once operational, the new T3 terminal will be able to serve up to 20 million passengers annually. The new facility will handle domestic flights, help to ease pressure on the T1 Terminal, which is currently overloaded, and improve service quality. The number of passengers travelling via the airport has surged in recent years, nearly doubling its designed capacity, especially once the COVID-19 pandemic was contained. The growth in the number of passengers after the pandemic has shown the strong recovery of the economy, especially in the aviation industry and tourism activities. However, this has caused escalating overcrowding at major airports in the country such as Tan Son Nhat in HCM City and Noi Bai in Ha Noi. VNS HA NOI Nguyen Thi Giang Nhu, 38, a fruit seller at a local market near the National Cancer Hospital Tan Trieu (commonly called K Hospital) in Ha Noi, was waiting for good news from Sung Phu, a Mong ethnic minority man who was taking care of his son with blood cancer at the hospital. Nhu said the 25-year-old father took his son from Muong Khuong District in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai to K-Tan Trieu Hospital for one month. They are among the poor and ethnic minority patients Nhu has volunteered to assist for 10 years. She directly assists in picking up patients from the bus station, then taking them to the hospital and assisting them with the examination and testing procedures at the hospital. If the patient has to be hospitalised for long-term treatment, Nhu also supports with the necessary items, said a mother of girl being treated at K-Tan Trieu Hospital. Nhu said that she lived in a mountainous and ethnic minority area during her childhood so she can speak an ethnic language. "My family was very poor at that time. Many children in the area where I lived died of illness because their parents had no money to take them to the hospital for treatment." I have a career in Ha Noi and live here now. Nhu said that she witnessed and understood the difficulties of patients and their families who arrive in the capital for medical treatment. "They don't know the roads, Kinh language, even dont know how to read, so if they are unlucky they can meet bad guys who cheat them out of all their money. Understanding and empathising with their suffering, I try to help to the best of my ability," she said. At first, she mainly supported pediatric patients and their families. Later, she also helped elderly patients from remote areas to reach Ha Noi for treatment. She was very happy that her charity work was known by many individuals and social groups in the highland provinces. Many times, the social groups have contacted Nhu to support and care for poor patients in the highlands who come to the citys hospitals. Most of the patients come to Ha Noi for treatment and usually, their condition is very serious, she said. Many poor patients had to sell cattle, pigs and chickens at home to pay for medical treatment fees in the city. When entering the hospital, many ethnic people don't even know how to take care of the sick. Many relatives of patients don't speak Kinh language, so it's difficult for doctors to guide them, Nhu said. I try to arrange my work then go into the patient's room and instruct them to follow the doctors' instructions. She also spent free time in the afternoon to cook rice for poor patients without family members to take care of them. And fortunately, Nhu's father was very supportive of his daughter's charity work. He volunteered to bring boxes of rice to the hospital for patients when Nhu was busy. The first time she went to the hospital to take care of the sick, she was also very scared. I am most afraid when I go to the burn hospital and cancer hospital. The images there haunt me, not my fear of infection. But I love them like I love my family members, so I'm not afraid anymore. Gradually, I get used to this job. She has also enthusiastically participated in volunteer activities organised by local organisations, such as building houses for the poor, giving gifts to orphans, cooking for poor patients. I have a dream to spend money to go to highland villages to do charity. When I help people, I felt very happy, Nhu said. VNS By Thu Anh Traditional art troupes in HCM City will make tours to offer a taste of southern theatre for audiences in Ha Noi and central provinces this month. The private art troupe ai Viet will stage Nang Xe a (Sita), a cai luong (reformed opera) play by talented director Hoa Ha. The play, adapted from the ancient India epic poem Ramayanna, depicts the love between Sita and her husband, who destroys his love and marriage with his extreme jealousy. Meritorious artist and cai luong star Phuong Loan and her younger colleagues Vo Minh Lam and Phuong Cam Ngoc will play lead roles. Nang Xe a was written for cheo (traditional opera), a form of Vietnamese theatre in the North, by the late scriptwriter Luu Quang Vu. The play became a phenomenon in the industry after its release in Ha Noi in 1982. In 1984, Nang Xe a was first staged in a cai luong (reformed opera) version in HCM City. The play had 1,800 performances in the city and southern provinces. In the new version staged by actors of ai Viet, Nang Xe a introduces cai luong in both old and new styles. Our actors will offer true cai luong, a traditional genre of southern theatre which began in the early 1920s in the Mekong Delta region, with modern techniques of performance, said the plays director Ha, who has 25 years of experience in the industry. Ha gathered more than 40 actors to play in her show, including young talents because she wanted to refresh the play". We will introduce the art of cai luong closer to capital Ha Noi's audiences, she said in an interview with Nguoi Lao ong (Labourer) newspaper before the premiere scheduled for September 26 in the citys Opera House. We hope audiences in Ha Noi will learn more about the Souths history and culture through cai luong, she added. The Huynh Long Tuong Troupe will offer shows of tuong or hat boi (classical drama), a Vietnamese traditional theatre genre that originated in the 12th century, in a Nang City. A series of famous classics featuring historical events written by late veteran artist Bach Mai, the troupes founder, will be restaged in new versions. Mai played a key role in the development of Vietnamese theatre as she wrote, directed and performed in 60 plays in tuong and cai luong. Her plays highlight patriotism and loyalty. Mai established the Huynh Long Tuong Troupe in 2017. Her troupe is now managed by her daughter, actress Binh Tinh, who has 20 years working in the art. Tinh and her actors will stage Ngo Quyen va Chien Thang Bach ang Giang (General Ngo Quyen and the Victorious Bach ang River Battle) in a Nang in late September, after performing 11 shows in Quang Nam Province last month. The play features the victorious battle, launched by Vietnamese Gen Ngo Quyen's troops on the Bach ang River in 938 against the Chinese invaders under the Southern Han dynasty. Quyens troops planted iron-headed wooden stakes, invisible during high tides, into the river bed. After Quyen launched a counter-attack at low tide, the enemy's large boats were wrecked as they were pierced by the stakes. The victory of Bach ang ended 1,000 years of Chinese domination, opening a period of Viet Nam's independence and sovereignty. For our tour to central provinces, we are working to add modern styles to tuong to meet the taste of young audiences, said Tinh. Tinh will use 30 actors for her troupes tour in a Nang. The artists planned to travel to offer their art to people living in rural areas. VNS At Con ao National Park in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau from April to October, visitors can participate in exciting activities, such as witnessing sea turtles laying eggs and releasing baby turtles into the ocean at dawn. As an important nesting place for two rare marine species -- olive ridley sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles, the park has 14 beaches that the turtles favour to lay eggs, including those on Hon Tai (Tai Islet), Hon Bay Canh (Bay Canh Islet) and Hon Tre (Tre Islet). Among them, Bay Canh Islet has attracted the largest number, with up to 30 mother turtles coming ashore to nest at night. As tourists from Ha Noi joining a group releasing baby sea turtles into the sea in August, Nguyen Ngoc Lan and her children were excited about the new experience. "Con ao is renowned for its rich and diverse fauna, flora and marine life. It is also the nesting haven of the highest number of sea turtles in Viet Nam. Wishing to enable my children to learn about nature while on vacation, I decided to take them to Con ao National Park this summer," Lan said. "The park authority has done an excellent job preserving the wild landscape and natural environment, which is extremely important. A fresh and clean environment will give us more energy to regenerate our health." According to Nguyen Hoang Phuoc, a volunteer for the sea turtle preservation programme, Con ao deserves its title as one of the most beautiful domestic tourist destinations. "I have been to Con ao four times and many other famous islands at home and abroad. However, to me, the archipelago still ranks at the top. The sea here is crystal clear and beautiful while the local people are fully aware of the preservation of the marine environment, which motivated me to become a volunteer in the sea turtle conservation programme," he said. Phuoc added that visitors to Bay Canh Islet or other big islands of the archipelago are likely to see signs calling for environmental protection that volunteers and locals have erected. Developing eco-tourism The 16-island archipelago of Con ao is located 180km off Vung Tau City and about 230km southeast of HCM City. Con ao was once named "Hell on Earth" with painful memories of French colonialists and the US-aided-and-abetted Sai Gon regime turning the archipelago into a prison to detain Vietnamese revolutionary fighters and other patriots. Today, it is better known for beaches with white sand, crystal-blue water and colourful coral reefs, attracting an increasing number of local and foreign visitors in recent years. The national park is home to 1,077 species of vascular plants and 155 species of fauna. Many bird species in Con ao cannot be found anywhere else in Viet Nam, such as the red-billed tropicbird, masked booby, and pied imperial pigeon. Surveys conducted by the Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography have found more than 1,300 maritime fauna and flora species, including 44 in Viet Nam's Red Data Book, in Con ao National Park. The archipelago is also home to a small population of dugongs and an important nesting place for olive ridley sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles that are vulnerable to extinction worldwide. With the success of sea turtle conservation activities in recent years, Con ao has been recognised as an official member of the Indian Ocean-Southeast Asia, the 11th member of the marine turtle conservation network. The national park, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, has more than 340 species of corals and is one of the richest and most diverse coral reefs in the country. With such natural gifts, Con ao Islands have the potential to develop eco-tourism products such as watching turtles lay eggs, diving to see corals, climbing mountains and trekking into the forest. To properly reach its potential, the Ba Ria Vung Tau People's Committee [the provincial administration] has approved a plan for the development of eco-tourism and leisure tourism in Con ao National Park until 2030. The plan stipulates that the principle of leasing the forest environment is not to change the state's ownership of the forest. Organising eco-tourism must not negatively affect natural ecosystems, biodiversity, landscapes, environment, and natural life of wild animals and plants, as well as the cultural identity of the local community. The archipelago is also set to become a world-class site for marine, cultural, historical and spiritual tourism, according to a revised plan for Con ao development by 2045, newly approved by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh. The plan has been revised to boost tourism on the islands, protect and promote its historic relics and preserve the ecosystem of Con ao National Park. Under the plan, Con ao's population will reach 15,000 by 2030 and 25,000 by 2045. The archipelago now comprises 16 islands with a total land area of over 75 square kilometres, and has a population of 10,500 who live only on Con Son, the biggest island. According to Nguyen Cong Vinh, vice chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria Vung Tau Province, the revised plan is an important decision, playing an important role in planning and orienting the development of Con ao in the future. The provincial authority has been investing in various projects to innovate Con ao's tourism, such as bringing electricity from the mainland to the islands, building a telecommunications cable system and waste treatment plant adopting incineration, and a reservoir to supply the needs of local people and tourists. In addition, the national park is now offering 20 sites with over 900 hectares of land for lease, according to Nguyen Khac Pho, director of the Con ao National Park authority. Through the lease, the southern province aims to develop scores of eco-tourism products on the islands in keeping with national and international standards. The park now has more than 60 eco-tourism projects that have been given in-principle approval and are looking for investors. They have an obligation to coordinate with the park to protect the forest, ensuring forest fire prevention and fighting during the project implementation. One of the highlighted eco-tourism projects is being developed by the Saigon Pearl Investment Company. Under the deal signed between the company and the park authority, more than 70 hectares of land will be leased to the company to build an eco-tourist site. It will include a genetic resource conservation centre for endangered plants, corals, and turtles and a brown squirrel protection programme. Tran Viet Khoa, chairman of the Management Council of Saigon Pearl Investment, said the company would not trade off the national park's environmental values and untouched beauty for economic benefits, adding that to protect the forest and marine ecosystems and wetlands is to protect tourism resources and sustain the business. Tourism products would be created based on the natural ecosystem around Ong Cau Beach, while the pristine natural ecosystem here would be preserved as part of efforts to develop Con ao as a national tourist site, Khoa said. The local authorities have also made great efforts to protect the ecosystem and the natural landscape of the park. The Con ao island district authority has coordinated with the World Wide Fund for Nature Vietnam to work on a project to reduce the use of plastic bags and single-use plastic products. The district has officially committed to becoming a plastic-reducing island, aiming to have no plastic waste in nature by 2030. With the successful launches of eco-tourism projects and environmental protection measures, Con ao is expected to be a role model for Viet Nam's tourism industry and a not-to-be-missed destination for travellers worldwide. VNS by Nguyen My Ha This year Viet Nam looks back at its 40-year-old policy to send workers overseas, though the number of people sent abroad is at a record low due to the pandemic. The good intention to open doors to the job market overseas sent hundreds of thousands of people to work in eastern Europe between 1980 and 1990. A government resolution cited that "with labour cooperation, we can give jobs and train a group of young people, whom local enterprises cannot take." From only four countries back in 1980 -- the Soviet Union, East Germany, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia -- the list has been expanded to more than 40 countries and territories, and more than 30 fields of interest, according to the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs. The first 10 years of this wave in the 1980s saw families of guest labourers gaining significant raises in their incomes. During this period, more than 300,000 people went to Eastern Europe, worked and sent their earnings home, estimated at VN800 billion (US$33 million). The workers were not trained, as they were supposed to learn a job abroad and then return home using their new skills to make a living. The annual remittance sent home by the labour export has now reached between $3 and 4 billion, a remarkable rise over 40 years. Guest labourers were first trained to work in textile factories and as construction workers. Today, the guest workers work as seamen on South Korean ships, interns in industry, or nurses in elderly homes. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 ended the flow of guest workers to the Eastern European market. Many workers in then East Germany received a repatriation sum to go back to Viet Nam, but many others opted to stay in the respective countries they had settled in. Their lives were jeopardised as they faced the harsh reality of social collapse, trying their utmost to stay on and integrate into local societies without adequate language abilities or proper skills to work in companies was tough. Even local workers suffered. Vietnamese overseas workers went through even worse circumstances, such as marginalisation and police raids. There has been limited yet profound literature written on the subject. Viet Nam National Television even sent a crew to Russia a few years ago to shoot a TV series about the lives of the Vietnamese expats who decided to stay. A series of social issues also raised concerns over their lives abroad, though they sent home money to build houses and buy motor vehicles and up-to-date home appliances so their families in Viet Nam could live better. Sweat, tears, and sometimes even blood were shed to earn money the hard way. Initially, the workers were singletons, demobbed soldiers, redundant workers or students of vocational schools who had not found jobs. Later, breadwinners of young families also joined the group heading overseas. This often led to broken families, children growing up with one parent they met once or twice a year, family connections loosened, and children growing up on the finances of a distant parent, yet resenting them for lack of their presence in their lives. Every year, the number of overseas workers accounts for 7 and 9 per cent of total jobs, helping lift the pressure on employment at home. But the downside of this life is that when they return home, they often cannot get a job. Some built big homes from the money they made during their working years abroad, but after that they went back to being unemployed because of a lack of skills. Among the countries and territories that receive workers today are Japan and South Korea, and many Vietnamese workers stay on as illegal immigrants in those countries. To date, eight districts of four provinces cannot send any more workers because of the runaways. Due to thousands of illegal overstays, Taiwan and South Korea have limited taking on more workers. Some top officials have called on educating the returning guest workers: skilled workers need a strategic path to get in the picture, and manual labourers need to be trained again. The social impact of returning workers must be taken into account, with policies rolled out to help them. The initial issue of training and educating workers has not been solved, and they are still left with unemployment back in Viet Nam, with no skills learned or improved during their working time overseas. And families suffer emotionally as they are scattered in at least two places. Last week, I took my child's friend home with us as her parents could not fetch her from a birthday party "My mum has to take care of my two younger siblings. My dad works in Africa, but we speak to him every day on the phone," the child said. Another family is split apart. Nevertheless, it is good the mother tries her best to give her child everything she would have had if the father had still been at home. VNS Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and leaders of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour had photos taken with the 166 students Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan attended the ceremony and presented prizes to the 166 best students on September 18 in Hanoi. Ngo Duy Hieu, vice chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, said he appreciated the student results: "The students' good outcomes have enabled their parents to spend all their efforts working for the country's development." Nguyen Dinh Khang, chairman of the confederation, said that being studious was a long-standing tradition of the Vietnamese nation. "The children have studied well and gained very good achievements. Despite being young, they have a passion for research, creativity, and understanding of social and scientific issues, contributing to the country's development," Khang said. Vu Ha Anh, a representative of all the students, spoke at the ceremony Vu Ha Anh from Reigate Grammar School Vietnam, winner of the Speak To Inspire Vietnam debate, said that she and all the students were well aware that they were only beginning their successes on a journey to conquer knowledge and science. "It is necessary to promote what has been achieved to reach the peaks of intellect, update skills, and further train ourselves to become useful citizens in the future. I always try my best to find effective learning methods. I feel joy in learning and enjoy pride in getting good results," she said. Previously, she received many prizes in speaking, debating, and English. Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Ngo Duy Hieu, vice chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, presented certificates and flowers to Do Ngoc Bao Linh At the ceremony, the students who won the first prizes and gold medals at national and international competitions in the 2021-2022 school year were awarded letters of commendation, laurel wreaths, commendation logos, and bonuses. Do Ngoc Bao Linh from Hoang Mai Primary School, who won a gold medal at the Thailand International Mathematic Olympiad 2022's national finals, was happy to receive the highest prize. "The examinations are quite hard, but I tried to learn my best. Thanks to the experience last year, when I got the bronze medal, I gained a better result this year," said Linh. Ngo Duy Hieu, vice chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and chairman of the Vietnam Public Sector Union, handed over certificates and flowers to Le Minh Quy. Le Minh Quy from Newton Grammar School said, "I love English and Maths, so I always look for contests related to these subjects to try and improve myself and enhance my confidence. I feel so happy without any stress about joining the contests. In the future, I would like to focus on IT to create more technologies and values for life." Quy won the gold medal at the Singapore International Math Contests Centre, one of the largest academic contest organisers in Asia. His passions are examinations and Maths and English contests. Student Luong Huong Giang receiving presents from the leader of the State and leader of Vietnam General Confederation of Labour Luong Huong Giang from Hanoi Amsterdam High School, who won gold in the Internet Olympiads of English at the national level, was happy and proud of the prize. "Studying is my favourite thing, and I often set targets for myself. Although the prize is modest, my efforts have been recognised, and I am satisfied. I will find some more contests to reach new peaks and improve myself," said Giang. A total of 17 students, whose parents are state officials of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, were honoured. VIR supports students in difficulties amid pandemic Almost $4,000 from VIRs Swing for the Kids Fund have been handed over to students at Hanois universities, who are currently coping with the challenges that the global health crisis has brought during the last months. NAACP candidate forum Waco NAACP will have a candidate forum at 6:30 p.m. Monday, live via Zoom teleconferencing. Political candidates for the Texas State Board of Education, the Texas House of Representatives, McLennan County Commissioners Court, justice of the peace, district attorney and constable are slated to participate. The Zoom webinar ID number is 860 1503 9900. For more information, call 254-733-5261. Lecture on sleep Michael Scullin, Baylor University associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, will present a lecture on the science and importance of sleep, from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m. Monday at Meadows Recital Hall in Baylors McCrary Music Building. The event is free and open to the public. Girl Scouts STEM event Girl Scouts of Central Texas will have a free Discover Girl Scouts event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Girl Scouts Waco Service Center, 3700 W. Waco Drive. STEM-tastic Experiments is the theme, introducing Scouts and would-be Scouts to new adventures in science, technology, engineering and math. For more information about the event, call 512-453-7391. Medicare class A Medicare education class for people new to the program or soon to be eligible will start at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Area Agency on Aging, 1514 S. New Road. The class will also offer instruction about Social Security, supplemental insurance, Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 254-292-1843. Online vote for funding Arts nonprofit Creative Waco hopes to steer Waco residents to online voting for a chance to fund a live concert series at the citys Bridge Street Plaza amphitheater. Waco is one of 36 cities, and the only Texas city, qualifying for the voting round in this years Levitt AMP Grant Awards, which underwrite concert series in small to midsize American cities. The top 20 cities receiving votes move to a final selection round for 10 winners, which will be announced Nov. 15. If Waco wins the grant, it would receive $90,000 over three years to underwrite the concert series. Voting is available at vote.levitt.org/locations/waco or by texting 866-267-2023 with the keyword WACO. Voting deadline is 7 p.m. Wednesday. 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. CEDAR FALLS The city of Cedar Falls is not a bustling beach town where tourists often struggle to find a public restroom. But one resident, Rosemary Beach, gained the support of the City Council in July to discuss the possibility of conducting a study of the available public bathrooms. The council meets Monday at 5:50 p.m. as the community development committee in the Community Center, 528 Main St. The regular business meeting follows at 7 p.m. and includes possible approval of a grant application to help fund the removal of unused train tracks passing through downtown. Before that, Community Development Director Stephanie Sheetz will give a presentation and lead the discussion on the citys current standing when it comes to available toilet facilities in the downtown. Council documents show six public restrooms downtown that are either always open or only open during events, business hours and the summertime. Additionally, shell touch upon the restroom requirements for public events as well as generally for buildings. Unused railroad tracks through Cedar Falls could be removed City Council meets Monday to consider the application for federal funds made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The council committee will also hold preliminary discussions on potentially removing the two-thirds majority vote or five of seven councilors required to overrule a Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation. Councilors have suggested changing it to only four of the seven members. At its meeting earlier this month, the council asked for the discussion to happen prior to any votes on future zoning amendments. The latest is the controversial recommendation, made after a 5-4 commission vote, to not include the site plan reviews of residential additions and floor expansions for current buildings in the more commercialized sections of downtown. Those reviews are conducted at public meetings of the commission and the council before construction can begin. 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. At its 7 p.m. meeting, council will consider: An application for a federal grant to help fund a $12.2 million project to remove approximately 11,642 linear feet of track, among other restoration and improvements, that 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. The grant would provide $9.76 million, or 80% of the cost. The city and Iowa Northern Railway Company would split the 20% match, or $1.22 million each. The reappointment of Captain Mark Howard as the acting police chief until its hiring process for the permanent replacement for Craig Berte, former chief and now public safety director, wraps up. His previous term of appointment has expired. Howard applied for the full-time job. No finalists have been announced. A five-year contract with the Cedar Bend Humane Society to provide housing for homeless animals while Waterloo Animal Control provides the pickup of animals. According to a city memo, it includes minor changes to several of the fees, one being 3% increases across the board in 2025. Humane society executive director Kristy Gardner said the city was not interested in looking into the pilot community cat program, which the Waterloo City Council voted down. She noted, though, that shes still interested in proposing it to Cedar Falls and back to Waterloo at a later date. A complete parking prohibition on Utility Parkway from Waterloo Road to Irving Street, outside Cedar Falls Utilities, to address concerns of a congested corridor. Right now, parking is not allowed on the north and west side of the street. If passed, it would require one more vote of approval before going into effect. An agreement with Hilda and Steve Ostby to provide four-week beginner ballroom dancing classes at the Recreation Center. The city would receive a 20% split of the enrollment fees. Tax abatement applications, allowed under the College Hill Urban Revitalization Plan, for remodeling an existing single family home at 1803 College St. and constructing a new single family house at 1809 College St. Hurricane Fiona rips through powerless Puerto Rico HAVANA (AP) Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico's southwest coast on Sunday as it unleashed landslides, knocked the power grid out and ripped up asphalt from roads and flung the pieces around. Hundreds of people were evacuated or rescued across the island as floodwaters rose swiftly. Rushing rivers of brown water enveloped cars, first floors and even an airport runway in the island's southern region. Forecasters said the storm threatened to dump historic levels of rain on Sunday and Monday, with up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) possible in eastern and southern Puerto Rico. The damages that we are seeing are catastrophic, said Gov. Pedro Pierluisi. The storm washed away a bridge in the central mountain town of Utuado that police say was installed by the National Guard after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. Large landslides also were reported, with water rushing down big slabs of broken asphalt and into gullies. Bidens among thousands paying respects to Queen Elizabeth II LONDON (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden paid his respects at Queen Elizabeth II's coffin on Sunday as thousands of police, hundreds of British troops and an army of officials made final preparations for the queen's state funeral a spectacular display of national mourning that will also be the biggest gathering of world leaders for years. People across Britain paused for a minute of silence at 8 p.m. in memory of the only monarch most have ever known. At Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state, the constant stream of mourners paused for 60 seconds as people observed the minute of reflection in deep silence. In Windsor, where the queen will be laid to rest on Monday evening after her funeral at Westminster Abbey, rain began to fall as the crowd fell silent for the moment of reflection. Some have set up small camps and chairs outside Windsor Castle, with plans to spend the night there to reserve the best spots to view the queen's coffin when it arrives. Well, its just one night and day of our lives. Elizabeth gave us you know 70 years. So the rest of it is not a lot to ask, is it? said Fred Sweeney, 52, who kitted out his spot with two Union flags on large flag poles. Biden and first lady Jill Biden were among thousands of mourners from locals and tourists to royals and world leaders to pay their respects. The president made the sign of the cross and put his hand to his heart as he stood quietly near the casket in the ornate 900-year-old hall with his wife and U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley. Zelenskyy promises no 'lull' in taking back Ukrainian towns KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised his country there would be no letup in the counteroffensive that has reclaimed towns and cities from Russian troops, as shelling continued Sunday across a wide stretch of Ukraine. Zelenskyy ran through a list of towns that Ukraine has taken back in its lightning push across the northeast. Maybe now it seems to some of you that after a series of victories we have a certain lull," he said in his nightly video address. "But this is not a lull. This is preparation for the next series... Because Ukraine must be free all of it. Ukraines military command said its forces secured the eastern bank of the Oskil River on Saturday. The river, which flows south from Russia into Ukraine, had been a natural break in the newly emerged front lines since Kyiv's counteroffensive began. As Russian shells hit towns and cities over the weekend, the British defense ministry warned that Moscow is likely to increase attacks on civilian targets as it suffers battlefield defeats. Biden: Classified documents at Mar-a-Lago raise concerns WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden says the discovery of top-secret documents at former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate raised concerns that sensitive data was compromised and called it irresponsible. Biden, who rarely does interviews, spoke to CBS 60 Minutes in a segment that aired Sunday. He said that when he heard about classified documents taken from the White House, he wondered how anyone could be that irresponsible. Biden added: And I thought, what data was in there that may compromise sources and methods? The president said he did not get a heads-up before the Trump estate was searched, and he has not asked for any specifics because I dont want to get myself in the middle of whether or not the Justice Department should move or not move on certain actions they could take. The FBI says it took about 11,000 documents, including roughly 100 with classification markings found in a storage room and an office, while serving a court-authorized search warrant at the home on Aug. 8. Weeks after the search, Trump lawyers asked a judge to appoint a special master to conduct an independent review of the records. They ended wanted pregnancies. Post-Roe, they face new pain. Ashley Lefebvre hugs her unborn daughters urn each night. Sarah Halsey treasures the tiny hat worn by her baby who lived just 38 minutes. Abi Frazier moved away from her home with a furnished nursery. All ended wanted pregnancies because of grave fetal medical problems. Its a side of abortion seldom discussed in national debates the termination of pregnancies because of fetal anomalies or other often-fatal medical problems. These terminations often happen in the second trimester, when women have already picked out names, bought baby clothes and felt kicking in their wombs. Theyre far different from the most common abortions, performed earlier in pregnancies. Women say these terminations for medical reasons dont feel like a choice instead they are forced upon them by the condition of the fetus they carry. And the constant drumbeat of new abortion bans, rulings and news since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade has reopened raw wounds. Such abortions were already shrouded in secrecy and guilt, the women say. They fear the path will be even tougher for those who follow. There are no recent statistics on the frequency of terminations for fetal anomalies including genetic or chromosomal abnormalities in the U.S., but experts say its a small percentage of total procedures. They typically occur later than the 93% of abortions performed at or before 13 weeks of pregnancy. In world beset by turbulence, nations' leaders gather at UN UNITED NATIONS (AP) Facing a complex set of challenges that try humanity as never before, world leaders convene at the United Nations this week under the shadow of Europes first major war since World War II a conflict that has unleashed a global food crisis and divided major powers in a way not seen since the Cold War. The many facets of the Ukraine war are expected to dominate the annual meeting, which convenes as many countries and peoples confront growing inequality, an escalating climate crisis, the threat of multiple famines and an internet-fueled tide of misinformation and hate speech all atop a coronavirus pandemic that is halfway through its third year. For the first time since the United Nations was founded atop the ashes of World War II, European nations are witnessing war in their midst waged by nuclear-armed neighboring Russia. Its Feb. 24 invasion not only threatens Ukraines survival as an independent democratic nation but has leaders in many countries worrying about trying to preserve regional and international peace and prevent a wider war. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the strategic divides with the West on one side and Russia and increasingly China on the other are "paralyzing the global response to the dramatic challenges we face. He pointed not only to the devastation in Ukraine from nearly seven months of fighting but the wars impact on the global economy. EXPLAINER: How the strong U.S. dollar can affect everyone NEW YORK (AP) The buck isnt stopping. The value of the U.S. dollar has been on a tear for more than a year against everything from the British pound across the Atlantic to the South Korean won across the Pacific. After rising again Friday, the dollar is near its highest level in more than two decades against a key index measuring six major currencies, including the euro and Japanese yen. Many professional investors dont expect it to ease off anytime soon. The dollar's rise affects nearly everyone, even those who will never leave the U.S. borders. Heres a look at whats driving the U.S. dollar higher and what it can mean for investors and households: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SAY THE DOLLAR IS STRONGER? First public global database of fossil fuels launches A first-of-its-kind database for tracking the world's fossil fuel production, reserves and emissions launches on Monday to coincide with climate talks taking place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels includes data from over 50,000 oil, gas and coal fields in 89 countries. That covers 75% of global reserves, production and emissions, and is available for public use, a first for a collection of this size. Until now there has been private data available for purchase, and analysis of the world's fossil fuel usage and reserves. The International Energy Agency also maintains public data on oil, gas and coal, but it focuses on the demand for those fossil fuels, whereas this new database looks at what is yet to be burned. The registry was developed by Carbon Tracker, a nonprofit think tank that researches the energy transition's effect on financial markets, and the Global Energy Monitor, an organization that tracks a variety of energy projects around the globe. Corporations, investors and scientists already have some level of access to private data on fossil fuels. Mark Campanale, founder of Carbon Tracker, said he hopes the registry will empower groups to hold governments accountable, for example, when they issue licenses for fossil fuel extraction. 5 years after Maria, reconstruction drags on in Puerto Rico LOIZA, Puerto Rico (AP) Jetsabel Osorio Chevere looked up with a sad smile as she leaned against her battered home. Nearly five years have gone by since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, and no one has offered her family a plastic tarp or zinc panels to replace the roof that the Category 4 storm ripped off the two-story home in an impoverished corner in the north coast town of Loiza. No one comes here to help, the 19-year-old said. Its a familiar lament in a U.S. territory of 3.2 million people where thousands of homes, roads and recreational areas have yet to be fixed or rebuilt since Maria struck in September 2017. The government has completed only 21% of more than 5,500 official post-hurricane projects, and seven of the islands 78 municipalities report that not a single project has begun. Only five municipalities report that half of the projects slated for their region have been completed, according to an Associated Press review of government data. And with Hurricane Fiona forecast to hit Puerto Rico on Sunday with torrential rains, more than 3,600 homes still have a tattered blue tarp serving as a makeshift roof. Las Vegas Aces win first WNBA title, Chelsea Gray named MVP UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Las Vegas never had a professional sports champion until Sunday. Chelsea Gray scored 20 points to lead the Las Vegas Aces to their first WNBA title, and the city's first pro title, in a 78-71 road win over the Connecticut Sun in Game 4. Gray went 9 of 13 from the floor, and was named Finals MVP after averaging 18.3 points in the series. Vegas finished on an 8-0 run. As the buzzer sounded, league MVP A'ja Wilson, who played every minute of the game, grabbed the ball and stomped the floor before being mobbed by her teammates. We champs! We champs! We champs! Wilson screamed at teammates as they pulled on their championship hats and T-shirts before the trophy ceremony. I am pro-choice and believe that Roe versus Wade being overturned was a severe judicial catastrophy 40 years after it supposedly became settled law. That is exactly why I felt sick to my stomach when I heard about Ashley Hinson propagating parental rights at her rally and fundraiser in August. Parental rights the way she used it circumvents that it is just the right to be pro-life and left out that parental rights fully exist in a world that allows abortion! A few weeks back, reading Fred Abrahams Trump defenders need an education spoof, I find it entertaining that so many liberals are trying to describe how our government works. Everything is all about Trump to you and your twisted liberal platform, isnt it? Has it ever occurred to you that a large majority of our countrys population support the policies that Trump supports? You know like Freedom of Speech, supporting our local police departments, maintaining a strong military, protecting our borders, protecting families from government take-overs of gender selections, and theres more of us right-wing crazies support that are and always have been a part of the American Dream. As far as the liberals ongoing but empty attempts to impeach and discredit Donald Trump, the only real leader our country has had in decades, your twisted agenda to not only dethrone President Trump's upcoming presidency, but most importantly your party is destroying the overall integrity of this country, the United States of America! Stop drinking the poisoned kool-aid and obsessing yourself to the socialist-driven media! Its not healthy! Besides, whether You like it or not, Gods in control! Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (September 18, 2022) Part 1 (read Part 2) Russian Federation Armed Forces continue the special military operation. The enemy with the forces of 3 company tactical groups of the 60th Infantry and 57th Mechanised Infantry brigades supported by 6 tanks made unsuccessful offensive attempts near Mirolyubovka, Malaya Seydeminukha and Belogorki (Kherson region) on the Nikolaevk-Krivoy Rog direction. All the attacks were successfully repelled by units of the Russian Armed Forces. Personnel and military equipment of the units of the 28th Mechanised and 79th Airborne Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit by high-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces near Nikolaev. The losses of the Ukrainian troops were over 180 servicemen, 2 tanks, 7 armoured fighting vehicles, 3 guns and 10 motor vehicles. Russian Aerospace Forces, missile troops and artillery have launched massive fire attacks at the units and reserve forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The units of the 65th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU were hit by concentrated fire near Kirovo (Zaporozhye region). The enemy losses were up to 100 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as more than 10 units of military equipment. The positions of the 54th and 93rd Mechanised brigades and the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade of the AFU near Verkhnekamenskoye, Spornoye, Berestovoe, Artyomovsk and Zaitsevo (Donetsk Peoples Republic) have been eliminated, the enemy losses were over 110 servicemen and 20 units of military equipment. The 14th Mechanised Brigades manpower and military equipment near Kochetok, Rogan, Doroshenkovo, Velikaya Babka and Chuguyev (Kharkov region) along with The 63rd Mechanised Brigade near Veremiyevka have been eliminated by high-precision strikes by the Russian Air Force, as well as the 3rd Independent Battalion of Territorial Defence near Mirolyubovka (Kherson region), more than 150 Ukrainian servicemen and 17 units of armoured and special military equipment were destroyed. The 24th battalion of the Aydar national formation of the 53rd Mechanised Brigade lost more than half of its personnel during combat operations near Zaitsevo (Donetsk Peoples Republic). The command of the AFU withdrew the remnants of the unit to Chasov Yar (Donetsk Peoples Republic). #MoD #Russia #Ukraine #report @mod_russia_en Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (September 18, 2022) Part 2 (read Part 1) The command post of the Primorye group near Shurino (Nikolayev region), 3 command posts of the AFU near Chervoniy Oskol (Kharkov region), Pershotravnyevnoye (Zaporozhye region) and Sevyersk (Donetsk Peoples Republic) have been eliminated by strikes of tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery. 47 artillery units, manpower and military equipment of the AFU in 127 areas were hit, including the points of basing of foreign mercenaries of the American private military campaign Academi and Kraken national formations near Kramatorsk and Nikolayevka (Donetsk Peoples Republic). Moreover, the munitions depot of the 14th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU, which had more than 7,500 shells for Western artillery systems, and the munitions depot of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade near Dolinka (Zaporozhye region) were also destroyed near Kharkov. A 155-mm M777 howitzer manufactured by the United States and a S-300 surface-to-air missile radar near Dvurechye have been eliminated by high-precision strikes of the Russian Air Force near Kramatorsk, as well as an air defene radar near Vsyukovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic). During a 24-hour period 8 unmanned aerial vehicles near Maliyevka, Yagodnoye (Kharkov Region), Lebedyovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Tokmak, Chervonoarmeyskoye (Zaporozhye region), Vladimirovka and Antonovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic) were shot down by Russian Air Defence Troops. In addition, 8 shells of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system were destroyed near Novaya Kakhovka (Kherson region), and the city of Kherson. In total, 293 airplanes and 155 helicopters, 1,981 unmanned aerial vehicles, 375 air defence missile systems, 5,022 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 837 combat vehicles equipped with MRLS, 3,397 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 5,680 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation. #MoD #Russia #Ukraine #report @mod_russia_en WtR As beer lovers sip their favorite IPAs on a weekend or after a long days work, they might be unaware and who can blame them? of the complexity of the brewing process and all the things that can go wrong in getting that tasty beverage from the recipe to the restaurant table. Especially in many of the more than 8,800 craft breweries in the United States, the art of brewing is still very much a manual process, relying on sampling, testing and tinkering. As a scientist on an acoustic-science research team at Los Alamos National Laboratory, I have long been interested in acoustic sensor technology. Developments in this science apply to the oil and gas sectors and other industries, but we saw the potential in the brewing industry. Visiting craft breweries in the Denver area last year, as well as canvassing many of the breweries here in New Mexico, we heard about their challenges and assessed the potential for acoustic-sensor technology in this fast-growing industry that nonetheless has complex technical challenges. It looked like a good fit of technology to a tasty application. Brewing is a multi-step process. In the critical fermentation stage, yeast is added to a mixture of wort, which is an infusion of malt or other grains, and hops (a so-called slurry) within a stainless-steel vat. Inside the vat, yeast sets to work converting sugars in the wort to alcohol and carbon dioxide. Brewers often check progress manually by draining off the product to sample it. As we talked to brew masters, they noted that monitoring fermentation was important for quality and efficiency. With batches sometimes containing hundreds of gallons in larger industrial operations, the fermentation stage can take weeks. Thats plenty of time for something to go wrong at the expense of the batch, the labor to produce and monitor the product and the availability of the equipment occupied by the beer-in-progress. With a window into the problem, we returned to the lab and we embarked on developing a solution. Brewing beer proved to be a novelty at Los Alamos, but the physics of materials is a longstanding specialty. So in our unique pilot brewing operation, we developed the SoniView acoustic sensor system. SoniView relies on a couple key pieces of technology. Vibrations from a transducer attached to the front, outer side of the vat send sound waves into the medium inside the tank. A sensor on the back, outer side of the vat picks up the vibration and converts it to an electrical signal. Fed into an oscilloscope and a computer, the system provides visualizations and data on the progress of fermentation. Knowing the distance from one side of the vat to the other, the time of flight it takes the sound wave to travel from the transducer to the back sensor helps determine the speed of sound through the liquid. That speed constantly changes as the beer ferments and the relative amounts of sugars, alcohol and other components change. Additionally, when the slurry is actively fermenting, the sound traveling through the liquid will be weaker because so much carbon dioxide is being produced. Carbon dioxide production drops off the longer the wort ferments, which is picked up by the acoustic sensors. Eventually, the yeast dies off and drop to the bottom of the vat as trub, a layer of sediment. The sensors provide continuous, real-time insight into the entire process. Traditional brewing means periodically checking the fermentation by draining some product out during the process. SoniViews monitoring capabilities provide the lynchpin for more efficient and profitable processes. Now data can be acquired in real time, so labor that might otherwise be spent manually checking on fermentation is freed up for other tasks. SoniView also quickly and accurately determines the transition from yeast slurry to beer when dumping the yeast and closes the dump valve. This is especially important for larger breweries because slurry may require expensive handling and disposal. It also saves beer during the dump process. With this key technology monitoring arguably the most critical stage in brewing, each batch comes out according to plan: ready for filtering, packaging and eventual consumption. Our experimental efforts also create a database of calculations that can provide useful information for brew masters as they prepare and perfect their batches. Getting this technology out of the laboratory and into businesses is a key goal, facilitated by the Feynman Center for Innovation at Los Alamos, which licenses technology to partners in the private sector. Weve also partnered on a New Mexico Small Business Assistance project, teaming up with a Santa Fe area brewery to test the technology in a scaled-up, commercial setting. That outreach means that New Mexico businesses might have a science-driven complement to the art of brewing, and an advantage in creating delicious beer that customers can enjoy every batch, and every sip, just right. Eric Davis is a staff scientist in the Materials Synthesis and Integrated Devices group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Team members include Vamshi Chillara, Cristian Pantea and Craig Chavez, with support from Marc Witkowski at the Feynman Center. The work was supported through the UC-LANL Entrepreneur Postdoc Accelerator program. The Executives Desk is a guest column providing advice, commentary or information about resources available to the business community in New Mexico. To submit a column for consideration, email gporter@abqjournal.com. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal CARSON NATIONAL FOREST Jamie Long stands in the burn scar of the Midnight Fire, a few miles north of El Rito. He recalls how fast and hot the fire was in early June. Getting in front of that thing was not possible, said Long, the Carson National Forests west zone fire management officer. And we kept on just trying to anchor in and find a good place to get it. He remembers fearing the fires potential for massive growth. A lightning strike started the Midnight Fire on June 9 about eight miles northeast of El Rito in Rio Arriba County. New Mexico forests were a tinderbox at that time, closed to the public in an effort to prevent another fire starting. Fires across the state were growing to hundreds of thousands of acres. And prescribed burns across the nation were on hold after two Forest Service burns escaped to become the largest fire in New Mexico history. Weeks of dry, windy and warm conditions didnt bode well for the Midnight Fire. But when flames reached the 2019 Francisquito Fire burn scar, the fire dropped from an active crown fire burning through the tree canopy to a ground fire. This allowed us to get a foothold for the Midnight Fire when it was cruising up the mountain, Long said. Crews declared the fire 100% contained at 4,896 acres on July 1 less than a month after it started. Building blocks Crews tamed the Midnight Fire relatively quickly, compared with others across the state during one of New Mexicos earliest and most destructive fire seasons. But it wasnt an accident. Brent Davidson, deputy fire staff officer on the Carson National Forest, said the regions previous fire and forest thinning acted as building blocks to slow the Midnight Fire. Certainly, without these units in front of it, it would have been a much larger footprint with the conditions and the winds, he said. Forest crews burned areas west of Vallecitos for the Alamosa prescribed fire project in 2018. The next year, the Francisquito Fire ignited near the burned areas after a lightning strike. Davidson said the planned burns created a catchers mitt on the landscape where crews could safely manage the natural fire. Instead of attacking Francisquito with a full suppression strategy, the team switched gears. With a naturally ignited wildfire, Forest Service crews examine the surrounding area and previous burns and other landscape projects. The team predicts how the fire will burn and considers weather conditions and nearby communities. If it appears that its going to be beneficial to the ecosystem, then we can manage that fire and use that fire for benefits across the landscape, Davidson said. Years later, winds pushed the Midnight Fire and spot fires from the blaze into the Francisquito burn scar and the Alamosa prescribed burn area. The fire slowed, allowing crews to build containment lines. Stacked efforts of yearslong projects paid off, said Esme Cadiente, the Forest Stewards Guilds southwest regional director. About half of the resources for the Alamosa prescribed fire projects came from the All Hands All Lands Burn Team, a project of the Guild and the Rio Grande Water Fund. The treatments have been placed very intentionally in this area, Cadiente said. Prescribed fire as a tool has come under scrutiny this year after the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, which was started by two separate burn projects. The states largest wildfire burned across more than 340,000 acres in northern New Mexico and destroyed at least 340 homes. But the Midnight Fire is an example of the tool working as intended. Some of the fire burned at high-severity. Intense burns can scorch soils and cause flooding. However, much of the Midnight burn scar in the forest near El Rito looks healthy. Grasses and trees have sprouted after a robust monsoon season. Prescribed fire resumes Earlier this month, the U.S. Forest Service announced it would resume prescribed fire projects nationwide with a few big changes. Now, go/no-go briefings will be standardized across the agency for crews deciding whether to proceed with prescribed burns. Crews will receive approval for burns on a daily basis, instead of a broad time window. Burn bosses must review current weather conditions and the surrounding landscape to ensure the burn plan is still valid. Teams cant resume their burn programs until the local forest offices review the agency report. A Forest Service review of the agencys prescribed fire program found that officials need to be clear about the risk of conducting prescribed burning operations as well as the cost of delaying or avoiding treatments. Instead of creating a culture of risk avoidance, they need to move forward with clarity about what they can control, the review team wrote. As they increase the pace and scale of landscape-level treatments, they can increase the odds of success but not reduce the risk to zero. The team also noted that prescribed fire projects are often the first to be put on hold. Agency culture will need to change to elevate the priority of prescribed fire and adopt an all-hands approach to using this central tool for fuels reduction and forest resiliency, the review said. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore pointed to the benefits of prescribed fire in the agencys announcement after a 90-day burn pause. Moore noted that strategic burns and forest thinning make wildfire behavior less dramatic, giving fire crews a better chance to protect communities and landscapes. We have to do more of this work on a broader scale, he said. Tools in the toolbox Mary Stuever, the New Mexico Forestry Divisions Chama District Ranger, knows that fire can be a chaotic force. But she sees the Midnight Fire activity as the result of well-planned fire projects that worked the way they were designed. We want all the tools in the toolbox, Stuever said, and there are places where we know were not going to be able to put fire on the ground. Thinning is important for preventing overgrown stands and preparing for burns. Its also a labor-intensive and expensive forest treatment, especially across remote, steep landscapes. Planned burns and managed natural fires can regenerate the forest and add nutrients, as well as reduce harmful insects and invasive plants. A growing coalition of federal and non-federal groups are committed to active management of New Mexicos forests as the state faces increased wildfire risk. Part of that commitment means working with the people who live in the wildland-urban interface. A big part of what we come up against in being able to take advantage of favorable-weather burn windows is smoke sensitivity in communities, particularly in the fall when ventilation isnt as good, Cadiente said. The Forest Stewards Guild and the Fire Adapted Communities New Mexico Learning Network loan out air purifiers for residents during planned burns. Everything fire dependent is weather dependent, Cadiente said. And so anytime were going to have a prescribed fire, it has to meet all of these specifications, including air quality. Burn planning can take years. Teams identify land parcels, map out communities and wildlife populations, and prep the forest with thinning projects. The crews also consider how the burned area will be maintained for years to come. As Forest Service crews prepare for fall burns, land managers are hopeful that good fire can play a safe role in dense forests full of dead and dying trees. Fire in one way or the other, whether its prescribed fire or natural, is about the only way we can economically get this work done, Long said. Black Lives Matter, as led by Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF), is now collapsing visibly, as its supporters and indeed some of its leaders distance themselves from it like rats from a sinking ship. Even as long ago as 2016, the movement was condoning and even encouraging Black people to threaten people on the street, commit arson, and drag people from cars actions that can result in the justifiable deployment of the deadly force about which BLM complains. The violence escalated in 2020 with widespread rioting, looting, arson, and physical assaults, and Kyle Rittenhouse's Caucasian assailants were among those who were shot justifiably by the people they threatened. Menacing somebody with a handgun is of course a deadly force situation because one cannot retreat in complete safety from a bullet although, and no thanks to BLM, this one was resolved without violence. Hakim Littleton, however, was shot justifiably after he fired a gun at the head of a law enforcement officer, but BLM's partner Color of Change nonetheless libeled the officer's partner with a false public accusation of murder. Let's keep this simple, boys and girls. If you don't want to be bitten by a dog, don't kick the dog or threaten its human family. If you don't want to be shot by a police officer or an armed citizen, don't menace him with deadly force. Another BLM partner is the Movement for Black Lives, whose website still depicts Israel as "apartheid" and calls for a boycott of Israel. The Movement for Black Lives also says, "Weve always understood that Black and Palestinian liberation is linked to one another," as if African-American citizens who were once subjected to segregation, discriminated against in housing and employment, and told to sit in the back of the bus (all of which are legally and socially unacceptable today) are somehow morally equivalent to terrorists who fire rockets into Israeli cities the same way Russia fires them into Ukrainian cities, gun down Israeli athletes and German police officers in Munich, blow up a pizza shop and kill fifteen people, smash in a little girl's head with a rifle butt, cut up the Fogel family in its own home, and commit school shootings like the one in Ma'alot. As Aesop told us long ago, birds of a feather flock together, and if you partner with an enabler or whitewasher of terroristic violence against the Middle East's only country that does in fact have equal rights for all of its citizens and legal residents, that's "who you are." BLM "protesters" have meanwhile aimed high-powered lasers at the eyes of law enforcement professionals and also at police aircraft, and the latter is a federal felony. An action that blinds a pilot even momentarily can get people killed. The organization, as represented by its leader, Patrisse Cullors, has denied the right of Israel to exist, which the Anti-Defamation League and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance define as anti-Semitic. The dean of Cornell's famous Law School, Eduardo Penalver, nonetheless put his organization on record as supporting Black Lives Matter, and the university's president and trustees have so far failed to correct this use of an official Cornell website to attack a faculty member publicly. Penalver wrote, "In light of this deep and rich tradition of walking the walk of racial justice, in no uncertain terms, recent blog posts of Professor William Jacobson, casting broad and categorical aspersions on the goals of those protesting for justice for Black Americans, do not reflect the values of Cornell Law School as I have articulated them. I found his recent posts to be both offensive and poorly reasoned." Neither Penalver nor Jacobson's other critics present objective evidence that Jacobson's "aspersions" are unfair or unfounded, even though attorneys and presumably those who train attorneys rely on objective evidence to win cases. There were obvious problems with BLM more than two years ago, and now the chickens are coming home to roost. Black Lives Matter Grassroots Sues BLMGNF It was known more than two years ago that BLMGNF was campaigning against Donald Trump while accepting 501(c)(3) tax-exempt money under the fiscal sponsorship of Thousand Currents and then the Tides Foundation, and with money collected via ActBlue Charities. The objective evidence consists of BLM web pages, including one that compared Trump to a Nazi with a neck tattoo, along with an interview with Patrisse Cullors in her capacity as BLM's leader. The issue is not what anybody thinks of Donald Trump because 501(c)(3) entities are forbidden to participate in political campaigns. A recent lawsuit filed by BLM Grassroots Inc (BLMG) against BLMGNF and others now alleges, among other things, unfair business practices, fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment. The lawsuit alleges that a "rouge administrator" (I think they mean "rogue administrator"), Shalomyah Bowers, took actions that led BLMGNF into "multiple investigations by the Internal Revenue Service and various state attorney generals." Paragraph 37 alleges further that BLMGNF "is now under investigation by various state attorney generals and, under information and belief, the IRS for misuse of funds, self-dealing and other actions." The lawsuit does not, however, contend that Bowers was behind BLM's alleged use of 501(c)(3) resources to influence the 2020 election, and there is no evidence that he was. That was Patrisse Cullors and whoever was responsible for the content of the BLM website. There are two sides to any story, and BLMGNF denies the allegations. The lawsuit's reference to the IRS is, however, very revealing. While the IRS does not publicize whether it is conducting an investigation, this lawsuit suggests that there is indeed a problem, and the fact that BLM no longer solicits tax-deductible contributions on its website reinforces this perception. The Tides Foundation, BLM's fiscal sponsor, reported, meanwhile (paragraph 46), that it received numerous letters from donors concerned about BLMGNF's "reported failure to file tax documents, the source of funds for the purchase of GNF's house in 2020, from state agencies investigating consumer interests, and from GNF itself." It seems, therefore, that Jacobson's so-called "aspersions" were far from groundless. Does Corporate Virtue-Signaling Conflict with Fiduciary Duty? Corporations that have supported BLM, and New York City, which named a street for BLM, also need to take a second look as to exactly what they have found themselves holding. Investors need to question whether corporate donations to BLM, or indeed any cause, constitute a breach of fiduciary duty because money so donated must be reflected in higher prices for customers, lower wages for employees, and/or less profit for investors. This widening scandal is meanwhile a gift to the Republican Party, right in time for the midterm elections, and the party will have only itself to blame if it wastes this opportunity as it wasted the one presented by BLM in 2020. Civis Americanus is the pen name of a contributor who remembers the lessons of history and wants to ensure that our country never needs to learn those lessons again the hard way. The author is remaining anonymous due to the likely prospect of being subjected to "cancel culture" for exposing the Big Lie behind Black Lives Matter. Image: Annettet via Wikimedia Commons. What is progress, and what do progressives want? We Americans surely ought to know by now. After all, we've been dealing with self-labeled progressives since the early decades of the last century. The assumption is that progress is a good thing, maybe even an inevitable thing. President Obama assumed as much with his "arc of history" that bends only in a progressively statist direction. Once there were creeping socialists; now there are bending arc-ers. Is that what progressives want? Actually, the answer is likely to be very different, depending upon which generation of progressives is being asked. But first a similarity: All progressives want to progress beyond the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Those original progressives, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, presumed that neither document was really up the demands of the twentieth century, let alone the twenty-first. For Roosevelt, the Constitution was there not to be observed, but to be skirted or, better yet, ignored. When faced with the coal strike of 1902, a frustrated T.R. bellowed, "To hell with the Constitution; the people need coal." The speaker of the House, Joe Cannon, was not surprised by such rhetoric. "Roosevelt," he fumed, "has no more use for the Constitution than a tomcat has for a marriage license." Woodrow Wilson, who re-segregated the federal government that T.R. had largely de-segregated (sometimes even contemporary progressives didn't agree), trained his skeptical eye on the Declaration of Independence, doubting that people of all races really were created equal. And today's progressives? Many progressives want the Constitution drastically amended or scrapped altogether, while doubting what preacher's kid Woodrow Wilson did not doubt namely, the existence of a creator, defined by Jefferson as "Nature's God." All progressives are always seeking a bigger and better federal bureaucracy. But once again, there are differences between progressives then and now. Government by expert was the original progressive answer. Their assumption was that such experts would be politically neutral. Opposed to any and all special interests, these experts would simply do what was right rather than what was politically expedient. And they would follow the science without ever politicizing science. Today's progressives regard the bureaucracy itself as one large and powerful special interestand then behave accordingly. Differences in degree often do become differences in kind. The original progressives did try to make the political system much more democratic, via such reforms as initiative, referendum, and recall, as well as primary elections and the direct election of senators. So what really was their ultimate solution: government by expert or government by the people? It seems that the original progressives were never quite certain. Today's progressives may pay lip service to upholding "our democracy." At the same time, they can barely disguise their preference for government by bureaucrats and judges, when not openly revealing their distaste for a whole lot of people, whether they be "deplorables" or "semi-fascists." Then there were early twentieth-century progressive initiatives that today's progressives would find horrifying. Roosevelt, for example, was enamored of eugenics. He was known to pore over Census data, worrying that white America was committing "race suicide." The equally progressive Margaret Sanger, founding mother of what would become Planned Parenthood, was equally attracted to eugenic solutions, even if she was not exactly disturbed by declining birth rates. High atop the early progressive wish list was controlling, possibly even eliminating, the production and sale of alcohol. That wish was eventually realized with the passage of the eighteenth amendment. The modern progressive campaign against tobacco might be somewhat comparable. Such a campaign is surely defined as progressive. But then so is legalizing marijuana, while banning booze is now dismissed as reactionary. There surely must be at least one major issue about which all progressives, old and new, would be in complete agreement. Protecting the environment might be it, except that it isn't. In fact, the original progressives would be appalled to be linked with today's progressive environmentalists. The memory of Theodore Roosevelt is often trotted out by Democratic progressives to tut-tut Republicans for abandoning the policies of their illustrious forebear. But it's more than doubtful that T.R. would have endorsed the current "green energy" campaign to combat "climate change." To be sure, the "Rough Rider" was a conservationist/preservationist, who presided over a dramatic expansion of our national park system. But he was also an aggressive advocate of economic growth and the equally aggressive use of our natural resources. He even battled and defeated John Muir of the Sierra Club to transform a piece of Yosemite into a reservoir for the city of San Francisco. Roosevelt's chief forester, Gifford Pinchot, could see the "making of prosperous homes" in a stand of timber. The key was forest management and re-forestation, all the better to produce "maximum sustained yield" for an ever-expanding national economy. For better or for worse, the original progressives were nationalists and patriots, who anticipated that the twentieth century would be the American century. T.R. was and remains the supreme symbol of that progressive mindset. But he was not a twenty-first-century progressive. Certainly, no one who long ago worried about declining family size would likely be a pro-choice progressive today. As a progressive, Roosevelt railed against what he called the "lunatic fringe," including socialists whose possible rise to power he strongly opposed. Anything but a socialist, "creeping" or otherwise, T.R. thought a powerful federal bureaucracy would simultaneously manage capitalism and blunt socialism. Today's progressives have a reverse set of priorities: they seek to blunt capitalism while managing our way to some version of bureaucratized socialism. But all differences between T.R. progressives and today's progressives collapse into virtual insignificance with this: progressives then were unabashed nationalists and patriots; progressives now are unembarrassed post-nationalists. Roosevelt operated on the basis of an unspoken arc of history, which envisioned the United States as a rising world power. He pushed matters along with his dispatching of the Great White Fleet around the world, the building of the Panama Canal, and warring to take control of the Philippines. And then there was the dream of tapping into the China market. Today's progressives think in terms of what China can make for us, not what we might sell to them. Consuming, rather than producing, is the mark of decline, not greatness. In any case, managing an American decline would not have been Theodore Roosevelt's idea of progress. Nor would sacrificing American sovereignty for the sake of any internationalist agenda. In sum, these huge differences between progressives then and now ought to be a cautionary tale for all of us progressives included. The same goes for the deeply flawed progressive argument that our founding documents are themselves deeply flawed. What was good enough for Abraham Lincoln should still be good enough for us. Unlike Wilson, Lincoln claimed never to have had a political thought that did not spring from the Declaration of Independence. And unlike T.R., he regarded the Constitution as the "silver frame" around the "apple of gold" that was the Declaration. With Lincoln in mind, let's work on finding our way back to our founding documents. And while we're at it, let's think of that as progress. After all, how can there be real progress without a set of standards and goals in mind? Otherwise, we are left mindlessly arc-ing our way to who knows where. John C. "Chuck" Chalberg taught American history and for many years has performed around the country as Theodore Roosevelt. Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. The battle of life calls forth three noble and healthful psychological attributes: loyalty to kin and country; honor of work that protects and promotes survival; and, most fundamental to mental health, gratitude for the gift of life itself. Spirituality is always practical, and practicality is inherently spiritual, because they share the vital functions of protecting life and promoting full humanness. Loyalty to kin and country is essential to survival. Honoring those who labor in the many aspects of service is natural justice. The foundation of mental health is the experience of gratitude for the gift of life. Gratitude is the beautiful background music of life. Gratitude is remembrance that God alone has the power to give life and to endow universal human worth. Human beings have the opportunity to respond to this gift with gratitude, thereby connecting temporal life with eternal life. Over the past two hundred years, advances in science and technology have so greatly improved material conditions that for many people, life no longer seems to be a battle for survival. What happens to loyalty, honor, and gratitude when conditions of affluence obviate the need to struggle to secure safety, sustenance, and even luxury in everyday life? The noble attributes recede. Every great life has to be earned. It is not possible to live a great life on the backs of others. Moaning, wailing, begging, and borrowing amount to a mediocre life at best. Because loyalty, honor, and gratitude are the handmaidens of greatness in famous and common people alike, a brilliant person can live a cramped life, and a unsophisticated person can live a life of greatness. The creeds of victimhood, sniffing like hounds for slights and slurs, are replacing the effort, sacrifice, and compassion that make a great life possible. Victimhood culture is why we are watching greatness disappear from the American landscape. The mighty paradox is that as material ease increases, the world becomes a colder, cruder, and crueler place. When the noble attributes become obsolete, infantile creeds of entitlement emerge. Instrumental victimologies are psychological belief systems that project a sense of victimhood in people who have never been persecuted, abused, or significantly victimized. The psychological purposes of instrumental victimhood are to exert control over others and demand and manipulate material advantages. Instrumental victimology takes two overlapping forms. Impersonal relates to mass sociological conditions of consciousness such as racism, and personal relates to delusional victimization in family and social contexts. The dishonesty and moral destruction of instrumental victimologies dominate public discourse and much of private life in materially advantaged societies. The left wing uses instrumental victimologies, especially nonexistent racial persecution, to control political conversation. When Biden shuffles to the podium and offers spectral handshakes to the ghosts he feels around him, he is not merely dividing our house against itself; he expresses the perversion that those who remain loyal to American greatness, those who honor America and are thankful to be Americans, are victimizers, and the disloyal, dishonorable, and ungrateful are victims. Bureaucrats running the great American institutions such as the military and the FBI are deserting loyalty and honor and committing institutional suicide by exploiting delusional instrumental victimologies for their own power. Psychotherapists are increasingly working with parents who never abused or neglected their children, but who are being scapegoated by their adult children who won't face life's challenges. Since terminating their service to the British people as working royals to find privacy in Cannabis County, Calif., the only "content" Harry and Meghan have produced is high-profile complaints, criticism, litigation, and allegations against their families and others, especially the British media. The public nature of their grievances and progressively outlandish allegations makes them ready case studies in instrumental victimologies, including its lowest expression: stolen victimhood. When histories of the 20th century are written, Queen Elizabeth II will be recognized as having played a majestic role in the eradication of racism globally. She was a great soul given a great epoch in which to reign. Elizabeth "never put a foot wrong," as she danced lightly into the world beyond colonialism. She ascended to the throne just four years after the British relinquished structural colonization of the Indian subcontinent. The central challenge of her reign was to nurture the infant of worldwide post-colonialism until the child could walk by itself. She did that with humility and dignity over seven decades. Racism is a weakness in human consciousness that has contributed to conquest, colonization, and exploitation across the world. Progressives are fixated on historical racism by Anglo-European descendants against African-descended people, colloquially dehumanized as "blacks" and "whites." It is not only in the European-African axis, but globally that Elizabeth II fulfilled her duty to guide humanity at large from colonial exploitation to a commonwealth of sovereign nations. It is sad that at the end of her magnificent reign, Her Majesty was hectored by a scheming practitioner of stolen victimhood, with her grandson Harry chiming in. In his meticulously researched Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War between the Windsors, Tom Bower documents Harry's complaint that his father failed him psychologically. Growing up, Harry faced the challenges of his parents' unsuccessful marriage and the tragedy of his mother's untimely death. It was neither possible nor providential for Harry to be fully shielded from those losses. When now-king Charles told his son it's going to be difficult for you as it was for me, he was bestowing a gift of truth upon his child. The psychotherapy movement of the last one hundred years is partly to blame for the myth that we should be spared grief and shouldn't have to rise above turmoil. Trials and tragedies of life, not trust funds, enable our full humanness. The victimology that his father abandoned him has crippled Harry's capacity to grow into his own manhood. Even Oprah Winfrey, who was only too glad to hurt the British royal family, balked when Harry wailed that he was down to his last 10,000,000 when daddy cut him off. Harry has often complained about the trauma of walking with the men of his family behind his mother's coffin. This was a great honor to his mother's memory, and a great service to the British people, but in the psychology of instrumental victimhood, feelings matter more than honor. Harry's personal victimhood made him vulnerable to marrying an American wrecking ball who would use him as a stepping stone for fame, power, and wealth. Meghan Markle is widely despised because, in this time of declining loyalty and honor, many people have suffered "ghosting" by family, treachery of friends, mistreatment in the workplace, hypocrisy of the rich, or the destruction of our rights by tyrannical virtue-babblers. Stolen valor is the falsification of heroic service to gain power and prestige. Because victimhood is prized above valor by so many today, we have an epidemic of stolen victimhood, which is to falsely assert victimization to gain power and prestige. Meghan claims in the Oprah interview that during her first pregnancy, there were "several conversations" between Harry and an unnamed royal about the child's future skin color. "I say, Harry old stick, let's have a bit of a natter about baby's skin color...what what?" Absurd. Meghan then offended the family of Nelson Mandela and countless South Africans by equating her marriage to the release of Mandela from prison. People are questioning her sanity in the Cut interview where she alleges that the media in Britain called her son the N-word. Thanks, Megs for spotting that, when 67 million people in the U.K. let it slide. Psychologists need to develop therapeutic models to treat the damage of instrumental victimhood through confronting its falsehood and focused restoration of loyalty, honor and gratitude. Image: Mark Jones via Flickr, CC BY 2.0. If you were to think back to the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, what sticks out most to you? If you were decently involved in current political events, you might remember the extreme (and apparently criminal) bias against conservatives across Big Tech social media outlets; or you might recall the suppression of damning evidence which allegedly revealed the illicit activities of the Biden crime family, in what we all call the Laptop from Hell. And despite being in the know on so many things, its unlikely youve ever heard of Arabella Advisors I myself was unaware until just yesterday. Well, according to one outlet: The Atlantic has called it the massive progressive dark-money group youve never heard of and the indisputable heavyweight of Democratic dark money. The Washington Post believes its potent lobbying arm is reason enough for Congress to enact forced donor disclosure laws, while Politico labelled [sic] it a dark-money behemoth. The system of political financing, which often obscures the identities of donors, is known as dark money, wrote The New York Times, and Arabellas network is a leading vehicle for it on the left. Arabella is the nefarious offspring of a man named Eric Kessler, who was a former staffer in the Clinton administration. It acts as central command for a vast web of far-left (or flagrantly Marxist) nonprofit organizations. Subsequently, which in turn: These nonprofits manage and supervise a vast array of pop-up groupsmainly political attack-dog websites, ad campaigns and spontaneous demonstrations staffed by Arabellas network of activist professionals who pose as members of independent activist organizations. Now, why does that sound so familiar? Given my fascination/horror with Marxism, if I were to reflect back on the pre-election time of 2020, I would recall the emergence of a long-buried video. And in this particular video, Patrisse Cullors, the cofounder of Black Lives Matter, referred to herself and her comrades as trained Marxists. Heres the full quote: The first thing, I think, is that we actually do have an ideological frame. Myself and Alicia [cofounder] in particular are trained organizers[.] We are trained Marxists. We are super-versed on, sort of, ideological theories. Cullors also mentioned they were trained organizers immediately my mind went to Alinksy. Another point worth noting is that the BLM website initially stated their support for the disruption of the nuclear family which as we all know, is the most infamous proposal of the Communists according to Marx and Engels. Would it surprise you to learn that Arabella is vocal about their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and organization? In a post to social media in June of 2020, the official account for Arabella stated: Black lives matter. And advancing racial equityboth in philanthropy and through itis essential to the future of our sector, our society, and our world. In a blog posted to Arabellas website, BLM was touted as a great grassroots success story, with the firm praising the organizations ability to quickly achieve impact on a major scale. Arabella is much more of a lurking menace than BLM though. Instead of simply enriching themselves like every other good communist it was revealed that Cullors had used BLMs Los Angeles mansion for private parties, and just the other day, news emerged that another leader now stands accused of stealing $10 million from the organization theyre actually using it to garner political influence and affect all things political. Just in 2020 alone, the vast network of nonprofits managed by Arabella doled out nearly one billion dollars, with a majority of the money going to left-leaning and [other] politically active nonprofits. The dark money web consists of many nodes, but Arabella is the brain. Image: Free image from Pixabay, no attribution required. We knew the left couldnt meme, but now its increasingly evident that no one in their camp can even take a lighthearted joke a la their own policies. Unlike Democrats, conservatives actually possess the trait of self-awareness, so no one (of whom Im aware) is arguing that DeSantis Marthas Vineyard stunt was anything but political its what we colloquially refer to as owning the libs. Theres no greater offense than the commoditization of human beings we see it with the abortion movement, and with the fact that in 2022, more people than at any other time in the history of the world remain enslaved. The first time I saw a photo of a childs undergarments next to a rape tree in the Sonoran desert, I probably cried for a month. According to The Guardian: The word slavery conjures up images of shackles and transatlantic ships depictions that seem relegated firmly to the past. But more people are enslaved today than at any other time in history. Experts have calculated that roughly 13 million people were captured and sold as slaves between the 15th and 19th centuries; today, an estimated 40.3 million people more than three times the figure during the transatlantic slave trade are living in some form of modern slavery[.] Women and girls comprise 71% of all modern slavery victims. Children make up 25% and account for 10 million of all the slaves worldwide. According to the ACLU, human trafficking is a form of modern slavery ergo, human trafficking is one of the most serious violations of human rights, and its happening more frequently today then ever before. And now, because elitist Democrats dont like Republicans using their own rules against them (Alinskyism 101, by the way), theyre melting down in an epic and delusional style: A reminder that what @GovRonDeSantis did wasn't a "stunt." It was kidnapping, and Human Trafficking. These are federal crimes. The sentence is five years - per victim. Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) September 16, 2022 And: Human trafficking is a federal crime and a felony The punishment is 5 years per victim Ron DeSantis should be facing at least 250 years in prison Instead, hes the Fuhrer-in-waiting of the Republican Party Lindy Li (@lindyli) September 16, 2022 And: If you think its funny to ship women and children across the country like cattle in your little human trafficking to own the Libs stunt, then you dont get to cry when we call you fascists. Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) September 16, 2022 And last but not least, Jeff Tiedrich decided to ramp up the crazy *language warning*: holy fucking shit, I'll take one migrant willing to walk 2,000 miles across a desert in hopes of a making a better life in America over a thousand grandstanding Republican human-trafficking racist asshole politicians any fucking day of the week and twice on Sunday Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) September 16, 2022 Again, the extravagant ignorance of the left knows no limit, and in characteristic fashion, they irresponsibly use the terms human trafficking and migrant smuggling interchangeably. Even the weaponized federal government they appear to worship distinguishes these are two separate offenses: Human trafficking is disctinct form the separate crime of migrant smuggling. But wait! How could we forget the icing on the cake? Even Hillary Clinton got in on the outrage, stating the stunt was literally human trafficking. Pretty bold for a woman whose husbands name can be found on the alleged manifests of the Lolita Express while en route to Epsteins island. Then, Daniel Uhlfelder (if you have time and want some laughs, take a look at this guys Twitter bio) decided to take the delusion up another notch: Im now at the hangar where the company that was paid $615k at DeSantiss request to traffic 50 human beings across state lines is headquartered. Strange, because I was told the company was just a flight school not a human trafficking company. pic.twitter.com/HhEEvqzGom Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) September 16, 2022 Four hours later, we received an update on the mystery of the suspected smugglers: DeSantis' human trafficking vendor update: -Owner, who specializes in Russian helicopters, still not called me back. -Website shut down. -Met one employee. Other 3 at lunch. -PPP loan claims 30+ employees which is strange. -Claims is flight school. Keep your tips coming. Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) September 16, 2022 And what do you know, it looks like there might even be a connection to Russia, and DeSantis may very well be another Putin puppet just like Trump.... Mr. Uhlfelder, I actually spent a summer logging hours working towards a PPL, so Im slightly familiar with flight schools. I know this concept might sound a bit foreign, but theres an entire employment sector outside of the government, where people have to actually practice fiscal responsibility and business acumen to survive in fact, these are the very people who buoy the government sector. These outfits are private, and generally modest, and you may have even heard them referred to as small businesses. Someone has to make the money that lines politicians pockets in Ukraine and beyond, and who else would pay for members of Congress to have premier access to the celebrity-loved streaming fitness classes offered by the corporation Peloton, if not for working-class Americans? So, in this context, you can imagine that a flight school could possibly extend their services beyond simple instruction, and offer chartered flights, since they have the equipment and personnel to do so and heres some insider knowledge, thats more than just a speculation, its fact. Flight schools frequently provide charter services. No need for your in-depth investigation, a simple internet search would have yielded conclusive evidence. Just because flight schools often offer charter services does not automatically make them fronts for human trafficking and complicit in the trade. If these illegals dont have documents, what option would there be if not for privately chartered flights? In theory, they shouldnt be allowed to fly commercially without government-issued identification, right? I know, I know, that was a lot of new information, and you had to stretch that atrophied gray matter, so Ill cut you some slack. The left continues to sink to new chasms of derangement and callousness. Legitimately comparing the plight of real trafficked victims to a political stunt involving a few dozen Venezuelan men meandering around a ritzy vacation spot after a private flight is appalling, but completely expected when dealing with degenerates like the Democrats. Image: Twitter video screen grab. The main problem for those who choose to virtue-signal is that at some point, they may be called upon to actually demonstrate that virtue. This has proven to be a major hurdle for most on the left. We are familiar with the term "stolen valor" in reference to individuals who misrepresent their military achievements so as to undeservedly bring glory upon themselves. Congress even passed a law in 2005 making it a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. For those foolish enough to attempt "grand theft valor" by claiming Medal of Honor status, the punishment was increased to a year in the slammer. There were some, like John Kerry, who skirted actual theft of valor, instead exaggerating the danger they endured and the injuries they suffered. You can be awarded a Purple Heart for a tiny shrapnel wound, but in all good conscience, should you be? During WWII, my father turned down that medal at least two times for minor injuries because, as he told me many years later, "guys were getting blown to hell, and losing limbs and more. How could I place myself in the same category?" John Kerry can only dream of having my dad's courage and valor. These last weeks, we have been inundated with stories of hypocritical stolen virtue. V.P. Harris, she of the "secure border" fantasy, seems to be unhappy with busloads of illegals deposited at her curb. The sanctuary city of Chicago's Mayor Lightfoot declares outrage at the buses sent her way by Gov. Abbott of Texas, claiming that in addition to the horror of these individuals actually hoping for the city's advertised sanctuary, she had not even been warned that they were coming. The next day, she shipped them off to some Republican cities to the north of the city without, of course, giving those communities warning. But for sheer joy, watching the blubbering and gnashing of teeth as a result of migrants being flown to Martha's Vineyard by Florida governor Ron DeSantis is in a class by itself. To think those individuals inhabiting one of the nation's most liberal locations would not welcome this chance to display their bona fides as compassionate folks who want to genuinely offer sanctuary is telling. Much like the old expression, "don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that guy behind the tree," the actions and words of the tribe of hypocrites inhabiting the island off the coast of Massachusetts are revealing. "Let the illegals come across the border. Just keep them in those little towns in Texas and other sites just north of the Rio Grande." Morons such as California governor "Gel-Head" Newsom believes that Abbott and DeSantis should be charged with kidnapping. If that is kidnapping, I, as a resident of Florida, would love to be kidnapped by our fine governor and sent to the Vineyard. Governor, I promise I will not press charges. I propose a federal statute making it illegal to claim virtue, then fail to demonstrate it. Individuals convicted of the crime would be forced to live in a homeless shelter of their choice in a Texas border town for a period of six months. Sanctuary cities that fail to offer said sanctuary would be subjected to a fleet of pothole gouging machines that, so far as I know, have not been invented yet. I'm sure they could be put together rapidly, for the market will be huge. The machines would rumble up and down the streets of those unvirtuous cities, creating huge repair bills for the municipalities. My proposed law would prohibit federal assistance for those repairs. Let Loony Lightfoot figure out how to pay for it. Finally, I believe that virtue is a beautiful thing. But if you're going to claim it, you'd darn well better be willing to demonstrate it. Claims of sanctuary in the hypocritical hope of gaining votes or political favor cannot and should not be tolerated. Bring on those pothole gougers. Bill Hansmann is a dentist and dental educator with over fifty years in the profession. He continues to teach and write political blogs and semi-mediocre novels while living with his wife and cats in Florida. Image via Pxhere. The New York Times appears to be setting the stage for the Democrats to kill the filibuster, pack the Supreme Court, alter the Senate by admitting DC and Puerto Rico as new states, and effectively alter the operation of the Electoral College if they end up with 52 senators and control of the House following the midterms. A Senate majority not dependent on the votes of Senators Manchin and Sinema would enable them to pass legislation to accomplish this. David Leonhardt, whom the Times proudly identifies as a Pulitzer Prize winner, writes what is a news, not an opinion, article. Somehow, he seems to have missed the lesson that founders had no interest in power associated only with numbers -- hence the Senate, 2 for each state regardless of population, and the Electoral College and separation of powers. Since the left believes it is meant to control, these annoying idiosyncrasies of the constitution need to be updated. Leonhardt writes: the United States today finds itself in a situation with little historical precedent. American democracy is facing two distinct threats, which together represent the most serious challenge to the countrys governing ideals in decades. The first threat is acute: a growing movement inside one of the countrys two major parties the Republican Party to refuse to accept defeat in an election.(snip) The second threat to democracy is chronic but also growing: The power to set government policy is becoming increasingly disconnected from public opinion. The run of recent Supreme Court decisions both sweeping and, according to polls, unpopular highlight this disconnect. Although the Democratic Party has won the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections, a Supreme Court dominated by Republican appointees seems poised to shape American politics for years, if not decades. And the court is only one of the means through which policy outcomes are becoming less closely tied to the popular will. Two of the past four presidents have taken office despite losing the popular vote. Senators representing a majority of Americans are often unable to pass bills, partly because of the increasing use of the filibuster. Even the House, intended as the branch of the government that most reflects the popular will, does not always do so, because of the way districts are drawn. This article itself reflects a threat to our Republic and to the operation of democratic elections. It is further evidence that the New York Times, like the rest of the mainstream media, are apparatchiks of the Democratic party. The article claims that the Republicans are a threat to democracy because they refuse to accept the 2020 election. Its pretty obvious that the Democrats did not accept the 2016 election. And if Trump had won the 2020 election does anyone really believe that the Democrats and their media allies would have accepted it? When Trump won in 2016, They started a resistance the day the results came in. The Washington Post and some Democrats immediately called for impeachment. Democrats claimed then, and they continue to claim he was an illegitimate president. Many refused to attend the inauguration which is a long-standing tradition and one of our democratic norms that they talk so much about. It is also a critical component of the peaceful transition of power. With the assistance of the media, the Democrats concocted a Trump-Russian collusion story. (Anybody who doesnt believe this was a Democratic concoction with the support of the FBI and the Obama administration should read some of the Durham indictments which are available online. But no Democrat supporters are interested in it because it doesnt conform to what they want to believe.) When Trump said the Obama administration was spying on his campaign it was outright rejected by the mainstream media and the Democrats as unthinkable. But the FBI inspector generals report, which was not accurately reported by the mainstream media, proves that it was true. And the Democrats and their mainstream media allies go on about free and fair elections. But a free and fair election cannot be based on fraud. And the New York Times and the Democratic Partys promotion of the story that Hunter Bidens laptop was Russian disinformation and that Joe Biden Was not involved and did not benefit from Hunters corrupt activities was a major fraud that impacted the 2020 election and was intended for that purpose. In fact, the data shows that many millions of people would not have voted for Joe Biden if the truth were known. It also shows that many people believe the laptop was Russian disinformation to this day because the media when it finally got around to verifying the laptop emails, a year and a half after the election, buried the corrections. And the really shocking thing is that that laptop and the bank records show that Joe and Hunter shared bank accounts. That could have been easily verified. The media not only refused to verify the emails before the election but they also rejected the reports of those who had -- and those reports were suppressed by the Democrats allies in the tech industry. They also rejected the statements of Hunter Bidens business partners. And we now know the FBI participated in this fraud because they had the laptop long before the election and suppressed it. Can anybody in their right mind believe that if the situation were reversed and there was a laptop containing highly incriminating information about Trump and his family that the actors I have described would have suppressed it? We all know it would have been widely promoted. This was only possible because the Democrats have the support of the government bureaucracy, the media, and the tech giants, all of whom are able to put their thumbs on the scales by suppressing important information in elections. And if that isnt a threat to our democracy, I dont know what it is. By the way, fascism involves an alliance between the major industries and the state government. This combination enables one party to suppress election information and control the state. It strikes me that the alliance between the Democrat party, the tech giants, and the major media companies to control information smacks of fascism. And its an enormous threat to our democracy. But you never know it from reading the mainstream media. And Nancy Pelosis January 6 Commission isnt covering it either. I won't say that police officers who serve in cities run by Democrats deserve what happens to them after they are forced to make an arrest or use force even deadly force against criminals in those cities. But I will say they can't complain that they weren't warned, and they shouldn't be surprised at the consequences. America's big cities are almost exclusively run by Democrats and have been for decades. America's big cities contain most of America's minority race population. And America's big cities are suffering from soaring crime caused by failed Democrat social and economic policies. It is a given that police in these cities will have to use force against a criminal who will be a member of a minority race. When that happens, it is inevitable that riots, arson, looting, and such will occur. Democrat leaders of these cities find it easier to throw police under the bus than to admit that the crisis was caused by their policies. Again and again, we have seen police prosecuted (and often acquitted) for using force against violent criminals. Democrats have defunded their police departments, elected or appointed weak prosecutors, abolished pre-trial confinement for violent criminals, legalized drugs, weakened sentencing laws, and released violent criminals early from prison. Police unions have become typical left-wing unions that constantly demand more pay and benefits for police instead of advocating for better laws and policies to reduce crime and enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement while preserving constitutional rights. Many local and national police unions actually support left-wing Democrats, who enact policies that put police officers at risk, enable criminals, and endanger public safety. Police departments in big cities are adopting an unofficial "react after the crime" policy instead of being proactive and trying to prevent crimes from occurring. All too frequently now, police officers in many jurisdictions hesitate to enter a situation involving a high risk of injury, death, or use of deadly force to accomplish their mission to uphold and defend the Constitution and protect citizens' lives. Take note of the case of former Fort Worth, Texas police officer Aaron Dean. His department dispatched him into an ambiguous situation, where a possible home invasion was in progress, with little or no information. As he approached the house, he suddenly saw a figure in a window with a gun. He had less than a second to make an assessment and react; he shot and killed the occupant of the residence, Atatiana Jefferson, who had retrieved a gun when she saw someone outside her window (a very reasonable act on her part). Dean resigned, Fort Worth P.D. designated his actions illegal, and he was indicted and is awaiting trial. While this occurrence was a tragedy (that could have been prevented if the Fort Worth P.D. dispatch office had called the residence to inquire about the occupants' well-being), it probably will not result in a conviction based on the SCOTUS decision Tennessee v. Garner the litmus test for law enforcement use of deadly force. If Dean is smart, he will request a judge trial instead of a jury trial as the police officers in Baltimore did in the wake of Freddie Gray's death in 2015. Many wonder if the Fort Worth P.D.'s actions were influenced by the fear of riots and defunding. Why would anyone genuinely interested in the true mission of law enforcement go to work as a police officer in a Democrat-controlled city? Don't say we didn't warn you. Image: Tony Webster via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped). I was confused when I saw that male attendees at the American Political Science Associations conference were asked to refrain from using urinals out of respect for others. Huh? It wasnt until I saw an article explaining that this is all about deference to so-called transgender men, that I realized that transgenderism is dragging America deeper and deeper into the pit of insanity. Here's the tweet that first hinted at the madness (h/t Twitchy): I am not at APSA, but I saw this via text and question the idea that asking people not to use urinals is in fact an act of respect for all attendees. pic.twitter.com/OOojmEeKzI Ben Friedman (@BH_Friedman) September 15, 2022 The genesis for that sign is that so-called transgender menthat is, womenare getting triggered when they join their natural-born male buddies in the mens room. While the men line up in front of their urinals, these fake men are forced to acknowledge biological reality and head for the stalls. I know this because I read an article at IQfy, an online lifestyle magazine that caters to the left, entitled Encourage men to pee sitting down to be more inclusive of Trans men. The article contains several gems, all intended to get natural-born men to pretend to be fake men with womens excretory functions. Some claim physical benefits: You tend to put more pressure on your bladder when sitting down to pee and this can be beneficial in urinating more. Others are just desperate: Not taking an aggressive penis stance with penis held in hand shows that you are secure in your masculinity. Improved body image and a sense of calm. Peeing standing is a sign of immaturity. Sitting allows you to pet your dog while peeing. Image: Public bathroom by 4045. The whole idea is idiocy, especially because urinals are very useful for speeding people through restrooms at big events. If that conference truly has an all-gender bathroom, open to both men and women, all that will happen at the conference is that the lines will be twice as long as they need to be. But it turns out that, once you go down the transgender-potty rabbit hole, the madness gets worse and worse. The same author of the article about men sitting down to pee also wrote that we should Encourage women to smell their poop to be more inclusive to Trans women: Some women have a hole where their penis used to be, and that hole often shares microbiome with the coloncreating a distinct transitioning odor. (A woman with a hole where [her] penis used to be? Really. No, not really.) It turns out that, when men get their penises and testicles cut off and, instead, have a fake vagina surgically carved into them, they leak feces, which smells bad. Or as a post-surgical fake woman wrote, As I was transitioning, I found it triggering that my cisgender female friends didn't smell like poo. The rest of the article (thankfully) is behind a paywall, but you dont have to read too far to learn what you, as a sane, normal, biologically-intact woman should do: We are sincerely asking all women to please spend more time smelling their poo during bathroom breaks, and to critically examine what many of our gender have to endure as part of the cost of bottom surgery. It is time for us all to do the work to truly empathize with the sights, sounds, and smells endured by every member of our large and beautiful gender community including those with distinct transitioning odors.... I hope you caught that throwaway clause many of our gender... Heres the truth: If you had to have your penis and testicles removed and a hole carved into your body to make you look like a weird simulacrum of a woman, you are not of my gender. You have, instead, made yourself into a Frankensteins monster, crudely imitating reality. If this were just a window into the madness and tragedy of transgenderism, the two theories espoused would be weird enough. But what makes them noteworthy is the insistence that society must change to accommodate body dysmorphia and the mental and physical ills that accompany it. Men must abandon the convenient urinal and women must smell their poop. No! This is not how society is supposed to work. Those of us living in the real world must take a stand (if were men) or keep our noses out of the potty (if were women) and reject this toddler-like obsession with toilet training. Did the number of people who voted in the November 3, 2020 general election equal the number of ballots cast? A recent research study by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) says the records that would answer the question do not exist. Records are supposed to be maintained to determine how many people have voted in an election and how many ballots have been cast. Section 20701 of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 provides that election officials have to keep all records of federal primary, special, or general elections for 22 months after the date of the election. Any willful violation can be punished by a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment for one year, or both. Section 20702 provides similar penalties for the willful theft, destruction, concealment, mutilation, or alteration of any such record. The purpose of these sections is to make it more difficult to hide election fraud. How good of a job are election officials doing in retaining these records? In 2021, the Voter Reference Foundation (VRF) began a study "to analyze the difference between total ballots cast in various states in the 2020 general election and the total number of voters who cast ballots in that election. Listed below are the discrepancies between the number of ballots cast and voters found from VRF's data from secretaries of state, which were obtained through public records requests. For the states marked with 'precinct-level data,' this indicates the statistics AFPI obtained from our public records requests to the precinct level, which the VRF did not have at the time of this review." State | Discrepancy Between the Number of Ballots Cast and the Number of Voters Alaska | 3,326 Connecticut | 37,256 Colorado | 439 Florida | 158,319 Georgia | 52,703 Precinct level data Idaho | 11,147 Michigan | 280,605 Montana | 1,896 Minnesota | 48,328 Nevada | 14,738 Precinct level data New Jersey | 56,563 New Mexico | 3,844 North Carolina | 21,04 Ohio | 55,330 Precinct level data Pennsylvania | 91,086 Precinct level data Virginia | 63,607 There are some precincts where the total number of ballots cast is greater than the total number of people who actually voted, and other precincts where the total number of voters recorded as voting is greater than the number of votes. There could be one precinct with 100 more votes than voters and another in the same county with 100 more voters than votes. If they were lumped together at the county level, it would look like there were an equal number of voters and votes, but that would hide the problem. Thus, it appears the county-level data underestimates vote discrepancies. The findings for Pennsylvania revealed that there were three precincts where the number of ballots cast in the November 2020 general election was more than double the number of voters recorded as voting. In those precincts, there was 1,985 more votes than voters recorded as voting. Because the information received from the respective secretaries of state in the VFR study was so inadequate, the AFPI decided to conduct a more thorough investigation beginning in March 2022. For subsequent analyses, three main datasets were used: the state dataset we received from the Secretary of State (SoS)/state's election authority, the county datasets, and the canvasses. Public record requests to county officials occurred over several months, beginning in March 2022. This examination sought to obtain time-stamped voter record data from the top 100 most populated counties of the 14 swing states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Incredibly, only six of these top 100 county election officers responded with data of voters who voted in the November 3, 2020 general election without disclaimers (meaning some claim that the data were not exactly retained). Nonetheless, discrepancies still existed for these counties. Miami-Dade County, FL: 1.6% (12% of the precincts are missing) Orange County, FL: 3.82% Cobb County, GA: 8.8% (Secretary of State data 0.68%) Woodbury County, IA: 3.06% Buncombe County, NC: 0.14% Johnston County, NC: 0.07% For Miami-Dade, Florida, for just the available precincts, the discrepancy between the number of registered voters who voted and the number of ballots cast is 1.6%. This translates into a difference of 16,617 votes. To give perspective on the size of that gap, in 2018, Senator Rick Scott won Florida's U.S. Senate seat by 10,033 votes. Nikki Fried became Florida's Agriculture Commissioner by just 6,753 votes. It is more than half of Governor Ron DeSantis' victory margin in the governor's race of 32,463 votes. Cobb County, Georgia, had an 8.8% discrepancy, amounting to 34,893 votes. That gap, in a county that President Joe Biden carried by 14 percentage points, was three times President Biden's winning margin in Georgia in 2020. For the other 94 counties, the report "confirm[s] that virtually no one (only 6% of county election officials and two [Secretaries of State] of the states and counties reviewed) on the state or county level are correctly retaining the data they are required to preserve regarding voter rolls on the day of each election." In the vast majority of cases, the information necessary to compare the number of ballots cast with the number of people who voted does not exist. In other cases, when that data is available, the numbers don't match. That is not to say there was incompetence, voter fraud, or stolen elections. It is a question of transparency and accurate records. The study makes the following recommendation: Transparency is essential if we are to restore confidence, considering there are roughly 29% of Americans who did not believe the proper winner was declared in either the 2016 or 2020 general elections and that only 59% of Americans feel confident that their votes will be accurately counted. Having these federally (and in some cases state) mandated records retained and timestamped, preferably digitally, would significantly reduce doubt in our democratic process and immediately restore confidence. This should be easily achievable in the digital age, and Americans should expect this sort of retention to happen. It's not only a civil rights issue but a transparency issue that has eroded confidence in our electoral system. Image: Tom Arthur via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. In the early 1990s, British polling companies that had failed to predict a conservative political win, coined the term shy Tory factor, to account for conservatives being unwilling to admit their voting preference to pollsters. Since then, the problem is a common one across the West because conservatives feel beleaguered and disfavored. Thanks to the Democrats fanatic anti-MAGA sentiment, which saw Joe Biden demonize Republicans as the enemies of democracy (which to Joe means the Democrat party), conservatives are shyer than ever before. Robert Cahaly is the chief pollster for Trafalgar Group, which has been, not just an accurate pollster, but an actual pollster: That is, it really seeks to discern public trends, as opposed to those companies that do push polling to move public trends. He put out a series of tweets regarding the fact that, when it comes to polls, MAGA conservatives have gone almost completely underground (h/t Twitchy): In 2016 Trump supporters were called Deplorables and other unflattering names. This was a major contributor to the shy Trump voter phenomenon that most polling missed which resulted in a major loss in public confidence for polling flowing the election. Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) September 17, 2022 In 2020 people who supported Trump or espoused conservative values out of step with Woke culture found themselves being canceled or doxed. This led to hidden voters that most polling under counted, therefore Trump support in key battleground states exceeded expectations Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) September 17, 2022 Now that the Biden administration has essentially classified MAGA Republicans as a threat to democracy marshaling federal law enforcement to focus on them. This move has created a new type of voter that will be even harder to poll or even estimate. Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) September 17, 2022 I call this new group submerged voters. They arent putting stickers on their cars, signs in their yards, posting their opinions, or even answering polls. At this point I think its fair to say that Bidens pursuit of and attacks on MAGA Republicans has created an army of Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) September 17, 2022 voters who will be virtually impossible to poll (even for us) and more difficult still to estimate. The 2022 Republican turnout will likely be higher than any of the polls or models are showing. All polls (including ours) will understate the impact of these submerged voters. Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) September 17, 2022 Im of two minds about Cahalys analysis, which Im perfectly sure is correct. On the one hand, I find it utterly tragic that, in America, people are so afraid for their jobs, their relationship with their community, and even their safety, that they no longer dare admit to their political viewpoints. But conservatives are right to be afraid. The Biden administration has worked very hard since January 21 to put the fear into conservatives: They will be hunted down if they are too close to Trump, question the results of an election that was conducted under circumstances never before seen in America, or simply say the wrong thing. On the other hand, though, this is good news. Deep State Republicans seem to be working hard to throw the election to the Democrats. Additionally, too many Republicans arent focusing on the issues most important to Americans: Safety from rampant crime and the racist theories and transgender madness the left is imposing on their children at school. The economy is important as well. So, Republicans talk about Ukraine and other issues that matter only in D.C. When you take this weak campaigning with polls showing, not a red wave but, rather, a little splash...well, it gets disheartening, and that can risk depressing election turnout. What Cahaly is saying, though, is that theres a real possibility that Americans on the conservative side of things are plenty ready to vote and they know that they want to throw the Democrat bums out. Theyre just not willing to talk about it to a stranger on the telephone. Indeed, if theyre disaffected Democrats, theyll be even less willing to say anything. What all this means is that Im taking hope from Cahalys analysis, even as I am disappointed that America has come to this point. Remember: Were on the side of normalcy and common sense: Despite the lefts loudness, its reasonable to believe that most Americans want a secure border, low crime, affordable energy, a society thats not racially obsessed, biological reality, and all the other things that used to be the norm just twenty or thirty years ago. And no matter how they may dislike the Republicans campaign style, theyve got to see that everything is falling apart when Democrats are in control. Montage using business woman by fabriasimf and shy guy by cookie_studio. (ANSA) - ROME, AUG 23 - Italy's position on Ukraine won't change if the centre right is elected on September 25, League leader Matteo Salvini said Tuesday. "On Ukraine the League will do what the other democratic and Western countries do," the nationalist leader told the annual meeting of the Catholic lay organization Communion and Liberation (CL) Tuesday. "Whichever way the elections go Italy's international placement won't change". Salvini, whose League has had relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party since 2017, has condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine. The other members of the centre right coalition, the far right Brothers of Italy (FdI) of likely next premier Giorgia Meloni and the centre right Forza Italia (FI) party of three-time ex-premier and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, have also been vocal in their pro-NATO and pro-EU stance on the Ukraine war. This was despite Meloni, tipped to become Italy's first post-fascist and first woman premier, being the only major leader in opposition to outgoing Premier Mario Draghi, whose policies on supplying arms to Kyiv were unwavering. The centre left Democratic Party has accused Salvini, who has lauded Putin and once sported a t-shirt with his face on, and Berlusconi, an old personal friend of the Russian leader, of potentially weakening the Western front of sanctions against Russia's invasion of its former neighbour. But the two leaders have frequently reiterated their stand against Putin's unilateral decision to invade Ukraine. Salvini on Tuesday added that he would not like to see Western sanctions fuelling the war. "You have to look at the numbers on sanctions on Russia," he said. "Russia's trade surplus is 70 billion dollars, and for the first time in history the sanctioned is gaining (from the sanctions). "I ask to assess the usefulness of the instrument: if it works let's go ahead but if it is working in the opposite direction we risk going on for 10 years: a tool that was supposed to dissuade Putin ends up favouring his economy. "I wouldn't like it if the sanctions were fuelling the war. I hope that they are reflecting on this in Brussels". Centre-left Democratic Party leader and former premier Enrico Letta responded by saying that no signs of easing up on sanctions should be given to Putin, who was blackmailing Italy and the rest of Europe with Russian gas supplies. "The worst thing that you can do is give signs of concessions to Putin: on this Italy must be very clear, maintain its alliances, and not change line," Letta told the CL gathering in Rimini. "To do that would be to give in to Putin who is blackmailing Italy and the EU. "You don't respond to blackmail by giving in to it". Letta added that Italy must immediately cap the price of energy, a move it is trying to get the EU to also take. "Italy must immediately intervene with a cap on the cost of energy linked to a period of administered prices," the ex premier told CL. "We can do that immediately. Moving to a system of administered prices for the next 12 months". The Italian government has been working hard to end the nation's reliance on Russian gas since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, reaching and preparing a series of agreements to boost supplies from elsewhere. The proportion of Italy's gas supplied by Moscow has already fallen from 40% at the start of the conflict to around 25% now, sources said recently. Algeria's share has risen to over 30%. The Italian government has "moved rapidly" to diversify suppliers by scrambling to set up alternatives with countries like Algeria, Angola, Congo, Libya, Egypt, Israel and Mozambique, Premier Draghi said recently. Fuels giant Eni recently joined the world's largest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Qatar, and on Monday announced a highly significant gas find off Cyprus. Draghi has secured from the EU a pledge to discuss a proposal on an energy price cap next month. (ANSA). Britons have held a minutes silence to mourn the Queens death ahead of the state funeral. At 8pm on Sunday, the country observed the silence to remember the late monarch, with people marking the occasion privately at their homes and at community events and vigils. Liz Truss stood outside 10 Downing Street with her head bowed during the national moment of reflection, with people across the country following suit. However, Big Ben did not strike before and after the silence as originally planned due to a technical issue. A UK Parliament spokesperson said: We have investigated this as a matter of urgency and have identified a minor technical issue that has now been resolved. We will be testing the bell again later tonight and are confident that it will not affect the tolling tomorrow during the state funeral procession. Mourners could be heard applauding and cheering after the silence ended. Prime Minister Liz Truss and her husband Hugh OLeary observe the national minutes silence in memory of the Queen (Jacob King/PA) It came as presidents, prime ministers and royalty from across the globe arrived at Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by the King. Approximately 500 guests attended the event, among them the Prime Minister, US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden and Frances President Emmanuel Macron, who was joined by his wife, first lady Brigitte. The Prince and Princess of Wales and other working members of the royal family including the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester joined Charles and the Queen Consort in mingling with guests. Dozens of leaders of Commonwealth countries and members of foreign royal families also attended the reception. Kate earlier held an audience with the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska at the palace. Speaking about the Queen at Lancaster House, Mr Biden said: To all the people of England, all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you. You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years, we all were. The world is better for her. The US president and his wife also visited Westminster Hall for the Queens lying in state. Joe Biden visited Westminster Hall (Joe Giddens/PA) Security was tight and road crossings were closed ahead of his visit to pay his respects, as rumours spread through the crowd about the imminent arrival of Mr Biden and his entourage. Members of the public continued joining the queue for the final day on Sunday evening, with the late monarchs coffin to remain until 6.30am on Monday. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the estimated wait was at least eight hours, down from 14 hours earlier in the day. People had earlier been warned not to set off from their homes to join the queue as it is due to close later on. People continued to join the queue at 7pm on Sunday evening (Danny Lawson/PA) It came after Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the Chinese ambassador and accredited officials remain barred from the House of Commons. Asked about reports he had been leant on to allow people from a Chinese delegation into Westminster Hall, he told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: Nobody has been leaning on me at all. Far from it. My view remains the same, that we would not welcome (a) reception in Parliament. And thats when I stopped the ambassador and accredited Chinese from coming into the House of Commons. So lets be clear, to hold a reception in the House of Commons when MPs and a peer has been sanctioned is not acceptable. My view remains the same and nothing has changed. The sanction against those accredited officials remains in place and will remain so. There is a very easy answer. Lift the sanction, we can also then look to see whether we should have reception in Parliament, but this is not going to happen at the moment. However, a Chinese delegation attended Westminster Hall after the comments, standing on a platform to observe the coffin. The Chinese delegation view the coffin of the Queen (Joe Giddens/PA) Neither the Foreign Office nor the UK Parliament were able to confirm the names of the attendees. Meanwhile, Camilla paid a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her wonderful blue eyes, saying: I will always remember her smile. The Queen Consort also shared a personal memory of the Queen who saw the funny side of a shoe mishap on her wedding day. Speaking about the occasion on April 9 2005, Camilla said: I remember coming from here, Clarence House, (to) go to Windsor the day I got married when I probably wasnt firing on all cylinders, quite nervous and, for some unknown reason, I put on a pair of shoes and one had an inch heel and one had a two-inch heel. So, I mean talk about hop-a-long and theres nothing I could do. I was halfway down in the car before I realised and you know, she she could see and laughed about it and said, look Im terribly sorry and she did, you know, she had a good sense of humour. It came after the Prime Minister kicked off her meetings with world leaders on Saturday, speaking to her counterparts from New Zealand and Australia. At 10am on Sunday, Irish premier Micheal Martin entered Downing Street for a warm meeting with Ms Truss to discuss many issues in the context of the British-Irish relationship, before leaving just under an hour later. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau also met with the Prime Minister a few hours later. Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend the Queens state funeral, the order of service has shown. The nine-year-old future king and his seven-year-old sister will gather with 2,000 people in Westminster Abbey to remember their late great-grandmother on Monday, as millions watch the televised service across the globe. The young royals will walk through the gothic church with the royal family, in procession behind the Queens coffin as it is carried by the military bearer party. Their grandfather, the King with the Queen Consort will process immediately behind the coffin, followed by the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, then the Duke of York, followed by the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and then the Prince and Princess of Wales. George and Charlotte will attend the state funeral with their parents (Jonathan Brady/PA) George and Charlotte, who called the Queen Gan Gan, will be together, behind their parents, walking side-by-side in formation, followed by their uncle and aunt the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and other members of the royal family. The second and third in line to the throne are also expected to be at the committal service in St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle afterwards. The prince and princess four-year-old brother Prince Louis is not set to be there. His playful antics on the balcony for the Platinum Jubilee delighted royal fans and he is likely to be considered too young to attend. The nine-year-old future king and his seven-year-old sister will gather with 2,000 people in Westminster Abbey (Victoria Jones/PA) At the end of the service, following The Last Post, two minutes silence, the Reveille, and the national anthem, the Queens Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns, will play the traditional lament Sleep, Dearie, Sleep. Before the service, the tenor bell will be tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting the years of the Queens life. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, will say in The Bidding: Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth, and from the nations of the world, to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service. He will speak of the Queens unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth. The Queens coffin lying in state in nearby Westminster Hall (Aaron Chown/PA) With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear, the Dean will say. One of the hymns The Lords My Shepherd, Ill Not Want was sung at the Queens wedding, when she married the Duke of Edinburgh in the same abbey, as a 21-year-old bride in 1947. It was also sung at the funeral of the Queens father George VI in St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 1952, but with slightly different wording. The others hymns are: The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended; and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. The latter has often featured at royal weddings including William and Kates, Charles and Camillas wedding blessing, and Princess Eugenies. Members of the public view floral tributes in Hyde Park in London (Danny Lawson/PA) Prayers will be said by the Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, for Queen Elizabeths long life and reign, recalling with gratitude her gifts of wisdom, diligence, and service. The Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally will say a prayer for our most gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, Camilla the Queen Consort, William Prince of Wales, and all the royal family. Reverend Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group, will praise the Queens unstinting devotion to duty, her compassion for her subjects, and her counsel to her ministers. The Queens committal service at St Georges Chapel features several pieces of music that were also heard at the Duke of Edinburghs funeral in April last year and other major royal events. JS Bachs Schmucke Dich, O Liebe Seele Adorn Yourself, O Dear Soul (BWV 654) a piece for organ, will be played with a number of others as the mourners wait for the service to begin. The Queen during the Duke of Edinburghs funeral (Jonathan Brady/PA) Another is Vaughan Williams Rhosymedre, a firm favourite with the royal family with the music being performed at the wedding of Diana, Princess of Wales and Charles, and at Philips funeral. Nimrod by Sir Edward Elgar was heard at the Queens coronation in 1953 and will also be played before the committal begins. Lord Sentamu, the former Archbishop of York, was reportedly part of the team which helped devise the original order of service for the Queens state funeral. The cleric told BBC News the Queen knew the psalms by heart and Psalm 121 also featured at the Queen Mothers Funeral in 2002 will be sung at her committal. The service will end with Bachs Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (BWV 546) which will be played after the national anthem, and was heard at the end of the Duke of Edinburghs funeral. The Princess of Wales has met the first lady of Ukraine ahead of the Queens funeral. Kate held an audience with Olena Zelenska at Buckingham Palace. Downing Street had previously declined to confirm reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys wife would travel to the UK for the funeral. She was pictured meeting Kate at the Palace on Sunday afternoon. They sat either side of a fireplace on gingham armchairs with purple orchids on display in the background. Olena Zelenska views the coffin at Westminster Hall (Jacob King/PA) Ms Zelenska earlier visited Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state. She made the journey to the UK after her husband took time out from organising his countrys fightback against Russia to sign a book of condolence for the Queen. The UKs ambassador in Kyiv, Melinda Simmons, said she was deeply honoured by the presidents gesture. Grateful to the president for taking the time to do this given all else that is happening in (Ukraine) at this time, she said. The princesss meeting with Ms Zelenska follows Liz Trusss earlier audience with the King in the Palaces 1844 Room. The Prime Minister has also continued informal talks with world leaders as hundreds of dignitaries descend on London for Mondays funeral. A British diver has said he is on top of the world to take second place in the worlds largest cliff diving competition. Aidan Heslop, from Plymouth, represented Great Britain in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, where divers execute acrobatics as they jump from heights of more than 25 metres. Mr Heslop came in second place over the weekend in the penultimate event of the 2022 cliff diving season in Polignano a Mare, Italy. Aidan Heslop dives from the 28-metre platform during the final competition day (Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool/PA) The young athlete went into his final dive in fifth place but climbed up the leader board after receiving a 10 from the judges for a spectacular dive. Speaking to the PA news agency in Italy, Mr Heslop said: Im on top the world. To jump from fifth place to second and get scored a 10 on the way is not a bad feeling. The atmosphere in Polignano is always great, we love this stop because the crowd is always amazing here. I did my first ever Red Bull competition here in 2018, so its a special place for me here. Cliff diving, also known as high diving, is a subcategory of the Olympic style of diving but the main difference is that the divers enter the water feet first. The impact is so hard from 28 metres that if you land on your hands, youre not going to have a good time, Mr Heslop said. Safety is a big part of what we do and the type of training I do is very similar to the Olympic divers. Mr Heslop was joined on the winners podium on Sunday by Frances Gary Hunt, who came first, and Catalin Preda, of Romania, who was third. His mother Helen Heslop and her husband travelled to Polignano watch him compete and said she is beyond proud of his achievements. Obviously it is nerve-wracking to watch but I am absolutely beyond proud of Aidan, she told PA. He has worked so hard for this and what he has achieved at such a young age is amazing. In 2018, Mr Heslop became the youngest diver to compete in the Red Bull World Series, aged 16, and he represented Wales in the Commonwealth Games in Australia that year. Four years on, he admits he always knew he would be successful but never imagined he would get to this level at such a young age. I did kind of always know that Id be in this position at some point but not at 20 years old, he said. The Red Bull cliff diving events have led to more than just competition success for Mr Heslop. The event is the worlds largest cliff diving competition (Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool/PA) He met his Canadian girlfriend, and fellow cliff-diver, Molly Carson, who is a TikTok sensation with more than 3.4 million followers. The pair first spoke on Instagram and finally met in person while competing in Ireland, where they fell in love really quickly. Ms Carson, 23, told PA: We met a year ago and we just clicked. Hes one of the most humble human beings and Im so happy we can do this journey together. We fell in love really quickly and our paths are synced up, so its really fun to travel around the world with him. Ms Carson, who represented Canada in Sundays penultimate final, based her decision to compete as a Red Bull cliff diver on the results of a social media poll where 99% of the responses were yes, other than my mother. The former Canadian Youth Olympian also made it to the podium in Polignano a Mare, finishing second in the womens event. Despite competing in one of the biggest events of their careers, the couple had another nerve-wracking event this weekend meeting the parents. Molly Carlson, Rhiannan Iffland and Jessica Macaulay of Canada celebrate on the podium (Romina Amato/Red Bull Content Pool/PA) Meeting the families was a pretty big deal, Ms Carson added. Its really difficult for my family to come and watch as most of the competitions are in Europe. Im glad theyre here. The couple are preparing for the final event of the cliff diving season in Sydney, Australia, where they hope to make it to the podium for their respective countries. I love Australia and its the final competition of the year, so its a big one, Mr Heslop said. Theres a bit of added pressure but we just need to crack on with it in training and get the dives sorted. To watch Mr Heslop compete for Great Britain in the Red Bull Cliff Diving competition, visit redbull.com/gb-en/event-series/redbull-cliffdiving More than 10,000 military staff are to perform their last duty to the Queen during her state funeral, the Chief of the Defence Staff has said. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said enormous planning for the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday has gone on for a very long time. He said 6,000 military personnel will be part of the procession lining the route in London and Windsor, where the late monarchs coffin will arrive for a televised committal service at the castle. Over 10,000 soldiers, sailors and aviators are involved, the military chief told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme. Over 10,000 soldiers will be involved (Andrew Matthews/PA) Admiral Sir Tony said: For all of us, this is our last duty for Her Majesty the Queen and its our first prominent duty for His Majesty King Charles, and were representing the nation, were representing our mothers, our grandmothers, our fathers, our friends, and everybodys very, very aware of that. He also said: We have the plans and now we have to execute them and theres lots of brilliant people that are enabling that and its coming together as well. So the army the Royal Navy, the Air Force, but also our civil servants, and were helping other people in London, the emergency services, some of the volunteers as well, and so that this is a sombre occasion, but its done with the utmost respect and also affection. Asked if he is nervous ahead of the service, Admiral Sir Tony went on: Theres always an element of apprehension, but we have brilliant people that help at every level, some generals that have been planning this for a long time. We have warrant officers and non-commissioned officers that that look at the precise execution, and thats at my level and then all the way down. He told of how military chiefs have been told to up their game and listen to a metronome at 75 beats per minute in order to get the right rhythm for the funeral procession. Britains head of the armed forces expressed his condolences to King on Saturday, saying that Charles already has a relationship with military chiefs. Admiral Sir Tony met the King on Saturday (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Asked about standing vigil at the Queens lying in state in Westminster Hall, Admiral Sir Tony added: Well, its a huge honour and privilege, its the first time that the Chiefs have done that. And I think theres a mixture of emotions, my view of the Hall is this sense of respectfulness that the public coming through and paying their own private respects and our contribution to that, and at the heart of it is remembering that there is a grieving family. Theres a solemnity and precision about what youre doing and theres a need to concentrate to stay still for 20 minutes but then its also an act of reflection. And my personal piece was just reflecting on Her Majesty the Queen, several audiences that I been privileged to have with her, and this sense of gratitude, gratitude for what she provided to our nation, and tried to express that with the love and affection that youre seeing throughout the country. Two of the Queens horses have appeared on a racecourse for the first time since her death, with their riders dressed in the royal silks. The late monarch was a prolific owner and breeder and even discussed her love for her horses right to the very end, according to her racing adviser. Organisers of Newmarkets Henry Cecil Open Weekend arranged for horses Saga and Educator to appear in front of crowds of racegoers on Warren Hill on Sunday morning. Their jockeys Robert Havlin and Michael Hills were both dressed in the royal colours: purple with gold braid, scarlet sleeves, black velvet cap with gold fringe. Her horse Saga was also ridden at the racecourse (Mike Egerton/PA) Trainer Charlie Fellowes, chairman of the Henry Cecil Open Weekend, said: The Queen was a huge supporter of British racing and we felt it was important to show Newmarkets appreciation for the enormous contribution she made to our industry. It was wonderful for everyone to see two of her horses with riders dressed in her famous silks at a place she loved visiting whenever she could. During her life, the Queen would watch if one of her horses was running, sometimes jumping up and down in excitement. When her horse was first to cross the line, she was ecstatic. Jockeys riding the Queens horses wore royal colours (Andrew Matthews/PA) The Queens first winner as monarch was Choir Boy in the Wilburton Handicap at Newmarket on May 13 1952. In 1954, the Queens horses, including Aureole, were so successful that she was the leading winner-owner. She repeated the triumph in 1957. The late monarch had won every classic except the Derby, coming closest in her coronation year of 1953 when Aureole was second, while her horse Carlton House came third in 2011. In 2008, she had her first Ascot winner for nine years, crying Ive done it, when her horse Free Agent won the Chesham Stakes. In 2013, the Queens horse Estimate claimed victory in Royal Ascots Gold Cup, the first time in the races 207-year history that it had been won by a reigning monarch. The Queen after her horse Estimate won the Gold Cup (Tim Ireland/PA) A delighted Queen clapped her hands in excitement and beamed as she watched the race alongside her racing manager, John Warren. Mr Warren said he spent the weekend before the Queen died in Scotland, discussing her horses, as they had done so many times before. Ninety-six lanterns, one for each year of the Queens life, have been illuminated in a service at a Scottish monument as mourners fell silent across the country to reflect on her reign. The service at The Kelpies, between Falkirk and Grangemouth, took place in front of the Queen Elizabeth II Canals pool of reflection, and saw hundreds honour the memory of the monarch on the eve of her state funeral. Led by the Very Rev Martin Fair, minister of St Andrews Parish Church and former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, lanterns and wreaths were placed in the pool and the crowds fell silent at 8pm with others across the country. A one-minute silence at The Kelpies (Lesley Martin/PA) Deputy First Minister John Swinney was joined by other ministers on the steps in front of the Scottish Government headquarters at St Andrews House in Edinburgh, where they paid their respects. He said: In reflecting on Her Majestys life and legacy, many of us have considered her long and valued service to the nation and the respect and admiration she had for the people of Scotland. Mr Fair said hundreds attended the service at The Kelpies out of a sense of wanting to do something to be with others in a dignified way, coming together that we might pay our respects and acknowledge the remarkable service of our Queen. James McGrouther, 66, from Clydebank, said: She, for 70 years, has been the adhesive that has held our country, to some extent, together. Roslyn Connell, 53, said the service was lovely, adding: I was here because this lady has been the rock that held us all together for 70 years. Ruby and Sonny Wallace take part in a service of reflection (Lesley Martin/PA) The committed Christian from Glasgow said she knew what strong faith the Queen had, and added: I wanted to be here to show my allegiance to the Queen and to everybody. During the Queens final journey in Scotland from Balmoral, where she died, to the capital hundreds of thousands of people came out to pay their respects to Britains longest serving monarch. Fiona McLuckie, of Falkirk, said: I wasnt able to get to Edinburgh and I wasnt able to get to London and this is local to me, so I just wanted to be here. She said she was quite taken aback when she heard of the Queens death last week, and the 57-year-old added: Both my husband and I quite moved by it. Its quite surreal, actually, I cant quite come to terms with it. The service, which saw children place electronic lanterns in the water, heard lone piper Euan Thompson play Salute to Queen Elizabeth II, which ended the service. The Queen will make her final journey through London on Monday in the first state funeral in more than five decades. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack paid tribute to her after the national moment of reflection, and said the past few days had shown how much she meant to people in Scotland. From Balmoral all the way to Edinburgh, Scots turned out in droves to pay their respects, give thanks for the Queens lifetime of service and mourn her passing, he said. Tomorrow will be a day of unbearable sadness for our nation as Her Majesty is laid to rest. Our thoughts will be with our new King, Charles III, and the rest of the royal family. Liz Truss is considering plans to slash personal taxes in addition to business levies in new investment zones as she seeks to set the wheels of her economic strategy in motion. Those who live and work in the low-tax areas envisaged by the Prime Minister could see their own contributions cut, with the burden also lightened for firms although no decisions have yet been made, it is understood. The proposed investment zones, dubbed full fat freeports, were a staple of Ms Trusss campaign for the Tory leadership. Under her plan, Ms Truss said these areas would benefit from a low-tax burden, reduced planning restrictions and regulations tailored on a case-by-case basis. The Sun On Sunday reported that the new PM is now weighing up whether personal taxes could be cut for people working there. Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng could announce as many as 12 of the investment zones in his high-anticipated mini-budget on Friday, according to The Sunday Times, although it made no mention of tax cuts for individuals. Ministers are also said to have discussed whether environmental protections could be watered down in these areas to clear the way for new developments. The Government is reportedly looking at the West Midlands, Thames Estuary, Tees Valley, West Yorkshire and Norfolk as potential sites. With speculation building over the direction policy will take as Ms Truss seeks to put her stamp on No 10, it has also been suggested the PM could lift the ban on new grammar schools within months. Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Senior Tory MP Sir Graham Brady is planning to table an amendment to the Schools Bill in a move to bring about the change, and believes political conditions are promising, according to The Sunday Telegraph. Politics is set to return in full force following the Queens funeral, with ministers outlining support for businesses and plans to see the NHS through the winter, before the Chancellors so-called fiscal event rounds off the week. Normal activity in Westminster has been put on hold since the late monarchs death, with business in both Houses halted for the official period of mourning. It is expected that MPs will return to the Commons on Wednesday, following the state funeral on Monday, where those who wish to do so can take a new oath or affirmation to the King. The PA news agency understands that Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg will also set out further details of the Governments plans to help firms through the energy crisis. Heath Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey is expected to outline her vision to see the NHS through the winter months on Thursday. Newly installed Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Mr Kwartengs mini-budget, focused on tackling the cost-of-living crisis and boosting growth, will then be delivered on Friday. It is expected to confirm Ms Trusss plans to reverse the national insurance hike and cancel the planned rise in corporation tax. It has also been suggested the Chancellor will pursue a move to scrap the cap on bankers bonuses, although PA understands no final decisions have yet been taken. Last week Ms Truss announced her proposals to combat sky-high energy bills, with a move to cap prices and boost domestic supplies. That included lifting the ban on fracking and new licences for North Sea oil and gas. Ms Truss said she would end the UKs short-termist approach to energy security and supply once and for all. But her plans have come under fire from a former chief scientific adviser to the Government, as he has warned the PMs drive for more oil and gas production is completely at odds with countrys net zero objectives. Sir David King, who held the post from 2000 to 2007, told The Independent: Were looking at a situation where the crisis is with us here today. But we dont recognise that when we say lets go ahead and start new fracking operations in this country. It beggars belief. What it seems to show is that the leadership in the Government does not understand the nature of the climate crisis. The window of opportunity for Mr Kwartengs fiscal event has been highly constrained, with politics paused following the Queens death and the PM expected to fly to New York for the United Nations General Assembly following the funeral on Monday. MPs had been due to break for the conference season on Thursday, but will now be asked to sit a day longer to make time for the mini-budget on Friday. A parliamentary business paper also suggests MPs will consider a motion on Thursday proposing that the Commons returns from the conference recess early, on October 11. The leader of New Zealand has suggested she still believes the country is likely to become a republic in her lifetime, but said bonds will remain between Commonwealth nations even as relationships with the UK evolve over time. Jacinda Ardern said she does not have any intention of instigating the process by which the country would move away from a monarchical system, as she refrained from predicting a timescale for the shift. Reflecting on the change in sovereign, Ms Ardern, who is visiting the UK for the state funeral, said the transition from Queen to King will not be jarring for New Zealand, as Charles is well known in the country. She told the BBCs Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show: He shares many passions and interests that New Zealanders do. And I think that means that that relationship already exists. Its a transition, but its not a jarring transition for New Zealand. Asked why she has said in the past that she believes the country will become a republic in her lifetime, she said: I think even the Queen herself has observed and acknowledged the evolution over time in our relationships. My observation is that there will continue to be an evolution in our relationship. I dont believe it will be quick or soon, but over the course of my lifetime. Pressed on how and when this might happen, she said: We have complex arrangements, the Treaty of Waitangi a very important founding document for Aotearoa, New Zealand, signed between Maori and the Crown. This is why its not a process I have any intent of instigating, but if and when it does occur, it will take time, and it will need to be very carefully worked through. The prime minister of Australia Anthony Albanese said now is not a time to discuss his country becoming a republic (David Parry Media Assignments/PA) In addition to the UK and New Zealand, the King is head of state for 13 Commonwealth realms. These are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. But the monarchys future role in some of the countries appears less certain with the start of a new reign. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said after the Queens death that he would call for a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has said now is not a time to discuss his country making the change, but has not ruled out a future referendum on the issue. Jamaica is expected to follow Barbados, which became a republic in November 2021, although it remains within the Commonwealth. Ms Ardern also reflected on her first meeting with the Queen, during which she asked how the late monarch managed being both a mother and a leader. The New Zealand prime minister, who was pregnant at the time of the exchange, said: I asked her, for instance, of course what was one of the things on my mind alongside being a new prime minister was being a prime minister and a mum. I said to her: How did you manage? And I remember she just said: Well, you just get on with it. And that was actually probably the best and most, I think, factual advice I could have. You do, you just take every day as it comes. And she did. But I have such respect for her because I see now what it takes to be a mum and a leader and she did it more times over than I. Also speaking on the programme, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle described the Queens funeral as the most important event the world will ever see. We should not allow anything to overshadow the most important event the world will ever see, and thats the funeral of Her Majesty, he said. Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, told the programme the Queen has great value to us as a Commonwealth country. She was not only a Queen, but a very affectionate motherly personality, she said. No power supply in hostel for last three days and the issue came to fore during district collectors visit ADILABAD: The girl students of KGBV in Pochamloddi village, located on the outskirts of Jainoor mandal headquarters, are taking baths with the rainwater they collected in the buckets and other big utensils from the pipelines of the slab of their hostel buildings during the rain, and they save the same water for the next day in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. The students depend on the rainwater they have collected for their day-to-day needs in the mornings. The issue came to light when the Komaram Bheem Asifabad collector Rahul Raj inspected their hostel in the afternoon on September 13 and students complained about a lack of water due to no power supply to run the motor pump for the last three days. The girl students told the collector that they had been taking baths with the rainwater they had collected and were facing a lot of inconvenience and hardships due to lack of water. There were only 280 students out of the strength of 320 in the KGBV when the collector inspected their campus. Students were forced to depend on rainwater as the officials failed to restore the power supply to the hostel and ensure the electric motor pump was operational to supply water to the hostel to meet the needs of the students. The collector interacted with the students without allowing the teachers and asked about their problems they had been facing in the hostel. Then, the students started pouring out their problems without fear since the teachers and special officer were not in the meeting. The students reportedly complained of poor quality food and not following the menu. The Pochamloddi KGBV special officer, Renuka, also brought the power problem to the notice of the collector, Rahul Raj, during his inspection. The collector went around hostel buildings and inquired about the maintenance of the toilets, medical services to the students, and the quality of the food, and warned the staff of stern action if they neglected the health of the students. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is arguing in a new antitrust lawsuit against Amazon (AMZN) that its restrictive seller policies illegally disrupt the states economy, marking the latest legal action pitting Amazons seller relationships against American antitrust laws. So far, neither the government nor private plaintiffs have prevailed in cases arguing that Amazon's tactics are illegal. A similar case brought by Washington, DC's attorney general was dismissed in May. However, this time just might be different, antitrust lawyers and economists say. Amazon is coercing sellers into a price war that only the e-commerce giant can win, the California case argues. Theres certainly an anticompetitive story to be told, but to me theres also a compelling free rider defense for Amazon, said Penn State Law professor John Lopatka, who's referring to Amazon's concern that sellers will use Amazon's platform to generate interest in their products, then sell them elsewhere. Bonta's suit is distinct from other antitrust cases that have targeted Amazon's seller terms, as it alleges violations under California law, narrows the so-called "relevant market," and focuses on the company's alleged punishment of seller behavior. But the case is still one that's difficult to prove, Lopatka said. That's in part because Amazon's seller agreements technically permit sellers to set their own prices, and in part because of Amazon's push to feature the lowest possible price both tend to appear as policies that foster competition. In reality, the complaint alleges, Amazon artificially inflates prices on rival retail websites such as Walmart.com (WMT), Target.com (TGT), and eBay.com (EBAY) and even on sellers' own websites, by coercing its third-party sellers and wholesale suppliers to lower prices for goods sold online. 'It's a nightmare' According to the claims, Amazon penalizes sellers for failing to get the price right, by demoting products in search results, and disqualifying products from the Buy Box feature, which allows shoppers to add their products into a checkout cart, the lawsuit claims. For wholesalers, Amazons agreements require sellers to refund the company for price gaps in the event that their product is offered for less on a competing website. "Its a nightmare," said Lesley Hensell, co-founder of Riverbend Consulting, a firm that helps third-party Amazon sellers reactivate their suspended accounts. She says accounts are suspended when Amazon identifies certain sellers as failing to meet its pricing expectations, citing what's known as a "high pricing error." Without warning, Amazon's systems automatically deactivate the seller's product listing, she said. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 15: California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks during a news conference outside of an Amazon distribution facility on November 15, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) "No-one can deal with that kind of uncertainty in their business," Hensell said. "I can tell you that sometimes the high pricing errors are completely inaccurate. To remedy the problem, sellers must adjust prices downward until they are low enough to reactivate the product listing." Sellers often struggle to sell at a profit under those demands, Hensell said, especially as their own manufacturing, supply and shipping costs escalate. Heller said that while she's never known Amazon to retaliate against sellers who are targeted by the company for raising their prices, she also knows sellers are reluctant to criticize Amazon for their troubles. "For some of these people, it is their personal income, or their revenue fuels a business with a lot of employees they care about," Heller said. "When challenging things happen in their account, even if they think it's unfair, they're often afraid to speak up publicly or even to escalate the issue within Amazon. They fear it will put a target on their back." Amazon's succeeded in winning antitrust fights, so far One reason for Amazon's past success disputing antitrust claims is its argument that its low price edicts promote more, not less, competition, driving down prices for goods sold online. This is a common misconception, Yale University economics professor Florian Ederer told Yahoo Finance. It sounds like it would be pro-competitive, but it is actually anti-competitive. In March 2022, a judge dismissed a similar lawsuit brought by District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine. Racine argued that Amazon violated the districts Antitrust Act because its contracts prevented sellers from offering lower prices for their products on competing websites. Given the requirement, Racine alleged that Amazon's approximate 40% commission on sales further drove up online prices. Another antitrust case against Amazon is still playing out in Seattle, where a class of consumers lost part of Amazon's request to dismiss federal antitrust claims, yet convinced a judge to maintain part of their case. According to the judge, Amazon's requirement that sellers add Amazon fees to the cost of their products even those sold elsewhere could potentially run afoul of federal anti-competition law. BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 07: (L-R) Kara Swisher and Amazon President and CEO Andy Jassy speak onstage during Vox Media's 2022 Code Conference - Day 2 on September 07, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vox Media) Amazon has maintained its position that its policies promote competition in a statement to Yahoo Finance, saying: "Like any store we reserve the right not to highlight offers to customers that are not priced competitively. The relief the AG seeks would force Amazon to feature higher prices to customers, oddly going against core objectives of antitrust law. In 2019, under the threat of investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and regulators in Germany, Amazon dropped a provision from its seller contracts commonly referred to as a most favored nation (MFN) clause. The provision required sellers to offer items for sale on Amazon on the most favorable terms when compared to other online retail platforms. The California complaint alleges that Amazon's seller penalties are much like the ones that Hensell describes, and achieve the same force as its prior MFN provisions. Absent these agreements, a greater selection and total output of lower-priced products would be available across online stores, the complaint states. Ederer explains that true price floors are only exposed without Amazons restrictions on sellers. Sellers who offer the same products on their own platforms, he explains, would tend to sell at a slightly lower price than on Amazon or on other online retail sites, because outside retailers take a cut of their sales revenue in exchange for carrying the product and exposing it to their consumer base. As a seller, Ederer says, I could completely give up on Amazon, but then I'm going to lose all of that revenue and not be able to sell on Amazon. Instead what I do is, because Amazon is punishing me for charging a higher price on my own platform, I raise the price on my own platform. Lopatka explains that the effect Californias trying to prove that Amazon is responsible for higher prices on other websites is also difficult to isolate. Ederer agrees. Amazon essentially makes that very very difficult by these implicit MFNs, he said. Thats going to require a fair amount of evidenceThats the type of evidence that the judge felt wasnt really there in the DC case. He questions whether sellers can provide enough evidence that they are being downgraded in search results, or deprived of the Buy Box, to prevail in the California case. New York University School of Law professor Eleanor Fox views California's case as one with potentially compelling legal arguments, though she expects it to play out on ideological rather than legal terms. A conservative judge is more likely to dismiss the case, she said. The conservative philosophy presumes that markets work well and are self-correcting, and are reluctant to apply antitrust. Fox adds that she expects scenarios like this one to play out across more states. "States are very much on top of the Big Tech issues," she said. Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed. Allie Garfinkle is senior tech reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @agarfinks. Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news For tutorials and information on investing and trading stocks, check out Cashay Hundreds of dock workers will launch a two-week strike from Monday in a dispute over pay, continuing industrial unrest which has hit several sectors over the summer. Members of Unite at the Port of Liverpool will walk out from Monday evening, hours after the Queens funeral. The Peel Ports Group, which operates the port, said workers had rejected an offer of an 8.3% pay rise, enhanced with a one-off payment of 750. Unite said it was a real-terms pay cut because of the soaring rate of inflation and argued that the ports owners could afford a higher increase. David Huck, the ports chief operating officer, said: I am deeply disappointed Unite has rejected our significant pay package after many months of negotiation. This is bad news for our employees, families and other local employers. We fully recognise our colleagues concerns on the cost of living crisis, and thats why we have responded with a pay package that represents a 10% average increase in annual pay. The Port of Liverpool is a major employer in the Liverpool City Region. We have invested more than 1.2b over the last decade, transforming the prosperity of the region, creating more than 900 new skilled jobs and, in turn, supporting more than 7,200 additional local jobs in the supply chain. We urge the union to work with us at the negotiating table so that together, we can find a resolution. Generic stock from the roof of the grain tower at Port of Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA) Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: Workers across the country are sick to death of being told to take a hit on their wages and living standards while employer after employer is guilty of rampant profiteering. She said the ports owners needed to table a reasonable offer and fulfil its previous pay promises. The company said it has also made a commitment to a shift pattern change that will result in a 25% reduction in night shift working. The average salary for container operatives would increase to around 43,000 a year, significantly above the Liverpool City Region and national average, it added. The Port of Liverpool operates two container terminals, the Royal Seaforth Container Terminal (RSCT) and Liverpool2. RSCT has connections to a range of countries including, Canada, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus and Turkey, as well as feeder services connecting Liverpool to India, Africa, South America and the Far East. Liverpool 2 is one of the most operationally efficient and modern terminals in Northern Europe, capable of accommodating some of the worlds largest container vessels. A total of 845 people work in the Port of Liverpools containers division, which handled approximately 525,000 containers in 2021. The goods inside the containers were distributed all around the world and included imports and exports, such as retail and industrial products. Unite members at Felixstowe docks are to stage an eight-day strike from September 27 in a separate pay dispute, while train drivers at 12 rail companies will strike on October 1 and 5, affecting travel to and from the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. Long-running disputes in the railway industry remain unresolved following months of industrial action. The final day of the Queens lying in state is set to take place, while a minutes silence will be held later to mourn her death. The late monarchs coffin will remain in Westminster Hall for the public to view until 6.30am on Monday, ahead of the state funeral in Westminster Abbey, with Sunday likely to be the last chance to join the queue. As of 5am, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) online tracker said the estimated queuing time was at least 12 hours far shorter than the peak of more than 25 hours that was seen in the early hours of Saturday morning. At 8pm, the country will observe a one-minute silence to remember the Queen, with people invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils. A minutes silence will also be held across the UK (James Manning/PA) It will come shortly after the Queen Consort pays a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her wonderful blue eyes and saying: I will always remember her smile. Camilla, in pre-recorded words on the BBC, will speak of how Queen Elizabeth II was a solitary woman in a male-dominated world. She will add: I cant remember anyone except the Queen being there. There will also be a service of reflection near Falkirk, Scotland at 7.30pm. It will see 96 lanterns, one for each year of the late monarchs life, lowered into the pool of reflection at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth II Canal, before wreaths are placed into the water. Meanwhile, Liz Truss is to have an audience with King Charles III before attending his reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace. The King and Queen Consort will host world leaders and official overseas guests at the palace, in what the Kings spokesman described as an official state event. The Prime Minister will also meet Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Polish president Andrzej Duda in Downing Street. Liz Truss will meet a few world leaders in Downing Street (Jacob King/PA) It comes as world leaders travel to the UK ahead of Mondays funeral service. The DCMS has said the historic occasion will be shown on giant screens in various locations across the UK from Londons Hyde Park to Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland. Around 125 cinemas will also be screening the event along with Sky News, ITV and the BBC for people watching from home. On Saturday evening, the Queens eight grandchildren together staged a heart-rending evening vigil around their beloved Grannys coffin. The Prince of Wales, at the head of the coffin, with his brother the Duke of Sussex at the foot, both in the Blues and Royals No 1 uniform, stood with their heads bowed in her honour in sombre silence in the vast Westminster Hall. Future king William was flanked at the corners by his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips. William stood at the head of the coffin (Chris Jackson/PA) Harry was between Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with 18-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn the Queens youngest grandchild who is just 14 at the middle on either side of the coffin. The grandchildren, invited by the King, had wanted to pay their respects as their parents had done the evening before. William and the King also went on a walkabout in the afternoon to greet mourners in the queue for the lying in state, after Charles was given a tour of the Metropolitan Police Service Special Operations Room. The King met with those in the queue (Aaron Chown/PA) Hundreds of people in line at Lambeth, south London, cheered and applauded, with William and Charles shaking scores of hands and the prince discussing how long people had waited and whether they were able to keep warm. At Westminster Abbey, final preparations are being put in place ready for the funeral on Monday. Stanley Tucci is a bit bemused by his popularity as a sex symbol. The Searching for Italy host, 61, says that while he's delighted by the exuberant love and support he gets from fans, he's a little bit mystified by it. "My wife thinks its funny and Im incredibly flattered," Tucci, told the Guardian. "I dont get it but Im glad. Who wouldnt be glad? Hey, it took a long time." Tucci is married to literary agent Felicity Blunt, who is the sister of his TheDevil Wears Prada co-star Emily Blunt. Over the weekend, Tucci showed followers another example of why his social media is adored when he posted a video of himself attempting to fix his broken dishwasher. With a friend alongside him and his wife operating the camera, the actor attempted to unclog the machine by sucking the liquid out with a turkey baster. "Wild Friday night," he captioned the video, adding a wrench and a vomit-face emoji. "There's probably a piece of broken glass," Tucci can be heard explaining after attempting to fix the machine. Sporting an apron over his navy sweater and jeans, he expressed his disgust at the clogged contraption. "That's gross." "This is a wild Friday night in," Blunt can be heard saying from behind the camera. Back in March, Tucci spoke more in depth about the love he receives from fans. "Who goes, 'I feel terrible about that'? People think I'm sexy? How awful," he told People. "It's wonderful. I don't get it, but I'm very glad." After many years in the business as an actor, Tucci rose to superstardom back in 2020, after he posted a video of himself creating a Negroni cocktail on Instagram. Suddenly, his follower count skyrocketed. Best of all, the boost in popularity came by showing exactly who he is behind the scenes. "It changed my life completely," Tucci continued. "All I had to do was be myself." The Big Night star has faced his share of challenges, however. In 2017, he was diagnosed with cancer at the base of his tongue. While he's cancer-free these days, he says he never could have made it through the struggle without the "undying attention, affection and encouragement" from his wife. The couple have two children, Emilia and Matteo, in addition to Tucci's three older children, Isabel, Nicolo and Camilla. Tucci lost his first wife, Kate Spath-Tucci, to breast cancer back in 2009. Last year, the actor told CBS Sunday Morning that grief changes form as time goes on. "You never stop grieving. You never stop grieving," said Tucci. "And it's still hard after 11 years, it's still hard, and it always will be hard. But you can't let it and she would never want any of us to sort of, to wallow in that grief and let it take over our lives. She would never want that. She wasn't like that." Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here. Liz Truss has concluded her talks with world leaders and met the King as she prepares to say a final farewell to the Queen along with hundreds of dignitaries from across the globe. The Prime Minister hosted her Irish counterpart as well as the Canadian premier and the Polish president at Downing Street on Sunday. She had been due to meet US President Joe Biden but the talks were cancelled on Saturday. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau leaves No 10 after meeting Liz Truss (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Instead, a full bilateral meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday when the pair are set to be in New York for the UN General Assembly. Ms Truss also had an audience with Charles at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, ahead of his reception for visiting heads of state. The weekends talks with world leaders were being framed by No 10 as chats to offer condolences over the Queens death, during which politics was likely to come up. In particular, Ms Trusss meeting with Irish premier Micheal Martin came against a backdrop of tensions over the future of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Mr Martin said he had a warm meeting with the British PM but refrained from answering questions on the controversial post-Brexit treaty. Micheal Martin tries to stroke Larry the cat as he leaves No 10 (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He left No 10 just under an hour after arriving on Sunday morning. I dont think this is the time, if you dont mind me saying so, to get into the detail about issues like the protocol, he told the BBC. Ive had a good telephone conversation last week with the British Prime Minister, had an initial warm meeting this morning where we discussed many issues in the context of the British-Irish relationship. But I do think the opportunity is there for us to reset relationships and to be conscious of what we achieved in previous years, the obstacles that were overcome then. And that gives us the strength to know that we have the capacity to overcome current obstacles, current issues that potentially could impede the relationship, and I believe we can overcome them. (PA Graphics) Ms Truss also met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Polish President Andrzej Duda at Downing Street on Sunday. The PM kicked off her talks with world leaders on Saturday, speaking to counterparts from New Zealand and Australia. The meetings were held at the Governments Chevening country residence, rather than Chequers, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance work after Boris Johnsons exit. Ms Truss had also been expected to hold a phone call with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, on Saturday evening but it is understood this did not happen. Reports suggest the Crown Prince will not be at the funeral on Monday, with Prince Turki al-Faisal attending instead. At 8pm on Sunday, Ms Truss observed a minutes silence with the country to mourn the Queens death and reflect on her life and legacy. People were invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils. The Duke of York has paid tribute to his mother the Queen, with the nation set to hold a minutes silence to mourn the late monarchs death. At 8pm, the country will observe the silence to remember the Queen, with people invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils. Big Ben will toll to start the beginning of the national moment of reflection and the bell will be struck once more at 8.01pm as it ends. Andrew is the latest royal to pay tribute to his mother, hailing her knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment, adding: I will miss your insights, advice and humour. Big Ben will mark the start of the silence (Ben Stansall/PA) He described the Queen as Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one and said it had been an honour and privilege to serve her. It came as the public continued queuing for the final day of the lying in state in Westminster Hall, where the late monarchs coffin will remain until 6.30am on Monday. People have been warned not to set off from their homes to join the queue as it is due to close later on Sunday. The queue is due to close later on Sunday (James Manning/PA) The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said: A decision will be taken today on when entry to the queue for Her Majesty The Queens Lying-in-State will close as it reaches final capacity. Queue times are already 13.5 hours and may increase. To avoid disappointment please do not set off to join the queue. Waiting times were far shorter than the peak of more than 25 hours that was seen in the early hours of Saturday morning. (PA Graphics) However, St John Ambulance said in the early hours of the morning some 98 people needed medical support, nine of whom were taken to hospital. Elsewhere, world leaders continued arriving in the UK for Mondays funeral service at Westminster Abbey. Irish premier Micheal Martin entered Downing Street for a warm meeting with Liz Truss at 10am to discuss many issues in the context of the British-Irish relationship, before leaving just under an hour later. The Taoiseach told reporters in London: I appreciate the opportunity to be here at the funeral accompanying the president to pay our tribute to Queen Elizabeths dedicated service to the people of the United Kingdom and of course, her contribution to reconciliation on these islands and particularly in terms of the relationship between Britain and Ireland. Irish premier Micheal Martin met the Prime Minister (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau also met with the Prime Minister a few hours later. The PM kicked off her meetings with world leaders on Saturday, speaking to her counterparts from New Zealand and Australia. Ms Truss will also have an audience with King Charles III before attending his reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace. The King and Queen Consort are to host world leaders and official overseas guests at the palace, in what the Kings spokesman described as an official state event. Camilla will pay a televised tribute to the late monarch, recalling her wonderful blue eyes and saying: I will always remember her smile. In pre-recorded words on the BBC, she will speak of how Queen Elizabeth II was a solitary woman in a male-dominated world. She will add: I cant remember anyone except the Queen being there. There will also be a service of reflection near Falkirk, Scotland at 7.30pm. It will see 96 lanterns, one for each year of the late monarchs life, lowered into the pool of reflection at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth II Canal, before wreaths are placed into the water. The DCMS has said the Queens funeral will be shown on giant screens in various locations across the UK, from Londons Hyde Park to Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland. Around 125 cinemas will also be screening the event, along with Sky News, ITV and the BBC for people watching from home. On Saturday evening, the Queens eight grandchildren together staged a heart-rending evening vigil around their beloved Grannys coffin. Another wave of migrants arrived at the nation's capital and New York City on Saturday as the White House continues to criticize Republican governors in Texas, Florida and Arizona for what it calls a "political stunt." More than 50 migrants were bused to the home of Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday while New York officials expected at least six more buses to arrive by the end of the day. SEE MORE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Sends Migrants To Massachusetts By Plane The White House hammered the Republican governors of Texas and Florida for arranging for the transport of migrants to Democratic strongholds in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The governors of Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., in recent months. But the latest surprise moves - which included two flights to Marthas Vineyard Wednesday paid for by Florida - reached a new level of political theater that critics derided as inhumane. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the flights to Marthas Vineyard were part of an effort to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations. President Joe Biden criticized the move, saying "Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props." White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke to reporters Friday as the migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard were being moved to housing on a military base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. "These are the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers in places like Mexico and Guatemala," Jean-Pierre said. "And for what? A photo-op. Because these governors care about creating political theater, then creating actual solutions to help folks who are fleeing communism, to help children, to help families." Massachusetts is planning to activate as many as 125 National Guard members to assist. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams says shelters are at their breaking point due to the influx of migrants. In total, there have been nearly two million encounters along the southern border this year, which is already over 200,000 more than last year. Additional reporting by The Associated Press. An Ukrainian serviceman stands in a basement which, according to Ukrainian authorities, was used as a torture cell during the Russian occupation, in the retaken village of Kozacha Lopan, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) KOZACHA LOPAN, Ukraine (AP) In a dank basement behind the local supermarket, metal bars cordon off a corner of the room to form a large cell. Dirty sleeping bags and duvets show three sleeping spots on top of sheets of Styrofoam for insulation from the damp earth floor. In the corner, two black buckets served as toilets. A few meters (yards) outside the barred cell, three dilapidated chairs stand around a table, cigarette butts and empty husks of pumpkin seeds littering the floor around them. Ukrainian authorities say this was a makeshift prison where Russian forces abused detainees before Ukrainian troops swept through the village of Kozacha Lopan in a major counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region this month. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said more than 10 such torture chambers have been discovered in the region since the hasty withdrawal of Russian troops last week. The claims of what occurred in the room could not be independently confirmed. Kozacha Lopan, whose edge lies less than two kilometers (just over a mile) from the Russian border, was retaken by Ukrainian forces Sept. 11. In a statement posted Saturday on its Telegram channel, the prosecutors office of the Kharkiv region, in whose jurisdiction Kozacha Lopan lies, said the room seen by AP journalists was used as a torture cell during the occupation of the area. It said Russian forces had set up a local police force that ran the prison, adding that documents confirming the functioning of the police department and implements of torture had been seized. The statement said an investigation was being conducted. Images the prosecutors released showed a Russian military TA-57 telephone with additional wires and alligator clips attached to it. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of using the Soviet-era radio telephones as a power source to shock prisoners during interrogation. In his nightly address to the nation Saturday, Zelenskyy mentioned another location, at the railway station in Kozacha Lopan, where he said a room for torture and tools for electric torture was found. AP journalists did not see that location. Zelenskyy compared the Russians to the Nazis during World War II. And they will answer in the same way both on the battlefields and in the courtrooms, he said. Burial sites have been found in some areas where Russian forces were pushed out, most notably in the city of Izium, where Ukrainian officials say more than 440 graves have been found near the citys cemetery. Zelenskyy has said they contain the bodies of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, showing signs of violent deaths, some possibly from torture. Vitalii, a commander in the National Guard, said his team is hunting for graves of possible victims of abuse at the detention center in Kozacha Lopan. He asked to be identified by his first name only for security reasons. The team is also recovering bodies on the battlefield, which are lying where they fell on farm fields or inside burned-out tanks. The Russian army was pushed all the way back across the border into Russia after holding the area for months. But artillery shells still whistle through the air, fired from inside Russia and landing with resonating thumps and billows of black smoke on Ukrainian territory. Despite the shelling, a small group of soldiers winds its way along a rutted mud track to where a dead Ukrainian combatant lies, spotted by a drone used to search for bodies and shallow graves. "Its a risk. We are always risking our lives and at any moment there might be some shell flying in from the territory of Russia, Vitalii said. The dead Ukrainian is lying on his back in body armor and helmet, a cap beneath it to block out the sun. The body has been there for a long time. They document the scene and lift the remains into a body bag before heading farther along the track to a charred Russian tank. It takes only one of the team to carry away the body bag holding the remains of the Russian found inside. Autopsies will follow, and the details of the sites recorded and passed on to investigators looking into potential war crimes, Vitalii said. Throughout this border area, where fierce battles raged, villages bear the devastating scars of war: houses bombed and burned, roads pitted with craters from exploding mortar shells, smashed cars lying by the roadside. In the days after the Russians were chased out, local people have been returning to see what is left of their homes. Three days before we decided to leave, it was like hell in here from all the shooting, said Larysa Letiucha, 56, in the nearby village of Prudyanka. It was flying from all over the place. It was whistling and exploding. We hid in the basement and our door was blasted off. She left with her family in April, and returned to check on her property a few days after Ukrainian soldiers retook the village. I saw a horror. I still cannot pull myself together, she said in recounting her first sight of what remained of her house. We were living here our whole lives. We were building it, making renovations. Our whole life was invested here. The windows are blasted in and the ceiling leaks from where a patch is missing from an explosion. In the small house her parents built on the same plot, the entire back part is missing. Shrapnel and debris litter the house. Our houses are comfortable even though we live in the village, Letiucha said. Its a horror. I dont even know when we will renovate and rebuild all of this. Former President Trump looks on as J.D Vance, a Republican candidate for Senate, speaks Saturday in Youngstown, Ohio. (Tom E. Puskar / Associated Press) Former President Trump drew more than 6,000 fans for a rally Saturday evening in this industrial northeast Ohio city and mocked venture capitalist J.D. Vance, his pick in the states surprisingly tight U.S. Senate race, in the process. J.D. is kissing my ass. Of course he wants my support, Trump told the crowd. The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance, he added. Trump has intervened in dozens of Republican primaries across the country this year. Many of the candidates he backed, including Vance, went on to win their partys nomination. But some Republicans in Washington have questioned whether Trumps picks, who often have strong appeal to his base, can succeed in November, when they will have to compete for swing voters. Candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome of statewide races, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the GOP leader in the Senate, said last month. Many election forecasters believe that Democrats are likely to maintain control of the Senate. Trump won Ohio twice, both times by more than 8 percentage points. But Vance, who was once a Trump critic, has been struggling to build a lead on Rep. Tim Ryan, his Democratic opponent for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Trump backed Vance in part because he thought the Hillbilly Elegy author and Marine veteran had the best chance to win, he said earlier this year. Hes a guy that said some bad s about me. He did, Trump told the crowd at an April rally in Cleveland. But I have to do what I have to do. We have to pick somebody that can win. Some at Saturdays rally evinced little affection for Republicans not named Trump. I love Trump. He is the best president in my lifetime, said Patricia Delwiche, 65, of Missouri, who traveled nearly 12 hours to attend Saturdays event. Delwiche believes Trump needs to do more to push Republicans in Name Only RINOs out of the party. There are RINOs out there. They need to get out, like Kevin McCarthy and Lindsey Graham, she said, referring to the Bakersfield Republican who leads the House GOP and the longtime senator from South Carolina. Delwiche was one of nearly 1,000 rallygoers who waited outside the venue from the early morning hours as music blasted from the arenas outdoor speakers. Some attendees tailgated in the parking lots. Like most Trump rallies, Saturdays gathering also featured appearances by a variety of Trump world celebrities. Vincent Fusca the QAnon figure who many Q followers believe is John F. Kennedy Jr., was in attendance. Uncle Jam, an older man dressed as Uncle Sam who sings Trump-inspired renditions of popular songs, sang Facebook Prison Blues to the tune of Johnny Cashs Folsom Prison Blues. Mike Lindell, owner of the company My Pillow, spoke on a small stage in the parking lot. They had Jan. 6 planned out, Lindell told the crowd before the event without specifying who they were. The two days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol will be remembered as some of the darkest days in our countrys history, he said. They tried to kill your voice that day. They canceled 1.2 million voices from across social media, Lindell said. As rallygoers waited to enter the building, Lindell paced across his stage for nearly an hour, spouting debunked election claims. Earlier this year, Dominion Voting Systems sued Lindell for defamation over his evidence-free claims that the companys former director of product strategy and security committed treason and rigged election machines for President Biden. After rally attendees filed in, the first person to take the stage was J.R. Majewski, a former nuclear energy worker in a tight race against Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-tenured woman in the House. Kapturs home turf, like much of northern Ohio, used to be solidly Democratic, full of union workers who backed candidates with long histories of supporting labor. But that started to change after many manufacturing jobs were outsourced and some unions started to back Trump. Redistricting recently made Kapturs district more competitive, and shes a top target for Republicans this fall. Majewskis dad used to be a true blue Democrat until 2015, when he saw Donald Trump coming down the escalator and he spoke to his heart, the candidate told The Times in an interview. Donald Trump didnt create the MAGA movement, Majewski said. He just taught us how to listen and gave us some insight of what our elected officials were doing, and it motivated people to get more involved. If elected, Majewski said, he would focus on energy policy and stopping the Democrats from trying to force the Green New Deal, wind turbines, solar panels, down the throat of the American people. We just got to keep the lobbyists and big-business money out of the picture. Majewskis speech took a more radical tone. He thanked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for sending unwitting migrants to Marthas Vineyard, Mass., and falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. This Ohio caucus is excited to work together as a team for Ohio, he said. We are going to lead the way no more empty promises, no more locking us down, no more masks, no more grooming our children. If Republicans have their way, the Ohio caucus will be led by Vance. In his speech, Vance attacked Ryan for voting too often with Biden and for supporting rioters and looters and the defund the police movement. Ryan never supported defunding the police; he said the criminal justice system is racist and believes it is the new Jim Crow. Vance also attacked Ryan for wanting to eventually ban gas-powered vehicles, which Ryan suggested during his 2020 presidential run. Is that going to benefit the Youngstown autoworker? Of course not, Vance said. Trump closed out the night by painting a dark vision of Ohio. He said Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton all led by Democratic mayors are some of the deadliest in the country and are being taken over by drug dealers. Im calling for the death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers, he said. The three Ohio cities Trump mentioned had some of the highest homicide rates in the nation in 2019, according to FBI data. He criticized Ryan for saying he wanted to kill and confront the extremist movement within the Republican Party. Trump also attacked Ryan for trying to appeal to moderate Republicans. I think he is running on a I love Donald Trump policy, Trump said of the Democrat. He is a militant left-winger, pretending to be a moderate. Trump continued to push bogus claims about the 2020 election. We won [the presidency] in two landslides, and now, we have to give J.D. a landslide, he said. The radical left Democrats have been fighting tooth and nail to stop me because they know I will never be loyal to them and will only be loyal to you. Ohioans have to vote Republican on the entire ballot or risk the election being stolen, Trump added. We need a landslide so big that the radical left cant steal it or rig it, Trump said. This is the year we are going to take back the House, we are going to take back the Senate, and we are going to take back America. And in 2024, most important, we are going to take back our magnificent White House. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Thrissur: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan Saturday night met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat here amid the brewing discontent between the governor and the state's Left government. The governor's office said Khan had a brief meeting with Bhagwat at around 8 PM. The meeting took place at an RSS leader's house here. "The governor held a brief meeting with the RSS chief. It was a courtesy call. It was a pre-planned meeting," a senior official from the governor's office told PTI. The Governor, however, refused to talk to the media. The meeting assumes significance as the ongoing tussle between Khan and the ruling CPI(M) over hirings in universities escalated further on Saturday with the former making it clear that the state government could not be given powers to appoint vice chancellors. The Left party charged Khan with unleashing 'false campaigns' against the dispensation. The Governor, who met the media here in the morning, accused the Left government of preventing the police from registering a case in the alleged attempt to attack him physically at the Kannur University during a History Congress in 2019. But, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan soon called a press conference at the AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram and rubbished the charges. He also targeted the Governor for "unnecessarily" levelling allegations against Kannur VC Gopinath Ravindran and eminent historian Irfan Habib in connection with the incident. The Left leader charged Khan's conduct was unbecoming of the position of governor. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Friday lashed out at Khan for the remarks on alleged nepotism in appointments in the state varsities, calling them "absurd." LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, a Republican who is running for governor in Arkansas, was released from a hospital Saturday after undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer. Following successful surgery on Friday to remove her thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes and in consultation with her physician, Sarah was discharged from an Arkansas hospitalcancer free, said Sanders spokesperson Judd Deere. She will spend the remaining portion of her recovery at home. Deere told The Associated Press that Sanders, 40, plans to resume campaigning soon, but it was not known precisely when she would return. Sanders said Friday when announcing the surgery that a biopsy earlier this month revealed she had thyroid cancer. Video: Sarah Sanders says she's cancer free after thyroid surgery Dr. John R. Sims, a surgeon at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock who is one of Sanders' doctors, said Sanders cancer was a stage 1 papillary thyroid carcinoma, the most common type of thyroid cancer and said she has an excellent prognosis. Sims said Sanders will need adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine and long-term continuing care. Sanders, who served as former President Donald Trumps spokeswoman until 2019, is running against Democratic nominee Chris Jones. She is the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Jones and his wife, Jerrilyn, on Friday issued a statement saying their family was thinking of Sanders and praying for her. Sanders is heavily favored in the predominantly Republican state of Arkansas to win the office currently held by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is leaving office in January due to term limits. Shes run primarily on national issues in the Arkansas race, promising to use the governors office to fight President Joe Biden and the radical left. Irish premier Micheal Martin has said the Queens legacy is a reminder of the importance to nurture British-Irish relations, as he praised the late monarchs authentic actions towards reconciliation. The Taoiseach was speaking from London ahead of the state funeral on Monday morning. Mr Martin and his wife Mary, along with Irish President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, will be among the 500 foreign dignitaries attending the funeral at Westminster Abbey. The two couples attended Westminster Hall on Sunday afternoon, before signing a book of condolence at Lancaster House. The Irish delegation was also due to attend a reception hosted by the King at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening for visiting heads of state. Speaking to reporters in London, Mr Martin said it was a very significant moment in history, adding: Her warmth, her authentic actions, and by actions and by what she did, she made an enormous contribution. He said the Queens 2011 visit to Ireland was the culmination of enormous work that cemented reconciled Anglo-Irish relations in the modern era, and would long be remembered. In many ways it gives us all time to pause and reflect on the importance of the British-Irish relationship, the need to cultivate it, to nurture it, for the future generations. Today, I signed the Book of Condolence at Lancaster House.In sympathy with King Charles, the Royal Family, and British people, on the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth, who did so much for reconciliation on these islands. pic.twitter.com/1EYwMQ8FPN Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 18, 2022 Addressing Irish people living in Britain who mourn the Queens death, as well as the unionist community, he said: We sympathise with you, we offer you our deepest sympathies upon your loss. And there is a deep sense of loss on parts of the island of Ireland, particularly in the unionist and loyalist community, as a result of the passing of Queen Elizabeth. I recognise that. Speaking about the queue of people paying their respects at the Queens coffin, which has been lying in state at Westminster Hall, Mr Martin said it was incredible. Its very moving, and I think it brings to mind in many respects the attachment, the connection between the British people of different generations and Queen Elizabeth. Its quite an extraordinary thing to see at first hand, and we need to appreciate that in Ireland. There is a deep connection there. Micheal Martin arriving ahead of a meeting with Liz Truss at Downing Street (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Asked about the number of foreign dignitaries attending the funeral, Mr Martin added: It reflects an admiration for a person who, if I use the phrase did the fundamentals well, who did service well, who did duty well. And in many ways did it in an non-ostentatious way. And that hard work ethic resonated across the world. So it really illustrates the depth of respect that people across the world had for Queen Elizabeth. Mr Martin said he had had a warm meeting with British Prime Minister Liz Truss, but refrained from answering questions on the Northern Ireland Protocol. He left 10 Downing Street just under an hour after arriving to meet Ms Truss on Sunday morning, in what was expected to be more of an informal chat than a traditional bilateral meeting. Britain is expected to push ahead with legislation to give its ministers the power to scrap parts of the protocol, which was agreed by the UK and EU to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. The EU and Ireland claim Britains move to unilaterally revise the post-Brexit treaty would breach international law. (PA Graphics) Diplomatic efforts are expected to be ramped up in the coming weeks to find a resolution. I dont think this is the time, if you dont mind me saying so, to get into the detail about issues like the protocol, Mr Martin said during an interview on BBC Radio 4, adding that he respects the UKs period of mourning. He continued: Ive had a good telephone conversation last week with the British Prime Minister, had an initial warm meeting this morning where we discussed many issues in the context of the British-Irish relationship. But I do think the opportunity is there for us to reset relationships and to be conscious of what we achieved in previous years, the obstacles that were overcome then. And that gives us the strength to know that we have the capacity to overcome current obstacles, current issues that potentially could impede the relationship, and I believe we can overcome them. Liz Truss is set to meet three more world leaders, including her Irish counterpart, as hundreds of dignitaries from across the globe descend on London to pay their respects to the Queen. The talks may be casual, portrayed by No 10 as chats rather than formal bilateral sessions, but the Prime Ministers meeting with Taoiseach Micheal Martin comes against a backdrop of political tensions over post-Brexit trading arrangements. She had been due to meet US president Joe Biden, a milestone of her early premiership, but the talks were cancelled on Saturday, with a full bilateral meeting scheduled instead for Wednesday, when they are set to be in New York for the UN General Assembly. In addition to Mr Martin, Ms Truss will meet Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Polish president Andrzej Duda in Downing Street on Sunday. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau signs the book of condolence at Lancaster House (David Parry Media Assignments/PA) The weekends talks with world leaders are being framed by No 10 as chats to offer condolences over the Queens death, during which politics is likely to come up. 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 with Mr Martin comes as Britain is expected to push ahead with legislation to give ministers the power to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was jointly agreed by the UK and EU in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. Both the EU and Ireland claim Britains move to unilaterally revise the post-Brexit treaty would breach international law. Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin (Liam McBurney/PA) 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 protocol. The PM kicked off her meetings with world leaders on Saturday, speaking to her counterparts from New Zealand and Australia. The talks were held at the Governments Chevening country residence, rather than Chequers, which is said to be undergoing routine maintenance work after Boris Johnsons exit. Ms Truss will also have an audience with the King at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, before attending his reception for visiting heads of state. At 8pm, she will observe a minutes silence with the country to mourn the Queens death and reflect on her life and legacy. People have been invited to mark the occasion privately at home, on their doorstep or street, or at community events and vigils. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan received today the delegation led by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi who arrived in Armenia on an official visit, the Armenian Parliaments press service said. The official welcoming ceremony was followed by the private meeting between Mr. Simonyan and Mrs. Pelosi. Thereafter, the sides joined the extended-format talk. In his remarks Speaker Alen Simonyan said that the United States plays a key role in Armenias political and economic life. Dear friend, your visit to Armenia is taking place at a very difficult period for our country, and it is further appreciated in this regard. As you know, since September 13 Azerbaijan has launched a new phase of aggression against Armenias sovereign territory. The Azerbaijani armed forces have brutally bombarded not only the border positions of Armenia, but also numerous settlements and civilian infrastructure. Unfortunately, we have casualties, Alen Simonyan said. He thanked for the fragile ceasefire agreement reached at the mediation of the United States in the evening of September 14, as well as expressed gratitude to the US leadership, including many Congressmen for their addressed assessment of the latest developments. The sides discussed issues relating to the security of Armenia and the region, including details regarding the further processes in the UN Security Council. The meeting has also touched upon the further inter-parliamentary cooperation projects. At the end of the meeting the Armenian Speaker of Parliament and the Speaker of the US House of Representatives delivered a statement. In her remarks, the US House Speaker said: When we travel to any country, security is important for us. We didnt know that our visit will coincide with the days following the hostilities. In the United States, we are proud of being surrounded by patriotic Armenians who are also our citizens. They are our strength, the key component of our wholeness. After their meeting Alen Simonyan and Nancy Pelosi will give a joint press conference. by Sumon Corraya In Dinajpur, Bangladesh, the anniversary celebration of her arrival at the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration monastery. Originally from Kerala, she built and guided the community of cloistered nuns. "I pray for world peace and the welfare of all." Dinajpur (AsiaNews) - Sr. Mary Elizabeth, a religious of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, at Dinajpur Monastery celebrated 70 years of religious life a few days ago. Present at the ceremony were the Bishop of Dinajpur, Msgr. Sebastian Tudu, some priests and the other nuns. Sr. Mary Elizabeth arrived in Dhaka on August 31, 1952 from Changanacherry, in India's Kerala, to become a nun along with four other young women. Their uncle brought them by train and ship, taking more than a week. She made her final profession on August 2, 1961. Her family consists of four sisters and two brothers, all of whom are elderly and still alive, and Sr. Elizabeth's sister, Sr. Aroti, is also a Sister of the Missionaries of Charity, working as a missionary in Jordan. During the Mass, the bishop gave thanks for Sr. Mary Elizabeth's consecrated life. "Today we thank God who sent Rev. Sr. Mary Elizabeth for us from India. She left her loved ones behind and sacrificed her life for this country for the past 70 years. She also performed important tasks for the Catholic Church in Bangladesh. We are grateful to her," Bishop Tudu said. Sr. Elizabeth, who is now 87, told AsiaNews that she never returned to her birthplace, Kerala, after arriving in Dhaka, then East Pakistan. But her two sisters and a brother came to Bangladesh to meet her during the Golden Jubilee of her religious life. "At the beginning of my religious life, I used to communicate with my family by letter. Now we are in contact by cell phone," she told AsiaNews. She said she was happy for her 70 years of religious life. "I was too busy praying and working in the monastery to notice that time was passing. I love the monastery life. I pray before the Eucharist for peace in the world, for the welfare of people, and that has always given me peace within myself," she says, smiling. "I wanted to go to a faraway country as a missionary. That's why I joined the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. I offered myself to Jesus Christ because I love Him, I obtained immense pleasure by adoring Him," she explained. Her fellow sisters admire her. "Sr. Mary Elizabeth is our pioneer. She made a huge contribution to our congregation. She offered us the best leadership. She was our Mother Superior in Mymensingh Monastery for 10 years and for 9 years in Dinajpur Monastery," related Sister Mary Petra, a member of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration and Mother Superior of Dinajpur Monastery. "She was the founding Mother Superior of Dinajpur Monastery. When the number of members in our congregation decreased, Sister Elizabeth began to pray to Jesus Christ for a religious vocation and Jesus answered her call. At Mymensingh Monastery, the number of our nuns grew to 50 sisters. We did not have enough space for our nuns. Later we opened a new monastery in Dinajpur with the cooperation of the local bishop," Sister Mary Petra related. She also said that Sr. Elizabeth's prayer life and guidance as a senior nun are still an inspiration to the young nuns. The nuns began their ministry in Dinajpur in 2008. In the past 12 years they have been blessed with five new nuns and three more young people are studying in their formation house. In Bangladesh there is another nunnery of the congregation of St. Clare's Adoration Monastery, located in Mymensingh, north-central Bangladesh. The nuns of the monastery arrived in Bengal in 1933. They pray 24/7 for world peace, Pope Francis and other Church leaders.